Severus took a shaky breath, trying to figure out what to do. He wanted someone to talk to, but he didn't want to look weak. Exposing himself to others that way was a frightening thought. He couldn't bring himself to get up and talk to her.

Then he would have to wake her up all over a stupid nightmare.

She seemed to think he was... Anything but weak. He wouldn't give her a reason to think otherwise if he could help it. He bit his lip and leaned back against his bed, thinking. How could he get through this all without hurting himself? He didn't want to lock up his emotions completely, but he didn't want to embarrass himself. Maybe he could find a way to casually bring it up to Hermione tomorrow...

With a distraction in mind, Severus managed to lay back down and try to get some sleep. However, the moment he let his eyes shut again, the memory continued on repeat. Then, it flashed through with Hermione in place of Lily. Bloody Hell. He sat up again quickly, grimacing and rubbing his eyes as he took another deep breath. It would only go away if he got up and did something. He might as well try talking to Hermione.

He got up, quietly walking out of his room, and going over to her door. It took a few moments for him to gather the courage to actually knock on her door. No matter what that stupid Sorting Hat said, he was by no means a Gryffindor. He'd never be that brave.

He didn't even have the courage to knock on Hermione's door, and he had never had the courage to tell Lily how he felt. With that thought, he knocked very lightly on her door. Severus decided if she didn't answer after that knock, he would go back to bed and deal with it himself. He didn't want to have to knock loudly and risk waking everyone else in the house as well as her.

He was about to turn away and go back to his room when Hermione opened the door.

She looked barely awake, and her hair was frizzing out in several directions. She wore sweat pants and a tshirt in Gryffindor colors. "Severus?" Hermione asked after a yawn with very confused look on her face. "What's wrong?"

It was almost cute, the way she looked. Severus mentally shook the thought away. "Um... Never mind. It's not that important," he mumbled awkwardly. She looked like she was really tired, and he didn't want to cut into her sleep time if she needed it that much. He should have thought about that in the first place.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him tiredly. "You already woke me up. Come in, and tell me what made you wake me up," she said, stepping to the side to let him in. "Unless you want to talk in the hall."

Severus bit his lip before stepping inside and looking around for a place to sit. He didn't want to sit on the bed. That would be kind of awkward... He got lucky, and there was a desk with a chair where he could sit. "Thanks," he said quietly, taking a seat. He was an idiot for bringing this to her. He didn't even know her that well, but he was already here. He might as well talk to her now. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, he glanced around her room.

There was books everywhere, though they were all well organized. In fact, her whole room was organized. She even had her books in alphabetical order from what he could tell. He was shaken from his thoughts as she spoke again, glancing over to see her sitting on her bed.

"What's wrong? I doubt you would wake me up for no reason," Hermione said, seeming far more awake now.

He sighed and looked rather awkward. "It seems really stupid now," he muttered. "But I had a bad dream, and I couldn't get back to sleep." The last sentence was really soft, like he didn't want to admit it.

Hermione's face softened at his words after a small moment of surprise. Nightmares were understandable. "Oh," she said, moving to the end of the bed so she was sitting a bit closer to her. "I get that. I can't get back to sleep all the time after a nightmare either. Do you want to talk about it?"

Severus saw her face soften at his words and felt kind of embarrassed. At least she didn't laugh at him or call him weak. Though he hoped that she didn't pity him. "Not- Yeah. I guess I do," he murmured, frowning. "It was about calling Lily a mudblood."

"That would make sense. She was your best friend before that. It'd be best to move on but I doubt it's that easy," she told him gently. "That would qualify as a reason not to be able to get back to sleep."

He leaned back into the chair, frowning as he thought of Lily. He missed her so much. "It's not," he said softly. "I don't have anyone else I'm that close to, and she knows it. I introduced her to magic. I helped her find out about Hogwarts, and she helped me get through any time I had to spend at home or deal with the bloody Marauders. She completely left me and won't let me make it up to her. I miss having a best friend. It's not just something I can just get over..." He trailed off, not realizing he had said so much in the first place. It just came out in his tired, post-nightmare state. He did need someone to talk to about it. He just hadn't realized how much.

He was brought back to the present in surprise by a hug from Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I kind of understand," she said softly. "I can kind of understand that. No one should have to go through that alone. In first year, I didn't have any friends for the first two months. I was just the know-it-all. That was awful enough on it's own. No one deserves to not have a best friend."

Severus hesitantly, and rather awkwardly, hugged her back. He had no words.

"I know I told you I would be civil towards you. Now I promise to be your friend. Not just civil," Hermione said quietly as she pulled away. She had a few tears in her eyes which she quickly swiped away in turn for a small smile. "Ok?"

He nodded slightly, surprised at her words and even more thankful for them.

(I know this took a while again but I hope you guys enjoy it. I will try to update as soon as possible. Please review and let me know how I'm doing!)