Today would be a momentous day no matter what the end result was but if Severus Snape had his way then this day would be the day that everyone had been waiting for for over a decade. Today, Voldemort would die.

Severus would do anything to atone and end this bloody war. When he had joined the Death Eaters he had been young, naive and righteous. At first he had relished his life as a Death Eater, wreaking havoc on the people who had once been so cruel to him. But then the attacks that he was sent on changed. It was a small change, the things he was charged to do remained the same but now he was being told to attack innocents, children, Muggles. Snape didn't believe in blood superiority for the simple reason that he was a Half-Blood. He knew that there were many purebloods who were stupider, less powerful and less able than him. It was for this reason that the idea of gaining power by working for a Half-Blood did not offend his ideals in any way. Killing, raping and torturing people who were defenceless did. For so many years he had been the person with no one to defend him. At home, his father had repeatedly beaten him when drunk and as his father was an alcoholic this happened far too often than anyone he told about it would like to think. Despite the fact Eileen Prince was a witch she stayed with Tobias and let him abuse Severus because she loved him. What Sev had never understood was why his own mother couldn't love him more than his father. When Snape received his powers he did everything he could to learn what magic he could to protect himself and this was why he had become a Slytherin and made such a good Death Eater. His mother had been weak but he never would be.

Or at least that was what he thought before he met Lily. He loved her but she loved James and so Severus had had to be content with being friends and, later, content with not being friends at all. When Sev had found out that he had practically caused Lily to be killed, Snape had switched sides, no longer seeing what good could come from being a Death Eater and eager to protect Lily. All attempts failed and he was left alive and alone, no matter how much he wanted to be dead.

Here was his opportunity for such a thing to happen. It was time for him to destroy the final horcrux. It would be dangerous and difficult, of course, but Sev had insisted to the boys that it was he who must have this task.

Snape was very wary when approaching the cave that contained the broach. From his experience with Voldemort, Snape had learnt that he was cunning, cruel and enjoyed surprising people with painful curses. The cave opening was blocked off with a powerful shield spell.

After hours of work, Severus reached the stone table on which the broach lay. Looking at his watch, Severus waited. Soon, very soon, the battle would have begun at Hogwarts and he could complete his last act in this war and cast Avada on the broach, leaving the Dark Lord with only one fragment of soul.

It was time. At long last the battle was here. As dawn broke, Ginny stared out of Hogwarts from her tower room window. If things didn't go as planned everything she was looking at now could be destroyed. Ginny's role in this battle would be organising the sniper students on the school. She was the only DA member who would not be out on the main battlefield and at first she had been upset by this, seeing it as just another attempt to protect poor little Ginny Weasley. Eventually, after talking to Tonks about it, she realised that being given such a position was actually a privilege. She was being given responsibility for protecting the school.

The younger students were all evacuated by the end of breakfast and the older students who were not in the DA or Slytherins (the majority of which had decided not to fight, strangely enough) had begun to congregate around the Gryffindor table. Nervous chatter filled the air and the anxious air around Ginny stopped her from wanting to eat more. After finishing off her piece of toast Ginny stood up and turned to the others.

"Okay guys, let's go. I'll show you all your places. Now remember if you don't think you have a clear shot at a Death Eater don't try to hit him, you might hit someone on our side accidentally. As for what spells to use, disabling spells are best but ones that will distract are also good. This is our first stop."

Ginny paused the group and picked out the three students who would be positions here.

"Good luck."

Draco and Blaise joined the battle once it was already in full swing. They had had to travel from France overnight but wanted to help the fighters. Things weren't going well for the good guys. Voldemort had bought unexpected forces to the fray. There were Death Eaters, dementors, vampires and werewolves as well as ruthless mercenaries and dark spirits and ghouls that had been summoned from the dark forests throughout the world.

It wasn't that the Hogwarts forces were on their own; they had the aid of the centaurs and Peeves. But these creatures were not vicious creatures and did not have enough lethal powers to even the odds.

Taking a deep breath, Draco and Blaise waded into the fight, trying to help the Order as they were starting to retreat. Shooting spells around him in all directions and ducking those that were returned. He was keeping his eyes on both Harry and Voldemort, watching as they moved closer and closer to each other.

"Hello Draco," a cool voice intoned from behind him.

Draco froze. "Father, I hadn't realised you were out of jail."

"I've only been out a few days; my Master knows how good I am at duelling."

Draco turned around, eyes cold. "I'm sure I know people who are better."

"Are you including yourself in that?" Lucius mocked. "You who couldn't even kill a defenceless old man?"

"I've killed before Father, you know that. And even your oh-so-great Dark Lord could not kill Dumbledore."

"Silence."

"I'm not your slave, Father. I don't have to obey you, not anymore."

"You're still my son, my heir."

"I disown you Lucius. Now fight me or leave me, I have more important things to do than talk to you."

Lucius sneered at his son. "As you wish. Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

"Sectumsempra."

"Tant..."

"Stupefy."

"Crucio."

Draco dropped to the ground, writhing in pain, and stared with wide eyes as his father loomed over him.

"Goodnight Draco."

Draco closed his eyes, knowing that the only spell that he could perform to protect himself would kill his father. He just couldn't do it."

"Avada-"

In two separate countries two men with dark brown hair raised their wands at precisely 11am on that fateful Good Friday in 1997 and intoned the two curses that would end the war.

"Avada kedavra."

"Amoras totalus."