"James, what are we supposed to accomplish here?"

"We need to let everyone in the Wizengamot know what's going on. If I can convince them to take a look at my memory from earlier it should be enough to convince them," James responded. He walked with Sirius down the halls of the Ministry as members of the Wizengamot began arriving for the Emergency meeting that he had requested. They hadn't caught a glimpse of Dumbledore yet, but James felt that was a blessing, not knowing if he could refrain from attacking him. As they reached the meeting chamber they could see that the majority of the group was present, only the higher ups had yet to show. Looking around at the disgruntled members, he knew they were not pleased at being woken at such a late hour. James made his way to his usual seat, Sirius plopping down next to him.

"Potter, what's going on? What's the purpose of this?"

James turned to his left and saw that it had been Amelia Bones, the head of his department who had asked the question. "Listen Amelia, I've found out some extremely important information. I won't say anything yet, but you have to believe that everything I have to say is the absolute truth. I need your support if anything is to happen."

Amelia stared at him a moment before answering. "I trust you James, your one of the best aurors I know."

James smiled appreciatively, "Thank you Amelia. That means a lot to me. Trust me on this; what I have to tell is…" James didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he saw the man of the hour enter the chamber. Dumbledore was wearing very uncharacteristic black robes and was flanked by the Minister, Cornelius Fudge, and one of the Minister's biggest supporters, Abraxas Malfoy. Dumbledore moved to his seat as head of the Wizengamot while Fudge took the Minister's chair. James could see Dumbledore scanning the room until his eyes locked onto his own. They stared each other down for several long seconds before Dumbledore gave a smirk that chilled James down to the bone. Dumbledore rose out of his chair and the noise level suddenly dropped off in the chamber.

"I thank you all for making it on such short notice. I was most surprised when I was awoken not but an hour ago and notified that someone had requested an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot," Dumbledore stated, annoyance clearly written in his features. "Now would the person who requested the meeting please rise and state their business so we may get back to our beds."

James was nervous, there was no question. His palms were sweaty and his heart was beating franticly. He turned to his right and saw Sirius giving him an encouraging smile. He slowly stood up in his seat, trying his best not to focus on the fact that every set of eyes in the chamber was now looking upon him. "I was the one who called for this meeting Dumbledore and you sure as hell already know what it's about!" James growled.

"I'm sorry Mr. Potter, but I assure you I have not a clue to what you are referring."

"Oh, you know old man." James turned away from Dumbledore so that he could glance around at the whole assembled group. "Witches and wizards, this man is not what he claims to be. He has been lying to us all and he has betrayed us!" He paused for a second to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. "Earlier this evening, I was sitting in my kitchen with my wife when we saw the form of Lord Voldemort making his way to our front door." James paused again as his words drew a variety of reactions from the crowd. "Voldemort forced his way into our home and stated that he had come to kill us and our son. He said something though, that didn't make sense and I figured out a secret. Lord Voldemort is not the Dark Lord. Dumbledore is," James accused, pointing at the esteemed headmaster.

The entire chamber rose to its feet in an uproar. Some were just confused, a majority were screaming the absurdity of the claim. Dumbledore sat in his seat not looking concerned or uttering a single word. Finally, the Minister shot sparks out of his wand and called for order.

"Albus do you have a response to these claims," Fudge questioned.

Dumbledore arose once again, another smile gracing his face. "Congratulations, Mr. Potter, you have revealed my secret." Just a small group of people in the chamber now looked shocked that Albus Dumbledore had just admitted to being the Dark Lord. James was starting to become worried. Why wasn't the whole Wizengamot up screaming for his head? "Ladies and gentlemen of the Wizengamot, I am indeed the Dark Lord. Well, most of you already know that don't you?" Dumbledore joked. A majority of the crowd now laughed with him while the others looked extremely disturbed.

James now felt completely enraged. "How can you all sit there and laugh? Do you have any idea what this monster has done? He's been the one ordering attacks on our people, he's been in complete control of the actions of Voldemort and the Death Eaters!"

Dumbledore just looked at James condescendingly. "Mr. Potter, this is where you are wrong. I have not been attacking the Wizarding World; I have only been attacking the scum that tries to inhabit it. I am extremely tired of dealing with the mudblood filth who thinks they are equal to purebloods. The purebloods who have decided to degrade themselves by courting with mudbloods are just as bad," Dumbledore exclaimed, taking a shot directly at James. "I do, of course, have the greatest of sympathy for the half bloods who feel that what their parents have done is shameful. There will be no one to stop them from joining our cause, and they will be welcomed with open arms." At this point James was apoplectic. The comment about mudbloods hit too close to home for James and Sirius was now physically holding him back.

"You're fucking sick Dumbledore!" James screamed, still being restrained. "I'm going to kill you, just like I killed your pathetic pet, Voldemort!"

Dumbledore's jovial attitude quickly changed at the end of James' shouting. His eyes turned dark and the torches that lit the chamber began to flicker. "I assume that is the reason why the Dark Mark burned on my skin earlier, and why my Death Eaters have been unable to find him?" James didn't know whether the question was rhetorical or not, but he didn't answer either way. "Where is he Mr. Potter?"

"I'll let you know as soon as you surrender," he growled.

The frightening smile returned to Dumbledore's face. "It is of no matter Potter, I will find him eventually." Dumbledore walked down onto the floor of the ovular chamber, his wand now held firmly in his hand. "I will not be surrendering; in fact, the Minister has kindly agreed to hand over his position to myself. Now as my first act as Minister, I would like to put forward a proposal for a new Ministerial Decree." The whole chamber sat at attention on the benches, waiting for Dumbledore to announce his plan.

"The time has come for Wizards and Witches to step forward and take their rightful place in this country as the superior beings. We should no longer have to conceal ourselves in the shadows for fear of being seen by pathetic muggles. We shall seize control of Britain and eject all who are unworthy! We shall no longer sully ourselves with the presence of muggles, mudbloods, and blood traitors!" Dumbledore shouted to the approval of most of the chamber. One by one, the pureblood elite rose from their seats, applauding to the great appreciation of Dumbledore who was basking in the admiration. "Now, now, settle down please. The decree that I would like you to pass I have titled the Eradication Act. Following the passing of this act, every witch or wizard who will not swear their allegiance to me and Britain, along with every mudblood, will be exiled. If they do not leave within a predetermined time, then they are deemed criminals and will be hunted down and killed."

"Now as the leader of the Wizengamot, I call for a vote. All those in favor of the Eradication Act, please raise your arms."

James looked around at his fellow wizards and watched painfully as over three quarters lifted their arms in affirmation. On each side of him Sirius and Amelia Bones, were watching as well, equally shocked. He couldn't understand how all of this was happening. Just hours ago he had come home expecting to go to bed and prepare for another boring day of work, but now he was watching as Britain's Wizard Community fell into the hands of a Dictator. His family and many others had just been voted out of the country.

"Ah this is excellent, now we can move forward. The news will be printed for everyone to see tomorrow morning in the Daily Prophet."

"And what if the people don't take this lying down Dumbledore?" James interrupted. "What if the people come together and stand against you?"

James thought that the new Minister was ignoring him, because Dumbledore began walking towards the closed chamber door, but then he turned towards him again. "I'm so glad you asked Mr. Potter. Allow me to introduce you to the new protectors of Wizard Britain; my new Army." Dumbledore tapped the doors twice with his wand and then took several strides backwards.

The magnificent oak doors that closed off the chamber slowly began to open inwards being pulled by an invisible force. For several long seconds there was no sign of activity, but then what could only be described as a clicking sound was heard. The clicking gradually began to increase volume until it felt as if it was upon the chamber. Most were standing, waiting to see what was in store. Then suddenly, marching in rows of ten, around one hundred soldiers marched into the chamber, spreading out around the center of the room. The men were heavily armed. They looked like soldiers straight out of the Medieval Age. They dressed in full suits of shining silver armor, swords sheathed on their belts, wearing black cloaks over the entire thing. In the middle of the breast plate, the dark mark was carefully engraved. James recognized half of them as wanted Death Eaters and known associates, including Lucius Malfoy. The other half he had never even seen before.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Dumbledore asked the crowd. "And these are simply a sample. These men you see here are all officers and generals of the first ever Wizard Army of Britain. They command a force that is over twenty thousand strong and is growing constantly. We have already taken control of England, Scotland, and Wales. Once we take Ireland, all of the United Kingdom will be under pureblood Wizard control."

"And what of the muggles Dumbledore?" A voice from the crowd called out.

"That is one of the more complicated aspects of this plan. We cannot simply rid ourselves of the muggles all at once. As much as I would like to kill every one of them, we must slowly break them down. We take over the minds of the country's leaders and have them destroy the muggle society from the inside. We will strip down the economy, make it so there are massive job losses. The muggles will be so dissatisfied that they will begin leaving. We'll close our borders to all outsiders and become isolated. Once we have removed the majority of the muggles, we will then kill or enslave the rest."

James was only now mildly paying attention to his former headmaster's proclamations. While the rest of the audience was now singularly focused on Dumbledore, he was having his own whispered conversation with Sirius.

"Padfoot, I need you to do something while no ones paying us any mind."

Sirius stared back at his best friend and nodded. "What is it?'

"Change into your Animagus form and sneak out of the room. The door is still open so you won't have to worry about that. Once you get out, you need to get down into the Department of Mysteries and destroy the prophecy that has Harry's name on it. Dumbledore only knows that Harry will have the power to defeat him, not that he's the only one who can do it, that's why it's so important that he doesn't get to it. Once you're done, head right back to your place and I'll meet you there. Hopefully this spectacle will be over by then."

"Alright Prongs, wish me luck." Sirius began to lean down as if he had dropped something, then in the blink of an eye switched into the black canine. Somehow he had managed to draw no attention, and James watched as he maneuvered his way quickly underneath the seats. Once he saw that he had made it through the main door, he looked back at Dumbledore.

"Now, my fellow Wizengamot members, it has come time to see where the lines will be drawn. If you have ties to mudbloods or muggles, then leave this chamber now. If you do not support me, then use the time you have left to pack and leave the country before I send my forces to dispose of you. All of my followers will have the Dark Mark branded into their skin to prove their loyalty, as soon as the filth leaves."

That was all the invitation that James needed. He stood tall and proud with his chin up, as he made his way down towards the door. When he reached the doorway he turned around to see if anyone had followed his lead. To say that he was disappointed would have been a great understatement. There were people who had remained in their seats that he thought he knew better. He couldn't understand how a man like Arthur Weasley, who worked in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, could still be standing with Dumbledore. There were about twenty besides himself who were leaving the chamber, thankfully including his boss Amelia Bones. Once the small group had exited, the doors were swiftly sealed shut.

The group all stood huddle together for several moments, most still in a complete state of shock. Noticing that no one was doing anything, James decided that he needed to take charge.

"Alright, everybody listen up. We need to discuss what's going on, but we can't do it here. I want you all to go home, and spread the news about what's happening to your friends and family. Then, I want you to come with any adult you can trust to Hogsmeade. Apparate on the outskirts of town, near the cliffs and you'll find a cave that I found while I was in school. Try to be there by three. Amelia, can we go to my office quickly?" She nodded and the group quickly broke apart.

James walked with Amelia silently until they reached his office. He closed the door and sealed it. James took the seat behind his desk while Amelia remained standing. "How many of the Aurors do you think that we can trust?" James inquired.

"I don't know James. The ones that I've hired since I've been in charge for the past five years I have faith in. There's no chance they would have passed my evaluations if they believed in the vileness that Dumbledore was projecting. Anything before then though I doubt we can trust to join us. All of them were hired by Scrimgeour, and he's practically attached to Fudge."

"Alright," James started, "what about Moody?"

Amelia laughed. "We can trust Moody," she stated confidently. "I don't think he's ever seen eye to eye with Dumbledore on anything. The man has spent the majority of his life fighting evil, and I don't think he'll put all that to the side now and join it."

"That's what I thought as well. Do you know any other retired Aurors?"

"I know of two who taught me, Andrew Masters and Philip Stevens."

"See if you can contact them and any of the other Aurors you trust. I'm going to go find Moody. I'll see you at the cave," James said rising from his chair.

"Make sure you prove who you are. Moody can get very suspicious of visitors."

"I think I'll call before hand then."

xXxXxXxXx

James stepped out of the green flames and back into Sirius' dark house. He couldn't see anyone around until Lily came walking in from the hallway.

"I thought I heard someone floo," Lily said. "What's going on?"

James shook his head. "The whole country has lost its bloody mind that what's going on. Dumbledore has taken control of the whole region. He's amassed his own army and owns the majority of the Wizengamot."

Lily looked at her husband with a lost expression on her face. "You have to be joking."

James walked over and placed his hand on his wife's hips, gently rubbing circles. "That's not the worst of it, love. He passed a decree forcing all muggleborns and anyone who is sympathetic towards them out of the country. If they don't leave then they'll be killed. He's planning on taking over the muggle governments and forcing the people out. It's going to be a complete pureblood nation."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet. I've set up a meeting tonight with the people who oppose Dumbledore's actions. Right now I'm waiting to make sure Sirius gets back alright. I sent him into the Department of Mysteries to destroy the prophecy with Harry's name on it."

"Why must it be destroyed, does it really matter at this point if Dumbledore sees it?"

"It does matter. Dumbledore only knows part of it and if he thinks that Harry just has the power to kill him, not that he's the only one who can, then I think he'll be satisfied enough with removing him from the country for now. That gives us an advantage, one of very few at this point. Speaking of our son, where is he?"

Lily pointed back towards the hallway. "I laid him down in a spare bedroom. The couch wasn't very comfortable for him." Just as Lily finished speaking, the flames in the fireplace flashed green once again and Sirius stumbled into the room.

"It's done James," Sirius stated, righting himself. "I had to bite a guard, but otherwise, no trouble."

Lily walked over and tightly hugged Sirius. "Thank you, we really appreciate you risking yourself like that."

Sirius smiled and patted her back. "It's nothing Lily. Anything I can do to protect my godson I'll do." After they separated, Sirius turned back to James. "What's next?"

"I set up a meeting tonight at three with the people who don't support Dumbledore. It's going to be at our cave in Hogsmeade. I need you to go and get Remus, let him know what's happening. And Sirius," James started grabbing the man's arm, "I want you to get a magical oath from him." Sirius looked like he was going to object, but James halted it. "I know he's our best friend Padfoot, but another one of our friends tried to have my family killed tonight so no unnecessary risks."

"Why haven't you required me to give you an oath?" Sirius asked looking bewildered.

"Because besides Lily, you're the only one I trust without question."

Sirius looked like he was almost choked up by that. "Thank you Prongs, that means a lot to me. Now enough of the mushiness, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to get Moody. There's no way he's supporting a Dark Lord so I'm almost positive he'll join us. Then I'm heading straight to the cave, so we'll meet you there." Sirius nodded and immediately headed for the Floo. James, however, went and stood in front of his wife. "You know that I wish you could come with me tonight right?" Lily nodded. "I don't want you to think that I'm making all the decisions without you."

"James I know that you respect me and you know the way I think, so I trust whatever you decide to do. The people are going to need somebody to take charge and there's no one better than you." Lily placed her arms around James' neck and pulled him into the most meaningful kiss she could manage. They pulled apart reluctantly and Lily looked up into her husband's eyes. "I love you."

James smiled while he played with the ends of her hair. "I love you too. Now go get some rest because I'm pretty sure that's something that we won't be getting much of in the coming days."