AN: 4,271 words later and we have chapter 2. This puts me at 6,141 out of the 50k needed to win for the month. i hope you are all enjoying this so far. Tomorrow i have to drive my spouse down to a eye doctor's appointment 4 hours away... so i hope to get some typing done while in the waiting room, but it might be a smaller update tomorrow... At any rate, hope you like!

Chapter 2

As Jacob opened his mouth to say something, the phone on his desk buzzed. Taking a deep breath he answered it leaving Harry to listen to the quick one-sided conversation.

"Yes?" he asked and paused for the response. "She is here? Now? Damn it, send her in." He then looked to the dark haired teen.

"Harry one of my colleagues will be joining us," He said as the door opened. "She is from a very important department, but unlike me she is not a reaper or a death counselor as some call us."

"Hello Harry," the woman said as she sat to the side of the desk. Quite frankly the woman was beautiful with her long dark hair in a thick plait at her back, her dark almond shaped eyes and her olive skin. "I am Fatima, from the department of Fate. I am certain you have a ton of questions for me, so let me quickly answer a few of them. No we have never met here before; yes I have read all of your files. No, I cannot change your fate to fight Tom Riddle, but I can at this point give some aid through what you are currently agreeing to. I am here to make certain that Jacob does his job properly and to help answer question you have, that he might not be able to, or even have the information for." She placed her hands into her lap and smiled, "does that answer at least the first set of questions you might have?"

"Um, yes actually," the green eyed youth responded. He couldn't help but look at her dark blue silk shirt and skirt with all the gold and silver embroidery on it. The outfit fit her quite well, and made her feel less foreboding than Jacob who was in a smartly pressed suit.

"Oh good," she grinned, "well then Jacob, please continue."

"Yes, well, as I was saying." He looked at the two of them, then back to the binder, "there are many contracts you will need to sign. As I also stated there will be choices for you to make as we move forwards here. Once you sign a contract it will be finalized, and we cannot undo it later, so please make very certain it is something you want. If you are uncertain we can always come back later. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I get it."

"You also have the ability to decline anything we offer up to you. Once you decline an offer it will be removed and we cannot come back to it, understood?" As Harry nodded the man continued, "Good. Now then the first thing that is being offered to you is to go back with you memories of this last life only. You are not being offered the memories of earlier tries at life due to the severity of your deaths in some of those and the unneeded trauma that would likely occur from giving you those. Would you like to accept this offer?"

"yes," Harry replied after just a moment of thought. Even if things changed dramatically at least he would have some basic understanding of what was going or what could happen to him in this try.

"Very good," he replied with a very slight smile. Then he popped the binder open and removed the page sliding it towards Harry along with a pen. "Please sign above your printed name. By signing this you will be given all of your previous memories. Anything you do along the way will of course have the chance to change things in the future. So just be aware that some of this information will no longer do you any good."

"I kind of figured, but it will be nice to have something to look at for similarities and help me to maybe stay alive and one step ahead of Voldemort." Quickly he read through the contract, and saw it was just like he had paraphrased it, and thus taking the silver pen signed his name on the line, then handed it back.

"Very good," the reaper responded as he checked the signature and then placed the page back into the binder and locked the rings. Once the metal clasps closed there was a golden glow from the whole binder, and once it was gone he turned the page.

"The glow," the woman from the Fate department explained, "was the binder accepting your choice. When it is time to send you back, this binder will be fed into the machine. Everything you signed will then be added into who you are now; so that when you return you will be essentially a new being, even with the alterations you are choosing now."

"Is this kind of thing done very often?" he couldn't help but ask the woman.

"No, it isn't. We have to be very careful in whom we send back and why, if we in the Fate department can find another to fill the role then we do, however because of that damn prophecy, it has to be you. So that is why when it became obvious to us that you were going to return yet again, there was a meeting of quite a few departments." She smiled sweetly at him, "to be honest with you Harry, there are quite a few departments that are upset you have to go back again and again. So that is why this binder was made up. Each contract you sign is made from a different department; some departments are giving you a few options to choose from as well. We all do want you to succeed this time. So have some hope," she said and then leaned an elbow on the desk.

"Next up, you are being offered a creature heritage. This would mean you could end up choosing between a few things. You could be a male Veela, part Goblin, or part Giant. Do any of those appeal to you?"

"Uh," he considered for a moment the Veela bit, but then recalled all the trouble Fleur and her sister had being part of that race. "No thank you."

The man merely nodded as he began flipping pages to the next section. With a sigh he looked at Harry.

"Would you fancy being a girl instead of a boy?"

"No!" He couldn't help but shudder at the very idea. "No offense to the girls I know, but I don't know how I would handle another bloke flirting with me, especially as I will have my memories as being a bloke myself."

"Smart choice," he replied disgustedly turning to the next section. "Next up is a bloodline swap. What this means is that instead of being Harry Potter, you could choose who your parents were. That means that your real parents could return, but they would have the child whom you replaced." Even with harry shaking his head the man gave the final nails in the coffin, "your choices here would be Malfoy, Lestrange, Goyle, or Weasley."

"No thank you. While it might be interesting to meet my parents, I still wouldn't want anyone but them," he said shaking his head still. Three choices of dark families, and then the Weasley's, and he would never want them to lose their parents and perhaps die just because of him.

"Well here is a section that might interest you, abilities. You can only choose one of these three, and each one has a sub category to it. The categories are Taught by Merlin, Raised by Fae, or Gamer."

"What are the benefits of each of these?" he asked wishing Hermione was here with him.

"Well," Fatima began, "taught by Merlin means just that. You would gain some of his wisdom and knowledge, along with what skills you are able to learn from him. Raised by Fae, would mean you would not be with the Dursleys but instead be taken from their stoop and raised by some form of Fae."

"Gamer is more interesting and diverse," Jacob said getting the conversation back. "It quite literally means that your life would have quests, short term goals, and be like a game."

The idea of being taught by Merlin was tempting, as was the idea of not having to live with his hateful relatives again, but to live life as if it were a game? There were so many games out there, and the idea of how some games had little tricks so you could level and get stronger faster, well in this case it would have some serious advantages.

"I think I would like to be a gamer," he said officially. This time he only gave a quick scan of the contract before he signed it. This could make life a bit more interesting to him, and help keep him from getting in way over his head.

"In the Gamer Life you have a few choices you can make. The sub categories would allow you to make the choice of table top style game, or video game."

"I'll take video game."

"The video game gives you a few choices in skill progression. There is a skill tree, where you must purchase a skill up to a certain point level before you can get access to higher ones, but you will never be able to buy all of the skills there in. You will have to choose your skills very wisely.

"There is the level system where you choose skills to start with and while they get better each level, at certain levels you will be able to choose new skills.

"Then there is the skill grid system. The grid system will allow you to move from one skill to another as long as they are on a connecting line. In time you will also be able to buy the skills of others in your party."

"What do you mean my party?"

"Oh this is an interesting one," the woman interjected. "It means that your soul mated and anyone who you deem close friends can be added to the grid. For instance Neville, once you gain his friendship you would be able to open up the skill grid and spend his points for him making him better in some categories. This would also mean that you could purchase his skill of Herbology for yourself in time, and you could use his points to buy him your skill in flying a broom."

"So I could buy Hermione's ability to remember things, and she could buy my abilities as a seeker?"

"Yes, and then the two of you could be quite formidable casting spells from a high speeding broom," she replied with a smile.

He couldn't help but to lean back and close his eyes, what a sight that would be! The two of them making quick turns and dives to avoid spells while sending off spells of their own, the Deatheaters wouldn't know what hit them! What with her ability to recall everything she read, if the both of them had that then their number of spells to choose from would be insane. The both of them would be crazy dangerous to their enemies in battle. Also the idea of helping Neville with his skills in things, and to be able to get better himself with plants, well it was too tempting to pass up. The things he could do with that would be near endless; especially once he became friends with Moony and Padfoot.

"I think I will take the grid system, that sounds like it is the best of them," he said leaning forwards the sign on the line.

"Very well," the man responded and once pages were signed and back in the book he went on. "This page needs to be signed, it states that you now know you have a soul mate and will begin your quest to meet and seal the bond." As the page was passed for a signature Fatima spoke up once more.

"Once you begin the bonding process, as an added bonus, she too will become a gamer with the choices you have made. This means she will have access to the grid as well, and will be able to spend her own points. This also means the two of you can discuss how to spend other people's points that join your party. Only those in a soul bond or within your family unit will have the ability to spend points in this manner."

"Cool," he replied still thinking of all the awesome things that the two of them could do for not only themselves to be more prepared but also all of their close friends. He would make sure that fewer people died this time around. Not even reading the page he quickly signed it, not noticing the small smile that Fatima suddenly got as he did so.

"This page that needs to be signed is the one that will make you a master Occlumens. Having this will keep both Dumbledore and Snape out of your mind and from finding out all that you now are."

Once more he signed without even looking at the page, but was pulled from his thoughts when the phone buzzed again.

"Ahem, excuse me," he said as he picked up the receiver. "Yes?" a pause for response, "Oh! Yes I will be right there." He set the item back in the cradle, "Fatima would you please keep young Mr. Potter company while I go deal with something that came up?"

"Certainly Jacob, you just run along and I will have a nice chat with Harry," she said as he then bowed and quickly left the room.

The two looked at one another but before he could ask her what was going on, she merely raised a finger then went to the door herself.

"Sammy," she said sweetly tot eh secretary, "Harry and I are rather parched and a bit puckish, would you be a dear and run to get us some refreshments?"

"Certainly ma'am!" the man said so obviously happy to be away from his desk.

Harry watched as she remained at the door, waiting. Once Sammy was out of sight, a rather short young woman came at a mad dash into the office.

"Hurry! Shut that door!" the new girl said. He couldn't help but stare at the newcomer with her bright violet eyes, golden blonde hair done up in a topknot, and the hair decorated with all manner of beads, feather, and bits of metal. As for her clothes, it was an interesting assortment of color choices, all bright, and all clashing. The tunic top was a bright yellow, while one leg of her breeches was purple, and the other orange, a bright red patch on one knee and chartreuse on the other.

"Did you bring it?" Fatima asked of her after she closed the door. "were you seen coming here?"

"Seen!? Are you kidding me? Everyone is either in the betting room, or dealing with the new mess that cropped up. Seems the filing department is in a tizzy about some paperwork that got messed up. Some of them just happen to be Jacob's cases." She shrugged with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Harry, meet Discordia," Fatima said as she took a large envelope of paperwork from the girl.

"Hiya!" she said brightly and sat in front of him on the desk. "Nice to meet you Harry! Just do us both a favor and do NOT mention that I even came into this room or you even met me. Jacob is a starched shirt, and hates me. See while Fatima and Jacob work in departments here, I don't. I am a goddess, and if you haven't guessed it, I'm the goddess of discord, or chaos if you will. However I am not the bad kind of chaos, more like the twins you know. In fact they are pretty much devout followers of me, as were your dad and his pals," she grinned widely.

"So what are you doing here then?" he asked now a bit worried about the papers she had brought with her.

"Oh you know, playing a prank," she said swinging her legs a bit. "Don't worry though, it isn't a prank on you, not really. Your life is bad chaos, I'm tossing in some stuff that will be fun and chaotic, stuff that will be quite helpful for you. See when I heard you were going to get a deal like this one, I had, just HAD, to go speak with some other people up here. Like your parents for one, and then a whole slew of others. Anyway we came up with a great plan, and all I have to do, is let Fate here look them over and put them in the book before 'Starchy' gets back."

"Speaking of," Fate said calmly, "you should get going before Sammy gets back. You know what will happen if he catches you here."

"Ack! Too right! Well, great to meet ya, and I'll be watching! So have a good time, and a fun one this time," she said before dashing to the door and quickly out and down the hallway.

Quickly he turned just in time to see Fatima locking the clasps of the binder after placing the papers that were brought into it. Once more the binder glowed gold in acceptance of them and she looked up to him with a grin.

"Harry, I need you to trust me on this," she said as she sat back in her chair. "I looked through all of those and to be honest, none of them are harmful to you. When the odd things start to pop up here and there, just remember that they are there to help you, and to make you stronger and even a better person than you are right now. They may seem like a pain to start with, but I promise you, this is a prank not only on Jacob, but a lot of people who think they can control you."

"Just how big is this prank?" he asked getting a bit nervous now.

"Let's just say that when the snowball starts down the hill, a particular white haired manipulator will try to steer it, only to later find he and all of his plans are moot, and the only thing he and the others who work with him can do is run to try and stay ahead of it." Her grin was rather infectious and he couldn't help but grin with her at the idea. "Quite frankly, unless you make friends with certain teachers, and want to trust certain people, they could get swept up by the prank here. In doing so all of their plans will be laid out for the world to see, and cause their own downfalls. You won't have to lift a single finger."

All he could do was nod, as whatever her plan was, was already set into motion whether he anted it or not. The binder of his life had accepted it willingly, so now all he could do is go with the flow.

"Is there anything you can tell me about how my life was supposed to go?" he finally asked when the quiet became too oppressive.

"Actually, yes I can," she said getting a warm smile on her face. "you were supposed to meet your soul mate at the zoo on your cousin's birthday, before you had your bout of accidental magic. While you would see each other, it wasn't until you met at the wizarding bank that you would actually begin to talk. From there would be the owls back and forth, and then the meeting up with each other on the train. It was supposed to be a childhood friendship leads to romance, leads to soul bonding, and a long happy life together." Then she scowled, "it was perfect until that damn prophecy came into it, and then that bastard marked you. Once that happened all of our careful plans went straight down the shitter."

"Language Fatima," Jacob said as he came back to the office.

She merely nodded to him with a soft blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry about that Mr. Potter," he said retaking his seat. "Everything has been sorted out for the moment, but I will have to hurry this along so I can get back and finish the damage control on the situation at hand," he said grimly.

He quickly scanned the page he was on, and then a few more following it.

"Now then, this last section details the fact that I have gone over things with you. The nitty gritty bit about your life as a gamer is this. As you learn new skills you will be able to work at those skills to improve them. This is done through use of the skill, or by reading certain materials or watching certain shows. Your enjoyment of cooking, for example, the skill can be raised by reading cookbooks, watching cooking shows, or by performing the task. Understood?" At the affirmative he moved on to the next subject.

"Now, as for when we are sending you back. As much as I am sure you would want to return at the point of being on the train, or even arrival at the station, I am afraid that is not to be.

"You will be arriving back into your timeline three hours before midnight on your eleventh birthday, which is to say a few hours before Hagrid arrives to take you from your relatives." He said eyeing the youth.

"Why then?"

"Simply put Harry, it is so that you can start the changes then." Fatima said leaning towards him to get his attention. "You need to go to the bank and get your key from Hagrid. Then you have to get him to leave you to deal with the teller alone while he goes to do his other thing for the school. Once he leaves, then you should run into Hermione, and be able to start everything rolling. She will recall you from the zoo, as will her parents. In fact Hermione is being sent back to the morning of her zoo trip."

"Hermione is here right now? Can I talk to her before she goes back?" he asked in a near panic.

"Harry, calm down, you are sadly not allowed to visit with her in this realm. I will be speaking to her right after I leave you. I will let her know some things."

"If I may continue please?" Jacob said, "thank you. She was killed in the battle that took place after you died, and she will be heading back with some memories and instruction in tact. Speaking of memories, in order to not overload you too much you will go back with the memories of everything we have talked about, as well as you life up until you go back already there. You will also have memories of what you need to do, yet the memories of your school years will be locked on your grid.

"By doing this you can take your school year memories year by year. The year 1 memories will have from the moment you were left at the station, until the moment you leave the platform to return to your relatives. 2nd year will pick up with the return home trip, your summer, and the next school year until you return once more to the platform to return to your relatives. There will also be a memory slot labeled Childhood, and that is as it states from the first moment you were held by your mother, until the moment you were first left at the station.

"These memories can also be shared with your soul mate. While you may be reluctant to do so, do realize that she might be able to notice some things that you did not. Any questions?"

"None. I really just want to go talk with Hermione," he said imploringly.

"Very well, we can get you on your way. Just sign this last page and we can get you back to the land of the living. With luck you won't have to see me again for a very, very, long time."

One final signature and the three stood up to leave. Fatima gave him a quick hug and then looked him in the eyes.

"I will go talk to her right now. I'll let her know what is going on, well as much as I am allowed to." She gave him another hug and then dashed off down a hallway.

"Alright Mr. Potter, follow me."

It was a long, silent fifteen minute walk. Finally it ended with an archway, almost like the one Sirius had fallen through all those years ago. The main difference is that this one had a pearlescent cloth hanging in it.

"Yes, it is almost like the one you are thinking of. Where that one goes straight to our waiting room, this one gives you life." He spoke as he walked to a small dais set off to the side of the archway, it was there he deposited the binder into a slot, and then pressed a series of buttons.

"Now then Mr. Potter, Harry, if you would, enter the veil of life. Good luck, and may you manage that long happy life," he said hopefully.

"Thanks Jacob, I'll try." He smiled at the man, and then taking a deep breath to steel himself for what he know was to come, he passed through the soft fabric.