"Hope
Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
Whispering 'it will be happier'..."
― Alfred Tennyson
Slowly spinning in a circle, Hermione took in the beauty surrounding her. This was her secret spot, high above the surrounding town; she could look down and see all the activity of the day but still have room to think. A small cliff perfectly hidden in the mountains and covered with the most beautiful flowers and it was all hers.
She sat carefully on the edge and peered down at the goings-on below. The town was gathered around the May Pole dancing, singing and celebrating. The joy began to lift her spirits in a way she hadn't thought possible.
Earlier she had been quite annoyed to find the festivities below her disturbing the peace and quiet she had expected to find. What gave these people the right to celebrate when she herself suffered such grief? The scowl on her face only deepened when she saw all of the couples obviously in love with each other. Mostly, she supposed she was jealous, but that was why she came here in the first place. Here she could be jealous or selfish, or greedy and no one could judge her for it. This was where she let out all the ugliness she held inside of her, all of the things that she couldn't bring back to her friends, family, and her marriage . . ..
'Some marriage', she thought with a snort. 'Some husband!' She sneered at all the innocent faces below her, all the women who didn't know what awaited them. 'The poor unfortunate souls,' she thought bitterly. 'They have no idea that someday they will come home to find their husbands in bed with someone else!'
She realized of course that these thoughts were unfair to the men gathered below. Surely they weren't all as bad her husband had been. Logically she could acknowledge that not all men were as emotionally stunted and self-centered as Ronald Weasley. There were, for example, men like Harry Potter who were as honest and good as they came. It was a shame that, in all the time their trio had spent together, none of his personality had rubbed off on Ron.
Again she looked down at the couples below her, but this time she tried to focus on the men. They all looked to be utterly infatuated with their respective brides. She hoped for the sakes of all those involved that it was true love and not just the magic of the day.
Soon she became lost in watching the dancing bodies; they all seemed so happy. It was hard not to get sucked into the atmosphere. Her heart felt lighter just watching the merriment of the celebration. Almost without realizing what she was doing, Hermione stood up and began to dance herself. Around and around in circles she flew over the grass until she was completely breathless. Gasping for air, she fell to the ground with a smile on her face and a joy in her heart that she had stupidly thought was gone forever.
It occurred to Hermione that there was more than one way to celebrate new life. Sure, for the townspeople below it meant fertile lands and, hopefully, a prosperous harvest, but to her it meant something else entirely. She was suddenly able to see a new life ahead of her, one without her no-good-cheating-soon-to-be-ex-husband. The thought filled her with a sense of peace and with one last smile down to the participants below, she Disapparated to the Ministry to file her divorce papers.