I sent an owl to both boys at 7 am, and I walked to the owlery, where I told them to meet me.

When I got there I had nothing to do to occupy myself.

And without anything to keep me busy, I began to think, which is the last thing I wanted to do.

I knew Harry would take the news better than Ron would. He would probably understand, too.

Ron would be heartbroken, and that's the last thing I wanted to do.

But, I had to let them know, and I had to follow my heart.

If they really were my best friends, they would support me, or at least I hoped they would.

All too soon (or maybe it had been hours) I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned around and saw them. I breathed out and thought to myself, "It's now or never."

"Hey, Hermione. Sorry we are late, but...we were...umm weak with hunger?" Harry said with a slight chuckle.

"No, it's ok, Harry." I walked over and gave them both hugs. "How are you guys?"

Harry and Ron weren't fooled, "Come on, Hermione, you really didn't make us come all the way up here just to here about us did you?" Ron said.

"Yeah, you write you have 'urgent important news' and you want to know how we are?" Harry said, smiling. "Come on what's the news?"

"Well...umm...O.K. Well, you guys..." I cleared my throat and went on, "Well...I'm...getting married," I said softly.

I looked up and saw both of them looking at me in disbelief. We sat there in silence for what dragged on forever.

I knew what was going through each guy's mind. For Harry, it would be confusion. He would probably ask why I didn't tell him about this guy I was planning to marry. For Ron, it would definitely be hurt and betrayal. I knew he had always loved me, and that made me feel even more apprehensive about the whole thing.

"Hermione," Harry said, "Do you really call getting married nothing serious? Why didn't you tell me about this...guy. Whoever he is, you couldn't even tell your best friend?"

I could hear the mass amount of hurt in his voice, and a lot of confusion. He knew I always told him everything, and he was wondering why I didn't tell him this now.

I walked over and sat down between him and Ron. "I don't know Harry. I just didn't know how to explain it. So I made excuses..."

"You didn't have to so that. I would have understood," Harry said softly.

I realised Ron hadn't said anything, and I thought, "He will have a lot to say when I tell him who I am engaged to."

"I didn't think you guys would approve of the guy," I said in a hushed voise.

Rons' head shot up, and I looked down at the floor. I had a feeling he was beginning to put two and two together.

"How long have you been seeing him?" Harry whispered in my ear. He didn't want Ron to hear, and I understood. "2½ years," I whispered back. He sighed and shook his head.

"Who is this guy, Hermione?" Ron bellowed out suddenly.

"He's a Slytherin, but that doesn't make any difference," I said even more softly. I knew it didn't, because ever since Lord Voldemort was killed, the Slytherins had been less horrible.

"No, it doesn't. But what is his name?" Ron asked. I would have bet anything that he already knew. I could see it in the coldness that was now in his eyes.

When I didn't answer, He got up and stood in front of me. "Let me see your ring Hermione," he demanded softly.

"Why?" I said looking up at him.

"I just want to take a look at it, no reason," he said coldly. I looked him hard in the eyes and stuck out my left hand. He turned my hand around and started looking carefully at it. Harry got up and started looking at it, too.

"Nice ring." Harry said trying to ease the tension in the room. "Thank you," I said giving him a small smile.

"So, Hermione," Ron blurted out suddenly, "Are you going to tell Harry who got you this 'very nice' ring or are you going to keep stringing him along? I think I already have a clue about who it is, anyway."

"What are you talking about, Ron? How could you possibly know?" Harry said. A chill ran down my spine, but I ignored it.

"Harry, read between the lines for once in your life. Why has she spent so much time alone and in her rooms for the past couple of months? Why would she be studying and her grades are getting worst? Who is she always sneaking looks at in classes? Who hasn't been there taunting us at every turn and who is locked up all the time in the same living space as her? Harry, she has been lying to us and now she is getting married to..."

"Malfoy." Harry said almost inaudibly.

Harry backed up against the wall and slid down it, as Ron sank to his knees in front of me.

"No, Hermione. Say we are wrong. Say it isn't true, that we have come to the wrong conclusions." Ron pleaded to me.

I knelt in front of him, and hugged him closely as I began to cry.

After a few minutes, I pulled back and looked into his eyes and said, "I'm sorry Ron, but I'm getting married...to Draco Malfoy." I said softly.

"NO, NO, NO, NO!" He was saying as he rose and stood up. With each word he got louder until he was screaming. "How could you do this to me? Hermione, I love you, and you went and pulled this? WHY?" He yelled at me as he backed towards the staircase.

"Because, Ron,...I love him." I said softly and looked him directly in his eyes.

"No, you don't mean that. He is going to break your heart, Hermione." he said softly and ran out of the door. I collapsed to the floor and started crying.

Harry came over and picked me up of the floor and dried my eyes. He asked me, "What did you expect him to do?"

"Exactly what he just said and did to me, Harry." I said shortly.

He looked at me and shook his head. "I have to go. I told Ginny I would meet her. You haven't talked to her yet, have you?"

I shook my head. I would tell her tomorrow, if Ron didn't get to her first.

He gave me a long hug and kissed my cheek. "Congratulations, Hermione," He said as he was going to the door, "On getting engaged, but not for breaking Rons' heart."