Severus wrapped his green scarf tightly around his neck. It had been an unusually bitter winter this year and the last thing he needed to do was catch ill. The sun was barely climbing its way into the sky as he walked quickly down a lightly snow-dusted street. After last night's chat with Albus, he had thought of the most perfect present for Hermione and needed to acquire it as soon as he could.

Before the war, the Dark Lord maintained a relationship with a jeweler from Ireland, Thomas. As long as Thomas provided the Dark Lord with the necessary baubles and stones to keep the women at bay, he remained untouched. Thomas resided in a small cottage near the water and away from most people, which (fortunately for him) kept him alive once the War started.

Severus liked Thomas. He was a built man in his thirties with hair of fire, and an impeccable eye for his craft. He could take any stone, any precious metal, any idea- and design a beautiful piece. And that was exactly what Severus needed: a beautiful piece. The stone he wanted was extremely rare, but if there was anyone who could find it- it was Thomas.

Severus reached the cottage and knocked at the solid oak door. Within seconds it was pulled open by the red-head.

"Ah, Severus. It's nice to see you under more favorable circumstances. Please, come in." Thomas opened the door wider and gestured for Severus to enter.

Severus stepped through the threshold and into the cottage, which was certainly bigger on the inside. Pictures of every gem and their characteristics lined the walls, leaving only enough space for a window here and there. Gold and silver chains hung from the ceiling, and diamonds had their place neatly in a corner.

Thomas motioned to a table in the middle of the room. Severus sat down at one of the chairs, and Thomas joined him.

"Now, I can only hope you are here for something spectacular, Severus. I must admit I am quite intrigued." Thomas pulled a notepad and a pencil from a draw in the table.

Severus began to pull at his scarf, "Yes, I am here for something unusual, but I must insist on the same precision and intricacy that I was once used to." His voice trailed at the end, and with a slight raise of his eyebrow, Thomas knew at once he meant the Dark Lord.

"Of course Severus. Just because the Dark Lord was the Dark Lord, doesn't mean he was the only person I served well. I take much pride in my pieces and I assure, you will be most pleased," he pulled the notebook closely to him, "Now, what were you thinking?"

Severus began, "I most certainly want a ring. Platinum setting, size six, emerald cut for the stone, and two diamond baguettes on either side."

Thomas closed his eyes softly, and Severus watched as his pencil began to sketch feverishly on its own. After some minutes, the pencil dropped and Thomas opened his eyes. On the paper before him was the most intricate and delicate ring Severus had ever seen. It was beautiful. It was Hermione.

Severus glanced up at Thomas suspiciously, who smiled shyly.

"Severus, you can't think for a second that you could come in here asking for a special ring and not let me assume it's for a woman."

"You are correct," Severus responded shortly.

Thomas chuckled, "Well, you are missing one key item here: the center stone."

Severus scratched his head. "That is where things get complicated. I am sure you know of the stone, and I am also certain you are aware of its rarity."

"Well there are a number of stones that are rare, but most aren't actually impossible to acquire."

"Very good. I want the center stone to be a fire emerald." Severus smirked as Thomas' eyes grew wide.

"A fire emerald? Severus do you have any idea the cost of such a stone?" A quick flick of Thomas' hand sent a book flying to the desk.

Opening the book, he put his finger on the stone, "A two carat stone is at least 160.000£ and the size you want has to be almost five –,"

"Cost is of no importance," interrupted Severus, "In fact, it's of such little importance that if you could only find a ten carat stone, I would easily oblige."

The look on Thomas' face was one of complete shock and awe.

"Of course, Severus, I will do my best." He hesitated, then continued, "I know you to be a man of privacy, but I must ask a few questions to get a better feel for the design of the ring."

Severus narrowed his eyes, but nodded slowly.

"Hair color?" Thomas started.

"Brown."

"Stature?"

"Petite, thin, but strong frame."

"Finger length and width?"

Severus paused, "I would say average length for a female of 5'3", and not particularly wide."

The next question caught him off guard.

"Do you love her?"

Startled, Severus began to stammer. "I don't- that question is extremely personal, Thomas."

"Aye, Severus, but love changes things even as simple as a piece of jewelry."

"I care very deeply for her." Severus' eyes held their dark glare at Thomas.

Thomas smiled, "I think I've got my answer." He began to stand from his chair, and Severus soon followed.

"Thank you, Thomas."

"Of course. I'm guessing you need this for the holiday, correct?" Thomas replied.

"Unfortunately, yes. It wasn't until just last night that I had this idea. I hope it will be done in time." Severus began to put his scarf on.

"As soon as you leave, I will contact my best gemologist. I will get to work on the band, so really all I will need is the stone. I am almost certain it will be done in time, but I will make sure to keep you informed." Thomas held his hand out for Severus to take.

Nodding slightly, Severus shook his hand, "Perfect. I anxiously await your correspondence. Have a good day."

No sooner than Severus was outside the cottage, a wide smile spread across his face.

He had the perfect present.

Albus had been right (for once), in that he needed something to remind her of him on a daily basis. A fire emerald was exactly what he needed. It was one of the rarest stones because it formed only inside volcanic rock, hence the fire part of the name, but it was still a vivid green emerald. The reason why they were so expensive was because the edge of the stone would turn red whenever the wearer felt love. Severus realized he was taking a bit of a chance with this present, but he noticed Hermione always went without jewelry so he felt it safe to imply that she wouldn't know any better. They were beautiful stones when changing, almost as if an emerald was set inside a ruby. Severus was very excited to see the ring, and even more intrigued to see Thomas' work.

Hermione deserved nothing but the best- and at any cost.

What most people didn't know was just how much money Severus had after the War. The Dark Lord was generous to his favourite few and since Severus never had anything to spend the money on, it sat in a private vault for years. He never trusted Gringotts, and it was a good thing too because most of the money would have been confiscated. Other followers had their vaults stripped and emptied of the "blood money", but Severus knew the money was far from that. The Dark Lord had more powerful followers than the Ministry knew, and most of the money the Dark Lord received came from other leaders. He never stole from those who were barely getting by, but rather he aimed for the money that came from powerful and wealthy leaders and politicians. And many of those men were just as corrupt and evil as the Dark Lord himself.

Money was useless to Severus. Those with it were unhappy, and those without it were unhappy. It caused nothing but a cycle of perpetual greed. He knew Hermione felt the same, which was why he also knew she would never think to spend any great amount of money on herself no matter how much she thought it deserved. Severus decided to make it his goal to provide her with everything she could ever want...

Like her parents.

He frowned as he thought about how slowly the identification process was going. It was taking longer than usual for William to locate her parents, and it made Severus uneasy. He knew she wanted her parents back in her life, but she truly believed their absence was punishment for her selfishness. It was a crazy thought, but it was a Hermione thought.

Severus pulled his overcoat tighter to his body.

You must find them, Severus.