Written for The Houses Competition, Year 6, Round 1

House: Hufflepuff

Class: Care of Magical Creatures

Prompts:

[ACTION] Being chased

[CREATURE] Hippogriff

[OBJECT] Malfunctioning Portkey

Drabble/Standard: Standard

Word Count: 2837 (1000-3000)

"You have the portkey ready, yeah?"

"For the love of Merlin! YES, Prongs, I have the portkey ready! You've asked me exactly seventeen times! Give it a rest, will you?"

"I just want everything to be perfect, Pads…"

"Don't you try to make me feel guilty about yelling at you. Because it's not going to work."

"Now you're just being a jerk."

"And you're just being a pain in the arse."

"Apologize to him, Sirius. Now."

"Fine! James, I'm sorry you're a pain in the…"

"Sirius!"

"Alright, alright, Moony! Don't pinch me! I'm ticklish! Sheesh!"

"Forget him, James.. how are you feeling? Excited? Nervous?"

"I'm terrified, Moony! Do you think I'm doing the right thing? I mean… we're still just 18, right? What if Lily's not ready to settle down with me? What if she wants someone else? What if she doesn't love me enough to marry me? What if…?"

"What if she runs away with Snivellus instead? Or she's already married him by now?"

A loud wail erupted from James Potter's mouth, startling the birds nesting in the nearby trees. James fell to his knees, clutched onto his hair and tried to breathe. He felt as if there was a crushing weight on his chest which restricted his lungs from expanding. While his thundering heart tried to force its way out of his body, his blood coursed through his veins like a raging river of lava.

"James? James? James!"

"Jamie? Jimmy? Jimbo? Prongs? Oh Merlin's beard… you okay, mate?"

"Bloody hell! I think you broke him, Pads! James! James, look at me!"

"Me?! No! Prongsie, look at me! I'm better looking."

"I'm trying to make him look at me so that I can CALM HIM DOWN, YOU ABSOLUTE TOSSER!"

"Just shut up, both of you," James wheezed, one hand clasped to his chest while he clawed at the grass with the other.

"Are you okay, mate? I didn't mean what I said, you know?"

"Sirius was just pulling your leg, James. You know Lily wouldn't choose Snape over you…"

"I know, I know. It's irrational of me… but I'm still terrified, guys. With the war looming over our heads… I just want to make the best of it. I love Lily, I do. But I'm scared I'm not enough for her."

For once in his life, Sirius didn't joke about the situation. Joking was his defense mechanism, but he knew James was already petrified of the thought of Lily leaving him. The things he did for James!

He sighed, ran his hands through his perfectly coiffed hair, and stated, "Listen, mate.. Don't make me repeat this because I already know I'm going to sound like a bloody Hufflepuff.. Evans is NOT going to leave you. She loves you. You two are perfect together. She'll say yes when you ask her to marry you. And you'll have a huge brood of Potters to celebrate that. Merlin, I bet you'll have a whole Quidditch team of Potters! I can just imagine Minnie screaming 'MR POTTER! Not you, Mr Potter, the OTHER Mr Potter!' Can you imagine how much mischief your kids will get up to? The next generation of Marauders! Do you want that, Jamie? Do you?"

At James's shaky nod, Sirius clapped his shoulder, almost sending James sprawling with the amount of brute force he'd used.

"Then get up, take a deep breath in, tell yourself that you're ready, and go propose to your witch!"

"I'm ready! I AM READY!" James roared at the top of his lungs.

"That's the spirit, mate!" Sirius cheered with a beaming smile stretching from ear to ear.

Remus looked incredibly impressed by Sirius' maturity. He handed James the toy bat which doubled as their portkey and asked, "You've got everything, James? We'll portkey to the park now."

James grinned, "Yup." All of a sudden, he paled. "Where's the ring?" He shrieked, furiously patting his pockets with trembling hands.

"For Godric's sake, Prongs!" Sirius pulled out the small black box from his pocket and shoved it into a sheepish looking James' hands, "Don't lose it!"

"Relax, mum!" James teased, pocketing the small item quickly.

The three young men grabbed hold of the bat and Remus called out, "Portus." They were suddenly jerked forwards. The wind howled in their ears and the swirling colours blinded their eyes as their feet left the ground.

But then… something happened; something which was not supposed to. Their portkey crackled and sputtered, letting off an alarming bang. It whizzed them around, making their heads spin.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS THING?" James' scream sounded muffled through the swirling vortex.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Remus yelled back, already catastrophizing about it.

"DO SOMETHING!" Sirius cried.

Before Remus could reply, their stomachs clenched as they hurtled through the dizzying colours.

The wind whooshed in their ears, almost deafening them. They hit the ground with a loud thud, groaning as they tried to sit up. Warily, Remus looked around.

Thick trees closed in on them, their arthritic boughs creaking heavily, gnarled with age. He looked up at the dense foliage that permitted the occasional streak of sunlight to kiss the forest floor. The damp grass underneath smelled minty and dewy. The sweet, subtle scents of myrrh and wildflowers caused Remus' sensitive nose to twitch imperceptibly. James snapped his head to the right when he heard a soft crunching noise. To his relief, it was just a scurrying squirrel looking for nuts under the leafy greens.

"Where do you think we are? And why are we even here? What happened to the portkey?" Questions spilled from Sirius' mouth.

James massaged his left hip as he had landed on it, muttering under his breath.

Remus frowned, "I don't know what happened. And weren't YOU the one to get this portkey in the first place?" Embarrassed, Sirius mumbled, "I got it off of Fletcher…"

"YOU BOUGHT THE MOST IMPORTANT PORTKEY OF MY LIFE FROM A KNOWN SWINDLER? SIRIUS ORION BLACK, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" James' screams echoed through the forest, causing a hare to scamper into a bush and a pair of jays jeer as they flew overhead.

Sirius winced, rubbing his ears, "Don't scream at me, Prongs. I…"

He was interrupted by Remus shushing him.

"Did you hear that?" Remus motioned for them to listen to the trampling sound drawing closer.

"Oh Merlin!" James whimpered, his eyes widened, pointing a shaky finger behind Sirius.

Whirling around, the boys spotted a large chestnut brown Hippogriff storming towards them, almost a hundred feet away. It did NOT look happy.

"Apparate!" Sirius screamed, yanking out his wand and dropping it in his haste. He bent over to pick it up as the Hippogriff took large, menacing steps closer.

"Shit!"

Remus and James quickly pulled out their wands intending to disapparate, but to their horror, they couldn't. "RUN!" Sirius shrieked, shoving his wand back into his pocket and almost impaling his thigh. He transformed into a black German Shepherd and bolted through the trees.

"There must be Anti-Apparition wards around!" Remus yelled, grabbing onto James' arm and dragging him behind. "Climb onto my back!" James hollered, before turning into a magnificent golden brown stag.

Before Remus could protest, the Hippogriff screeched furiously and raised its hooves up. Having no other choice, Remus jumped onto Prongs' back, clutching onto his antlers. Prongs almost bucked Remus off in his panic. He darted through the forest, following Padfoot's trail.

"It's still following us!" Remus yelled. Prongs didn't look back, too busy leaping over bushes and bounding over fallen trunks. Remus caught a glimpse of the black form of Padfoot a few metres ahead. He glanced back and realised that the Hippogriff was gaining on them, trampling over dead twigs and crunchy leaves, its orange eyes filled with rage.

Remus yelled, "Pads! Distract it!" Padfoot yipped and slowed down, dodging as he nipped at the Hippogriff's hind legs just enough to distract it. While the Hippogriff attempted to slash at a zigzagging Padfoot, Remus looked over his shoulder, pointed at the fallen leaves, and called out, "Depulso! Oppugno!"

The leaves immediately flew at the Hippogriff, swarming him from all sides. The beast forgot about mauling Padfoot and focused on the leaves, batting at them with his sharp talons.

"Merlin, that was close!" Sirius groaned, having changed back to his human form, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Remus was about to get off of Prongs' back, but before he could, he noticed the Hippogriff flapping its wings about, ready to take off.

"It's STILL after us? What did we DO to piss him off this bad?!" Sirius screamed, shifting back to his animagus form. The leaves drifted back to the ground, forgotten in an instant as the two Animagi darted away with Remus clinging to Prongs' back with one arm.

Remus' mind raced with different spells and enchantments he could use. He didn't want to hurt the animal, though. Before he could cast a spell, the Hippogriff swooped down and tried to tear into James with its sharp talons.

"It's after James!" Remus realised with a loud gasp, "He must have disturbed it with his screams!"

Prongs darted one way and then the other, the Hippogriff still tailing him. Hurriedly, Sirius changed back and climbed the nearest tree, his wand between his teeth.

"Pads! What are you doing?" Remus rolled off of Prongs' back, landing on his feet softly.

Prongs bellowed, running around the large clearing in a panic, the Hippogriff still trying to maul him with its razor-sharp claws.

"You distract it! Get it over here!" Sirius yelled at Remus, crawling onto a thick branch.

"Oh no, don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing!" Remus whimpered, his words only audible to Sirius as the latter was an Animagus. "Yup!" Cheerfully, Sirius started transfiguring the vines into a strong net.

"This is going to end horribly," Remus muttered as he sent a Stinging Hex at the Hippogriff's rear. It stiffened. It swivelled its head around and trained its beady little eyes on Remus.

"Siri…" Remus called out a clear warning, stiffening as the Hippogriff stalked closer. Now ignored by the wild beast, James changed back and darted up a tree, clinging onto the thick trunk for dear life, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.

"Get ready, Prongs," Sirius hissed under his breath, the silver net ready in his hands. James puffed his cheeks, blew out the air trapped in his lungs, and nodded solemnly, his wand trained in his hand.

We're all lunatics! Remus thought as he watched the Hippogriff inch closer and closer.

Just as the beast pounced, Sirius yelled out a loud "HIYAH!", dropped down onto the minty grass in a move that reminded Remus of a Muggle superhero, threw the large net over the Hippogriff, and cried, "Now, James!"

James' Stupefy hit the Hippogriff's rear and it stumbled. Remus quickly tangled the net around the creature, his hands shaking with nerves. The Hippogriff's screeches resounded through the clearing, the birds in the trees taking flight at the furious reverberations.

"I feel bad for it now…" James mumbled, wiping his sweaty brow with the hem of his shirt.

"It tried to make mince meat out of you, James!" Sirius cried aghast, gaping at James.

"Yeah… but I scared it with all my yelling…" James nibbled on his lower lip as he watched the Hippogriff try to get free.

"James… no. Don't you DARE think about it! We'll die!" Sirius warned, but it was too late. And James had made up his mind.

Careful not to hurt the Hippogriff, James sent a Severing Charm at the net and sliced through the strands. The Hippogriff shook the net off and stood up straight, locking eyes with James. It roared and raised its legs up, ready to attack the boys, when all of a sudden, James lowered his head down deferentially. He kept his eyes focused on the creature's. He hissed through clenched teeth, "Guys, heads down. Now!"

Remus and Sirius quickly dropped their heads to their chests, clasping their hands behind their backs, their eyes locked onto the Hippogriff's. The beast stopped and stared. And then, slowly, inch by inch, it lowered its head down in a bow and gently pawed at the ground beneath its feet.

"Is it… it's not gonna kill us now, is it?" James whispered.

Remus slowly shook his head, "I think you managed to apologize to it."

"Thank Merlin!" The two black haired boys moaned in relief.

They watched the Hippogriff straighten, stare at them for a second, and then unfurl its large wings. It sped off through the forest with a loud parting screech, the ground rumbling beneath its hooves.

Once the danger had passed, James fell to the ground, his knees giving out under him. Sirius plopped down beside James, dropping his head in James' lap, while Remus leaned back against the nearest tree.

"My hands are still shaking," Sirius muttered, staring at his trembling hands with disbelief.

"I can't believe we're alive," Remus groaned, his heart was still beating a hummingbird-like rhythm in his chest. "Guys, I almost wet myself!" James cackled, as the tension of the situation dissipated. Remus and Sirius burst into hysterical laughter, tears streaming down their faces.

"Oh Merlin's pants! Lily's going to kill me if I miss our date! And I still have to propose to her and …" James cried, shooting up to his feet, accidentally hitting Sirius' nose in the process. Sirius scowled, rubbed his nose, and grumbled, "We'll find a way out of here. You'll get to Evans soon."

"Hopefully, it's 'soon-to-be-Potter', mate!" James patted his pocket, making sure the ring was still there.

2 hours and 15 minutes later

"This is why I say 'don't make me navigate', James!"

"How was I to know your wolfy nose is terrible at navigation?"

"Maybe because HE'S SAID IT A MILLION TIMES, PRONGS!"

"Don't shout at me, Padfoot! It's Moony's fault we wandered into the middle of an Acromantula's nest! Blame HIS nose!"

30 minutes later

"Thank Merlin! Now we can Apparate back! We could have escaped sooner if it weren't for that meddling Anti-Apparition ward!" Sirius exclaimed, finally at ease. He stood tall, his form fitting slacks ripped at the knees, and his shirt and shoes filthy with mud and Acromantula blood. Oddly, his tresses had survived the arduous journey and were still perfectly coiffed and clean.

The three boys stared at the setting sun longingly.

"Merlin, it IS good to be out of there, isn't it?" James grinned, running his fingers through his hair and plucking a few twigs and dead leaves from it. A red bruise was visible on his left cheekbone; he'd refused to let Remus heal it because it looked cool, like he'd been in a dangerous fight, and not accidentally getting hit by a swinging branch after a squirrel jumped off of it.

Remus' shoulders shook with laughter, "I can't wait to hear what Lily says when she sees us like this." He wiped his hands on his bloody trousers and attempted to rub the smudge of dirt off of his nose.

"She's going to kill James first," Sirius laughed, his grey eyes glinting with excitement at the thought.

"OR maybe she'll be impressed with our survival skills," James hoped, worried for his safety. He'd been on the receiving end of her hexes many times.

"Whatever she does, it won't be as bad as to what she'll do to you if you're LATE," Remus pointed out, nibbling on his busted lip and wincing.

"THEN, LET'S GO!" James cried, grabbing onto Remus' arm. Sirius grabbed onto the other arm quickly.

"Woah, I'm not Apparating you! You two can do it yourselves!" Remus protested.

"But you're better at it!" James whined, his lower lip jutting out slightly. Both Sirius and James thought Side-Apparition was the closest they had to riding a free rollercoaster. "Flattery's not going to work, Prongs," Remus warned.

"How 'bout we buy you a large bar of chocolate when we get back?" Sirius bribed, knowing Remus would accept. Remus gritted his teeth. Curse them for knowing his true weakness! "Fine. But I pick the chocolate myself," his voice was gruff with annoyance.

"Yes!"

"Done!"

"I can't WAIT to tell Peter we survived both a wild Hippogriff AND an Acromantula nest on the same day!" James boasted with delight.

"You've still got the ring, right, Prongs?"

"Yeah… NO! Wait! I lost it! We HAVE to go back in there!"

"Merlin, you look hilarious, Prongs!"

"Sirius, give him the ring, or else he'll start panicking again."

Big Ben, London

"It IS pretty funny, watching him lose his head like that, isn't it, Pads?"

"Of course it is, Moony! How about we steal his ring again right before he proposes?"

"I'll do it this time. You saw his shoe hit me in the face back in the nest, yeah? It still hurts… I would like a bit of revenge."

"And THIS is why no one suspects you, Moony."

Thanks for reading! Please review as it always makes me happy. :)