Well, hello my friends and thanks a lot for your incredible reviews and amazing patience. Yes…I haven't updated in a week, but everything has an explanation; my internet service wasn't working correctly.

Thanks to my beta reader, Lily Malfoy.

I dedicate this chapter to my friend Kairi and my BIFF, Casi.

Anyhow… here it is… chapter 6… enjoy!

Chapter 6: Goodbye, Hello.

"What do you mean when you say you are getting married? Why would you do something like that?" Ginny Weasley asked after Hermione's petty confession.

"You heard me. I'm getting married and I'm having trouble telling Ron and Harry," she said while pouring some cold water into her glass. It was seven O'clock in the afternoon and in less than 24 hours she would be someone's wife.

"Hermione, have you given this subject enough thought? I mean, you'll have to leave school…," Ginny Weasley started to say but she was interrupted by Hermione's voice.

"Oh, no, Ginny! I'd rather die an old maid than leave Hogwarts," she explained as if Ginny's last comment would have been a bad joke.

"But that's not possible. Students aren't allowed to have a husband or a wife…" Ginny confusingly tried to explain, but Hermione interrupted her friend one more time.

"Students aren't allowed to be married, but professors are," she said with a smile plastered on her face.

"But you are not a professor, Hermione. You are a student," Ginny commented.

"But my husband to be is a professor here at Hogwarts, therefore I'm allowed by a special permission from the Ministry of Magic to finish my education at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Hermione said, in a very formal tone that impressed not only Ginny, but Hermione herself.

"So… you are telling me that you are getting married to a professor here at Hogwarts…," Ginny said. Hermione nodded, but refused to give names, "Flitwick is far too old and far too short…," the youngest of the Weasley siblings started listing professors, "Is it Remus, Hermione?" Ginny asked, utterly surprised. 

"No, it's not Remus," Hermione answered, biting her lip with anticipation.

"You are a liar, Hermione. If it isn't Flitwick, and it isn't Remus, and certainly it isn't Dumbledore, then it must be….NO! NO! NOT HIM!" Ginny shouted like mad, standing up from Hermione's bed. After a couple of: "No, you can't marry him", "No, it's just outrageous", Ginny omitted no sound, "Why him?" she asked some time later. She looked pale and worried.

"We must. I…I can't live without him…I…I… love him," she lied. If they needed to pretend, they needed everyone, even their closest friends to believe that the union was the product of their love and not the product of their hormones, as Fudge was willing to admit.

"How? When? Why?" Ginny asked at the edge of tears.

"It's a long story, Ginny. It's a long, long story," Hermione said, sitting next to her, "But I need to tell the boys, first."

---*---*---

Telling Ron and Harry about her recent decision was, by far, one of Hermione's most difficult tasks. They hadn't been too close lately and even though they loved each other, growing up had made them grow apart.

Even so, they found Hermione's news not only disturbing but completely crazy.

"Hermione, are you insane?" Ron asked, roughly pulling his hair in order to wake up, "This must be a dream…," he kept saying.

"A nightmare, more likely," Harry said from under his breath. Hermione's choice of husband was the drop that caused Harry's glass to overflow. He hated Snape more than anything in his life, and he couldn't believe Hermione was marrying the bastard.

"You are a traitor," Harry said, opening the oak door to Hermione's Head Girl's dormitory.

"She is not, Harry," Ginny protested. She may not agree with Hermione, but she was loyal to her. Hermione smiled at her friend's devotion.

"Harry, I'm sorry. But I cannot and I will not run away from love," she lied. She had to lie. It was for everyone's sake. Even for Harry's.

"But you can run away from your friends," Harry said, almost a whisper; his voice filled with pain, "Do not wait for me, Hermione. I will not attend that stupid little wedding of yours," he said, before closing the door shut with all his strength.

Hermione immediately turned around to face Ron who looked even more surprised by Harry's actions than she did.

"Is it really true that you love him?" he asked, his deep blue eyes shone with expectation.

"Yes, I do love him, Ron. I'm sorry," she said, running to where he was to hug him. But he did not hug her back.

"I'll be there," he coldly said, kissing her forehead fondly as if saying: "Goodbye". And with that, he opened the door that Harry had almost broke and left the room.

"Friends are not forever," she said out loud, more to herself than to Ginny who was standing right behind her. Hermione's eyes filled with tears and then she knew; that was the last time she would speak to the both of them. And something in the middle of her heart melted, spreading both joy and misery through her veins. There are few things in life as bittersweet as saying goodbye, because when pronouncing the words you are also saying "hello" to something new. And even though Hermione was scared of the uncertainty brought by the future; she couldn't help but think that greater things were ahead.

All she needed, all she had, was herself. Nothing more, nothing less.