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!

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!

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??

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!