Preamble.

Hermione stood in front of the bathroom mirror and appraised herself.

To an outsider she didn't look any different. Her hair looked just as frizzy, her teeth were just as straight, and her figure was just as lean. Yet Hermione knew that she was irrevocably changed.

Countless tears had been shed, much like water spilling uncontrollably from a dam. Her sobs had punched through her chest and ripped through her muscles. Her raw emotion had echoed from wall to wall trying to escape.

Now that the initial storm of emotion had subsided, Hermione was surrounded by deafening silence. She had a heavy feeling in her heart, as if she were tied to a boulder sinking. Her mind felt was fuzzy and unfocused, as if she had been spun around in a circle several times.

Needing to clear her head, Hermione decided to walk along The River Thames. It was dusk, and the pink sky reflected beautifully off the water's surface. Her quiet footsteps carried her some way through London. The beautiful iron street lamps lit the path before her with a soft glow.

Hermione thought about her life up until this point. She had done all the right things. She had worked hard and achieved top marks at school. She had fought for the good of the wizarding world. She had been a loving daughter and a loyal friend. She had taken up the fight for the rights of house elves and had gone on to fight for the innocent in the Wizengamot. In fact these days Hermione was so used to fighting for others, that it didn't leave any space for her to fight for herself.

It didn't take long for the relationship with Ron to deteriorate once he started to talk about marriage and children. He would talk about their future, yet Hermione was entirely focused on whomever she was representing at the time. She truthfully didn't blame him when he broke it off with her. It was an amicable separation, and somewhere in between the hurt and heartbreak, they had managed to salvage their friendship.

Hermione stopped to lean up against the concrete barrier and looked out onto the water. The sun and well and truly set now, and the water's surface rippled lightly whilst shimmering in the moonlight. She wasn't sure how much time had passed up until now and truthfully she didn't care.

With a heavy sigh, Hermione thought about her current life. It was full of timetables, deadlines and rules. She had never truly lived in the moment and there was so many things that she wanted to do. She had always assumed that she would get around to these things eventually, however it was now clear that time was against her.

Slowly Hermione took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her pocket. She held it up and examined the words one final time. She knew exactly what it meant, and in that moment, her life became very clear. Even more so, she had clarity on how she wanted to live her life going forward. She would not let the news define her. No, in fact she would live her life to the fullest and take time for herself.

In particular, Hermione had always wanted to see the world and travel. What better way to see the world than to embark on a magical pilgrimage to the seven magical points of the world and do whatever the fuck she wanted in between.

With a quick flick of her wand, Hermione cast an Incendio spell on the piece of paper. It ignited immediately. The burning paper floated down towards the water. Although most of the paper had burnt, one word remained visible and slowly disintegrated into the water's depths, disappearing from view. It read "inoperable".