Death's Advocate

"Harry Potter," the voice rang out through what Harry assumed was a waiting room, people satin seats looking up hopefully as a person came in, called a name and left. He had no idea how he got here, the last thing he remembered was being in the ministry about to steal the horcrux. Then with a flash of green he had woken up here, so when a man dressed in white announced his name he quickly got up, the man was almost unremarkable if not for his white robes and kindly face. If anything his dark brown hair was designed not to draw attention and his face seemed to be always neutral

"Oh he is not going to be happy," the man sighed but before Harry had a chance to speak, it seemed this man would be of no help. However as he was led down a corridor which stretched for miles in both directions Harry wondered where the hell he was but he seemed unable to speak to his guide, instead the man knocked on a door marked 102 A,L

"Harry Potter to see you miss," the man announced opening the door,

"You are kidding me!" A stern irritated feminine voice sighed "Send him in!". Harry for his part had remained silent due to confusion, he had no idea who this was but she seemed to know him well. So as he entered the woman he was confronted with a slender curved woman sitting down at her desk, she had soft pale face which was overshadowed by hard grey eyes and lips which seemed too thin. She wore no makeup as far as Harry could tell but her long blond hair seemed to shine but her face seemed distorted by something. Maybe it was because she was annoyed,

"Harry do you hate me? "she asked eventually, it caught him off guard

"No, I don't know you, or know where I..." he began slightly perplexed, the woman gave a disgruntled sigh before cutting him off

"Don't worry everything will be explained again, for crying out loud out of all the cases I get the one who keeps dying," she grumbled as she reached into a draw and drew a file that was at least eight inches thick.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked darkly, Harry shook his head feeling slightly intimated by the infuriated woman before him

"This is your file, a file should be seven inches thinner," she muttered opening it before bringing out a form, it had already been filled in and Harry recognised his writing from second or third year. The woman glared at him for a moment

"This was filled in during your second year, you died and it is an application for death to approve a re-life, it was accepted. Cause of death being crushed by a giant basilisk; signed Harry James Potter: Subject, Laura Athena; Death's Advocate and Death himself," she explained and Harry looked gobsmacked.

"I'm dead?" he asked, the woman; Laura held a hand

"Yes, but first let me finish. These two were filled out in your third year. Two applications for death to approve a re-life again it was accepted. Cause of Death, Heart attack due to Dementor invoked stress and mauling by werewolf. Signed, Harry Potter, Laura Athena and Death," she continued showing two more forms on the table. There seemed to be a lot of forms in there and Harry looked awkward slightly.

"After your third application the Lady Fate had to agree to grant you a re-life and she did. Five times, cause of death, burning due to dragon, drowning in the black lake, something complicated involving a maze and two counts of the killing curse. Fate approved all these," Laura continued showing even more forms and she wasn't done yet.

"Between your Fifth and Sixth years six more applications were made, causes of death. Another Dementor heart attack, strangled by a brain, killed by Lord Voldemort in the Ministry Atrium, killed by inferi, death eaters in the tallest tower and falling off it." She finished and Harry could see there were a lot of forms on the desk.

"So I've died before?" he queried and she gave him a cold look

"Weren't you listening to me? Yes you have died and the first three times we accepted it was a mistake, now it's annoying," Laura told him looking furious.

"I am your personal caseworker, I'm the one who manages your life and if you die for some reason I apply for time to be put back so the subject can continue their life. You were given to me, they said it would be easy, sure it would; having the one destined to kill Voldemort as a child and grow up to become a powerful wizard before marrying. Oh where the hell is that bit, some girl with a weird name I believe it was something like Chung, no Chang or something like that... was it that? oh who the hell cares not my department. Anyway long story short they didn't mention a number of things, dodgy school teachers, giant monsters and most importantly you screwing a girl who happens to look exactly like your mother. Now that borders incest and to be honest I'm at the end of my tether, you have died to many times and if this keeps happening I'm out," she explained through gritted teeth.

"Ginny? What's wrong with her and who are you to say who I'm supposed to be with?" Harry demanded suddenly not knowing where this sudden pang of anger came from. Laura looked exhausted

"Ok we'll do it again, my issues with her can be split into to sections firstly that she looks like your mother which is getting close to incest and secondly that is the love potion speaking, you were tricked into thinking you loved her so it's in your head, I'll get someone to fix that but anyway, we are servants of Death and Fate. Fate runs all of time and Death is her deputy in a way, she writes time and he makes sure it happens but you are getting in the way. You keep dying and I think when Death reads the application I just send he is going to strange both of us," she growled flicking her long blond hair away from her face.

"So I'm not dead?" Harry asked, she turned to him

"Yes your dead but I have asked Death and Fate to give you another re-life, but under special circumstances. This time you can keep your memory of these events and not die, well that's the idea it depend what death thinks, now any questions before he comes and murders us both?" Laura asked obviously worried, Harry thought.

"Ok if this has happened before then why don't I remember it?" he asked,

"Section twelve of the Time and relations to Mortals act, no mortal can know of the world beyond the veil unless approved by Fate and Death accordingly," she answered quickly.

"Ok then if I keep dying why don't you just let me die?" was his next question and Laura sighed again, she was obviously not in the best of moods

"Because unlike ninety percent of the people we get your actually going to make a difference, your children and grandchildren and so on make an impact. So in simple terms you're the tree that's going to make the forest but you keep letting someone cut you down and I'm bored of replanting you," she explained quickly looking up at the clock, there were no numbers but complex symbols which Harry didn't even try to guess as to what they were.

"Now before you ask why you keep dying there are a number of reasons. Firstly stupidity and secondly Albus Dumbledore, Molly Weasley and Voldemort," she answered.

"Why are those two in with Voldemort?" Harry argued not seeing how the dark lord was connected to his mother substitute and former mentor.

"Shut up and I'll tell you. Dumbledore created the circumstances which led to you dying, he was the one who left you at the Dursley's, pressured you into supporting him and controlled your damn life. Molly Weasley is a money hungry bitch who is too old to be a gold digger..." Laura informed him , Harry made a noise of protest but she continued anyway.

"She poisoned you with love potion for a girl who looks like your mother, anyway she's been trying to make you marry Ginny so she can get rich and something else, I stopped caring about her awhile ago , anyway Molly made you join the Weasley family and ended up making someone who would literally run in front of a giant snake for them. In all honesty Voldemort the best one on the list because he just kills you, none of this manipulating crap going on," Laura finished and Harry had a chance to ponder on her words. She had a few good points but before he could question further the door to the office opened. A slender white man was at the door, his skin while pale seemed in tune with the rest of his body and he had a mop of black hair

"Morning Death," Larua greeted, slightly awkwardly, he held up a hand and spoke in a deep but cold voice. Harry span round to see Death himself, he had thought he would look like the grim reaper but he had never been more wrong. The man seemed ordinary but he did look annoyed

"Don't morning Death me, why the hell is there a special application for Harry Potter on my desk, again? I told you this department was going through budget cuts and said only essential applications should be made. When I show Fate our spending she is going to go mental," the man ranted immediately looking like he was going to explode.

"He died again and we've already invested time in him," she began meekly

"Yes I know, over the last twenty year forecast budget wise almost thirty percent of it went on Harry Potter, I think we're done." He decided

"Excuse me?" Harry questioned wondering why the man was telling Laura he was not worth life, literally

"Don't you start, if you stopped dying I could stop worrying about the budget, which is going to explode if you don't stop with the dying. No special applications are money guzzlers, one of them is bad enough but if one goes through then the whole department starts sending them, the parchment alone is about eight hundred a pack. Too much, the special application would have been considered three years ago before we realised we were investing in a plane without landing gear, or wings!" Death practically screamed walking around the office angrily.

"Isn't life priceless?" Harry asked the man, he turned and suddenly the room was very cold, Death clicked his finger and a chart appeared.

"You tell me, this is what you have done to our budget since you went to Hogwarts, this was your first year," Death began drawing a line on the chart at the top,

"Your second," the line dipped down slightly

"Your third," the line was in a nosedive

"And your fourth," the line was vertical now and Harry was lost for words, was he saying they wouldn't give him his life back because of money.

"Death," Laura began trying to bargain in some way, he glared at her

"No, keeping Mr Potter means the budget will drop so far you need a microscope, and besides Fate will never agree to it ," Death argued.

"She regards you well," Laura reasoned. Death glared at her again

"Listen dear if I thought sleeping with people would increase the budget then every person in this department would have something new added to their contracts, but sleeping with Fate does not, again not! Mean she will accept this!" the man was almost screaming now but Laura was trying everything.

"Look Death, if it works out then you can claim it all back by saying his descendants made a change, "Laura pointed out. Harry wondered if he should be hearing sensitive information about his future.

"Yes and if it doesn't work out then we have wasted thirty percent of the budget on Harry Potter, Fate will go mental and probably fire you and everyone else on this floor. Leaving me and about nine other people to sort through almost eight billion people, now dear my advice is cut him loose and prepare a detailed report as to why you almost sank this department in the red, then I write it off and everything goes back to the way it should," Death offered hopefully and again Harry felt slightly insulted that he was being left out of a conversation about his own life.

"I don't want to fail!" Laura responded stubbornly and Death gave out one long sigh

"Ok, look when you joined up with us six years ago I had two thoughts, the first was thank God we have more staff because we are understaffed and second you actually have potential but if you keep going with the Potter case and it fails you will be fired," Death warned eventually and Laura looked at Harry

"You accept the application and I'll take the fall," she offered suddenly and Harry wondered why she was doing this, she didn't seem to like him much and yet was willing to put her job on the line for him. Death looked conflicted for a few moments before sighing

"Ok fine, I'll sign the application and I'll get Fate to do it to. But if you fail then you are out!" he warned before sweeping out the room with a swish of his black robes, Laura sank back into her chair and looked at Harry.

"Are you going to tell me what just happened?" he asked

"Yes, long story short we have a budget, every application costs money and Fate decided to cut our budget recently, basically we need to stop giving people re-life's." She summarised quickly putting the file away

"So am I getting another chance?" Harry wondered and Laura gave a stiff nod
"Yes but there are conditions, firstly at some point you will be given soem kind of power that hopefully with stop you fucking dying in the wizarding world, also you can keep you memory of this so the next time you're in a life or death situation and the first choice is walking away and the next is running blindly into it at least consider walking away. Just think of me strangling you for getting me fired ok?" she began and Harry nodded

"Ok and also I'm going to be advising you in the wizarding world, so you can get away from all the manipulating people and actually become powerful enough to not die and wind me up, also you need to not die, ok just don't die and we'll be fine." Laura almost begged.

"Ok," Harry stated as she looked ready to hit him due to his lack of tact

"Ok? Fine whatever. Another point actually go out with your soul mate, consider Ginny off limits, don't talk or fantasise about her ever or I will kill you myself. Now your soul mate is someone who needs to be... fixed. When I find the guy who wrote this memo I'm going to tear their... anyway she needs to be healed due to something to do with a guy called Cerdic?"

"Do you mean Cedric? And are you talking about Cho?" Harry interrupted wondering how she could be his soul mate, she hated him now after they broke up.

"That one, anyway you were supposed to heal her, it says after she lost Cedric if that's his name. You heal her, you connect with her, then the rest happens which I can't tell you. Anyway before we get this going just because she was depressed that year doesn't mean she always was, just look past what others are telling you and don't listen to Dumbledore or a Weasley,"

"How am I going to heal her if we broke up?" Harry asked and Laura suddenly looked like she was going to pounce

"Because you're going back to your fifth year, with everything you know now. Now here's some advice get the Horcruxes early, you know what they are so deal with them. Oh and remember Hermione Granger , she's good get her the hell away from Ron Weasley. Ron is bad, greedy and an irritant, Dumbledore, bad, Molly Bad. Go the bank and get a new key the moment you arrive back and lastly, D-O N-O-T D-I-E," Laura warned almost nicely.

"Ok so now what?" Harry wondered aloud, she just sighed

"I'm going to wait until Fate approves the application, send you back and get to work on my apology to Fate over the budget and..." A bright golden light filled the room and a form appeared on her desk.
"Approved, good now Harry Potter I am sending you back to the summer before your fifth year, you will be contacted shortly after, do you accept the circumstances, yes or no?" she asked and Harry decided to agree as she looked like she might kill him otherwise

"Yes," he stated and then he was engulfed by a white light.