Closure

"Well, "Deathly Hallows"... a supremely amazing book and undoubtedly the best in the series. And the epilogue? Hey, look. It was a pretty bog-standard cheesy and tacky affair. But the point of it: Closure. Now we know what happened to our favourite protagonists. It was closure. Right? Not for me, in the sense of the trio's relationship. Call me crazy: I know pretty much the entire of book seven was based around the trio... but come the end of the book, I was a little surprised that there was no closure on their relationship, which in case you hadn't noticed took seven years to build, and all we really got from it was that after killing Voldemort, 'ginge' and 'curls' hugged Harry before everyone else. Not enough for me somehow. 'Closure' is my rendition of the non-existent Chapter Thirty-Seven. Or if you counted 'Nineteen Years Later' as chapter thirty-seven, then this is Chapter Thirty-Six Point Five. All but the story is copyright of J.K. Rowling, etc etc"

- Chapter Thirty-Seven -
Closure

Steady rain trickled down the murky pane of glass looking out onto the Burrow's garden. Hermione's fingers brushed gently against Harry's scar, as Harry looked despondently out of Ron's bedroom window.
'Harry, why are you doing this?" Hermione pleaded. Harry had spent the entire week back at the Weasley's in isolation in Ron's bedroom; away from those in the house whom he really needed to speak to.
'Harry?' Hermione asked timidly. He continued not to answer, but stared still at the distant hills beyond the windows. The touch of Hermione's hand warmed him, differently to the way Ginny's touch warmed him... but this was not about Ginny, not this time.
'Harry for goodness sake!' Hermione said angrily as she stood up; though the concern in her eyes betrayed her change of tact as an attempt to get him to talk... even just say one word.
'Come on mate, you can't just come downstairs at mealtimes then skulk off back up here... Hermione's worried sick about you, can't you see that?' Ron said from his bed, not letting his eyes waver from Harry, 'I mean... I'm worried about you.'
Harry's eyes flickered away from the window for a split second, before coming to rest again on it again. This was what it was about... not Ginny; not even survivor's guilt, no, this was about him, Ron, and Hermione.
With no reply, Hermione gave a large sigh and glanced at Ron, who had a look of equal confusion and concern. Nobody moved; nobody made to leave the room. They were trying to get something out of Harry, why was he being reclusive? Lord Voldemort was no more; he had no means of returning, the wizarding world was rejoicing, and slowly but surely regaining its former composure. Harry knew this. It was not a bad thing that was burdening him, however, but a powerful feeling of -
'Look, Harry. We care about you, why are you doing this to yourself... to us?' Hermione whispered. Harry finally met her eyes, and then his tears began to spill. He hung his head in shame. He couldn't tell them what was wrong. It would mean admitting he was weak. He could defeat the darkest wizard to plague mankind, yet he could not tell his two best friends what should have been the most simple of things to tell them. Yet the longer he left it, the weaker and more stupid he would look when he finally did tell them. Now was the time.
'I...' Harry stammered through his tears. Hermione and Ron snapped up their heads and looked at Harry with intent. He could not meet their stares.
'I... love - ,' but he did not finish the sentence, for Hermione had launched herself off of Ron's bed onto Harry in an embrace, forcing him back onto the camp bed.
'Love? You wh - hang on!' Ron shouted at Harry, as he pulled Hermione off of him with unnecessary force.
'Ron, you idiot!' said Hermione loudly, tears now running down her own face, 'he doesn't mean that, do you Harry?'
Harry shook his head, and turned away, feeling bitter disappointment; he knew Ron would get the wrong end of the stick. He knew Ron would think, irrationally, that he, Harry, now was in love with Hermione.
'Then what do you mean?' he heard Ron say, with a slightly accusatory tone to his voice.
'Look, this past year, I... The entire time I've known you, you two have been the best friends I could have asked for. You've both stuck with me through this entire ordeal. Most people would have shied away at the prospect of going on the run with "Undesirable Number One",' Harry said truthfully, 'you both believed we could achieve what we did, and you stuck by your beliefs. I couldn't have asked any more from you...' Harry turned to face them.
'What I'm trying to say, is... thank you. Both of you, thank you. For being there. For caring, if my scar hurt, if I needed to talk... if I needed help with homework,' he smiled at Hermione, whose face was wet with tears, 'or... or if I needed a laugh,' he grinned, nodding towards Ron.
'Mate, you don't need to thank us, you know,' mumbled Ron, and even his eyes were wet.
'But I do -,'
'No, if anything, we should be thanking you! Everyone's safe! Thanks to you, there'll be no more killing, no more pain...' said Ron with feeling. Harry could tell he was thinking of Fred.
'You both have been there, when no-one else could have been. You've understood. You've helped me no end!'
'But, I left you, in the forest -,'
'You came back!' Harry said fiercely, 'We all make mistakes, for God's sake!' You... you both make this real. You kept me sane...'
'No, Harry. We all kept each other sane,' Hermione said quietly, 'we all needed each other. We needed you as much as you needed us, Harry.'
Harry hesitated, then 'You... You're my best friends, and after everything we've been through, I just want to keep it that way.'
'You talking as if this is the end, mate. Just because me and Hermione are going out,' Hermione gave Ron a reproachful look, but did not object, 'doesn't mean we aren't still three best mates, yeah?'
'Honestly, Harry, nothing's changed, and nothing will change,' Hermione added.
'Yeah, I guess so. Thanks,' Harry said, looking at the two of them.
'Look, stop being so soft, you're going to make me cry', Ron said jokingly, though silent tears were running down his long nose. Harry and Hermione both laughed, and what tension there was, was broken. Hermione wiped her eyes on her sleeve and both she and Ron made to embrace Harry.
Their bond was stronger than ever, after their traumatic year as outlaws, they had come out the other side much closer. Still three best friends.
When they broke apart, Ron took hold of Hermione's hand and put his other hand on Harry's shoulder, Hermione and Harry took hold of each others hand, and Harry gripped Ron's hand on his shoulder.
Harry knew, at that point, as he looked into his two best friends' smiling faces and caring eyes, all was well.
'Anyway, come on, you soppy sods, dinner's nearly ready,' Ron laughed.

Harry was elated. He knew now that everything was going to be fine. Only one thing remained to rectify, the one thing that snapped its bedroom door shut as soon as he walked past it on the way downstairs.
Ginny.
Harry stopped at her door and knocked determinedly. He looked round as a smiling Hermione meant to push Ron onwards, for fear of him stopping Harry talking to Ginny, but she was as surprised as he to find that Ron kept on walking with nothing more than a wink and a grin.
'What?' came a half angry, half upset voice from inside the room.
'Ginny, open your door,' Harry said calmly, 'or I'll knock it down.'
She must have known he had no qualms about it, Harry thought, because the door indeed opened just a crack. Harry swiftly pushed his way into her room and pushed the door shut behind him despite the girl's protests.
'Harry, you can't just -,' Ginny began angrily, but Harry rushed forwards and locked his lips against hers. They didn't move for what felt like hours, but eventually Ginny sank into his arms and kissed him. Tears streamed down her face, and Harry was forced slowly to pull away, unpleasantly reminded of his first kiss with Cho Chang.
'Ginny, what's wrong?'
'You... You just left, without saying a thing! At the castle, you just went into the forest to face Vo-Voldemort without saying a single thing to anyone! Not a single thing, to me! What if you had died, Harry? What would I have done then? Without you? Harry...'
Harry could not reply. He had no answer for her. Her eyes searched his, desperately looking for an answer. He stared back into her beautiful eyes, trapped in their hypnotic spell that he loved...
'Ginny... I lo -,'
'I love you, Harry!' Ginny said it so quickly, he almost missed it. She need not have said it again, for she leapt onto him, hanging around his neck, kissing him with a kiss so passionate he might have dissolved on the spot.
'Dinner you two!' a shout came from below. Mrs Weasley did not sound in a hurry, however, as if she knew what was happening upstairs. It was minutes yet before they broke apart, and by the time they did, both Harry and Ginny were euphoric.
'I love you Ginny,' Harry whispered. His voice cracked with emotion.
'I know,' Ginny said simply, and they fell into an embrace that Harry did not want to emerge from as he ran his fingers through her hair. He knew happiness, and was finally glad that on his forehead was a lightning bolt shaped scar.

"Well, that's pretty much what I imagined happening between 'A Flaw in the Plan' and 'Nineteen Years Later'. Hope you enjoyed it. Whilst it was meant to be a oneshot, all through writing it I had ideas for a much longer fic. So, if anyone's interested, review and let me know! Cheers!"