�You know that I all care about you very much, and that this was a very difficult decision for me to make. But after much thought, I have finally decided who my Maid of Honor should be. The two of you who aren�t selected should know that I still care about you, and that you will still be bridesmaids.�
The three girls all looked tense, wondering who Hermione had picked.
�The lucky person is. . .Ginny.�
�GINNY?� screamed Parvati.
�Ginny?� replied Lavender weakly.
�Me?� said Ginny in a state of utter disbelief.
�Ginny has been nothing but supportive of my relationship with her brother, and I felt that she was always there for me when I needed her.�
�You know, I just don�t feel appreciated anymore!� said Parvati, her voice sounding all snooty.
�Parvati, don�t do this. Don�t go all into a huff just because you aren�t the Maid! You are still a bridesmaid and one of my best friends!�
�You certainly have a different way of showing it!�
�Lavender?� Lavender�s head jerked up from the floor where she had been fixated for around five minutes. The disappointment was showing on her face, and there were silent tears flowing down her cheeks. Hermione crossed the room and put her arm around Lavender�s shoulders. �Please. . .just. . .don�t cry.�
�What am I supposed to do, Hermione? You just stabbed your best friend in the back. Come on, Parvati. I need to get out of here for a while.�
�Please, don�t go.� But Hermione�s protests were weak. Both Parvati and Lavender grabbed their purses, and slammed the door on the way out.
* * *
�Then, they just blew up at me, Ron! It wasn�t even my fault!� Hermione was telling Ron the entire story, front to back, while sorting through her trunk from Hogwarts. �What am I supposed to do?� I now have a Maid of Honor and no bridesmaids.
�Herm, they�ll come around. Don�t worry.�
�But they were so angry, Ron! They sounded like they would never talk to me again!�
�Hermione, if they are going to stop being your friends over some stupid little squabble, then maybe they aren�t good friends for you.�
�But Ron�� Just then, Hermione found a dusty book that was hidden between the folds of her old Hogwarts robes. She glanced into the pages, and saw her handwriting, neat and cursive, filling up page after page. Her old journal.
�Ron. . .did you know that I still had this old thing?�
�What. . .old thing?� said Ron quizzically. He looked at the book resting in her hands, the pages faded and worn and browning at the edges.
�My journal! My old school journal! I completely forgot about this thing!� She glanced in at some of the entries, which repeatedly professed her love towards Ron, the hurt that she felt after the Yule Ball. It felt as if her entire life were flashing before her. Her last year at Hogwarts had been completely filled with hope, love, hurt, disappointment, and extreme happiness.
That night, Hermione sat in her chair in the living room, reading through her first-hand accounts of everything that had gone on in her last year at Hogwarts. Everything from her nearly being captured by Lucius and Voldemort, to her, Ron and Draco�s magnificent escape, to her graduation.
It was all there. And it all reminded her of how lucky she was to be alive, and how she should cherish what she had.