She woke up to the sound of screams. Bewildered and confused, Hermione looked for the source. Then the screams came again, the sound ripping through her, and she carefully slid out of her bed to follow the noise. It was coming in through the slightly ajar door to the bathroom. Walking inside Hermione found the door to Nott's room open. His screams echoed off the tiles as she slowly padded her way towards his room. She hadn't heard screams like this since Harry in the first few weeks after the war. As each death came in flashbacks and tore him apart.

She found Nott thrashing in his bed, the sheets twisted around his thighs. If she was being honest, he looked as though he was under the cruciatus curse. She winced as he let out another scream, his voice hoarse. When his cries did not subside Hermione, rather boldly, crawled onto his bed, pulling his head into her lap. She began running her fingers through his hair as she softly cooed at him that it was okay, he was safe now, the war was over, the way she had done many times this summer with Harry. It wasn't until he stopped screaming and curled into her embrace that she had realised what she had done. Her instinct was to care for him, to make the pain go away. It wasn't as though this was specific to Nott; it was who Hermione was as a person. Very carefully she slid out from his embrace and made her way toward the bathroom, she thought she had made it out unnoticed but then she heard him speak.

"Granger?" his voice was soft and rough from his cries. "What are you doing?" his eyes held such pain and, if she had to guess, shame. Hermione had caught him in his moment of ultimate weakness. When he couldn't just brush it off or pretend like it didn't happen. She had witnessed it. She had helped him get through it. And he had no idea why.

"I have them too, the nightmares I mean. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, return the favour from earlier." She kept her breathing steady as she looked at him. She hadn't admitted to anyone that the nightmares still came, that each night she would see Bellatrix's face in her dreams wielding that cursed blade. Her hand went instinctively to her neck where her scar was.

"I'm so sorry, I put up silencing charms, I don't know how you heard me…" his voice trailed off, his mind lost in his train of thought.

"The bathroom doors were open."

"Again, my apologises, I got up earlier to use the facilities, I must have forgot to fully close your door earlier this evening." His face became flushed as he looked at her, "thank you."

Hermione nodded her head politely and made her way back to her room. After shutting and warding her own door Hermione placed her own set of silencing spells around her room. It appeared he had had the same thought as her. She waited a while to see if she would hear more screams tonight and when she did not, she allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

Hermione rose with the sun, her skin glistening from the sweat of a nightmare she wished to forget. Making her way to the bathroom she peaked her head through to find Nott still asleep and sprawled out every which way. Once she was showered and dressed, she prepared herself for the first day of classes: Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Potions and then Double Transfiguration. She looked forward to classes where she wouldn't have to keep an eye on Harry and Ron, where she could lose herself in her note taking and not worry about the judgment of her friends. She packed her book bag and grabbed her Gryffindor scarf, draping it carefully enough to appear as though she had just tossed it on but strategically enough that it covered her scar, with that she was ready for the day.

Hermione made her way to the hall and sat with Neville, Dean, Seamus and Ginny. When asked about last night she said she was tired and just went to bed, there was no point in worrying them. Ginny would insist she write to Harry and Ron, and she wasn't ready for that. Her eyes scanned the Slytherin table, her caramel searching for his green and when she found them her heart skipped a beat. He was watching her whilst listening to Malfoy prattle on about something, feeling brave she smiled and was pleasantly surprised when he nodded his head and smiled back in acknowledgment.

"What was that?" Ginny whispered in her ear having watched the exchange.

"Nothing Gin, talk later." With a quick kiss on the forehead, she was off towards runes.

Hermione liked being early to class, it meant she could choose where she wanted to sit and that there was no chance of her being tardy if something happened along the way. She went to walk through the door when her body collided with that of another student. Falling to the ground, she felt a hand reach out to catch her. Looking up she saw a familiar pair of green eyes staring down at her; they paused for a moment just staring into each other's eyes until they heard a cough.

"Granger, will you stop making eyes at my best friend, we would like to enter class." Malfoy's voice held no malice in fact it was almost friendly as he pushed through the two of them and through the door. "Theo, get a move on."

With that, Nott loosened his grip and followed Malfoy into the classroom taking the seat beside him. Hermione paused at the back of the room for a moment trying to decide where to sit, by the time she made her move Terry Boots and three more Ravenclaws had entered the classroom along with Susan Bones. Hermione took the chair next to Susan, which just so happened to be the desk next to Malfoy and Nott.

They worked in silence once the class started, but every so often Hermione would sneak a glance to her left and smile when she saw Nott was looking at her too. She didn't know what had come over her, but she seemed to be developing some strange kind of connection with the tall, green-eyed Slytherin and she wasn't too sure how she was going to deal with it. When class was over, she began packing up her things when a note was slipped on her desk, she looked up to see his retreating form before smiling and picking up the note.

We need to talk. Library. Now.

Glancing down at her watch she saw she only had fifteen minutes before Arithmancy, this had better be quick.