A/N: Don't expect chapters this quick, it just happened that this was sat on my hard drive and i had time to finish it off.
Here we go again, Disclaimers in the Intro.
Last time:
"You charge it. I'll keep defending, and it sounds like they have figured out who we are."
"Working on it, I should be done in three, two,"
"BOMBARDA!"
This Time:
Hermione regains consciousness whilst lying down, it just isn't the hard surface of the forest floor through the tent she was expecting, it feeling rather soft and not entirely unlike her bed from when she was about nine.
Eventually after a debate with herself that the Death eaters would not have put her on a nice comfy surface, even a carpeted floor would be beyond what they would do, opens her chocolate eyes in a room that looks and smells like her childhood bedroom, faded yellow walls that are barely visible behind bookshelves that are both, over-filled to the point that there are more books stacked neatly on the floor and covering what space that isn't concealed by her wardrobe and chest of drawers that share the same wall as her window, and her bed adjacent to the door. Littered around are some remnants of her parents attempts to get her away from books and into some of the more 'normal' girly things, some Barbie dolls under the bed gathering a sizable amount of dust, some child's easy-wipe makeup and, right next to her bed, almost as a prized possession, a long eared, pastel pink rabbit that's definitely seen better days.
After deciding that she has lay there long enough reminiscing about the past and gets up from the bed and heads out the door into what appears to be the ministry atrium, instead of fireplaces, doors with people coming through every so often and doing the same as her, looking for some idea of where to go, then deciding to follow the crowds towards a sign like an airport departure board, instead of flights there are names, and room numbers in the place of gates, finding 'Harry James Potter, Rm 958' above 'Ronald Billius Weasley, Rm 117' she sees 'Hermione Jean Granger, Rm 874' above both of them.
Once she sees the room number she follows signs on where to go, and by heading down the left most corridor, then the centre of three, 2nd left of 5 she gets to Room 874.
Upon entering the beige walled, windowless, apparently standard bland office, complete with naff chipboard desk, behind which sits Remus Lupin.
"Nice to see you Hermione, bit early, but that was always how you were."
"Remus, what are you doing here?"
"Turns out that I am the person you most respect right now, that's why."
"Why does it go off the person I most respect?"
"It is supposed to set your mind at ease."
"Who would it be for Harry or Ron, I saw their names on the board too."
"I don't know, that is for them to decide when they get there."
"Ok, so where is here, or there for that matter? It looked a bit like the ministry atrium, and why did I wake up in my room from before I knew about magic?"
"In order, we are 30 ft. below the ministry, specifically the veil chamber, it is based on the ministry entry as most magical people will know where to go, and the muggles will head towards a sign post in order to get their bearings. And as to why you woke in your childhood room that is the same reason that you are speaking to me."
"To set me at ease. Ok, so, why would a secret department of the ministry do that?"
"Not the Ministry of Magic, The Ministry for Death, it handles muggle or magical deaths in the British Isles, every single one."
"Ok, so let me get this straight, we are in an uncharted area of the ministry, below the veil of death, and every person will come through here when they die, hey hang on, if I'm here, then, that must mean I'm dead?"
"Only uncharted by the living but, yes, you are dead, technically."
"What do you mean 'technically'?"
"What I mean is that the forces that we have decided that you have too much potential to die right now and they want to send you to where you can do the most good but, it is still up to you, if you decide that you have done enough then I send you to one door, if you decide to carry on helping people out, I send you to another."
"If I go back what happens?"
"You go back into a war but you can bring about the end of Voldemort and the war a lot sooner than if you had stayed alive."
"If I don't go back how much longer does the war last?"
"If you don't go back, then the war ends very quickly, less than a month. However, the dark side wins and never shall the UK be considered a light country again by the rest of the world."
"So in reality I have no choice."
"You do, go back and help save the lives of millions, or go on and enjoy a life of luxury because you have already died also, where nothing is off limits to you
"I have made up my mind, but before I tell you, one question."
"Shoot."
"Is that last bit told to everyone who comes through here?"
"In similar words, as it is the policy of the MFD, and unlike any mortal government, this one is not corrupt in any way."
"Ron will probably choose luxury then, dependant on who he gets. I don't know about Harry, but fair enough, I am going to have to go..."
*With Harry*
Potter wakes up with arm suffering from pins and needles in what he can describe as a room that he would have had had his parents lived, photos of himself holding a younger child upside down, holding hands with his parents, a photo of a familiar brown-haired witch and also one of himself, Hermione and Ron after their first year and just below it, not in the frame, one from the end of seventh year from the date on the edge of the photo and the replica image of his mum at 13 with dads eyes, stood in front of them. Toy broom hidden away at the back of a wardrobe buried under a pile of clothes, which is stood next to a desk and a chest of drawers.
After thinking about what could have been, and what the differences between that and what was, Potter gets up and walks towards the door that would make the most sense to leave the room and not go into the bathroom, upon reaching and opening the door, he sees what appears to be a stream of people walking through the ministry atrium, thinking 'what the hell is going on', he joins them and sees ahead a brown-haired witch making her way off down the corridor to the left, he starts to follow but is stopped by an invisible fence that wants to force him towards the large board above where the fountain was supposed to be, upon finding Hermione's name along with a room number of 874 moments before it is replaced by a line reading 'David Stuart Richardson Rm 915', under this he spots his own name with room number 958 next to it about a minute before it disappears to be replaced by 'Miguel Francis Emery Rm 251'. Whilst still wondering what is going on, he starts walking and not really paying attention to where he is going in order to clear his head, he notices some left turns and one right turn before someone behind hollers 'Harry', turning around he spots Bill Weasley staring straight at him.
"Harry get in here."
"What are you doing here, and where is here anyway?"
"I have always been here Harry, it's just a case of me turning into whoever the person I happen to be dealing with respects the most, knowingly or not."
"OK, I sort of get that, but why?"
"In order for the clients who come through to be able to listen properly to the staff here. You see respect is amazing, it prevents people from interrupting others and allows two way communication as well as the freedom to express yourself fully."
"I fully get that now, but why am I here and also you didn't answer my other question."
"'Here' has two definitions, one it that it doesn't really exist, and the other is that it is a miniature version of the Ministry of Magic which is situated about 30 'real' feet above us, not the scaled down version that we have here. As to why you are here, welcome to the Ministry for Death, the only place where all people, muggle and magical alike, are on an equal footing. No one can gain an advantage, and if a fight broke out then they would get tired before they did too much damage. That should tell you enough about how you got here and why."
"So I'm dead then, that's it, and to rub it in I get to speak to you."
"No not to rub it in but because you are one of three coming through today that the powers that be have decided to give a choice to, the others are Hermione and Ron, I don't have any idea as to who they get to see, but you are all being given the same choice."
"What is it then?"
"Go on, and exist where you can be whatever you want to be, nothing is off limits."
"Or?"
"Go back into the middle of a war and help to save millions of lives."
"Catch?"
"None for either that I can see in the paperwork."
"OK, I saw Hermione earlier, what are the chances Ron was only a minute behind me in entering this area?"
"Nil, he died about 30 minutes after you, the how I can't tell you. Hermione, on the other hand, died less than a minute before you, in the same place and from the same cause, Exsanguination, which is excessive bleeding, I would presume from arms getting blown off by Death Eaters, not a smart move by the way."
"Ok, I had figured the arm bit was not smart. Anyway, I think I have made up my mind, I just need one question answering."
"By all means, go ahead."
"If I choose to 'go on', as you said, can I change my mind and come back here?"
"No, once you tell me your decision and you go through the door I indicate to you that is it no coming back."
"Ok and if I go back, same question."
"If you decide that you made the wrong decision by going back, you are stuck there until someone who means you harm kills you, but they have to do the hard work in finding you, no taboos, no jumping in front of vehicles or trains, no self-drowning, actually, no suicide in any form, even if an enemy asks if you want to die and you say yes and offer no resistance, you will always get saved by some miracle."
"Ok, I have decided to..."
*Ron's Turn*
Ron wakes up sat on a toilet in what appears to be quidditch changing rooms painted in the garish orange colours of the Chudley Cannons with someone banging on the door yelling 'Get out of there, game starts in 3 mins!', as a result Ron leaps up and yanks the door open to see what appears to be the entryway to the Ministry, Ron thinks 'why am I at the ministry, and also why can it duplicate something like that, unless I'm still in the DoM and the past 2 years were in my imagination.
Eventually deciding to follow the crowds he comes across a board where his name is in bright red, seeming to be broadcasting a message saying 'Find Him'. Once he sees his name it vanishes and a piece of paper appears in his pocket saying 'Go to room 117 immediately, or to be forcibly removed from the MfD', whatever that was.
Deciding that it was in his best interest to follow the paper's instructions, he heads down corridor 3 out of 9, and reasonably quickly finds Dumbledore stood waiting.
"Professor, what's going on?"
"Come in here Mr. Weasley #7."
"Where are we Professor?"
"We appear to be in the Ministry for Death, the one place where all muggles and magicals are equal."
"Really? What date is it Professor?"
"Yes, really, and the date doesn't matter. It never has, and never will here."
"What do you mean?"
"Some of the people who came through the arrivals hall with you died in 1079 during the Norman invasion of Ireland, others were not born until 2296, so we get a broad sample of people from all over time every shift. We just get a selection of people to see, and you're on mine today."
"Oh, so, I guess that this is it then. I'm dead and that is the end of my branch of the family then."
"What makes you so sure?"
"I'm dead and had no kids, so how can my branch of the family continue?"
"Because the powers that be above me, appear to think that you have the ability to help save millions of lives and therefore; deserve a choice between either; passing on or, going back."
"What happens if I don't decide?"
"Then the powers that be will take you out of my hands and force you to do something, I do not know what."
"If I go back?"
"You go back into a disturbance where you can do good and help people out."
"If I don't go back?"
"You will go on to the best place that you can imagine though, there is a downside to it in that you will remember that you abandoned people to die by choosing to go to paradise."
"Not much of a choice is it?"
"Those are the choices I was to give to you."
"Ok, I think I have no choice in this, even though you say I do, so I am going to have to..."