A/N: I'm not dead. I'm not out of hiatus either, kind of. While I've been absent from FF this past…year? Wow, almost a year yeah? I've been busy in real life and since sort of getting a break, working on something new. This is the something new. So give it a gander…and hopefully soon I can return to the things you know and love.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise. All HP characters and places belong to JK Rowling.

Just What I've Never Wanted

Prologue

Evening had come to the grounds of Hogwarts but on this night, there were no stars to be seen in the sky. If indeed there were actually stars in the sky, they were obscured by furious rain, blinding winds and dense smoke from magical fires that had been set all over the school grounds by one group of people currently battling it out within Hogwarts.

The wards had fallen around Hogwarts but Dumbledore was adamant that the Death Eaters not make it within the school. Harry couldn't agree more but he was admittedly, worried about if the plan when wrong. If the Death Eaters made it beyond the door of Hogwarts, who would protect the children? All the adult professors, the Order and the D.A were here, only Firenze and Trelawney were still inside.

'Can't think negatively! Can't think negatively!' Harry chanted to himself as he moved his wand in complicated runic patterns. This was everything, this was it. If he failed…if he failed…

"With the amount of sheer dumb luck you have Potter you won't fail. I could probably post you to the Dark Lord now and you'd come back unscathed but let's not tempt Fate hmm? Back to work!"…

No! He wouldn't fail. Not by dumb luck but because he and his friends had researched all year for this. Ron and Hermione had turned into recluses researching the soul-binding spell he was going to use. He had spent hours with Snape, Dumbledore, Flitwick…all the people that could understand the theory behind the spell to make sure he was on the right path, turning a relatively quick find into months and months of breaking down the spell, understanding it's complexity…putting up with Snape damn it! He WOULD NOT FAIL!

The whole wizarding world was depending on him, was Harry's final thought as he finished the runic spell and the temporary warding shield potion he'd used to stall fell. Rain water seemed to batter him down.

"Your little shell has broken Potter! We have Hogwarts! It's only a matter of time until Dumbledore's little lackeys fall and those misery mudbloods and blood traitors DIE!! And Snape…oh I'll get him!" Lord Voldemort hissed angrily into a gale of wind.

Harry gave Voldemort a weak sneer as he watched the circle of magic forming around the Dark Lord's feet. He didn't know if this spell was breakable or if it could be avoided so he didn't want the man to see until the last moment! "I suppose you are a bit upset with him?" As soon as the Death Eaters had arrived and Voldemort had ordered their attack after the first defenders had come out, Snape had turned his wand on three other Inner Circle 'comrades' and had managed to take down Lucius and Bellatrix with Killing curses before sending a vicious Slashing hex to Dolohov's throat as he ran for the other side.

"A bit…upset…" Voldemort bared his teeth delirious with anger. "A BIT…!? After I gave him what he wanted! The prestige! The power! A circle of friends he could call his own…"

"I expect it was all the Cruciatus' spread throughout all that love that put him out." Harry finished with a wide grin. "But, if I were you I'd worry about me now, not Snape!" The Gryffindor slashed his wand down triumphantly as the runic circle finished.

"What is this…Old Magic!? Again!" Voldemort threw his head back and laughed. "Are you giving me blood protection or something Potter!?"

"No." A vial was pulled from his mud-slung and rain-drenched battle robes. "I'm binding your soul to send you to Hell you bastard!"

HPSSHPSSHPSS

'Right around now Potter should have finished the spell with the potion.' Severus slashed his wand with Avery who was yelling something to him over the howling wind. Probably something about his being a cowardly turncoat.

He had actually almost wavered in the end…until he remembered how hard Potter had worked. For once the boy seemed determined at something other than Quidditch and no matter what his reasons for wanting the Dark Lord gone were, whether revenge or hero complex, if he did it, he wanted to be on the right side. Besides, if he had stayed on the other side could he live with groveling before that…abomination for the rest of his natural life?

Avery fell clutching his throat as his face turned blue and Severus sneered before stepping over his dying body, away from the heart of the battle. He could see vaguely upon a slight crest on Hogwarts' grounds, two figures facing each other.

Potter and the Dark Lord.

He'd never hoped for anything in his life but… "By Merlin you better win Potter!"

"Professor!" The bush of hair seemed tame and Granger resembled a drowned, overgrown mouse as she hollered into his face.

"What!? Get back to the battle!" Severus spat water out of his mouth as he shouted back over the winds.

"No! Harry's about to do it!"

"We've got the spell for you from Harry!" Weasley chimed in, his voice more distinguishable over the gales. But still annoying in it's total lack of comprehensibility…

"What the hell are you talking about!?" He only had time to yelp, as humiliating as it was, before he was pulled to his knees by Weasley. Granger formed a symmetrical link to Weasley at his back and they started to chant as he tried to get to his feet. Unfortunately the dense mud and wind upsetting his balance didn't help. "Circe! What in Hades are you two doing!?"

"Saving you!"

Saving him? Having him on his knees in the middle of what might be the Final Battle amidst hundreds of Death Eaters was saving him!? But he noticed a blue shield building around himself and when he reached out he found it was almost a force field of energy. But why…for him? He looked towards the figures on the hill again.

"When Voldemort goes, the Mark goes! And it might try to take all its attachments with it!" Weasley shouted.

He was one of those attachments. They thought they'd found something that could protect him? No shield…no magical one that existed could block the power of Lord Voldemort's Dark Mark. They were wasting power they could save themselves with!

"Imbeciles! Fight for yourselves! I'm going to die anyway!" He wasn't sure they could hear him, but if they could they were ignoring him. He could only snarl viciously and shout warnings when someone came near. If Weasley and Granger were going to waste their time doing this…he turned his attention to back on the hill where Voldemort was now glowing a dull, withdrawn yellow. The spell was working…now all Potter had to do was…

"Come on Potter." Severus rooted under his breath. "Raise the wand. And hate him. Hate him like you've never hated anyone before…even me. Think of everything he's done…kill him. Think of it as a mercy killing to release what's left of his spirit from the monster he's become…JUST KILL HIM!"

"AVADA KEDEVRA!"

He always told Potter he didn't have to yell to do spells…this was a battle cry however that echoed across the ground even through the rain that appeared to be slowing in its torrential downpour. The green beam sped across the open space between Potter and Voldemort and for him, time seemed to slow to a stop.

If this worked his whole world would be changed. If it didn't he'd be dead. But then again, he'd probably still be dead since this shield wasn't going to work. But his breath still caught as he watched…saw the impact. Saw Voldemort's face as it hit and the monster screamed soundlessly. There was a rushing in his ears…

Black cloaked people around him were dropping like flies. Potter seemed to rear back from the magical backlash as Voldemort's body fell in a time-slowed crumple to the ground. Suddenly Fate seemed to hold him in its hands, clenched…and let go. A sigh of relief had almost passed his lips…

HPSSHPSSHPSS

Voldemort was falling to the ground. Harry's mouth opened into a gasp. He had succeeded! He had…he had…

"AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" It was his scream that echoed across the grounds for the next minute as something, something that was stronger even than the lashing winds beat at him, ripped at him…tried to get into him!

He wasn't aware of trying to pull in another breath, trying to scream again, only that he never made it to Voldemort's body to have a little gloat. He was falling…

You guys still love me right? gives puppy dog eyes