A/N: Written for Hogwarts assignment 12 - Photography: task 7 - Write a story set in the Astronomy Tower.
Word count: 498
Susan stumbled backward upon catching sight of Daphne Greengrass leaning against the railing of the Astronomy Tower. Her shoulder hit the doorframe, and she winced as the pain travelled down her arm.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up as if she'd been caught doing something she wasn't meant to do. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
Daphne turned and raised a carefully manicured eyebrow. Not that Susannoticed something like that.
"You're not interrupting anything," Daphne said with a smirk.
"Really?" Susan tried to disguise the way her voice broke with a cough. "Usually girls come here with guys to snog, so I just assumed—"
She broke off at the sight of Daphne's smirk. Her cheeks burned. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. Though she loved coming to the Astronomy Tower to observe the sky, she rarely did precisely to avoid the couples who liked to come here. She'd never stumbled on someone else alone before.
Daphne kept inspecting her, and Susan shifted awkwardly near the door.
"I can promise there are no boys here," Daphne said. "They wouldn't be of much use to me if they were."
Susan's eyes widened. She looked away from Daphne to inspect a brick in the wall, but she still felt the other girl's gaze. Her brain kept telling her to run, but something she didn't want to think about too much held her in place.
"I didn't mean to pry," Susan stammered.
Daphne chuckled and tilted her head to the side.
"Don't be stupid, Bones. You haven't gotten anything out of me that I didn't want you to know."
Susan nodded, but still couldn't bring it in herself to look up at Daphne. Her cheeks were hot, and she desperately hoped that the darkness of the tower hid it for the most part.
"Do you have a problem with lesbians, Bones?"
Susan's head shot up, her eyes wide as she stared at Daphne in horror.
"Of course not! Why would I…? Why would you say...? No!"
Daphne's smirk grew as she took a step closer.
"Really?" she asked. "Because you've gotten rather red, sweetheart."
Susan tried to push down her nerves and make herself stand straighter. She looked Daphne right in the eyes and said, "I don't have a problem with anyone."
Daphne laughed and shook her head. "Ahh. I see what the problem is. Though I'm not sure that I'd call it a problem."
Her smirk was knowing in a way that made Susan's palms sweat.
"I need to go," she said, no longer caring what she seemed like. She just wanted to get away so she could think clearly again. "My friends will be wondering where I am."
"If you want me, you know where to find me," Daphne called after her, far too loudly considering they were both breaking curfew.
Susan hurried back to the Hufflepuff common room, sure that she'd never be able to set foot in the Astronomy Tower outside of class ever again.