Hermione watched the two pieces fall from her hand like it was an out-of-body experience. They hit the floor with a light tinkle ... and she felt something lifting from the rest of her, too. It was like casting off a heavy load that she'd become so used to carrying she didn't realise it was still there, until she'd been relieved of it. And the joy of release from the burden was almost too much to absorb. It moved swiftly into new parts of Hermione's heart and mind, filling her up as though she'd just cut a new channel right into her very soul. She had to sit down before she fell down.