Although he understood where Lavender was coming from, before-the-war-Neville was not someone the young man had liked. And certainly the person he was now was not entirely different from who he was before, but at the same time, he was. Lavender had unfortunately been bitten by a werewolf, but she had survived. And unlike so many, she was still alive. That was reason enough to celebrate in Neville's opinion.
"This is where you fought for what you believed in, where we all did. I thought about Colin when I first came in here earlier. And I'm sure I'll see Dennis at the funeral. The point is, this place is still here because of us. Because of you." He put his arm around his old friend, trying to think of some way to comfort her. "What do you miss about the person you could have been?"