Clarte
Chapter 5 of 5
seindeCLARTE
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Against a pristine morning—deep, sinking smoke washed out against pale ascending sky—an old battered clock struck seven. The air was crisp and dry as it often is at the end of autumn when branches of great enduring oaks turned bronze, and twisting yew trees began to swell with red lantern arils. The clock rang its reminder once again, hollow and dispassionate.
The room housing the clock was a scattered mess, looking very much as thorough burglars had gone through and spilled its contents everywhere. Books laid about in tatters across the floor, accompanying similarly broken glassware and overturned furniture. There had never been much in the spartan room to begin with, but what little was there had all been smashed by the owner in a fit of grief-driven rage. A young wizard in torn black robes sat against the far corner in the midst of rubble. He was messy and unshaven with tracks of dried tears crusted under blue-grey sunken eye sockets.
He had not slept in days, not since—
Defeated and heartbroken, he sat staring at dawn, unable to move. Morning light streamed through the window onto his slumped form. The dawn held nothing for him; it was not even real, only an enchanted portrait made to hide the darkness of the dungeons. Another lie piled upon yet more lies.
The clock chimed one final time, and the wizard glanced at it through his long greasy black hair. It would not do to be late to her funeral, to dishonor her memory. But his misery was too much, her presence still too real to him. He could feel her cold stiff body and blank accusing eyes as he pleaded—prayed for her to not leave him to face the world alone.
With a struggling hand, he reached into his pocket and dug out a ring. He could barely summon the strength to keep it upright between long fingers. It was a simple puzzle of silver knots with four tiny brilliantly clear gem stones, one on each metallic band. He had meant it as a gift for her many years ago, purchased with painstakingly saved petty allowance, but she had never permitted him that one gesture.
And now it was too late.
Determined to pull himself together and attend her burial, the young man twisted the ring between his fingers and carefully pulled it apart into four separate pieces. His hands couldn’t help but tremble slightly. Touching his wand to his temple, he pulled out a single strand of silvery memory and set it into the first ring piece's gem stone. The stone glowed protesting blue in response. Already, he felt lighter.
Repeating this process for each of the pieces, he locked away his anguish and resentment so she could be unsullied to him, remaining eternally beautiful in every way. He would get rid of them in due time, once he found deserving owners. Unbeknownst to him, his tumult of emotion was deposited along with each memory. With only faint imprints of the thoughts, he felt composed, stoic. However, when he saw the last strand of wispy recollection slip into the final piece, his brow immediately furrowed in felt deep regret. Before the tail end of the memory became fully immersed in clear crystal lattice, the wizard hastily tugged it back and returned it to his temple.
This last one was simply too precious. He would permit himself this one indulgence.
His eyes felt hot as he let it return.
A great field is covered in summer blooms of knee-height daisies, as far as the eye can see. The sound of gentle wind and nectar-collecting insects is interrupted by the mellifluous laughter of a young girl. She is running through the field, closely followed by a black-haired boy. He grabs her shoulder, and they both plummet down into the daisies.
Beneath the scorching sun, they lay in the field, breathless and exhausted. There are grass stains on her white dress, but neither of them notice or care. The boy’s arm becomes pinned under the girl’s slim weight as she rolls toward him. He can sense the feeling in his hand gradually turning to pins and needles yet makes no attempts to move. Turning away from harsh midday light, he studies her profile, her long hair, her smile. There is a covetous hint in his gaze, as if the sight of her were water and he dying of thirst.
He memorizes every detail, from the way the sun flows over her pale skin to the number of freckles on her cheek. Taken with the way summer dances in her brilliant green eyes, he smiles. She is infinitely beautiful to him, not ephemeral but eternal. A single word from her perfect lips and he would die again and again for her.
The girl finally rolls away to lay of her stomach, much to his disappointment.
“Are you looking forward to fourth year, Severus?” she asks casually.
He nods and fidgets with crushed flower stalks under his arm, eyes never leaving her delicate features.
“I think it’ll be the best one yet.”
The girl shakes leaves and grit from her red hair as she beams at him.
He sits up and pulls his too-short trousers toward his feet. With hardly a wave, he is suddenly holding an arm full of daisies, a bunch as thick as a tree trunk. The boy hands the bundle over to his friend. It is more an armful of stalks and stunted leaves than flowers, but she looks delighted anyway. Holding the heavy bouquet, she squeezes the stalks with her pale slim arms, and the white flower petals all begin to dance, blinking and spinning. They both laugh in the manner with which young people laugh at secret inside jokes. She places a small kiss on his cheek.
The dark-haired boy lets out a content sigh as he shifts and lies back down. Still holding her armful of flowers, the girl lies down opposite him so her feet are by his head.
“Lily, do you think we will be friends forever?”
Her voice rings across the swaying flowers, floating on wind.
“Always, I promise.”
Endnotes: A million thanks to my beta, Kim (ks51689), the people on this fabulous site, and to you, beloveds, for reading to the end.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Memoire Persistante
45 Reviews | 5.89/10 Average
Aww, a sad little story, I thought. I did particularly like how hermione weaseled the ring from Narcissa, though. :)
OMG! "A hot sensation shot up her arm from the ring and Hermione wrenched it off, unsettled." Could this burning sensation have had anything to do with the night Severus took the Dark Mark?
I'll bet this night's dream mimicked what Severus felt and did when he read of his beloved's marriage to James Potter.
How much sadder dreams can those remaining rings bring to Hermione?
Beth
These puzzle rings are a brilliant plot device. It blew me away that the fear of abandonment Hermione felt seemed to mirror the emotions Severus felt when Lily told him that she didn't want anything to do with him.
"All she could feel was intense yearning for him as if he would disappear at any moment. Her fears were stained with regret and endless apology which made her feel she was infinitely fortunate to have him with her. It was like he was the sun and she the mere mortal earth."
The dream she had about Severus and Lily was heartbreaking!
Beth
So Hermione never does find out about the last memory and the readers never find out why the ring parts made their way to Hermione. Ugh! A story that leaves me wanting more!
Response from seinde (Author of Memoire Persistante)
It would be too wishful for everything came out picture perfect!
Response from MollysSister (Reviewer)
Right you are!
Oh well I thought the mystery would end with the final ring but nooooo there is more to come! Wonderbar!
Ack! No luck with happier memories in the 3rd ring. Oh why did ermione have to put it on? Ron is going to have a meltdown.
Both parts of the ring seem to contain bad memories for Severus. Can the middle 2 rings be good things?
Ahh, clarity for us, not for Hermione.
This idea is really interesting because it fits so perfectly with Snape's canon demeanor. He was not just stoic; he seemed to consider emotions as a weakness. His eyes were described as "cold, empty tunnels" which also fits with the results of having excised his most powereful emotions when he put them into the rings.
Just a great story. Thanks!
Ah, lovely.
It's interesting to note which memories ended up where and with whom. They seem so random, but maybe that's the point. Snape didn't remember exactly what was in them so maybe it didn't matter who had what.
Oh, my goodness... no wonder Harry never saw these exact memories, they're ones Snape put away from himself completely. Except the fourth one must have been very precious to be slightly in there but not quite.
Oh, and this memory is even worse than the last. He must have been in so much pain.
Wow... perhaps his worst memory ever. No wonder Hermione didn't want to consciously recall the heartbreak.
I never read potions under duress, but someone convinced me to give this story a try. It's quite lovely and evocative, and makes perfect sense. If one can put a piece of one's soul into an object, why not a memory?
Oh, that's so sad! You had me tearing up at the end. But it gives Always an even deeper meaning than before.
Well, a bit disappointing for her, but what a fascinatin ring!
That was very poignant, to think he couldn't part from that final memory. :)
Hmm, more puzzles. :)
Three down, one to go. :)
Hmm, now to find the other two. :)
Poor Severus. Am glad he at least had a beautiful memory to keep him warm. Thank you for a beautifully poignant story!
Response from seinde (Author of Memoire Persistante)
But it's also a deeply horrible memory reminding him of her betrayal too!
Poor Severus. I'm glad he kept that last one.
Well, now I know why you said that my previous guess was so insightful...Severus had originally intended to give the ring to Lily as a present. However, in the interest of honesty, I have to admit that I was somewhat off in my guess as well...my first thought was that perhaps Severus had planned it to be a promise ring (sort of a stand-in for an engagement ring). I'm also glad that I was wrong in suspecting that perhaps he had "downloaded" his memories into the ring in order to punish her by making her experience all the pain he had felt over losing her.
Beautiful and poignant!
I'm so happy that Hermione was able to connect all the rings together! I'm curious too, what was the significance of the daisy field? I remember from Canon, that the first time Severus met Lily, she was showing Petunia a daisy in her hand and it was opening and closing it's petals. So, maybe it has something to do with that??
Response from Severus49 (Reviewer)
Oh, this was supposed to go to the previous chapter, sorry!
Oh no, this can't be good. Hermione, those rings seem to have minds of their own! AGG! I can't wait to read the next chapter!