A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Assignment #4- forestry - Task #5 - Tsingy Forest, Madagascar: Known as the Forest of Knives, the Tsingy Forest is an incredible area that is made up of sharp limestone rocks jutting from the earth, up to 70 meters in the air.

Write about being in a dangerous place. (Both the windy tower and the relationship are dangerous)

Writing club February

Lyric Alley: 8- Girl you can't conceal it

Marvel Appreciation: 9- [Characteristic] Intelligent

Warning: mentions of verbal abuse

Word Count: 1197

The wind was the first thing she noticed as she pushed the wooden door open. It creaked loudly, resisting. She shoved it harder until she was able to slip through. Her robes fluttered against her skin. She hadn't realized how windy it was at first.

Maybe this was a bad idea? Maybe she should go back inside, where it was safer? No, if she did, she'd be a coward and besides, he'd be coming in a minute. It wasn't like she could tell him there'd been a change in plans. He was probably already on his way up here. She could almost hear his footsteps climbing the stone stairs.

She knew it was just in her imagination. He never made a sound when he walked. It was one of the first things she'd noticed about him. Well, that his snarky attitude. She smiled, thinking how he'd called her out in front of everyone. How he'd insulted her, how he'd made sure she was humiliated. Those things should not make her smile, but they did.

Her own father had said thing similar. How she would never make friends because she was too bookish. Insulting her hair when she'd tried to cut it herself one time. She'd been so tired of the tangles and knots, she had taken a pair of scissors to it. The result had not been exactly what she'd been expecting, but at least it had been easier to care for.

Now it was a mess of curls hanging almost to her shoulders. She wondered if he liked it like this. What would he say if she cut it? Would he call her ugly, tell her she looked like a boy? The idea of those word sent a thrill through her. Those had been the words her father had said the first time she'd cut her hair. The door being forced open pulled her from her memories.

"Good evening, Miss Granger." He strolled over to her, his robes billowing in the wind. She smiled seeing him.

"Sir," she replied, noticing how his large feet didn't make a sound as he walked. The correlation between big feet and something else popped into her head. She smirked. She had yet to find out if there really was a connection.

"You really shouldn't be up here, Miss Granger. It's dangerous with this wind. You might fall."

"I was waiting for you. You picked this location. If you knew it was going to be this bad, you could have sent me a message. Told me not to come to the astronomy tower, to meet you somewhere else," she answered, giving him a smirk. He snorted softly.

"And where else could we have met without the watching eyes of the entire student body, and half the professors?"

"You're office? Your chambers?" she suggested. He shook his head.

"You know we can not meet in either of those places. If someone saw you..."

"I don't even understand why we have to hide, sir. I'm almost eighteen. That's legal age in the Muggle world, and I'm past legal age in the wizarding world. So, why do we have to keep this a secret?" she asked. This debate had been ongoing since they started seeing each other at the beginning of term. Since she had admitted his snark, his insults had lost most their potentency and instead only inspired her to want to be with him.

"Because, as I've told you a thousand times, Miss Granger. There is still danger in being with me. There are people after me, people after you, any one of them would stop at nothing to destroy us. Do you really think all the Death Eaters are gone? Imagine if they knew about this... relationship. They would use one of us to get to the other. No, we can not risk it. I can not risk you," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her. She sighed, and leaned her head against him. She could feel his heart pounding his chest at the idea of losing her.

"I know there's reasons, but...I hate sneaking around. I hate the lying. Do you know how many boys have asked me out since I returned to complete my education?" she asked. She was one of the students, part of the new eighth year, who had returned after the war. The fact she wasn't dating anyone sparked curiosity in most of her classmates.

"Too many," he replied. Hermione laughed, the wind ripping the sound from her lips. The sky had started darkening as the sun set.

"You think one is too many," she teased, giving Severus a quick kiss. He returned it.

"Yes. I do. Besides, you are a war hero, none of them actually care about you. All they care about is their own image," he argued. She shook her head.

"Not all of them are like that. I mean, Neville doesn't care about that at all. He's a war hero too."

"Longbottom asked you out?"

"Don't act so disbelieving. Yes, he did. I've always been nice to him. We've been friends since first year. It only makes sense for him to ask me out. Don't tell me you're jealous of Neville."

"He's a dunderhead."

"Maybe in your book, Severus, but he's nice enough. I let him down gently. Pointed him the direction of someone else. He'll be happier with Hannah in the long run," she replied. The sun had nearly disappeared under the horizon at this point Hermione sighed.

"How can I keep this up? Keep lying to everyone who asks me? I can't say I'm in a relationship. That will just lead to more questions that I can't, or am not allowed to, answer. What do you want me to do?"

"Keep lying, or better yet, just tell them you're not interested. They don't need to know the reason."

"And what do I tell Harry and Ron? They keep trying to set me up, not as bad as Mrs. Weasley who thinks I need to be married to Ron already. If we could just come out with this."

"I have explained why we can't."

"I know, and I trust you. It is getting windier, isn't it?" she asked, glancing around. It had gotten colder also. They both could feel a storm building. Severus nodded, holding Hermione against him, as if trying to shield her from the wind and the cold.

"We should head inside," he stated after a moment.

"Fine, you go first. I'll follow in a few minutes so as not to have people realize we were in the same place, at the same time. The usual arrangement, right?" she suggested.

"No, I don't wish to leave you alone up here. Go, I'll be right behind you," Severus said. Hermione stared at him for a moment, unable to believe what she was hearing. Slowly she started down the stairs. She could feel his presence behind her. She reached back, his hand wrapped around hers. It was a small gesture, but when he didn't release it as they entered the castle. She knew it was only a matter of time before it would be safe to officially be Snape's witch.