A/N: J. owns my life and everything here basically.
"There is no good and evil, there is only power...and those too weak to seek it."
Chapter 1: The End of the First War
The Battle was fierce with no signs of letting up. The Order of the Phoenix was utterly spent. How had it come to this? Albus Dumbledore stood dazed before the Aurors, order members, and other warriors of the light. Tom had truly amassed a following greater then he could ever have imagined. Werewolves, Vampires, Banshees, Giants, Dementors and large number of Pure-Bloods came together under the banner of snake and skull, for the first time in centuries under one man. No, not a man Dumbledore reflected. A monster. More than human and yet not nearly human enough.
"Albus, we must turn back," Alastor Moody surveyed the damage and death toll rising within their faction as he dodged curses. They hadn't been prepared. His Aurors weren't trained to fight off so many Magical Creatures in one setting, such a threat hadn't even been considered during stimulus training. He watched as his two best Aurors James Potter and Sirius Black fought, they were truly a force to be reckoned with. They fought in unison, as one, as brothers. They fought recklessly and with passion; but their youthful eyes showed the truth-James Potter and Sirius Black fort the first time in a long time were afraid.
"Tis nothing short of suicide Albus, I agree with Alastor we must fall back," heaved Minevera McGonagall finishing off a fight with a lower level Death Eater. Voldemorts numbers were too large and the battle hadn't even begun. The Dark Lord and his inner circle as well as the head Alpha's of each wolf pack hadn't even joined the battle yet. They stood watching from a distance. Cold. Hard. Unfeeling. But unknown to Minerva McGonagall was the fact that they did feel and at this moment satisfaction and the closest thing to joy these hardened figures had ever experienced was coursing through their veins.
"My Lord they fall like pigs to the slaughter, please allow me to take part in this carnage," Bellatrix Lestrange bowed her head in reverence as she addressed her master. He was truly a great leader, winning all the dark to his side with little effort and now the once great Leader of Light Albus Dumbledore stood as lost as a schoolboy trying in vain to regroup his sorry excuse of an army.
"Dear Bella, be patient I wish to show the masses what a merciful ruler I can be," with the gracefulness of a serpent he made his way to the front lines.
"Dumbledore, he is coming." Kingsley Shacklebolt shouted from atop his broomstick as he and the air division sought to distract the giants.
Albus looked on in trepidation, he wasn't afraid of dying nor did he think he would die today. But he was afraid of the future and the increasing likelihood that all though his power would be enough to protect himself, there was little he could do for the innocents of the Wizardry World. They had neither the will nor power to stand up to the Dark army.
"Well, well, well Dumbledore I see you haven't changed one bit, still sacrificing the lives of others for your righteous cause."
"All who fight here today, do so in spite of you Tom, in order to protect their freedom and right to live as-"
The high-pitched sinister cackling coming from the Dark Lord's mouth cut him off, "Do you hear the old man, my friends, he claims that these people fight for their freedoms. What about our freedoms, hmmm, our right to practice dark magic without persecution, the rights of the wolves, and other beast who toil and labor with the knowledge that no matter how hard they try they will NEVER be accepted by your righteous kind.," he paused. "This is the end of life, as you know it Dumbledore. As we speak my allies in France have laid siege on the Ministry of Magic and your precious Hogwarts, is under attack by those feared deep within the Forbidden Forest." Taking a moment to reflect on the look of pure horror on his old Headmaster's face Voldemort smiled, he had won, they both knew it.
"What is it you want Tom?" Dumbledore asked wearily. A sharp cry distracted both men, Sirius Black knelt cradling the body of a bloodied James Potter silent sobs wracking his body as he tried in vain to shield his friend from the onslaught of dark curses.
The Dark Lord looked back at Dumbledore and smirked, "What is it you want old man?"
"I will not stand by and let you take over Tom."
"Then we shall duel to the death."
"HOGWARTS IS OURS!" Rodolphos Lestrange rushed to his Master's side interrupting the deadly curse about to spill from his lips.
"My Lord, I just received word from the Sea Nymphs we have taken Hogwarts. The wards were easy to break through with the absence of the Headmaster and his phoenix just as you assumed; the children and remaining staff didn't put up much of a fight either. A brilliant success," a loud cheer met these words and a shocked silence descended upon the now rebelling forces.
Nodding his head sagely, Voldemort turned to Dumbledore and sighed. "When I duel it is with the intent to kill, however, I do not wish your death old man. For that would be too kind to one such as yourself who welcomes it feely. No, I will not grant you and your survivor's death. I will allow you to live, it interest me to see how long you can endure under my rule. Do not even think of raising up another army to fight me for remember, we now hold Hogwarts. One wrong move on your part and we send all those precious children off to Merlin."
"…..My Lord?" questioned one of his newer followers Irina Delheva who had a son in Hogwarts.
"Do not fret, I shall not harm the better half."
A majority of his forces let out sighs of relief. They trusted their Master to lead them to victory but even they knew there were no set rules you can live by with him. No one was truly safe; and the Dark Lord didn't really like anyone.
"Tom-"
"Silence, Dumbledore I've had quiet enough of your useless words. Go on, take your wounded to be healed…..am I not a merciful ruler?"
Dumbledore merely looked on in frustration before shaking his head slowly, "I can acknowledge defeat when I see it, and I know where I stand. But don't ever think that I will make things easy for you."
"Ohh I'd hope not, you are perhaps the only one out there who can challenge me. Although I must say, you aren't as potent as I remember you being….age has truly caught up to you hasn't it?"
"As it shall with you."
"Not with I. Not ever."
The Dark Lord's confident tone filled Dumbledore with dread. For some reason he believed his former students claim. Age wouldn't claim him not like it did most, and death…death might very well pass him by in favor of a less chaotic soul.
[2 Days Later]
St. Mungo's Hospital
The Hospital hadn't seen so many wounded since Grindelwalds days. Master Healers rushed about in sedated panic. It was their job to keep calm, neutral, and fundamentally a constant healing source in times of war. But now the war was over, and the Dark Lord had won. How long would it be before he ordered them to stop treating Muggles and Blood Traitors? How long before he demanded they all pledge allegiance to him? It was this frenzied atmosphere that greeted James Potter as he opened his eyes to a crowded room full of his fellow comrades wounded in battle and healers rushing about in urgency. What had happened? Lily. Where was Lily? Struggling against the blankets wrapped tightly around his body he blinked in confusion trying to remember what put him in this situation.
"Serpensortia"
"James behind you."
The Viper attached viciously and with shocking speed leaving him a bloody mess before he even had time to process the cowardly antic.
"Bloody Death Eaters," he mumbled to himself.
"Better be careful of what you say Prongs, words like that can get you in Azkaban now."
"Sirius? Is Lily with you?"
"No, she's in the Atrium with the rest of the Muggleborns. Our new ruler has ordered a roundup," the young Black heir spat.
James retained a look of confusion before it all started to make sense, "Oh Merlin the war is over I take it, and we lost?"
Sirius gave him an exasperated look, "Obviously mate."
"Dumbledore's dead then. What do they want with the Muggleborns? Is she in danger? We have to go save he-"
"Breathe mate she's alright. I'll explain everything soon and no, he's still alive trying to calm as many people down as he can. Apparently Voldemort thought life would be too boring without at least one viable opponent…cocky bastard."
James let out a laugh despite himself, "How are Remus and Peter?"
A dark look crossed Sirius face as he answered hurriedly, "Remus is with Fenrir Greyback and Peter joined the Death Eaters."
"Very funny Pads"
"I'm telling the truth James. Come on, we've always known Peter to be a bit off, as soon as the tides turned so did he. And don't think Remus left willingly, rumor has it that in order to get the help of the wolf packs during the battle Voldemort promised them land and pledged to make sure all werewolves lived and affiliated themselves with a clan."
"Bloody Hell"
"My thoughts exactly. And that's not all our new 'Lord' has decreed, hold on a second," Sirius fumbled with a paper in his front pocket. "This is supposed to hit the press tomorrow."
All those who affiliate or have affiliated themselves with the Order of the Phoenix, Former Ministry of Magic, Albus Dumbledore, or any other entity in opposition to my views must either renounce their former allegiances and pledge themselves to me or live in servitude under my regime. Those who pledge their loyalty to me will be allowed to live their lives as they so choose as long as they never stand against me oppose my Proclamations. Proclamations in effect from this day forward.
*Proclamation 1: Muggles gifted with Magic are to be taken from their parents upon birth, and placed in one of the many Magical Orphanages I shall erect. These Children will be brought up learning the ways of our kind. If by the time to attend Hogwarts their magical level isn't at least a 20, they will live out the remainder of their lives as servants.
Proclamation 2: As Sovereign Lord of Wizardry Britain I expect utmost respect and obedience. Any who defy me or fail to do so will be punished in relation to the severity of their crimes.
Proclamation 3: Mudbloods are only permitted to wed or have relations with fellow Mudbloods; Half-Bloods are only permitted to wed or have relations with fellow Half-Bloods; Pure bloods are only permitted to wed or have relations with fellow Pure-bloods. [Half-bloods and Mudbloods can marry up only if they have a Magical Core above 70 and Purebloods can marry down only if their intended has a level above 70.]
Proclamation 4: Magical Creatures are to be treated with respect; Their clans and camps are to be left in peace; No human is permitted to enter sanctioned areas for these Creatures without my permission.
Proclamation 5: Every Witch and Wizard regardless of Blood status must take a Magical Level test at the age of 16. Children with a reading below 55 are to be sent off to either Salem Academy in America or Fay Academy in Ireland, these students will not be permitted to re-enter the world of Wizardry Britain unless they have developed their core to an adequate level.
James sat in stunned silence, "He sure doesn't waste any time does he."
Sirius snorted, "No, my guess is he had all this planned for a long time coming."
"He knew he would win," James murmured, "Where did we go wrong?"
"We didn't consider lobbying Magical Creatures in our fight, we didn't use the Unforgivables, we trusted our Minster to actually do a decent job …Need I go on?"
"No, I guess that about sums it up," James sighed. "What does Voldemort plan to do with Lily and the rest of the Muggleborns he's rounding up?"
"He wants to test their power levels, anyone below average will be forced to renounce their old lives and live as servants," Sirius answered in contempt.
"Well Lily should be safe then. So he's replacing House elves with human servants?"
"In a way, certain people don't like the appearance or temperament of house elves. I guess this provides an alternative" Sirius shrugged.
"Why doesn't he just send them off, to develop their magic like the sixteen year olds?"
Sirius let out a bark of laughter while running his hands through his hair, "Not many people know this. The only reason I do is cause I used to hide out from my mum in Black Family Library. Those sixteen year olds being sent away will never have a chance to come back, our Magical Core is an extension of ourselves. Mine is 79 I was born with a max potential core of 79. Sixteen is the peak year when it comes to Magical Inheritance. After that there is no room for improvement, you either got it or you don't. If on my 16th birthday I didn't receive my max, than it would have been my own fault maybe my mind or body wasn't strong enough, I don't know. Point is after 16 your core literally stops growing, whether it reached its max potential or not."
" Wow, I….I never knew that. I didn't realize everything was so final. And I'm guessing the whole Proclamation 5 come back when your stronger bit, is just to keep the parents and friends happy and hopeful about those children's return….Could you test mine?"
"That's what I thought as well, and I'll need a drop of your blood."
"Okay," using a butter knife from the dinner tray James cut into his palm.
Sirius touched the tip of his wand to the cut, "Revelo Max Proto"
"…. Nothing's happening."
"Wait for it."
A gold 82 shot out of his wand followed by a silver 78.
"Ha I'm more powerful than you."
"Shut up Padfoot. So for some reason I never reached my max potential," James said to himself but Sirius answered with a smirk anyway.
"Yep, and it's really no mystery why since you spent so much time trying to woo Lily. Your core was probably holding back cause it was ashamed of your lame attempts with the ladies. Probably thought if he can't handle a dame than he sure can't handle-" Sirius would have gone on were it not for the pillow that struck his head.
After a brief return to the normalcy of their lives, both men grew somber once more. "I'm not really sure how I feel about all this right now. Is it wrong of me to be glad the war is over, even though we lost? I mean it could have been a lot worse, at least he's not slaying Muggleborns left and right….which to be kind of honest I thought was his plan," James admitted.
"It's still too early to tell, what his plans are mate," Sirius muttered darkly. "The world is all messed up now, people are out in the streets saying he's the best thing that's ever happened to us. Don't they realize he's taking away our right to choose who we can spend the rest of our lives with. You know it seems like Dumbledore and the rest of us got it all wrong. His target wasn't the Muggles or Muggleborns….it was absolutely anyone who wasn't powerful enough to live in his world. No one is bloody safe! Some people are just born with a greater Magical Core than others, this isn't fair," Sirius yelled in frustration.
[Meanwhile at the Ministry of Magic, Lord Voldemorts Office]
"How goes the testing Lucius?"
"We've rounded up what we believe to be all the Muggleborns age 18 and onwards my Lord"
"The results?"
"All but five reached the passing level. But there were none that surpassed 61 with the exception of Lily Potter who amassed an astonishing 80."
The Dark Lord raised a hairless eyebrow, he would have to keep an eye on Mrs. Potter despite her heritage, power was something he valued no matter what the source. The fact that not many Mudbloods surpassed 61 was not very surprising, blood did matter after all, Mrs. Potter was just the rare exception.
"Thank you Lucius, now before you go send in the current Hogwarts staff and Dumbledore I'd like to discuss the future of my school."
"Yes, My Lord."
Voldemort waited for the click of the closed door to sound before taking a moment to lean back on his chair and shut his eyes. Everything was as it should be, all his visions of a united and greater Wizardry World were coming closer to fruition. Yet, he did not feel as satisfied as he thought he would be. Surely now that years and years of hard work, manipulations, and strategic planning had paid off the least he could do was smile about it. Maybe laugh. Laugh. He tried. The Dark Lord Voldemort, Ruler of Wizardry Britain, sat on his chair wondering of all things, when it was he forgotten how to laugh.
A/N: So this is my first story and I'm pretty new to the whole writing scene. Hopefully you guys enjoyed and would like me to continue, let me know! Yeah so Reviews would be awesome but please no flames. Thanks All:)
*Magical Level Chart:
Entrance into Hogwarts at least 20 (Half-bloods and Pure-bloods are essentially guaranteed at least a 20 due to their parentage which is why they are not tested upon entrance.)
By 16th Birthday at least 55
The Average for Muggleborns 59
The Average for Half-Bloods 68
The Average for Pure-Bloods 77
Just so you know:
Dumbledore 97
Voldomort 99
Merlin 100
Founders 99