Hermione awoke first, her throat sore, but the sight of how peaceful Severus looked made her reluctant to wake him, surprised to see he had kept their hands entwined after she had fell asleep, but confused at the same time. He woke minutes later after the best sleep he had, had in a while

"Morning" Hermione smiled

"Morning" he mumbled still half asleep, he realised their hands were still entwined "Miss Granger, why are you holding my hand?" he asked trying to blame her

"Wouldn't the more appropriate question be why didn't you let go off my hand after I fell asleep?" she chuckled as he was lost for words getting up, shirt dangerously high, his eyes lingering on her a second longer than usual as she pulled on her jeans

"Because I didn't want to wake you, how was your sleep for that matter well the second half?" changing the subject 'Severus your being too nice' he mentally kicked himself, she flinched as the nightmare came back

"It was the best it has been in a while thanks how about yours?"

"The very same" he said getting up and noticed her take in his appearance for the first time noticing he was topless and had black pyjama bottoms on, his muscled chest and faint six back noticing he had no chest or back hair. 'He hadn't thought of putting a shirt on as he heard her scream' Hermione raised an eyebrow but made no comment secretly admiring him.

"Shut up" his eyes narrowed

"I didn't say anything" she said though it came out muffled as she began cleaning her teeth

"You were thinking it though"

She swilled her mouth "Thinking what Severus?" hands on her hips looking slightly annoyed

"I'm going to make breakfast" he spat

"More like order it" she growled back

"Look Hermione, don't start, I'm not in the mood"

"Well I'm sorry you can't admit you were nice for once in your life" she said slamming the bathroom door in his emerging 10 minutes later hair washed and dried with a blouse and jeans on completely ignoring Snape as she sat in the chair opposite him facing the fire, and started reading Hogwarts a history for the 15th million time.

"Miss Granger"

"Yes Professor"

"Breakfast is on the side"

"I'm not hungry thanks"

"You need to eat"

"If you haven't noticed I've barely been eating since I had my run in with Lucius" she spat the name "and that's not about to change"

"I have noticed actually" he admitted causing Hermione to look up from her book "You are more quite in class to, you snap at Potter and Weasley more, you look tired and like you are about to cry all the time, it's worrying" he admitted 'screw being horrible' he thought 'she needs you' a tear running down her cheek

"I'm sorry Severus, I didn't mean to snap I've just been feeling so emotional lately, the lack of sleep doesn't help either, you know?"

"Yeah I know" his eyes pained "Why didn't you tell anyone earlier?"

"I don't want people to treat me differently, I can't stand to look at people and see the pitying look in their eyes, it's horrible, I just want to be able to move on in my life, but I feel like that's never going to happen"

He smiled the weak smile he hardly ever showed "It will, trust me, even though each day holds so much pain and… you feel like you're alone, you never are, no matter what there is always someone there, sometimes you feel like curling up in a ball and crying your eyes out but you know it won't help, you block out the world and just want to be alone, push away the ones you once held close, say things you would of never even of thought before, cry yourself to sleep, you have to try and get up and you barely survive the day, you just wanted to go back to how it was" Hermione's tears were coming faster now and Severus got up and knelt next to her chair and took her hand "You feel like you've be punched in the heart and there's a hole that will never heal, the world's never seemed so big and you've never felt so alone and you'd give anything just to see them again"

"Thank you" she wept into the sofa

"For what?"

"Showing me how much you understand, for being nice, for being you"

"It's okay, nothing to thank me for, I'd appreciate if it could be kept between us though"

"Yeah of course, so do I"

"You sure you won't eat anything?"

"Yeah"

"Will you at least try?" he asked stroking her head she nodded

Getting up and buttering some toast, taking a bite "Better?"

"Yes now I think you should go talk to Harry" she spun round

"No that's not going to happen he has enough to worry about"

"Hermione you're his friend he would want to know"

"No, don't you say anything to him or anyone either, I'll tell him one day, just not now" her eyes murderous

"Hermione"

"I've noticed you only use my first name when you're annoyed or comforting me, why is that?"

"I don't know Miss Granger" he growled

"I know you want to yell at me just do it"

"I don't want to yell at you" he sighed

"What do you want to do then?" she questioned

"Just consider talking to him"

"I'll go to the great hall now see if I can find him" she sighed and left