A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. Warning for character death and mild torture in this chapter. This is the last chapter of Nothing In Return. There will be more of an author's note available at the bottom of the page if you're interested in reading it. Enjoy!

The smoke that had covered Voldemort and Ron was growing. In the blink of an eye, someone stepped into the room - Snape. He took the situation in swiftly before drawing his wand out and pointing it at Ginny. His lips moved and suddenly so could she. She lashed out at Bellatrix immediately, giving the startled witch a good solid kick in the stomach. Caught off balance, Bellatrix toppled over and Ginny scrambled away as Snape rushed across the room to Harry. On her hands and knees, she scuttled across the floor towards Bill and the growing pool of blood that was rapidly forming around him. His eyes were closed, his face ashen, but he stirred when she reached down and placed a shaking hand on his cheek.

"Oh my god," she whispered. The cold feel of his skin shocked her. Up close, she could see that the wound was much worse than she'd thought. Voldemort's dagger had done its job well, slicing deeply into his stomach cavity and causing a great deal of damage when it was pulled back out. She swallowed hard against the urge to be sick. Even if she had her wand, she wouldn't know what to do for a wound like that.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Bill said with a shaky smile. He had one hand loosely clasped over his stomach and he could feel the blood pumping steadily between his grasping fingers. "Ginny, I'm sorry. I should've known something was up, but..." A raw gasp escaped him and he grimaced, falling silent for a moment. Finally, he gritted his teeth and went on, "I went out to the pub with a few of my mates after work. One of them was acting a bit strangely... Should've guessed that he was acting under the Imperious Curse but I never even saw it coming. Fleur's going to be so upset."

Tears of frustration stung Ginny's eyes. She was vaguely aware of the fact that there was a war going on behind her, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Bill. "Please don't do this," she pleaded softly.

"Sorry. Don't think I haven't a choice." He attempted a smile and that just made things worse. Blood was bubbling up around his lips, trickling down his chin. "She's not a part of the family yet. We're not technically married. I know you didn't like her before but I would appreciate it if you could be there for her now. Maybe try to make things a little easier on her. Fleur has a hard time."

"I will," Ginny promised, gulping and reaching for his hand. She gave it a squeeze but there was no reaction; he didn't even seem to be able to feel her touch. "Oh Bill..."

"S'alright," he replied, eyes going filmy and distant. His chest rose and fell, and then his body shuddered and he stopped breathing altogether. Ginny was frozen beside him, unable to tear her eyes away, waiting for him to start again even though logically she knew that wouldn't be happening. Her hands began to shake and she squeezed her eyes shut.

/No, please no!/

The anguished cry nearly split Harry in two. As soon as Professor Snape had freed Ginny, he'd moved on to doing the same for Harry. Snape gripped Harry's arm and tried to propel the boy around the smoke, not wanting any vestige of the fog to touch either of them. Harry stumbled, his muscles sore and stiff, and leaned heavily on his professor as they rushed over to Ginny. They were just in time to see Bill Weasley draw in his last breath. Ginny was kneeling beside him and the look on her face was one that Harry never wanted to see again. He doubled over with a gasp when Ginny cried out mentally, her voice like the piercing of knives plunging into his soul, and was saved from falling only by Snape's hand, which kept him on his feet.

"Not yet," Snape said into his ear. "You have to keep going, Potter. Get your wife and get out of the building." He pressed something into Harry's hands. An unfamiliar wand. "Do whatever it takes, you understand?"

Harry nodded and staggered over to Ginny, still reeling from the anguish pouring down their link. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her to her feet, pulling her forcibly along. Snape was standing right behind them and he reached out, tapping both of them on the head with his wand before he put a hand on Harry's back and gave him a harsh push towards the door. Ginny stumbled, nearly tripping, but finally started moving with him, tears streaming down her cheeks. They ran for the door and passed safely into the hall. There were Death Eaters flooding down the hallway, attracted by the sound of the battle going on inside the room as Snape fought with Bellatrix and Alecto. None of them noticed Harry and Ginny and it finally dawned on Harry that when Snape had struck them with his wand, he'd used the Disillusionment Charm.

\Come on,\ he said, relieved that they could speak using their bond. Anything else would be deadly. \We've got to get out of here while we have the chance.\

/What about Professor Snape?/ The air blurred as Ginny brought her hands up to her cheeks and scrubbed her face. She felt tired, wrung out and empty. It was just too much. Bill wasn't her brother anymore but the thought of his death was like a heavy band around her heart that kept squeezing mercilessly. And while she might not have liked the man much, she didn't want to leave Snape behind, either. He was a talented duelist but sheer number would overwhelm him eventually.

\He told us to run.\ Harry was torn. It didn't seem right to leave the snarky old git to fend for himself after what'd he done to save their lives. Swearing softly, he backtracked, scurrying to the door of the room and looking inside. It was chaos. Everywhere he looked, people dressed in black were fighting with each other. No one seemed to be able to tell the difference between friend and foe, and as a result curses were flying in every direction. He strained to catch sight of Snape, but there was no sign of the man, and every second they lingered brought them closer to being caught but still he wavered.

Ginny crept over beside him and held onto Harry's arm. /I don't see him,/ she said, her eyes sweeping over the room. /Do you think he's escaped already?/

It did make sense. That was the kind of person Snape was. An escape route was always in a Slytherin's plans. But Harry didn't think so. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, eyes still moving over the crowd. His heart was thrumming in his chest but he felt oddly calm, his mind clear. He lifted the wand Snape had given him and cast a couple of stunners, catching the Carrow siblings and Peter and sending them crashing to the floor. That was oddly satisfying, even if it did little to help them find Snape. He shrank backwards as the smoke billowing across the floor finally began to clear.

Voldemort's body was lying on the floor, hands splayed out to the side like he was some exotic avenging demon that had been cast out of heaven and landed on the Earth below. Even from where he was standing, Harry could tell that Voldemort's chest wasn't moving, and the man's head was tilted at an odd, slightly awkward angle that would have been impossibly uncomfortable for anyone who was still alive. His chest tightened and he felt sick with excitement, with daring to hope. Did that mean...? But why? Then Ginny gasped behind him and her nails dug into his arm, directing his attention towards the other person who had been standing in the middle of the fog. Harry stared for a long moment, uncomprehending, and then when he understood he wished he hadn't.

Ron Weasley wasn't moving, but the clues were all there in his unnaturally still body. He was standing stiffly, shoulders squared, eyes closed, chin towards the ceiling. His red hair didn't look quite so bright; it was far more faded than it used to be. One of his hands was down by his side and the other was still holding onto the knife and was badly stained with blood. So was the front of his clothing for that matter. The fingers of his unoccupied hand twitched, and then he lifted his arm up near his face so that he could touch his nose and cheeks, exploring the skin with the attitude of someone who has been thrust into a completely new place. A slow familiar smile twisted his lips as his eyes finally opened, revealing crimson irises.

"So." He spoke and it was truly something dreadful to hear that sibilant hiss emerge from Ron's mouth. "For once, your plan has worked perfectly, Pettigrew. I find myself oddly pleased with your efforts."

"Thank you, Master." Pettigrew threw himself to his knees and bowed so low that his face touched the ground.

"And you, Severus." Voldemort turned and looked at the black-robed figure that was sprawled on the ground, brought down by what appeared to be a well-timed slashing curse. Two of the Death Eaters in the room leaned down and hauled him to his feet. Snape appeared to be only semi-conscious, as his head lolled back on his shoulders. Voldemort-in-Ron's-body reached out and took hold of his chin, forcefully tilting his head up until he was looking into the obsidian eyes. "Wake up. You have betrayed me for the last time."

"I haven't betrayed you because I was never on your side," Snape replied. It was evident that he didn't feel the need to lie anymore; Voldemort would see through anything he said. He regarded the teenager standing in front of him with disgust and added, "And at this moment, I am truly grateful for that fact. I could never lower myself to serving someone who has chosen the body of an innocent teenager, and a Weasley at that, to hide in."

Voldemort hissed under his breath and tossed his head. Faded red hair bounced over his face as he strode back to the snake-like body that was lying on the ground. He bent and grabbed the yew wand, rolling it between his fingers. "You speak so impudently, Severus. I will have to make sure you lose your tongue so that you can't talk back to your master. But for now, I believe we'll start with your favourite curse. Crucio!"

Snape's head snapped back as his body began to convulse. He began to scream, a long, hollow sound that echoed through the room. Voldemort stood over him, watching him with an expression of satisfaction mingled with hunger, and Harry felt his stomach heave. He had to fight back the urge to vomit. It seemed like the world had turned into a surreal version of itself. There was no way Ron Weasley could ever look so pleased at having someone in that kind of pain at his feet, but Voldemort was clearly enjoying Snape's pain. He was breathing heavily, eyes glittering, by the time he snapped his wand up and removed the curse.

"Ah, Severus," he said. "You disappoint me. When you were younger you were a great deal more fun to torture. You used to put some effort into trying to defy me and now you just lay there."

/Harry, we have to do something,/ Ginny thought, biting her lip so hard that it began to bleed. /This is... We can't just leave him here. Voldemort will torture him to death./

\I know.\ Harry did know. He'd seen first hand what Voldemort was capable of. Snape would be lucky if he was tortured to death. There were spells and potions that could keep someone alive for months, even years, no matter what kind of damage was inflicted on them. He tried not to think about Snape dying the kind of death that those poor people in that village had suffered. \Ginny, I want you to get away from here. Go.\

/What? No way!/ She refused to take the wand when he tried to press it into her hands, shaking her head firmly. /First of all, I'm not leaving you without any protection. And second of all, if you're going in, I'm going in. You can't do this on your own. Snape doesn't look capable of walking, much less escaping. You're going to need me./

He hated that she was right. He turned back, mind racing, and finally gave a short, sharp nod. "Avada Kedavra!" he yelled, pointing the wand. It was the first time he'd ever cast that spell, but the jet of green light was strong and true, bursting from the tip of the wand and soaring across the room to strike Bellatrix Lestrange square in the chest. She went down in a heap and he froze, breathless, hardly able to believe that he had actually just killed someone. And not just anyone, but one of the cruellest Death Eaters he'd ever had the displeasure of knowing.

/Harry, move!/ A hand planted firmly between his shoulder blades shoved him forward. Harry stumbled, narrowly avoiding the curse that exploded the wall where his head had been seconds ago. The Death Eaters couldn't see them, but they definitely knew that he and Ginny were there.

\Get Snape!\ he ordered. There would be time to think about the implications of what he'd done, of how it was so easy to cast that spell, later on, but right now there was a team of Death Eaters bent on killing them and they wouldn't have much longer before someone's aim was true. He dodged another spell and took out a Death Eater he didn't know with a quick stunning curse. As he'd expected, they were following him, trying to gauge his movement by where the spells were coming from. None of them were paying the slightest attention to Ginny or Snape.

Ginny ran to Snape and knelt beside him, pushing his hair back with shaking fingers. For a moment, all she could see was Bill's lifeless body, and it took her a couple of seconds to realize that Snape was still breathing. Shallowly, yes, but his chest was still rising and falling and that was all she really cared about. She brushed her hand over his shoulder, wondering how she was going to get him out of here without a wand. And then she remembered… oh Merlin. Grimacing, she twisted towards Bellatrix and groped amongst the woman's robes until she found Bellatrix's wand. The smooth wood felt ugly and cold in her hand but she didn't care; it was a wand and as long as it worked that was all she cared about.

"Mobilicorpus!" she whispered, pointing the wand at Snape. She felt it shiver within her grip and gritted her teeth against the resounding backlash when she tried to force it to follow her will. The seconds ticked by as the wand fought against her, refusing to respond. "Work, damn you!" she growled. And - amazingly - it did. Snape's body levitated slowly, shakily, but it was a start. Ginny took a deep breath and turned around to check on Harry. She froze.

Lord Voldemort was standing over her, staring directly at her invisible body. There was a cold smirk on his face as he took out his wand and gave it a casual wave. It felt like a jet of scalding water had been tossed at her. Ginny gasped at the feeling and flinched uselessly as first her hands, then her feet, then her midsection became visible, like the watery sensation had carried the remnants of the spell away as easily as soap suds. She tensed, her wand hanging limply in her hand, refusing to back down, and wished more than anything they were safely back at Hogwarts. A low burning began to churn in her core and she faltered. It was foreign and hot, stronger than anything she'd felt before, yet with a little pinch of familiarity as well. If she'd had more time to analyze it she might've recognized what it meant, but Voldemort chose that moment to speak.

"Foolish child," he murmured. "Did you think I would fall for such school-age tricks? You should have taken your opportunity to run when you had the chance. That's a Gryffindor for you, always acting like an idiot child."

"You've been brought down by worse, Tom," Ginny replied steadily, proud that her voice did not waver. She looked directly into his eyes, ignoring that he had Ron's face, and pushed every last one of her shields into place so that he couldn't make an attempt at reading her mind. The burning feeling grew stronger and she felt more than saw Harry waver.

\What is that?\ he asked, spinning to look at them. A jolt of panic ran through him when he saw how close Voldemort was and he dodged a spell, the leap bringing him several meters closer.

/I have no idea,/ she returned, realizing that it wasn't coming from Harry. Or rather, that it was, but it was also coming from her. And with every step closer that Harry came, the feeling grew stronger, until she actually began to feel dizzy from the force of it. She wavered, looking up at Voldemort and panting slightly. "Stay away from me, Tom. If you know what's good for you."

He actually chuckled. "What makes you think you can stop me?" he inquired, looking genuinely fascinated by her response. "Now that I have the body of a young, virile wizard, there will be nothing that can stand in my way. This child has untapped potential, as do so many wizarding children. I can feel my magic beginning to replenish itself. The curses I have the ability to cast at this moment would kill you where you stand and I wouldn't even have to lift my wand. Lord Voldemort will live again and the wizarding world will tremble before me, its rightful master."

"Never going to happen!" Harry shouted. Since his luck with the Death Eaters was running out, he took a chance and darted towards Voldemort. Practically as one, every single Death Eater stopped casting spells, to concerned about the consequences of hitting their lord to bother attacking. Harry veered off course at the last second and stopped near Ginny, gasping for breath. Now that they were in a closer proximity to each other, the burning was getting worse, moving from uncomfortable to genuinely painful. He cupped his stomach and tried to breathe through the pain, wondering if Voldemort or someone else had managed to curse them without their notice. Were they going to expire on the spot? Drop dead from some spell they wouldn't even know the name of? His hand shook as he reached out and grabbed Ginny's, intertwining their fingers; if they were going down it would be together.

"You overestimate yourself, Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed, crimson eyes blazing with rage. "I'm not sure where you got this foolish notion that you would ever be strong enough to defeat me, but rest assured it is nothing more than a child's daydream." He held up his wand and paused, like he wasn't sure what curse he wanted to use first, but gradually Ginny noticed that there was an odd look on his face. Almost like he was struggling with something. His hand twitched and went into spasms, and then his wand fell, striking the floor and rolling away as Voldemort doubled over with a pained groan. Harry dove for the wand, grabbing the thin piece of yew. He stood up with it clenched safely in his fist and, without hesitating, snapped it cleanly in half.

Voldemort's head flew back with an agonized scream. Ginny stared. His eyes, for just the briefest of moments, had flickered blue. Then he blinked and they were backed to an unholy shade of red that made a shiver run down her spine. Harry didn't notice; he thrust the pieces of yew into his pocket and grabbed Ginny's hand. The second he touched her, the burning feeling became all consuming, and she realized that she was going to be set on fire, or maybe that she already had been, because it hurt. It hurt, oh god, like someone had struck a spark against her magical core, and she heard Harry cry out from a distance and realized that he was suffering the same agony, that the flames were bouncing between them -

She had just enough presence of mind to reach out and grab Snape's robe with the tips of her fingers before real flames exploded around them and they vanished.

NIR

Hermione darted away from Remus and Sirius as soon as they landed back in Hogwarts, not waiting even though she could hear the two men calling after her. She was heading for the Room of Requirement when she heard a different voice calling her name, and she turned around to see Katie Bell running towards her. "Katie, what's going on?" Hermione demanded, reaching out to the older girl. "My coin - "

"I know," Katie interrupted her breathlessly. "Come on, we've been waiting." She gave Hermione a full explanation of what was going on as the two of them dashed down the hall. Hermione's stomach sank further the more that she heard. Luna might have been a little eccentric, but Hermione had long since learned to trust in the blonde's abilities. If Luna said that an attack was imminent then she was correct. And if she said that Harry and Ginny really had been kidnapped... then may Merlin have mercy on the wizarding world.

It was a beautiful day outside for late autumn, but Hermione paid it no attention. Her focus was on the small group standing near the Hogwarts gates watching Draco, Denis Creevey and Justin Finch-Fletchley working on a potion together. The others were standing closely enough to keep anyone who was passing by from seeing what the three of them were up to. As Hermione and Katie approached, Draco sat back on his heels and carefully added a bit of something that was smoky and dark to the steaming green potion. The liquid leapt up, bubbling violently, and Draco only just yanked his hand out of the way in time as it turned a shimmering shade of blue. He picked up a stirring rod and began to stir the potion, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Hermione's here," Katie called out. "Let's go."

"The potion is done," Draco said at the same time. He paused a moment and added, "Granger."

"Draco," Hermione returned, her heart pounding furiously. "Katie said we're doing a ritual. Tell me what to do."

"You're going to stay here with the three of us," said Hannah, indicating herself, Luna and Astoria. "You'll be taking Ginny's place."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I will?"

"The four of us will be the focal point for the spell, with the others acting as secondary points so the draw from them won't be as strong," Astoria explained, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "It's necessary. The spell might fall apart if anyone gets nervous and you're the one who is most likely to remain calm. And also, your magic will probably be the most receptive. You didn't grow up with the same influence."

That she could understand. As a muggleborn, Hermione had devoted her life to finding out what magic could do, and though her knowledge on partner magic was rudimentary, she still had a good understanding, probably better than the others would. "What will happen to the Death Eaters inside the castle?"

"They'll be trapped," Justin said, helping Draco to pour the potion into several pint glasses. "They won't be able to leave until the spell is removed. Dumbledore and the professors will have to take care of them."

It didn't sound like the best plan but it was evident that it was the only one they had. Hermione nodded grimly. "Let's do it."

In the end, the spell was surprisingly simple to enact. Each teen took a pint of the potion and set off to place it on a very specific spot on the grounds and in the castle. Cho and Terry had spent a good few hours working that out according to Hannah's specifications. Those who were leaving would then get outside the boundary of the ritual and those who weren't would remain inside, since the effects would be strongest right off and might not let anyone through. Luna, Hannah, Astoria and Hermione would perform their part of the spell at the gate. The four girls were in position and Hannah was counting the seconds down on a watch given to her by her aunt. Hermione was nervous, but she also felt strangely calm.

"Time," Hannah murmured.

As one, the four girls swung their wands out so that the tips touched.

"Flamma," Hermione said.

"Aquae," Luna added.

"Aero," said Hannah.

"Terra," Astoria concluded.

"Defendere, qua invocavérimus te has," they said in perfect unison, the unfamiliar words rolling off of their tongues with ease. "Qui quaerit nocere abesse praesidium petiere volutpat. In absentia tueretur rogamus ut ministraret et deducet eos qui disperdunt et malum. Nos super te!"

Hermione didn't really see what happened next. She was vaguely aware of their wands emitting thin beams of light, but her attention was stolen by a burst of flames that appeared right outside the gates just as they finished invoking the spell. Harry, Ginny, and Professor Snape appeared within the flames, which then fizzled out. Harry fell to his knees and Snape was unconscious: Ginny alone remained standing, staring down at the wand in her hand blankly. She looked up at them slowly with a dazed expression, like she didn't know what was going on. It took several seconds for a look of comprehension to dawn across her face when she saw what they were doing.

"Ginny!" Astoria cried.

Perhaps Ginny retained some connection to her - Hermione didn't know. But what else would explain Ginny's instant reaction, which was to snap up the wand she was holding and send Professor Snape's body soaring inside the gate just as a column of light burst forth from their wands? Hermione gasped at the intensity of the feeling, her attention torn away from Ginny and Snape as the sensation grew more intense. It was as though someone had reached inside of her and was tugging at her magic, drawing on it, tangling little bits and pieces together with Luna, Hannah, and Astoria, until she fancied she could feel them inside.

The light stopped.

"Hermione!" Harry was suddenly standing beside her, leaning over her, and she realized she'd fallen. Her knees had given out.

"Harry," she gasped out, feeling tried and drained. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What about you? What was that?"

"It was a ritual, Potter, to protect the school." Draco was there, grabbing Astoria's hands and lifting her back to her feet. Astoria staggered, face a bit pale, and leaned against him ever so slightly. He didn't seem to mind, fitting an easy arm around her waist. "I could ask the same thing of you. I didn't realize you were gifted in the art of transportation through fire." He was making an effort to sound flippant, but there was curiosity buried beneath his voice.

"We're not," said Harry, and then he stopped and glanced at Ginny. The two of them shared a long look. \Fawkes?\ he asked her silently, resigned. It was the only explanation for what had happened, though it wasn't much of an explanation at all, really. Clearly Fawkes had changed more than they'd been expecting.

"We weren't," Ginny said finally. "What was the point of this ritual again?"

"Death Eaters were coming to attack the castle," said Susan. She, Neville, Blaise, Justin, and Katie had approached without their notice. "This was supposed to keep them out." She glanced at the castle, which didn't appear to have changed. "Did it work?"

"I think so." Hannah struggled to her feet and, swaying slightly, bent to check on Luna, who had passed out. "It's not supposed to be visible. They won't know that it's there until it's too late."

"So this is?" Katie folded her arms across her chest and shivered. "We're leaving?"

Harry looked around at all of them. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, and he had loads of questions to ask Hermione, but for the time being he was willing to along with it. Leaving Hogwarts still didn't sit right with him, especially when they knew Death Eaters would be coming, but there came a point where he had to focus on destroying Voldemort and leave the castle to those who were supposed to protect it. It appeared that point was now. He reached out and took Ginny's hand, squeezing it silently. She gave him a wan smile and squeezed back, so tight that it hurt.

"We're leaving," he said in agreement, and took a deep breath, emerald eyes hard with determination. "We're leaving Hogwarts. The war has begun."

The End!

What the girls said: "Fire, Water, Air, Earth. We call upon thee to protect these grounds. To keep out those who would seek to harm those who have sought protection here. In our absence, we ask you to protect, to serve, and to guide against those who would destroy and harm. We call upon you!"

Before you ask, there may be a sequel to this story at some point. You can see that I've left the ending open. This part has ended, though, because it was more focused on getting Harry and Ginny bonded and into a relationship, which they are. It was never intended to focus on Voldemort. Part of me is sad to see it end because it was fun and interesting to write, but overall I'm glad. I need a break from the Harry Potter fandom. I hope you enjoyed the story and I'd like to thank everyone who stuck with me until the end. Please review one final time!