This story is inspired by Harry Potter and Afterlife Inc by dunuelos. And as such it also follows the conditions from Reptilia28's challenge.. The challenge is below.

CHALLENGE:

Challenge issued by "Reptilia28" - Originally on Portkey verbatim:

A funny little challenge I just came up with. It's a comical twist on the time-travel category.

STORYLINE:

*Harry is killed at 17 during a fight with Voldemort. He's sent to his Death's office (explained later) and finds out that this isn't the first time that this has happened.

*Harry's Death (who can have a human name) is mad at his arrival. Apparently, people dying before their time is a black mark on the various Deaths' records, and Harry is getting perilously close to getting this particular one fired.

*When Harry asks what was supposed to have happened, Death goes off on a rant saying how he was supposed to have killed Voldemort, found his soulmate ("Some Granger girl...") and lived to be a centennial age. But since Harry keeps getting into life-threatening situations for one reason or another, he keeps dying before that happens. Harry is surprised about the soulmate part.

*Death gives Harry a paper to sign that allows him to retain his memories (the previous times, he wasn't given this option for some reason). Harry is deposited to a previous time of the writer's choosing.

*Eventually, Harry gets it right. He kills Voldemort, gets the girl, and lives to a ripe old age of whatever. And Death doesn't get fired.

REQUIREMENTS:

*Harry had to have died at least three times before this one.

*The memory keeping contract must be included.

*Death must refer to Hermione as "some Granger girl" when Harry's soulmate turns up in his rant.

*Obviously, must be H/Hr.

*Have fun.

OPTIONAL:

*Dumbledore's manipulations can be a factor in Harry's premature demises.

Chapter 1: The Beyond

Harry Potter ended up somewhere. He did not recognise where he was. It was completely black around him. He could see nothing in any direction. His first thought was 'Avada Kedavra blinded me', but he realized that he was not blind, there was absolutely no light here it was completely dark. Harry tried to recollect how he ended up here, the last thing he remembered was going to the forbidden forest, where Voldemort was there, to sacrifice himself. He saw Hagrid there and then offered no resistance to Voldemort when he fired the Avada Kedavra and now Harry had no idea why he was here.

So I am dead, Harry decided. 'But at least if Voldemort sticks to his words, all my friends are safe' Harry thought. He wanted to know how his friends were, but seeing as he was stuck in some place very dark, he had no option but to wait for something to happen. Harry was thinking that death was certainly better than living. After all the hardships in the past year, this definitely felt welcome. Harry was anxious to know what happened to his friends, as time passed he was getting more and more worried.

Where was here? Did Voldemort win? What happened to Hermione, Ron and Ginny? were some of the questions he was thinking. Finally he decided to take a walk. Find someone who can tell him what happened. He got up, but as it was completely dark around him, he did not know which direction to go. 'Well I am already dead, Whichever direction doesn't make a difference, I can't die again' he thought and tried to move forward.

As soon as he kept one step, he felt the whole area lighting up. It was not a pretty picture. He could feel Anger emanating from all around him. The whole scene he was seeing could be described as nature being angry. Heavy winds, lightning all around him, Thunder claps etc.. etc... But he wanted to know about his friends, so he tried to walk further. Even though the whole scene was not dark now, it was just as worse, It looked like he was in the middle of somewhere and he could not get out as all around him was pandemonium. 'Someone is very angry with me right now' Harry thought.

"YES I AM" came a voice thundering from all the directions at once. Harry did not know what to make of it. He decided on the Gryffindor approach. "Who are you?" Harry shouted back. The answer was immediate "No need to shout, if I can hear your thoughts, I can as well hear what you are talking, there is no need for you to raise your voice." The same voice answered. "But you haven't answered my question. Who are you?" asked Harry in a normal voice this time.

"I am your Death" the voice answered back. Harry was taken aback. He did not know what to think or what to make out of this odd encounter. 'My death? Death can speak to me? What is happening?' he thought. But like last time there was no answer to his thoughts. Finally he decided on asking questions to find out all the answers. "You are my Death?" asked Harry. "Yes, and YOU ARE DUMB" shouted back the voice. Harry decided to ignore the insult, and ask more pressing questions. "Are you the death mentioned in the story of the Deathly Hallows?" asked Harry. "No that Story is just that, a Story" Answered back the voice. "Please tell me who are you and why you are talking to me?" asked Harry.

"As I said I am your Death, or the more appropriate word which you can understand will be a Guardian angel. We have been called by many names by many cultures, I personally prefer Death, and you may think of me as whatever you want." The voice answered back. "So me talking to you means that I am dead?" asked Harry. "Yes, you are, again" answered the voice. "What do you mean again?" asked Harry. "AGAIN means YOU ARE A USELESS STUPID PERSON, WHO CANNOT COMPLETE THE WORK HE IS SUPPOSED TO DO" Shouted the voice. The nature around him grew more agitated, it was as if the scene around him was linked to the mental state of the voice. "It is not linked to my mental state, I am the scene around you" replied the voice, which answered his thoughts.

"Can you please calm down?" asked Harry. "I can try" the voice of Death replied and within some time the nature around him grew more pleasent. Now there was a calm ocean near his feet and the sky was clear blue with very few clouds scattered here and there. Harry did not think that his Death was truly calm, he thought that Death has forced himself to be pleasant so that Harry can hear to what Death had to say. "Even though you are a fool, sometimes your conclusions are correct" Death Complemented and Insulted him in the same line. Harry again tried to ignore the insult "Can you please come back to the again part and stop insulting me?" asked Harry.

"Every person has a destiny, and your destiny was a great one. Instead of fulfilling it, you keep on dying before your time and create trouble for me." The voice answered. "I have died before? When? Why don't I remember it?" asked Harry in a fast tone. "Obviously you don't remember, we wipe the memory of this encounter before you leave" Answered Death. "As for your previous deaths, let me recount it. You first died when you were 6 years old and had taken a bad beating from that Veron man. And the second time you died when you tried to apparate on to the school roof after being chased by that Dursley gang. However you are not responsible for both of these deaths. But for everything else, I hold your stupidity responsible" Said Death.

"I have died even more times?" Asked Harry. "Yes. let me tell you, how much ever you want to read a letter jumping off a boat to catch a letter will get you dead. You remember when this was, yes, the night before your eleventh birthday. And gettin caught in devils snare and shouting Light, Light will not give you light, it just makes you dead. Lets see Second Year, You honestly thought that you could outfight a grown wizard and a Basilisk armed with just a sword and closing your eyes? Lucky thats the only time you died in that fight. Second time the Phoenix saved you. You did not die in your third year. Lucky. Fourth year, what were you thinking? Do you think ANY BROOM in the world can outfly a dragon? Originally all that was left of you was ash. And Fifth year you ran after your God father into the veil. Though I will put it down to emotional response instead of Stupidity. And luckily you did not get killed in sixth year. Or may be not lucky. You did nothing in sixth year, so you couldn't get killed. And finally now. I am getting tired of sending you back. And this is the last chance you have. You get killed again without doing what you are supposed to do, I will have to be born as a mortal to compensate for you." Concluded Death.

Harry was angry with death for calling him stupid again and again, but as he analyzed the incidents death was telling he found a clear pattern. He did not prepare for any of these situations. He was operating with limited knowledge and limited skill. He needed to be more prepared. That was the conclusion he got. Suddenly something death said registered in his mind. "You are going to send me back?" He asked. "Yes. But as it is your last time we will send you back in time and let you have your memory."

Harry initially was happy that he was going back. And then he realized the scene which he would go back to. He will just go in front of Voldemort, looking like having survived one more 'Avada Kedavra' curse. But Harry realized as soon as he wakes up, Voldemort will hit him with one more killing curse and Harry will end up back here. "Ah, Now you have started thinking" said the voice of death. "Finally, Dear Lord, I never thought the day would come where the great Harry Potter starts to think" Death Said.

Harry got irritated. He had been ignoring the insults from the moment he was here. But this was getting too much. "What do you mean? I do not like riddles. If you have something to say go ahead and say it. Do not keep on insulting me." Shouted Harry. "What have I told you about shouting?" asked the voice of Death. "Doesn't matter. Tell me why you are insulting me?" asked Harry.

"Let me start by telling you about your destiny. As I said before, you are to fulfill a Great destiny. You should be a hero of the war. Kill your enemies. Save the world. And marry your soul mate, some Granger girl. Live long, even longer than your previous Headmaster. Then die. You were supposed to come and meet me then. Everyone would be happy. But NO. You had to die at every opportunity that was REMOTELY LIFE THREATENING." Death Ranted.

But Harry was stuck on the Soul Mate sentence. "Did you just tell me that Hermione is my Soulmate?" Harry asked Death. "Are you that STUPID? I just told that did I not? Why do you want me to repeat myself?" Asked Death. "But, But Hermione is in Love with Ron, isn't she?" Harry asked again. "No one will keep on waiting for you forever. That's the lesson you have to take. She fancied you till the end of your fifth year. But you never returner her feelings. Forget returning her feelings. You never even made her realize that you knew that she was a girl." Death said.

"But I know Hermione is a girl" whined Harry.

"OK. You know. So tell me when was the last time you told her that she looked Beautiful" asked Death. Harry had no answer.

"That is my point. If you don't tell her that you are noticing her, she will not know:" Said Death.

"Yeah, you are right. Looks like I have made a lot of mistakes." Answered Harry.

"As I said, I am ready to send you back. I cannot emphasise enough that this is your last chance, so you have to get things right. So tell me what all things you think are mistakes from you and why you think so" Asked Death.

Harry Potter started thinking. "First mistake was driving Hermione away. We were very close till 5th year and 6th year we started fighting over a stupid book and I drove her away. She still came with me for the hunt and stayed just shows her greatness." Said Harry.

"Not only Greatness. It also shows her love for you. You both are soulmates, She will be with you no matter what and you will be with her. That is how it is" continued Death. "Now continue what all you think are mistakes"

"I was not trained for any of the incidents that you mentioned before where I died. I did not know that I had to face Voldemort so I did not train till the end of 5th year. But once I knew the prophecy, I should have somehow trained myself, instead of trying to find out what Malfoy was upto. Thinking about it, I need not have to know the prophecy to train myself to be better. I could have started training for the Triwizard tournament and should have never stopped." Said Harry.

"Now you are thinking. Continue with the next mistake" Said Death.

"Trusting Dumbledore too much. I mean he withheld information all the time. Including the fact that I had to die. And basically decided too much in my life. I am grateful for all the things he did for me. But I had to take control of at least some things." Said Harry.

"OK. What next?" Asked Death.

"Nothing that I can think of" Answered Harry.

"Well, this is enough for the time being. Also I will ask you to review your friendships closely. There are some of your acquaintances, who could be of real help to you whom you never considered friends. And some people who you think of as close friends are anything but" said Death.

Harry was confused. He could not understand whom Death was referring to. "Whom do you mean?" asked Harry.

"I cannot and will not tell you that. My job is to make sure that you complete your destiny. Who are your friends are not my business. And Also I do not think that interfering with your life will make you happy with me." answered Death.

Harry thought it made sense. So he asked "You are sending me back. So tell me how the dodge the next killing curse Voldemort shoots at me?" asked Harry.

"I told you that I will be sending you back. I never told you that I will be sending you back to the same time you came from" answered Death.

"So you will send me back in time?" asked Harry.

"Yes" answered Death.

"But what about all the stuff thats happened?" asked Harry

"The stuff that has happened is in your memory and nowhere else. This way you get an advantage and will be able to complete your destiny." Answered Death.

"What do you mean that it will be in my memory? It would not have happened? It will happen again?" Asked Harry.

"Why do I have to get you as my client? Why? Why? Why can't I have gotten a person who can think, instead of someone as stupid as you?" wailed Death.

"I will not take anymore insults from you. Tell me what I need to know without insulting me in every sentence" demanded Harry

"Now if you had taken this attitude in your life instead of your death, it could have saved you a whole lot of trouble" answered Death. That sentence put Harry into deep thought. He started thinking about all the places where he let people deal with him as they saw fit and didn't object. Snape, Dumbledore, Malfoy and even his friends were in the list of people who behaved with him in way which he did not like but he did not ask them or let them know that they had to change their behaviour with him.

"Yes, that is one of the things you have to change" said Death.

"What else do I have to change?" asked Harry.

"Start taking control of your life. This is your life, you are not living for someone else. Life a life which makes you Happy, do not live a life with resignation" answered Death.

"And?" prompted Harry.

"I cannot tell you how important being with your soul mate is. Just be together with her and you will find that you can change the whole world. That is the power of a soulmate." Said Death.

"Anything else?" Asked Harry.

"I have told you all that I am allowed to tell you. But there are some more choices you have to make based on the way your thinking will change. I mean, once you start taking control of your life, some of your friends will become your enemies, and some people whom you have not considered friends before will become close. Its your choice who your friends are, but choose wisely, this really is your last chance." advised Death.

"OK. Thats a lot to take in" Answered Harry.

"Go one step at a time. Now do you want to go back?" asked Death.

"You mean I can refuse?" asked Harry.

"Whatever you think sometimes, you do have free will. You can refuse. But I hope for the sake of the world that you accept and go back. Because as you know Voldemort can only die by your hands, and if you are not there in the picture, the future is not bright. and thats putting it mildly" told Death.

Harry started thinking deeply about what all Death has said till now. Although he was very skeptical when Death started talking to him, he now believed in Death fully and started thinking about the possibility of going back. A better Life and being with Hermione were the plus points and living through all the pain once again was the drawback.

"What about the Horcruxes?" Asked Harry.

"You will be sent back in time, so all the Horcruxes will be alive." Answered Death

"Even the one in my Scar?" asked Harry

"Yes. It may be useful later, when the fight between you and voldemort happens, you can take a killing curse and still live." answered Death

"It makes sense" told Harry.

"So you have decided to go back?" asked Death

"Well its either stay dead and abandon my friends or try once more and hopefully get a better ending. So I am ready to go back." told Harry.

"OK. I am happy with your decision. But you know that you will be walking a Tightrope right? The information you have will be a double edged sword. Having information and not using it to better your future is a waste of the information, and using some information so much that all the other information become useless will again be not optimal. So use what you know about the future wisely." advised Death.

"OK" said Harry, trying to digest what was said.

"So when do you want to go back to?" asked Death.

"You will let me decide?" asked a surprised Harry.

"Do I have to come back to the FREE WILL part again?" asked Death sarcastically.

"So I can go back to the end of 4th Year before anyone has died?" Asked Harry.

"That is technically possible, but you have to realize that other people have destinies too. If you are thinking about saving Cedric, let me tell you it is not possible. If you save him from pettigrew, he will die someway else." Answered Death.

"What about 5th Year? Can I save Sirius? or is it also a lost cause?" asked Harry.

"Well you can save Sirius. And most of the deaths after his. But some people will die anyway. They would have completed their destinies. And they have no more purpose to fulfill being a mortal. Albus Dumbledore is one. So don't go on stupid missions to save people who cannot be saved" advised Death.

"So who all can I save? Who all can I not?" asked Harry.

"Again, I am not going to answer that. You will find it out yourself. Try your best to save the people close to you. And realize losing people or any kind of loss is a necessary part of life, thats all" answered Death.

"So can I go to the end of 5th year" asked Harry.

"You can. But I have some advice. Don't go to the day when you had to go and rescue Sirius. It will be difficult for you to remember the exact sequence of events. And everyone will sense it as a sudden change in your character which will not help you in the long run" told Death

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"I mean, lets say that you are on a mission to rescue Sirius. And as soon as you get down at the ministry, you propose to Hermione based on the knowledge you have now. How will people react to that?" Asked Harry.

"I don't know. It will be too sudden" answered Harry.

"Thats my point. That is the reason I am proposing that you go back to the christmas holidays. And start building your more mature character. So in case you don't want to fight the death eaters when Sirius is apparently captured, it makes sense to the people instead of being a surprise." told Death.

"Hey, You told me that I have a free will and you are deciding when I should be sent back to" complained Harry.

"You can still go back to the ending of 5th year, if thats your wish. I was just pointing out a better alternative thats all" answered Death.

Harry was convinced Death was right. So he decided to go back to the middle of 5th year. And he also thought of more advantages to that. "I will go back to the Christmas Holidays" answered Harry.

Suddenly there was a pen and paper in front of him. "This is the memory keeping contract. You have to sign this to keep your memory" told Harry Signed.

"I am ready to send you back, before you go I have three advices. One. Be close to your Soulmate. Two. A very small change may result in a very different future. So make your choices properly. and Three. Have fun." finished Death.

"OK. Thank you. How do I go back?" asked Harry.

"Just Sleep. Next time you wake up, you will be in the past or should I say new future." answered Death.

So Harry Slept.

A/N:

What do you people think? Good/Bad/Not fit to read - Let me know in the comments

Unlike my old fic, this will take some time for the updates.

I will try to update once in a week. But once in a fortnight feels more realistic. Hope you guys enjoy the fic. Do let me know if there are any errors. I will try to correct them.

And finally, if anyone is interested in betaing, please send me a PM

till next time...