Another month went by with little progress being made on the potion. Snape noticed that as October made its appearance Hermione started to get quieter. She was spending more time up in her room or buried in a book without really seeming to read the pages. It was becoming reminiscent of the mood that she had sunk into back in England before she had told him of her parents.

It didn't take much for him to put together that she was getting depressed over the amount of time it was taking for him to finish the potion. They had not even begun to really research what would be needed to reverse the spell. She was stuck in a rut and it was giving her too much time to ruminate over what they were unable to do.

On Friday when she returned from work she plopped down on the couch without even going into the garage to see what Snape was working on as was usually her habit. Snape came in an hour later and found her sitting in a darkening room, staring into space.

He stood in the doorway for several minutes. He knew she was probably getting frustrated in the lack of success in getting rid of the dark mark; leaving an ever growing void between her and her parents. He could not understand it but he didn't like seeing her like this. He had seen her cry many times throughout her life, several of them being at his doing. He had also seen her obnoxiously happy and bubbly. But this, this was something new entirely to her demeanor. In England, yes, she had been sad but this was getting worse. This was turning into something he recognized. Hermione Granger was punishing herself for the situation she was in.

Coming to this realization Snape snapped up and growled at her, "Granger get up."

She jumped in her seat, nearly falling off of the couch. "Huh what?" she stammered.

He grabbed both their coats from the closet and tossed hers to her. "I said get up. I want to show you something."

Hermione drug herself up and put on her coat following him out the door. It was a cool evening as she followed him down the road. They walked in silence for around twenty minutes, Snape not sure what to say to her and Hermione just working to keep up with his brisk pace.

Finally, the small of salt water filled the air and they could hear waves somewhere close by. He led her over a small hill where they found several large rocks on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Snape climbed up on one of the largest rocks. It was flat on top and provided the perfect vantage point of the waves crashing below. Hermione followed him up and stood breathless, taking in the scene before her. It was beautiful, peaceful; they stood in a more companionable silence taking it all in.

Snape looked over at the girl next to him. The wind was blowing in off the ocean, whipping her hair back behind her. He could see that her thoughts were still troubled though, not yet soothed by their surroundings.

Staring out into the waves he cleared his throat gaining her attention. "I found this place about a week ago. I was frustrated with the lack of progress on the salve and needed a place to go to just get away and clear my head."

She nodded and also turned back to watch the waves crash below. She was surprised when she heard him continue. "It's easy to get lost in all that you do not have and forget to live. I spent so much time getting lost in what I felt I should have had I lost who I was. I fought for a country that I had to flee from because there is no trace left in it of who I am only who I let myself become. Do not lose sight of who you are or what you are capable of. Don't let yourself fall into a dark place like I did. Do not let it happen to you Hermione."

With that he turned to go, leaving her with his words. At the end of his speech Hermione turned to stare at him watching his retreating form. It was the first time he had ever used her first name. She sat on the rock and contemplated what he had said to her. It was the most she had ever heard him say about himself. Once he was out of sight she turned back to the waves allowing the sound and the wind to wash over her until she felt more at peace.

Snape had walked home alone to allow her time to think. He could not believe he had said so much to her about himself. As much as he dreaded letting anyone know anything about himself he knew that she needed to hear it. He had a distinct feeling that she was someone he could tell this to without her turning it around or using it against him. He went back into the garage to resume his brewing. He knew she would come back when she was ready.

After about an hour of brewing he heard the loud crack of apparation as she returned into the living room. She didn't come out to see him but he left her to herself. When he finally came in around eleven he found some leftovers sitting out on a plate for him on the counter. After eating he made his way upstairs to ready for bed. In the upstairs hall he could see the light on under her door signifying she was also still awake. As he was making his way from the bathroom to his room he saw her standing in her doorway. He stopped and they stared at each other for a moment.

Finally Hermione broke the silence, "Severus, thank you." Was all she said before she backed back into her bedroom and closed the door. The hallway went dark when her door shut leaving only the small crack of light under the door.

Snape stood there for several minutes shocked by everything she had just done. At first he was focused on the fact that she had thanked him. What exactly it was for he was not sure. Simply showing her the cliff seemed too small of a thing to deserve thanks and he could not see what he had shared with her as really being thankworthy, he was just being honest. Next, it finally registered that she had used his first name. Part of him felt he should be upset with the familiarity she displayed by the action. He quickly squashed this though when his logical side pointed out that he was the one who started it earlier, using her first name while on the cliff face. He knew that were basically roommates but he didn't know if he was comfortable with this transition. Now he was worried about how he should address her. Would she expect him to continue using first names or would they go back to last? Realizing he was still standing in the hall, he moved into his room attempting to work this out. He knew that socially there was nothing wrong with roommates being on a first name basis but his longer relationship with her had been with him as a superior. Then again even with his peers they had rarely referred to each other by first names. Of everyone he went to school with only Lucius called him Severus and even that had not started until after they had both left Hogwarts.

Lying down on the bed he rubbed at his temples, this was giving him a headache. He decided he would wait and see how she handled it. If she continued to use first names he would either accept it or tell her he did not want that kind of familiarity. If she went back to last names even better. With this decision made he turned out the light and went to sleep.

Hermione did not fall asleep easily that night either. Although she felt much better after coming back from the cliff she now had more to think about.

She had called him Severus, Severus, what was she thinking. He was her professor, well ex-professor but still, her senior in every way. It is okay. You can fix this, she told herself just go back to last names tomorrow. After she had said her thank you she had quickly retreated to her room. She had been unable to read his expression in the dark hallway. Not that she could normally read him as it was but she didn't like not knowing if he was angry with her or not. She lay there for several more hours before exhaustion finally took over and she fell asleep.

A/N: Hmmm short chapter but it's amazing what can happen in very few words. Could this be a new turn in the blooming friendship? Also HAPPY NEW YEAR!