Survival of the Fittest

Ch 11




Silence held after his incantation for all of ten seconds before all hell broke loose.

Every one of the battle hardened Death Eaters had been staring in shock at the creature before them. Their eyes took in the scene of their Lords most feared follower being clamed. Their minds processed the information. They were terrified as they felt the power backlash washed over them, and when the 'creature' turned his gaze on them, a new level of terror was reached.

Green mercury eyes glowed as they turned, taking in the frozen men and women. Dark hair ruffled slightly in a small breeze, bringing the attention of a few to look more closely. A lone scream managed to rip its way through one of the throats of the Death Eaters, ''It’s Potter!!"

Eyes from all over the Alley locked onto the creature’s forehead, verifying the unique scar. It proclaimed its identity in sharp contrast to the tanned skin it rested on, stark white and slightly razed, it hid nothing. The worst fear of the Death Eaters.

It was Harry Potter. And it was a PISSED Potter. And a Pissed Potter was a Powerful Potter. And for the moment, it was as if each one of the Death Eaters shared a brain, and with the combined brain cell, managed to do the smartest thing they have ever done. They TRIED to run away.

Four actually managed to apparate all the way, well kind of. A foot or a hand managed to make it out of the ally way before some force pulled them back. None of the others could even manage that.

Finding themselves unable to get away, and their one smart idea used up for the year, they proceeded to do the dumbest thing possible, the attacked. They didn’t think to give up, to just lay their wands down and stay still, to find cover and hide until it was over, to ask for mercy, as that would take more then the single functioning brain cell that they all shared. OHHH NOOO, they decided to try and take out a PISSED POTTER.

So they attacked, no longer worried about the others in the ally way. They went full force against the creature that was Harry Potter.

With a loud battle cry that some how sent the remaining innocent bystanders into the shops and diving for cover if they hadn't already found some, Harry met the battle full out, a malicious grin splitting his face.

These were his enemy. People who had activly 'tried' to hurt him in some way. Either by political propaganda and intrigue, or by physical means. Now it was pay back time, and Harry was going to collect every single payback due him. Collect it in full and with interest. A few broken bones, a couple of lacerations, that sort of thing, after all, he didn't want to kill them. Really.....well probably...their prospects looked bleaker and bleaker every step Harry took closer to them.

Harry ducked the first volley of spells, swinging his fist into the face of the nearest masked man. The mask cracked and shattered, taking most of the force of the punch. Many of the shards lacerated the man’s face where they had been ground into the flesh by the momentum and by Harry's fist. Harry's hand was untouched. The man's nose broke, spraying blood, and the cheek bone crushed like paper under the remaining force.

The Death Eater dropped to the ground, unconscious and broken. He was one of the few lucky ones.

Harry kept swinging. Never slowing, or pausing, he met each enemy quickly and with expertise that no one his age should have, much less use. His fists would pelt any and all exposed areas within range, regardless of gender. His feet lashed out just as fast, breaking legs and ribs, shattering kneecaps and jaws. In some cases, landing with enough force in certain areas to prevent many from ever being able to procreate ever again, even with the help of magic.

Even his wings joined the fun. Using them mainly as shields, Harry stopped all spells with them. Surprisingly, no one could remember to attempt to cast an AK curse to see if that would make it through.

Every so often, when there was a small lull in the spells being fired off, Harry would lash out with a wing, the tips puncturing flesh with little difficulty. A small amount of a viscous liquid was injected each time the small barbs entered flesh.

Where the liquid was injected a numbing paralysis spread. With in the blink of an eye it had spread throughout the entire nervous system to the brain, affecting motor control and coordination, shutting down that part of the bran momentarily. Each of the infected dropped like stones to the ground, only being able to breath and blink. And while they were immobilized, they felt as if their bodies were just wakening up, a sensation similar to sitting on your foot, having it fall a sleep and then getting feeling in it again.

They might not have appreciated the feelings at the time, but latter they would, in the privacy of their own minds, thank Merlin that they had been hit, because they were the lucky ones. They had been spared their lives. But it wasn't by Harry's hands or wings that the others fell dead to the cobbled street, no it was the Demon Cat that had decided to join the fun.

Alaya had sat in the shadows, quietly observing the drama unfold as 'her' Harry clamed Wergild against the Bitch. But when Harry had roared in challenge to the death eaters, her body flashed from her smaller fairy form, one that was still to young for its gossamer wings, to her Demon form.

Even while still being considered a kitten, her size as a Demon Cat was as large as the saber-toothed tigers of ancient times. Huge canine teeth protruded from her mouth, mimicking the old feline.

Wings that resembled a Dragon's graced her back; and even though she was to young to use them for flight, she could use the strong, claw like fingers on the center joint to rip and slash at what ever came within her reach.

Her claws were wicked sharp, and with out being fully unsheathed, still a good inch of razor sharp nail. So sharp that it could tear the strongest of Dragon hide to tatters, while it was still on the dragon!

She used her weapons ruthlessly. She clawed, scratched, bit, and mauled. Her eyes would scan and track, her huge paws following without a second thought. Her growls and rumbling rebounded off of the stone in the alleyway. She was lethal and gave no quarter. To her, any and every one standing was an enemy. Someone to lash at and destroy the first time, so they would not be able to stand for another attack.

She raged along side Harry. A pet possessed of the cunning and protectiveness that was rarely seen in any form. So precise were her movements, so calculated it was almost as if she had practiced along side Harry in mock combat before.

It was a symphony of movement and skill. No matter who came at them, they moved in harmony to take out the threat. But no matter the sudden moves or the twist and turns each made, never once did either land a blow on the other. Not one scratch or injury.

Finally, all but one death eater was incapacitated, or dead, but then again, dead is incapacitated. He coward on his knees behind a stray sandwich sign that had proclaimed essence of mandrake root for half a knut an ounce.

Whimpering, he ended up on his knees before Harry. His eyes were huge, terrified and slightly glassy in terror. His heart was beating in sharp thumps in his chest, moving his blood at such a rate that the throbbing was visible in a vein in his neck.

"I am sick and tired of this." Harry addressed the figure. The stench of fear starting to waft over to him. A mixture of sweet and other bodily fluids, including urine and vomit.

"Tell that girly-man-who-MUST-be-stupid," Here Harry paused to sneer, one side of his lips pulling up to reveal a sharper then normal eye-tooth and extremely white and menacing teeth to the cowering figure before him, "that if he wants to fight, then to come after me directly! Not to try to kill anyone but me. I am his enemy, not the innocencts of the wizarding world, not children in a school and not creatures that have no other recourse then to join a megalomaniac just to survive!!"

He grabbed the trembling man by the edges of his soiled robe and pulled him face to face, "I am more then willing to meet him, to kill him as many times as it takes to get it through his thick skill that I am more then him." He dropped the now hyperventilating Death Eater. "GO!!" he roared.

Crab walking back as fast as he could, the man managed a small “eep” before being forcibly disapperated.

Alaya stopped beside him, sitting daintily and licking the blood off her muzzle with a lazy tongue. Her eyes, despite her relaxed posture, continued to look for possible threats in the now silent ally way. When none were found, and both Harry and herself calmed, Alaya shrunk back down to her smaller body, the wings melting back into her fur as if they had never disemboweled anyone a moment before.

Her teeth shrunk down to her kitten sized milk teeth and her claws disappeared back into her paws. The glow of battle faded from her eyes, melting away to show the original silver blue color of before.

Harry also transformed back as well, his adrenaline fading from his blood slowly. His wings snapped closed around him, creating a cloak of darkest black before fading into his skin. His hair stayed spiky, but lost the shinny tips (they became regular hair once more, the metal tips being reabsorbed into the hair follicles themselves.)

His body trimmed slightly, though not by much. He still had his new height but was no longer looking as if he had supernatural strength and speed. His eyes lost the quicksilver quality, settling back into his green eyes with the silver rings.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling something twitch at his butt. A long, low groan escapes his lips before he can stop it as he realizes what that twitch meant.

In the confusion of his transformation, Harry hadn’t completely viewed his transformed self, sure the wings were easy, as were the muscles. But he had completely over looked one item. A tail. Looking down at it now, he saw it was mainly wrapped around his waist, the tip seeming to wave at him.

'Bloody great! Now I have a tail with a mind of its own!' Harry thought to himself.

"What inn the name of Merlin...!" A familiar, gruff voice carried over the stillness of the alley.

"Moody." Harry said, turning to face the experienced auror. "I am SO glad to see you."

"Are you now, boy?" Moody said, signaling to the group of aurors that had apperated behind him to spread out and check the bodies on the ground. "tell me something only Harry would know." the ever paranoid man asked.

Harry grinned, grateful for, if however odd it was, the normalcy from the auror. Walking up to the man, Harry leaned in close, ignoring the spinning eye and the tightened grip on a wand, and whispered into the mans ear. "Your a member of the Barbecue Chicken Club, whose address resides at the place of a death omen."

Moody barked out a laugh. Trust Potter to come up with that description of head-quarters. "What happened here boy?" He asked.

"Not exactly sure sir, it kind of gets blurry in the middle." Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched the clean up. "The last true thing I remember was Bellatrix firing an AK curse then everything gets a little fuzzy and the next thing I know for sure is I’ve got this," His tail unwinds and peeks over his shoulder waves, then curls back around his waist, " And I’m in the middle of a war zone." Harry waved his hand around, gesturing to the bodies.

"Some job you did, by the way." moody said, his fake eye spinning madly. He wasn't even fazed by Harry's new appendage.

"I did, didn't I?" Harry said, his mind already coming to the conclusion that he was the one responsible for the 'war zone', even if the details were a little blurred, he was sure they would come together sooner or later.

Even knowing the destruction he caused, Harry wasn't sorry. They had deserved it, and more. A sharp nod of his head confirmed his internal conclusion. No remorse, no guilt, just acceptance and the conviction to do it again if needed.

"Hay, Moody!" Another vice called out from further down the ally.

"What?" Moody called back, walking towards the voice.

"Something strange is going on. We've got Bellatrix, but for some reason we can’t get close to her and...Well you had better come over and see for yourself." With that the auror directed them to the ring of people.

Moody gave Harry a look and went into the crowd to see what was happening. Harry followed behind, dipping quickly and fluidly to once more pick up Alaya.

They came to a stop on the inside of the ring of Aurors and Unspeakables.

Sitting on the ground was Bellatrix LaStrange.

As Harry pushed to the front of the gathering crowed, Bella seemed to sense him and look up.

Her expression was that of a stunned cat. A cat who had caught a mouse with the intention of playing with dinner only to have that mouse turn into a wolverine and take a swipe at the cats nose.

She blinked, her eyes slowly coming into focus. She scrambled to her feet then walked over to where Harry stood, her head bowed, her posture positively screaming compliance. She held out both hands, palm up, presenting him with her wand.

Every one looked at Harry. Eyes wide and mouths opened in shock they could only stand and stair. Moody looked suspicious for a moment before his magical eye caught something and zoomed in.

He reached out and moved her hair away from her neck, revealing a tattoo that had never been seen there before. He looked at her outstretched hands and saw the same tattoo repeated there, and if he was a betting man, he would bet they were also inscribed on her ankles.

Now Moody was a smart man. As a child many things had interested him, including runes. In Hogwarts he had even been at the top of his ruins class. After his graduation and acceptance as an Auror, he had kept up with the study. He had even gone as far as to study some of the more obscure and outdated ones.

So it came as a slight shock that he could decipher some of the ruins intertwined in the tattoos. And even more shocking was identifying them as the oldest ruins in existence, the ruins of magic itself. And he knew that the only way for those ruins to be placed on ANY thing, was for magic to intervene.

They twined around delicately, shimmering slightly with different colors and patterns. They were finely wrought and displayed in positions that could normally be seen in everyday activities. Translating some of them, Moody read that they essentially bound the wearer to a wizard of the ancient and noble house of Potter, and would remain bound until either her death, or the wizards release of the bindings. They bound her by blood, body, mind, and soul to him. Never could she harm him or impair him in any way, and was, in fact, bound to please him in what ever capacity she could, and to obey him.

And being the only one left of the Ancient and Noble house Potter, Harry had somehow acquired Bellatrix as a slave of Wergild.

Moody understood then. Potter had cast a spell that had not been used since just after King Arthur, and cast it successfully for the Powers-That-Be to bless and approve of the price.

Now all he needed to know was how Potter had known the spell in the first place. The only reason Moody knew it was because his study of ancient magic and ruins. Knowledge gained over many decades of study and practice. So how was it a sixteen year old, not even out of Hogwarts, knew the spell?

Harry's face was a study in confusion and bewilderment before a fuzzy memory came into focus. His eyes widened slightly then narrowed to slits, trained on Bellatrix's face.

Plucking her wand out of her hands, he came to a decision.

"You are NEVER EVER to use magic. In any way shape or form, unless I give you permission. If you even want to use a house elf, you must get my permission." Harry said, his voice low and deep, his eyes locked onto her bowed head. "Do you understand me?"

Bellatrix nodded.

"SPEAK!!"

"Yes, master." Bellatrix whispered.

"You are to go Nowhere without me or my permission. In fact you are to stay within 10 yards of me at all times, unless I say otherwise. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes, What?" Harry demanded. No warmth could be detected in his voice or demener. he even made Moody shiver.

"Yes master."

"Your every action, from your first waking moment of each day, to your last will be geared to please me in some way. I am now your world, your focus. Every thing you are revolves around me and what I want. If you do not please me you will be punished. Understand?" Harry systematically destroyed any and all options for any rebellion from Bella before it could happen, shaping the rules quickly and efficiently.

"Yes master."

"Starting this instant, you will never lie to me, about any thing. Never hide any thing or keep any secrets. If you know something, any thing i should know, no matter what you think other wise or have been told, you will either write it and present it to me or tell me out right after asking me for permission to speak. Are we clear?"

"Yes master." Bella shivered, her arms wrapped around her self.

Harry turned to Moody, "Do you think any one in the ministry will have a conniption fit about this?" He asked, his head tipped to the side in inquiry.

"A kaniptowatssis?" Moody didn't recognize the muggle term.

"A Conniption. It means will they freak out."

"Depends. Maybe because it’s Bellatrix, but not over you owning her. They'll know just by the spell and the tattoos that now grace her body that any right they had over her was superseded by magic itself. And they definitely know better then to try and fight that." Moody chuckled a little. He had approved of each and every one of the edicts placed on the Bitch, even thinking that they were to lenient for someone of Bellatrix's reputation and cruelty, but he would take what he could get.

"Hmmmmmmm......Well I can fix one thing now." He turned back to Bella, "You will only answer to 'slave' or 'bella' or 'bitch' from now on. You no longer have a name but are now a possession, Bella only being used if I do not wish to offend any body. You will answer only to me, speak only to me. No one else. If there is a need for you to reply or in any other way communicate, find me, and RESPECFULLY ask for it. You are to keep speech to a minimum. No noise no sounds no talking unless i say. UNDERSTAND!?"

Bella nodded her head, "Yes master."

"Good." Harry turned around and looked at the assembled Aurors, gagging their expressions in an instant. Some showed shock and others were livid with anger. A few even held the look of joy or glee and only one or two confusion.

"Bellatrix LaStrang is no more. She is gone. In her place is this..." he waved to the bowed headed figure. "Creature. She belongs to me now. I will see to her punishments or disciplines as I see fit. She is no longer a concern for the Aurors or any other law. YOU are NOT to touch her or harm her. SHE BELONGS TO ME!!! she is MINE." Harry looked out to each of them. making sure they understood his words, he turned back to Moody.

"I need to return to my home. I've got a few things to sort out right now, and then I’ll be over at headquarters. If you, need me owl me."

With that, Harry pulled a bronze Knut from space, grabbed Bella and activated the Portkey.