The Golden Trio stood in the shadows, not wanting to draw attention to their presence. They’d begun to realize people usually reacted one of two ways when they attended funerals, and they had no doubts as to how this family would react.
Though the anger-stricken parents normally confronted Harry, Hermione couldn’t help but feel just as guilty this time. She and Lavender had been friends, after all. They’d gotten along well enough in their time at Hogwarts, aside from their feud for Ron’s affections in sixth year. The girls had made up at the end of sixth year, when Lavender admitted that she was more attracted to the popularity than the boy himself. Hermione had apologized for becoming so envious of their relationship that she’d dissolved their friendship. Now, she was gone. Hermione wondered if Lavender would have stayed to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts if she and Hermione hadn’t been such good friends. After all, Lavender didn’t care much for Ron anymore, and she was never particularly close to Harry. She supposed it was a question she would never have an answer to.
Mrs. Brown was standing at the front of the small church. It was a private ceremony, but the watchmen hadn’t given the Trio a problem when they’d asked to observe. Lavender’s mother had just finished her speech and they listened as she addressed the crowd.
“It’s wonderful to see all of Lavender’s friends here today,” she said. Her eyes were glistening. “I always knew she was a special girl, and it’s nice to know she touched so many people’s lives. So, if anyone has any memories with Lavender they’d like to share, I’m sure we’d love to hear them.” She took her seat, and everyone looked around, wondering who would be first.
Hermione cleared her throat from the back and stepped forward. Gasps came from the guests as they realized who she was. She heard Harry and Ron whispering behind her, wondering what she was up to. She knew they’d agreed to hang back and lay low, but she had to do this.
She made her way to the front, knowing all eyes were on her but only feeling two pairs. As she rounded the podium in the front of the room, Hermione found herself looking directly into the shocked gazes of Mr. and Mrs. Brown. She didn’t know their names, but she spoke directly to them.
“Lavender and I were roommates throughout our time at Hogwarts. We met after the feast on our first night, when we found out we’d be living in the same dorm. We quickly became friends; she’d try out new hairstyles and makeup tricks she’d created while I quizzed her for whatever exam we had that day. She was very creative, always coming up with new ideas from notes in her books or effects she’d noticed from different spells.
“I remember in fourth year, I had a fight with one of my best friends the night of the Yule Ball. I can hardly remember what he said, but I ended up storming out of the Great Hall with tears streaming down my face. Luckily, I was wearing some sort of spray Lavender had concocted that kept my makeup from running. I was sitting on the steps feeling sorry for myself when she found me. Lav had gone to the Ball with Seamus Finnegan, but she saw me run out and told Seamus she had to see what was wrong. When she found me, she sat next to me and hugged me and listened to me complain about the fight I’d had. When I’d gotten it all out, she took me by the shoulders and told me how beautiful I was. I remember being confused as to how that was supposed to comfort me, but Lav explained that I was beautiful because I was strong. She told me that I was beautiful, and that I wasn’t going to let my night go to waste because some boy made me cry. I was much too pretty for that.
“We marched back into the Hall and danced with our dates and had the time of our lives, and that’s why I don’t remember what the fight was about. Lavender wanted to make sure that my biggest memory of that night would be fun.” Hermione paused, for her throat was now rapidly closing as her eyes filled with tears. She blinked a few times, not wanting to cry in front of Lavender’s parents, who’d lost much more than she had. “Lavender wanted my memories of that night to be fun, but one of the few things I actually remember was worth so much more. I just wanted to share that story, so you know just how special your daughter really was. Thank you.”
With that, Hermione stepped away from the podium. She knew Mr. and Mrs. Brown would appreciate her story, but she also knew they were grieving, and she didn’t want to prolong their suffering with the presence of the girl Lavender had fought in the name of. She paused in front of the closed casket, pressing a kiss to her fingers and touching its lid. She found herself letting a single tear fall, and she watched as it slid slowly down the side of the casket.
"Thank you, Lavender. For everything."