Author Note: A brief idea where Hermione accidentally winds up having to go plead her case to come back with her reaper while Myrtle enjoys her body. Eventually they both are better off . It was too long to put under the ramblings so wound up here.

Begin Story

Hermione was working on an experiment in one of the disused laboratories in the higher floors. She had not gone to the room of requirement as the experiment required access to the open sky and there was a balcony off of this room.

Myrtle Warren for some reason had been drawn to the room and was hovering around watching Hermione and occasionally talking to her. Mainly asking how Harry was doing and if they were going to come and visit her again. Hermione had talked to the ghostly girl politely and apologized for not visiting but due to the way things had been under Umbridge they had been very busy.

"Oh I know. We ghosts was wondering if anyone was going to be joining us that year."
"I'm glad no one did." Hermione said.

Myrtle sighed, "Yeah I suppose but I would share with Harry if he did. He's the first boy in a very long time that I've had a crush on."

Hermione bit her lip as she had begun to have feelings for Harry too. She had to admit that she had been having thoughts about him since third year but had not acted upon them due to the craziness going on, plus she wasn't sure how Harry felt about her.

"So what is this thing going to do when you get it done?"

"Well if it works right I will be able to astrally project my mind outside of my body as a form of coherent energy." she replied.

"So turn yourself into a ghost." Myrtle said.

"I would like to go back into my body." Hermione said, "No offense you know."
"Oh I know. You livvies are awfully fond of your bodies." She laughed.

"Yes we are." Hermione agreed as she set the final crystal in the amulet she would wear when she activated the projection circle.

Putting the chain with the amulet on it around her neck she laid down in the circle and said the words in the bright sunlight. As she uttered the last one a sudden ripping sensation coursed through her body and she was floating high over her body in a beam of light. It seemed to be pulling her upwards until Myrtle grabbed her arm pulling her out of it.

"Thanks Myrtle. What was that?"
"That was you being pulled to your reward. I think you managed to kill yourself." Myrtle declared.

Hermione realized that myrtle was solid and not translucent anymore. Her surroundings though had taken on a less than substantial appearance including her own body which was laying on the floor staring blankly upwards.

"Oh crap!" Hermione declared trying to run to her body only sinking into the floor. She struggled and managed to reach her body only could not reenter it for some reason. She would lay down in the same space but would either fall through the floor or get up and leave her body behind.

"What's going on? Why can't I get back into my body?" Hermione demanded in a panicky voice.

"Because you are too new of a ghost to possess a body." A young girl with blonde pigtails in a black Victorian dress declared.

"I'm not a ghost." Hermione protested.

"Yes you are." the girl declared.

"Not intentionally. I need to go back to help Harry. He needs me." Hermione was still protesting.

"You can file a protest with the adjudicators in the reaping office." The girl said.

"Well what about my body. We can't just leave it sit there." Hermione pointed at her physical form.

"I could possess it. I've been around long enough to have that power." Myrtle said.

"Just don't get too comfortable in it please. I'll want that back." Hermione declared.

"Don't worry. You won't even notice that I've been in it." Myrtle promised. Laying down in side the shell Hermione watched has her chest began to rise and fall again and Myrtle's features blurred and melted into her own.

"Wow! This is amazing. Its been so long since I smelled anything. Since I felt a heartbeat." Myrtle enthusiastically gushed.

"Well just don't get used to it." Hermione scowled as the little girl touched her on the arm and the world vanished.

…...

Hermione was led to a large glass elevator which rocketed into the sky. She briefly saw the curvature of the Earth then a strange rainbow warping effect occurred and she was in a large white office complex.

"Follow me." the girl ordered and lacking any other options Hermione did so.

She was deposited in a wide clean office filled with silver and gold fittings and rich woods. The man behind the desk thank the girl and gestured for Hermione to have a seat.

"Excuse me. But what's all of this?"
"Ahh. This is the celestial bureaucracy. You didn't think the entire multiverse was run by just one being did you?"

Hermione closed her mouth as she had a feeling a great many of her personal beliefs were going to be wrong whatever she said.

"Don't feel bad. Everyone gets it wrong. Now let's review your case. I take it you are going to contest the reaping on the grounds of unfinished business, not your time and it was not intentional?" The man said pulling a file folder out of a cabinet. It was rather thick Hermione noticed and caused him to frown when he read something on the first page.

"I was. I need to go back and help my friend Harry. He's got to finish a task."

"He actually has a destiny. We know all about Mr Potter. His file is handled by an entire office." The man said, "Now you on the other hand are a problem. Could you stick out your right arm please?"

Hermione was feeling very lost and confused so did not resist. She held her arm out and the man looked at it through a magnifying glass. He grunted in annoyance it seemed like and started typing on a large computer.

"Is there a problem? I'm sorry Mister?"

"Gideon James. No relation to the archangel. You can call me Gideon." he said off handedly.

"Oh. So. Look I'm sorry. I just want to go back and finish what I was doing. If you could put me back in my body we can just forget all of this happened."

"Sorry but that's not the way the world works. We do have rules we have to follow. I'll do what I can though Mrs. Potter. We didn't realize that you were this one. Somehow your file got transposed with another Hermione."

"Another Hermione?" She asked in confusion.

"Well yes. Its a really large multiverse you know." He said.

"Okay. So you got me mixed up with another Hermione from some other reality? And why did you call me Mrs. Potter?" She had started getting her nerve back and wanted answers.

"Anna. Could you please escort Mrs Potter to the waiting lounge. I need to go upstairs." Gideon said into an intercom.

A tall willowy blonde appeared a moment later, "Mrs Potter if you could come with me?"

Hermione huffed in protest, "Excuse me. I'd like to have some explanations please. Right now!"

"Ma'am. We are trying to fix a horrible mistake that was created in the original office. It was not caught and you have been living the wrong life-path. I have to go upstairs and try to get this sorted out in the rectification office. Until then Anna will take you to the waiting lounge. Please relax and try to remain calm."

"Remain calm? I find out that the afterlife is nothing but a bunch of bungling bureaucrats and you want me to relax?"

"Look young lady. There is only one being in this entire organization that is ineffable and infallible and I am not them. Do you know how big of a number infinity really is? All of those souls? Just be glad we caught this. And while sitting in the waiting room just think that another girl in another universe is living the life you had been supposed to have and now we have to alter her plans. She was scheduled to die today. Now we're going to have to figure out what to do with her."

"Well. I." Hermione huffed as she had no idea what to say. She frowned as she followed Anna out of the office while he gathered papers and folders looking stressed.

…...

"What's the rectification office?" Hermione asked as they walked down a wide well lit corridor with large windows along one side overlooking a lush woodland with a lake and river nearby.

"Well sometimes Chaos likes to throw a wrench into the planning office and cause things like what happened to you. When that happens they have to go upstairs to the Rectification office which is under Fate."

Well where are we?" Hermione asked looking around as they walked along a balcony overlooking a sea of cubicles and offices.

"This is the Reaping Appeals Office. Death understands that not everyone is ready to accept their death and permits an appeals process. This is how you get people going back after having had a near death experience, or come back as a ghost. Sometimes they get recruited over into the guardian angel division."
"Oh. So I might still go back?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Well those are for simple cases. Unscheduled and unplanned terminations sometimes get to go back after a NDE. Those who were scheduled but had unfinished business get the ghost treatment. The Guardians have their own criteria. I'm not sure what they are but I don't think they'll have a claim for you." Anna explained as they entered a large comfortable looking room.

Hermione froze though as she saw a few other versions of herself, a couple of Luna's and even a Lavender already sitting around the room. They looked up and shrugged, one fo the Luna's came over and smiling led her in, "Hello. So how was your world?"

…...

Hermione had begun playing gin with two of her alternates and one Luna. Each of them had been killed at one point or another helping Harry. The Luna had been his girlfriend and target by Draco for death.

Anna came up and smiling pointed at the Hermione who had the problem, "Alright Gideon has been given authorization from the Rectification Office so needs to talk to you."

"Oh thank you. Its about time." Hermione said laying her cards down.

"Since we are outside of the normal flow of time that's funny." One of the other Hermione's snarked snapping her bubble gum. Hermione had not liked that version as she was a blonde bimbo in her opinion. She had been killed by Ginny though in a fight over who Harry actually loved.

Arriving in Gideon's office Hermione saw that he was smiling, "I have good news. We got approval for this to be declared a LCE and we can send you back."

Hermione frowned, "Okay. So what will happen now? And a LCE?"

"Life Changing Event. Now we cannot do a rewind or redo as the life-path you were on would have to be completely unwoven and that would cause far far too much chaos. So what we are going to do is write this off as a flawed crystal in your amulet. You'll have to rebuild the amulet to allow for your spirit to rejoin with your body. A life lesson. Until then Myrtle will continue to provide soul support for your body and assist in the task required. Apparently she was supposed to provide a great deal more assistance to you and your husband."

"You keep calling Harry my husband. Why?"

"Well in the original time-line as part of a pact to help save your life during the Umbridge era you and Mr Potter were supposed to form a magical and practical marriage. Since you were living the wrong one that never happened. However if you and he do not get married and have children the Kurioff incident in 2031 will go very badly." Gideon said looking through a folder.

"Are you going to erase my mind of any of this?"

Gideon set the folder down. "We are going to erase the higher points of the situation and allow you to retain the general gist that you and Harry are destined to be soulmates and that you will need to marry him and have children. Also that you and Myrtle should remain close friends as well as Miss Lovegood."

"Oh okay. Well I guess I'll find out about the crystal and what I need to do?"

"Yes. Anna will take you back to the transport center so you can return. The temporal offset will only be a few seconds so don't worry too much."

"Well thank you. I'll do my best." Hermione said with a frown.

"Let me guess questioning free will and trying to understand it all?" Gideon asked with a smile as the blonde entered the office.

"A little bit."

"Everyone has free will. Think of your life path as a river. There are certain things like waterfalls and other rivers and islands along the way but for the most part you are flowing down this river and can go anywhere you want within it. So don't worry. You are still an individual and you are still in control of yourself. Just within boundaries." Gideon smiled in a friendly way.

"Okay. Well I hope you don't take this the wrong way but I'd rather not meet you again." She said.

"Well try not to have anymore UETs." He laughed and explained when he saw hermione's curious expression. "Unscheduled Early Terminations."

"Oh. You couldn't tell me when I am scheduled could you?" she asked as Anna gestured for the door.

Gideon shook his head, "Sorry. Spoilers are prohibited."

Hermione took a deep breath before falling into step beside the blonde.

…...

Hermione felt herself reintegrate into the world around her. She was still a ghost but she knew what went wrong with her experiment and how to fix it.

She saw Myrtle standing there exploring her body enjoying the sensations apparently.

"Excuse me!" Hermione called out as Myrtle's hands had slid into her knickers.

Myrtle grinned, "Sorry, just do you know how long its been since I had a real good bought of self-pleasure. Its just not the same when you don't have a body."

"Well considering how I'm going to be a ghost until I can get the amulet repaired you'll have plenty of time for that." Hermione huffed.

Myrtle pouted but did not remove her hand, "Oh and how long will that take?" she panted.

"About a month. So you'll also have the fun of my period. Just for your information."

"I don't care. Fifty years without a body I'll even be happy to have one of those again." The girl said in between moans.

Hermione huffed and floated off to the side waiting for the girl to get done. She did watch out of curiosity as she had never seen her own orgasm face. Once myrtle had achieved her blissful release Hermione cleared her throat.

"Ok now that you're done can we please go find Harry."

"Sure. Only we need to establish the ground rules." Myrtle grinned.

"Rules? Its my body. I want it back." Hermione exclaimed.

"I know. And you'll need to get this trinket repaired." Myrtle said holding up the amulet. "Which will require hands."

Hermione glared at the girl in her body. "Fine what do you want?"

"Well once you get this repaired I want to share your body occasionally." Myrtle said plaintively, "It gets so lonely and boring. Plus trust me you'll get tired of being a ghost soon enough and understand. Right now you're still acting like you're alive."
Hermione took a deep breath, pausing to realize that she was still imitating her living behaviors. Shaking her head she said, "Fine. But if you can possess people why haven't you done so before now?"

"Because I can only do it with someone's permission. You're the first one that's ever given me permission." Myrtle explained with a shrug. "That and forcing your way in can cause some bad things to happen."

Hermione floated to sit beside Myrtle, "Like what?"

"Well turning darker. Getting corrupted. Hurting the host body. I'm not sure what all can happen. Just bad things."

"Oh. I'll keep that in mind." Hermione said. "But in a month I want my body back. And I'll share it with you from time to time. Okay? Especially when I get pregnant and need to take a break." Hermione chuckled.

"I would love to be pregnant." Myrtle said wistfully.

"First we have a lot of work to do. And we might want to explain the agreement to our boyfriend."

Myrtle looked up at Hermione with a grin, "Our boyfriend?"

Hermione grinned back, "Yeah our boyfriend."

…...

Review Responses

Ebon Purlight: Thank you very much. I try to keep them entertaining. If there is an emotional impact that is just bonus. Peace and prosperity to thee as well on each day and night.

Alaskan-Dracolych: Thank you very much. I figured they would want to go out together rather than continue and possibly grow darker and colder.

Katmom: You're welcome. Thank you for reading.

Dennisud: True but I couldn't conceive of any way to let them have kids and still be undead. I may come up with something later involving kids though. Thanks otherwise.

OfficerDonNZ: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. A reaction chapter. That is an idea...