She walked into the kitchen, late at night, and saw a black figure sitting at the table. She tried to get his attention, but it seemed that he couldn't hear her. Slowly she approached him, not wanting to startle him. She got so close she reached out and touched him and it was alarming; every muscle in his body was tensed.

She had never seen anything like it and was about to call for help when she heard it. "Help me," the professor whispered.

Hermione had never heard that tone of voice come out of Professor Snape's mouth before. He had always seemed so unflappable. "What do you need?"

"Room...Drawer...Pink v-vial..." that seemed to be all he could get out. Then she heard it. "Please..." She had never heard him direct that word to a student of his, ever.

As fast as she could, Hermione ran up to Professor Snape's room and began rummaging through all of his drawers, looking for any vials that would be considered 'pink'. Everything she found was black except for his crisp white shirts in the wardrobe. Finally in the very bottom drawer, she felt a small niche and found the smallest vial she had ever seen. In it was a vibrant pink potion; this had to be it.

Flying back down the stairs, she found the professor in basically the same position, except now he was beginning to tremble all over. She rushed over to him, vanishing the wax and removing the stopper with her wand.

"How much do you need?" he didn't seem to be able to answer her. She knew this had to be what he was talking about and decided to take the chance. Grabbing him by the shoulders, Hermione forced the professor back slightly so she could bring the vial to his mouth. His jaw was clenched tight but he seemed to know what she was trying and parted his lips slightly, just enough to empty the vial.

When he swallowed, Hermione saw the effects almost immediately. However, they were not what she had expected. The professor started almost violently shaking as his muscles began to loosen. It was almost terrifying, but Hermione did the first thing she could think of: hold onto him, keeping him upright so he didn't hurt himself any more.

It seemed like hours before the shaking subsided. Both Hermione and Snape were exhausted from the experience. It was then that they both realized what position they were in. It was far too personal for a professor and student, even if they weren't at school.

Finally, Snape started to get up. He looked down at Hermione and realized just how afraid she was. It unsettled him a bit, that look that she had like she actually cared what happened to him. No one had ever looked at him like that, not even lily. Sure, she had been a friend, in a child's sense of the word, but when life began to get in the way she left him after he called her that dreadful word without even letting him explain.

Looking down and meeting her gaze, he comes to the realization that he has needed something, someone, to see him. The real him. To have something, someone, to be doing all this for. Even if she may never know that.

"Thank you," he said, honestly, truthfully, leaving her standing in the kitchen unsure what happened or why.