I did not like the way the story idea for "The Broken Road" was going. It was a preview I had posted in this anthology a few chapters back, not a stand alone story yet. So I trashed it and am completely reworking it from the beginning. Here is a preview of what I already have.

Story begins

It was a Sunday afternoon in 2015 at the Burrow. Harry Potter was helping Molly cook the lunch as Ginny and her girlfriend Abigail set the table. Ron and Hermione were running late as usual with their two children Rose and Hugo. Arthur was relaxing at the table chatting with his daughter.

The floo activated and Rose came out holding Hermione's hand, Hugo and Ron came out a moment later.

Once greetings were exchanged and the grandchildren happily holding their grandfather's attention Hermione huffed, "Harry. Could you go to Rose's school Friday? She has a science program and I've drawn the Ratherson case for Friday. I'll be in court."

Harry shook his head, "I'm sorry Hermione. I drew escort duty so will be having fun in the north seas Friday."

"Botheration." She said looking at Ginny sweetly she asked, "Ginny?"

"I have a game Friday. You knew that."

"I know." Hermione glared at Ron, "But Ron is going off with George on a stupid trip to Paris."

"I told you he needs me to come along so we can get the shop set up over there at Place Cachee." Ron snarled back. "Besides its just that stupid aerioplane thing."

"AIRPLANE RON! We have been married for 15 years and you still refuse to pronounce things properly!" Hermione shouted at Ron.

Harry, Ginny and everyone saw that this was going to become another shouting match. Something which was coming about as regularly as the sunrise it seemed like. Ron was just inhaling to return fire when Arthur said, "I'll go."

"You'll go?" Molly exclaimed in surprise as everyone else fell silent. Even Hermione and Ron both looked at him. "Why can't your parents go Hermione?"

Hermione looked angrily at Ron, "They aren't talking to me until I divorce Ron."

Molly stood blinking at Hermione for a long moment causing Harry to step away from her. He knew that since Hermione uttered the D word something bad was going to happen."

"They are what? They want you to do what?" she shrilly demanded.

"They are sick and tired of seeing Ron and I fighting over his inability to cut the apron strings. How he wants me to quit being a Public Advocator. He just wants me to be a stay at home mother."
"Yeah but we'd have to hire a cook. Because you are horrible." Ron snidely remarked.

Arthur raised his hand as he saw how Rose and Hugo had begun to look sadly at their parents. He sighed as Molly was taking Ron's side again that Hermione was not being a very good mother by having a career and not putting her husband and children first. Ron was griping about how he wound up doing most of the housework and suffering through her cooking. Hermione yelling back that she was getting tired of carrying him around and that she had three children to pick up after.

Harry, Ginny and her girlfriend had come around the table to take the kids into the living room with Arthur's nodding smile. Hugo happily putting his arms around Harry's neck. Once they were out of the room Arthur stood up, taking a deep breath he shouted, "ENOUGH ALREADY!"
All three of the usual combatants stopped and turned to face him looking unabashed. Once he had their attention he spoke in a more even tone. "Since my appetite and I'm sure everyone else's has gone we shall cancel dinner today. Hermione if you would be a dear give me the information about the program and I will take responsibility. Ron apologize to your wife and then go home."

"Dad!" Ron whined but seeing that this was one of the times Arthur was invoking his head of family powers hung his head and mumbled, "Fine. I'm sorry Hermione."

Hermione swallowed and with a curt nod said, "Apology accepted."

Arthur sighed. A muggle school science fair sounded like a very nice distraction from all of this. Plus he would get to spend time with his granddaughter. That was always a good thing.

…...

Harry, Ginny and Abigail were sitting in a corner booth at Caponelli's that evening. Hermione had taken the children and gone home while Ron said he was going to George's.

"So that was another wonderful visit home." Ginny observed.

"Yeah well I wonder how much longer they are going to be able to drag this thing along." Harry sighed as he twirled his pasta around.

"Probably about as long as Ginny continues to hide that we're together." Abigail huffed.

"I told you I'm not ready to come out to mum. As long as she thinks we're just friends she's able to be happy." Ginny quickly explained.

"Okay you two don't start or I'll have to spank you both." Harry shook a breadstick at them.

Abigail laughed, "I bet Molly would prefer you doing that to Ginny than me."

"I'm sure she would but I don't need to hear about it." Harry rolled his eyes before dunking his breadstick in a bowl of sauce.

Abigail chuckled, "Well you're the one shaking your breadstick and threatening a spanking."

"This is not the usual reaction to that action." Harry smirked.

Ginny sighed, "Alright. Can we please just talk about something else. My family is a dumpster fire and I don't want to throw any more fuel on it."

Harry patted Ginny on the arm. "I know. Okay, let's just try and figure out what we are going to do when this all explodes."

"What we always do. Pick up the pieces and try to fix what's left." Ginny said with a sigh.

"I'm just worried about your dad in a muggle primary school with all kinds of science experiments is going to do." Abigail intoned darkly.

"Oh don't make it out to be more dramatic than it is. You sound like mum." Ginny huffed.

"Ginny has a point. Arthur has gotten a lot better about things." Harry said. He had been working with Arthur about how to act in the muggle world which had helped him get better at it.

Abigail shrugged but didn't push the issue. They finished their dinner discussing the upcoming game between the Harpies and the London Jets. Agreeing that their seeker Jim Bexley had speed and agility but that he was far too reckless and could be tricked into a false direction if she moved properly.

He gave both women a friendly hug when they left for the night. He was happy that Ginny had found someone to make her happy after their relationship had failed. She had tried to make a go of it but after the war, after she had grown up and considered things, she just didn't feel the same about Harry, or males in general, as she thought she had.

…...

Review Responses

IdlemanRPG: true. When the ideas show up they show up. So we'll see.

Johnathon Deller: Glad you liked. And yes. Luna's were much larger than Hermione's as she had repressed her feelings for Harry a lot longer and more than Hermione had.

OfficerDonNZ: FFN has been acting odd for me as well. As for Ginny the negative emotions of possessiveness and obsession do some very bad things to people. With magic she would recover but hopefully learned a lesson.