Disclaimer: I don't own this. Rowling does. Don't sue me.

In time our realm will shine again. But it will gleam only

when we scour away the taint of doubt.

Peace and Quiet

Chapter 1: Para Bellum

Harry sat quietly at the kitchen table of Number Four, Privet Drive, eyes narrowed, as he glared angrily at the paper before him. Gods, how could Scrimgeour be so idiotic. He threw the paper down on the table in frustration, the bold title staring up at him.

Minister Declares Martial Law!

Article by Nigellus Waters

In response to the panic and turmoil that swept the country following the funeral of Albus Dumbledore, the Minister for Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, has declared a state of Martial Law. For those too young to remember, the last time martial law was declared was during the war against the dark lord Grindelwald, who's alliance with the muggle Adolf Hitler spread destruction and death across both magical and muggle Europe.

What does it mean? The moment the declaration was ratified by the Wizengamot, Ministry Aurors were granted blanket license to arrest anyone suspected of being Dark Magic users, or affiliated with such. Anyone so arrested no longer has a right to trial, the Ministry can hold anyone so convicted for as long as the state of martial law persists.

In response to this declaration, Aurors stormed Knockturn Alley, sweeping through, arresting any who resisted or were suspect.

As an addition to the Martial Law bill, the Wizengamot also passed a law against Dark Creatures of all sorts. Any hags, werewolves, vampires, giants, or other dark creatures affiliated with You-Know-Who who are spotted will immediately be arrested and sent to one of the Ministry's newly established Prison Camps.

This reporter, for one, is relieved that finally the Ministry is taking action to protect the wizarding populace from harm.

For an exact reading of the Martial Law bill, see page 12. For information on how to spot Dark Creatures, see page 15.

Something deep inside him broke, hatred and rage bubbling up inside him and his hand instinctively grabbed for a knife sitting on the table and slamming it down onto the moving picture of the Minister.

He stood, pacing angrily, looking repeatedly at the clock on the wall. 11:05 pm. Pigwidgeon had been the one to deliver the paper about twenty minutes earlier. He'd immediately skimmed the story, before sending back a reply with the tiny owl.

It was July 30th. The paper was already two days old. Ron hadn't sent it on time. He'd been to busy, too worried. Two days. Two days since William Weasley, despite having only trace elements of the werewolf curse in his blood, had been arrested. He'd spent almost a month healing, and on the day he finally was able to walk again, to take a trip to Diagon Alley to get fitted for dress robes for his wedding, had been snatched up when Auror detection spells had named him a dark creature. He'd done no wrong, yet was arrested for the label of being 'dark'. That thought echoed in Harry's head over and over, and he couldn't help but wonder, how many others, who had never done an evil act in their life, had, over the course of wizarding history, been imprisoned or persecuted for knowing 'Dark' magic, or being 'Dark'.

Remus Lupin, Harry's last real connection with his parents had vanished as well, no one knowing if he'd gone into hiding, or been arrested. If he'd gone into hiding...surely he'd have made some effort to contact them though, yet they'd heard nothing.

Harry swore, fingers clenched tightly around his wand as he paced. A month. Despite his earlier decisions, despite all his plans he'd still let himself be talked into remaining at the Dursley's for a month. A month of sitting there, doing the exact opposite of what he'd wanted, sworn, to be doing. He'd wasted a month, but no more.

Two sudden bursts of sound and air displacing from behind him caused him to spin, bringing his wand up, then lowering it when he saw who was there.

"About damn time you two showed up," He growled, gesturing for them to take a seat at the table.

"Sorry Mate," Ron answered, taking a seat. "Had to wait for Mum to go to bed so she wouldn't catch us leaving."

Hermione smiled faintly at him, although the smile didn't reach her eyes. Harry watched her pull up the chair next to Ron's and take a seat, before she looked towards the doorway and back at him, eyebrow raised in question.

"Dursleys aren't here, they're on vacation," Harry answered to the unasked question.

She nodded, and opened her mouth to speak,

"Harry, I-"

"What the hell was that idiot thinking?" Harry blurted out, interrupting her. He'd been holding in this rant for long enough. "Does he have any idea what he's bloody done?"

Ron snorted, frowning as he looked up at him.

"In his own words, he's 'protecting the people,'" came Ron's sarcastic reply.

"He's practically forcing any unaligned werewolves or other creatures into Voldemort's scaly arms!" Harry exclaimed. "They now have a choice. Imprisonment and probably death, or ally with Voldemort, which may not be better by much, but they won't care."

Hermione nodded, anger at the injustice visible in her eyes.

"Scrimgeour's stupidity...he's-" she began, before Harry cut her off again.

"He's giving Voldemort a bloody army, is what he's doing. Voldemort's probably sitting at home laughing his ass off, while recruits pour in."

Harry growled again, punching the table hard in frustration.

"He's an idiot," Ron said softly, "and worse, he's an idiot in power,"

"He's an idiot in power, with martial law justifying any action he makes," Hermione added, "making him untouchable."

"I'm not waiting any longer," Harry stated after a long moment of silence. "Voldemort...he's only half the problem. The other half is the wizarding world itself."

He glanced over to Ron briefly after saying this, to gauge his reaction.

Ron smirked at him, nodding. "No argument here, I agree with you."

"For too long the magical world has stagnated. Tradition and pureblood isolationism is making it rot from the inside out. The vast majority of the wizarding world are sheep, begging to be told what to do by the Prophet, the Ministry, anyone. They don't think for themselves, they don't fight for themselves. They just sit there and expect someone else to do it for them. The vast majority think that Wizards are the top of the world, and no other race are as important. They alienate any who could be potential allies, driving them away." Harry said, breathing deeply.

"So what do you propose to do?" Hermione asked.

"Fix it," Harry said simply. "The wizarding world has three main problems. Voldemort, the Ministry, and the Sheep themselves. It's time to fix the problem. Take out Voldemort, bring down the corrupt and prejudiced ministry, and open the Sheep's eyes to truth."

Outside the house on Privet Drive, a pair of figures stood silently, veiled and cloaked in shadow by a magic older by far then what is taught in the halls of Hogwarts.

One of them smiled upon hearing the words spoke within the house.

"And so he names his Quest."

"It's going to take a lot of work," Harry said, continuing. "It's not going to be easy. There is going to be opposition every step of the way, and it's going to involve doing things that many people will label as wrong, as dark, simply out of their own ignorance. Magic is not light or dark. It's what you do with it that makes it right or wrong. What is Dark Magic, if used for good? If used against corruption, against prejudice, against evil?"

Ron and Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, before nodding in understanding.

"Use of what is called dark magic itself doesn't make you evil," Ron said finally, "it's what you do with it that defines you."

Harry nodded.

"So I need to know, here and now, if you're with me," he said, looking between them. "If you are there is no turning back. We will change this world. We will right the wrongs of society, or die in the attempt. I'm going to do anything, learn anything I must, to right those wrongs. To avenge those innocents killed by wars and prejudice. So now I ask you, are you with me?"

"They took Bill," Ron said softly. "They took him and we've no idea where. He was injured fighting against Death Eaters and now they label him as worse? There's no justice in that. I'm with you Harry. I want to avenge my brother, and any others like him."

"The politics of the wizarding world are corrupt," Hermione said. "I've looked into it. Did you know that in the past hundred years, the Ministry has never hired a muggle-born? The Pureblood grip on political power is too strong, they're all too busy caring about keeping themselves in power, keeping their traditions going, that they are blind to change and innovation. I'm with you Harry, whatever it takes. The Ministry does more harm then good, the way it stands. Lets fix that.

"So be it then," Harry said quietly, reaching out a hand between them. "Thanks guys. With you with me, we can change the world, I'm sure of it."

Ron nodded seriously, laying a hand on top of Harry's. Moments later, Hermione's lay atop his. As their hands touched, all three felt a surge of magic flash between them, then fade away.

Outside, the two figures continued to watch, and this time both stood a little straighter, a little prouder, as they felt the Old Magic seal the pact between the three inside.

"And so he names his Captains."

They both turned then, as they noticed movement on the street. One began to reach for a weapon, but the other shook his head, indicating that they were only there to observe, at least for now.
"So where do we start?" Ron asked.

"We have to get out from under the grip of the Order," Harry said, "they won't let us do what needs to be done. We need to train, we need to learn more if we're going to succeed. But we can research while we train, to find other horcruxes, and anything else we need."

"Harry," Hermione said before pausing briefly, "I can't believe what I'm about to say, this goes against everything I feel I should believe in."

"What Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Well...part of the problem with the way the war has been going, and I don't mean to insult Dumbledore by saying this, but he made the mistake as well, is the belief that Death Eaters deserve a second chance. Dumbledore believed in the good in people. But they've made their choice. The Ministry, they imprison them, but then Voldemort just breaks them out again, and they start killing again."

She paused, taking a deep breath, almost to reassure herself, before continuing.

"If it will stop even a single innocent being killed, then morally speaking, we can show no mercy to our enemies. They're trying to kill us. They're trying to kill countless innocents. If they try to kill us...we should try just as hard to kill them right back. This is a war, we should treat it as such."

Both Ron and Harry looked speechless at Hermione for a moment. Oh, they'd both thought something similar, but the fact that she was the one to bring it up.

"You're right, of course." Harry said after regaining his composure. "No mercy in a fight. Don't hold back. Take a stunner for instance. You stun a Death Eater. All it takes is three syllables, enn-er-vate, and that enemy is back in the fight."

"Hit em with a cutting curse to the neck," Ron said bluntly, "then they won't get back up. Ever."

Harry nodded. "As the muggles say, we should start thinking outside the box. Use spells they won't expect to bring them down."

A loud explosion suddenly rocked the house, and all three immediately dropped to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" Ron whispered, looking around in confusion.

"Sounds like someone bringing down the wards," Hermione muttered, as she moved near the doorway into the hallway and took a peak. "Yup, speak of the devil, looks like we've got company."

Harry swore, then gestured to them. "Must have been Snape, he knew about this place. Look, they don't know you two are here-"

"We're not leaving Harry," Ron said bluntly, and Hermione nodded vigorously.

Harry smiled faintly, before taking up a position near the stove, wand pointed towards the doorway to the hallway.

"I'm not saying leave, I'm saying element of surprise. They think it's just me here,' He said, smirking. "Let's make them regret that assumption. Disillusion yourselves, and try and get behind em."

Both nodded, both tapping themselves on the forehead, and Harry had to look hard tell them apart from the wall behind them. He could tell they were there, but only because he knew it. He blinked, and then couldn't find them, indicating they'd moved through the doorway into the living room.

Moments later he heard the front door crash back against the wall, as the Death Eaters charged in.

"Spread out, check around. He'll have heard the wards come down, so be ready," Harry didn't recognize the voice, but it didn't matter.

He heard footsteps going up the stairs, and raised his wand. He heard the cupboard under the stairs door creak open, then get slammed shut. Moments later the first dark shrouded figure rounded the door from the hall.

"Diffindo," Harry snapped, and didn't wait to see if it hit, rolling to the side to avoid any response. It was a good thing he did, as his severing charm was absorbed by a shield, and an unknown black spell slammed into the cupboard behind where he'd just been. The wood that made up the cupboard door instantly started to rot at an extremely fast speed, and Harry was quite glad he'd not been hit by that one.

Thinking fast, he jabbed his wand towards the opposite wall, summoning a large knife from the counter. In mid-air, he switched from a summoning charm to a banishing, and sent the knife flying at the Death Eater. This time he was rewarded with the fleshy sound of it hitting flesh, and saw the blade was embedded to the handle in the throat of the Death Eater, just under his white mask.

He barely got a Protego up in time to deflect a stunning spell that came shooting at him from the living room. He started to raise his wand to send a return spell when a Death Eater came stumbling into the kitchen, crashing down onto the kitchen table, knocking it over as he fell to the ground. Harry could barely restrain a laugh. The Death Eater's back was pin-cushioned with glowing silver arrows. He didn't even want to know why a Chudley Cannons supporter would know the spell Appleby Arrows fans used to use to summon those arrows. A loud crashing sound came from the living room then, followed by what sounded like the thump of a body hitting the floor, meaning that Hermione had presumably taken down a target as well.

A series of flickering lights from the living room meant there were still more enemies there that Ron and Hermione had now engaged. Harry moved quickly towards the hallway door, and took a peak down the hall. He immediately ducked back into the kitchen as a spell shot by. Thinking quickly, he decided to try out a spell he'd researched one day in the library after reading Quidditch through the Ages.

"Genua Ostendo!" he yelled, shooting the spell down the hallway. Two loud cracks and a shriek of agony proved the spell had proven quite effective. The Death Eater hit the floor hard, having trouble standing as his knees had suddenly reversed, overwhelmed by the pain of the sudden, very unnatural, change.

He quickly shot a banishing charm at the now crippled Death Eater, throwing him back towards the front door. The Death Eater's head cracked hard against the hardwood doorframe, silencing his screams.

Suddenly Harry felt as though he'd been punched hard in the gut, and felt himself flying back into the kitchen, crashing down beside the overturned table. As he landed, he felt himself hit with a body bind.

He struggled against it vainly, as he watched a Death Eater approach, wand outstretched.

"Crucio!" Harry's eyes widened as white-hot pain burned through his body. The Death Eater kept it up for several seconds before stopping, and leaning down to whisper in Harry's ear.

"That's just a taste boy," the harsh voice whispered, "of what the Dark Lord has in store for you."

Harry fought hard, trying to break the body bind and finally, gloriously, he felt his right hand jerk free. He didn't have his wand, but his eyes caught sight of the table next to him...with the copy of the Daily Prophet still held in place by the knife he'd stabbed into it earlier.

Grabbing the knife, he wrenched it free of the table, reversed it, and stabbed it hard into the Death Eater's side. He watched dark eyes widen in pain behind the white mask as the Death Eater recoiled in pain. Snarling angrily, Harry broke the rest of the body bind, shoving the Death Eater off him, pulling the knife out as he did so, causing blood to spurt out onto him. The Death Eater lay on his back, gasping in pain, and clutching at the bleeding wound. Smirking, Harry knelt over him.

"That's just a taste, fool," he growled mockingly, "of what I have in store for your Dark Lord."

He held the knife up, then met the Death Eater's shocked gaze for a moment. Without blinking, without even a twitch of his blank facial expression, he stabbed downwards, embedding the knife in the Death Eater's stomach, then twisting and jerking it upwards.

The Death Eater coughed, blood speckling his lips, as his last, bubbling breath escaped him.

Harry rose, snatching up his wand as he turned towards the living room. Hermione was on the ground, bleeding from a cut on her leg, but otherwise unharmed. She wasn't looking at him though, instead, she was staring at the Death Eater who had his wand pointed at a disarmed Ron.

"Give me your wand bitch, or your boyfriend dies," the unknown Death Eater said angrily.

Luckily for Harry, the Death Eater was looking in the opposite direction, and didn't realize anyone was behind him until Harry's wand tip was resting against the back of his head.

For the third time of the night, Harry banished something. This time, it was the Death Eater's head.

A moment later, Hermione, wiping the blood from her face, looked from the headless corpse laying at Harry's feet to his face in shock.

She blinked.

"They taught us that spell in fourth year!" She muttered in disbelief at the carnage it had caused.

Harry nodded, looking down in surprise. He hadn't expected it to be quite so...gruesome.

"Ya," he replied, "Flitwick got lucky all Neville did was banish him around the room."

Ron suddenly shook his head vigorously, blood and brain matter flying from his hair.

"Whoa."

Harry laughed, before looking in confusion at a body on the ground. Moving over to it, he nudged it cautiously with his foot.

"What happened to this one? There's no marks on him at all," he asked.

Hermione coughed, smiling sheepishly.

"That was me. I wanted to see the level of detail one could manage with a conjuration."

Harry looked over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What did you conjure?"

Hermione smiled.

"Water," she said, pausing for a moment to let that sink in. "In his lungs."

"So...you drowned him."

Hermione nodded. "He flopped around for a bit. I think he broke a lamp. Sorry."

"Harry," Ron said, from where he'd wandered into the hallway. He was busy looking at the body near the front door. More specifically, he was looking at the corpses' knees. "Please tell me you didn't take a leaf from Gertie Keddle?"

Harry smirked, while Hermione looked confused.

"Who's Gertie Keddle?" She asked.

"Quidditch Through the Ages, chapter three, page seven. She reversed someone's knees. Although, when I read the book for the first time when I was five, I don't think I imagined it being quite so...messy." Ron answered bluntly.

Hermione blinked again.

"Why is it when I ask you to study you whine and complain, but you have Quidditch Through the Freaking Ages memorized?" She asked aggrieved.

Harry and Ron shared a grin, before responding together.

"Priorities."

Outside the house, those who were watching smiled faintly at the by-play between the three. They'd just finished taking out enemies, and done so in a spectacularly brutal fashion, and were able to make jokes about it. Good. That meant they could handle what the future would bring them.

"It's almost time," one said to the other.

"No," replied the second, as a clock within started to toll the midnight hour. "It is time."

Inside, the clock tolled midnight, and Harry froze, then slumped bonelessly to the ground.

For as the clock struck midnight, Harry James Potter came of age in the eyes of the Old Magic, setting into motion a series of events that would rock the foundations of the world.

AN: This is just the start of a fic. I'll probably still spend more time on Chosen then this, but this gives me something to write when I'm stuck on Chosen.

There will be a pairing in this fic. It's not gonna be Ginny like my others. I won't say who it will be though, cause that would give at least one thing away