Hermione had given herself a mission; learn more about Dragon Lines. In order to conduct herself efficiently she knew she needed time to teach herself passable Chinese. As soon as the ship she sailed on harbored in France she'd walked around to an alley and apparated to Paris, picking up as many books as she could. Hermione hadn't originally thought to help with the war until she was already weeks into studying. Too many sleepless nights, a flood of nightmares in the wake of Silas" death, and her own failure to cope gave her a crippling need for distraction.