The New Marauders

Buckbeak

The sun shone brightly over the Hogwarts grounds as the third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins gathered outside Hagrid's hut for their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson. There was a palpable sense of excitement mixed with nervous anticipation as Hagrid loomed over the group, beaming as he addressed the students.

"Righ' everyone!" Hagrid said, his voice booming. "Today, we're startin' with somethin' special. Hippogriffs! Beautiful creatures, but yeh've got to treat 'em with respect, yeh hear?"

The students exchanged glances, some excited, others wary. A few of the Slytherins looked downright skeptical, but James and the rest of the new Marauders-Edward, Nate, Luke, and Sam-were grinning. They'd spent plenty of time around Hagrid, and James had heard all about Hippogriffs from his father. His excitement was barely contained.

"Now," Hagrid continued, leading the group toward a paddock where several Hippogriffs stood proudly, their majestic wings folded at their sides. "The first thing yeh gotta do is bow. Show 'em respect, and they'll respect yeh back."

James immediately spotted a familiar face among the Hippogriffs: Buckbeak, the same Hippogriff his father had ridden years ago. His heart raced a little at the thought of following in his dad's footsteps.

Hagrid stepped forward to demonstrate, bowing deeply to Buckbeak. After a few tense seconds, Buckbeak bowed back, and Hagrid turned to the class with a wide smile. "There yeh go! Now, who wants to go first?"

Before anyone could speak, James stepped forward, grinning. "I'll do it."

The Slytherins snickered, Brookes among them muttering something to his friends, but James didn't care. He was eager for the chance to ride Buckbeak just like his dad had done.

Hagrid smiled approvingly. "Good lad, James. Yeh know what to do."

With steady steps, James approached Buckbeak, locking eyes with the proud creature. He could feel his heart pounding, but his excitement far outweighed any nerves. He took a deep breath and bowed low, holding his breath as he waited for Buckbeak's response.

After a few moments, Buckbeak dipped his beak and bowed back. James grinned, knowing the hardest part was over. "Nice to meet you, Buckbeak," he said quietly, stepping forward to gently stroke Buckbeak's feathers.

"Go on, James! Hop on!" Hagrid called, beaming.

With Hagrid's encouragement, James climbed onto Buckbeak's back, his pulse quickening as he settled into place. The feeling of being up close to such a powerful, majestic creature was exhilarating. He glanced over his shoulder at his friends, who were watching with wide eyes.

"Hold on tight now!" Hagrid warned. "Buckbeak likes ter go fast!"

Without further warning, Buckbeak spread his enormous wings and launched into the air, the ground quickly falling away beneath them. James felt a rush of wind in his face as Buckbeak soared over the castle grounds. He let out an uncontrollable laugh of pure joy.

"Woohoo!" James shouted, his voice echoing through the air. He raised his arms for a moment, feeling the wind whip through his hair as Buckbeak flew higher. "This is amazing!"

Down below, the rest of the class watched in awe, some of the Gryffindors cheering, while the Slytherins looked on, a mix of surprise and envy on their faces. Edward, Nate, Sam, and Luke were all laughing and clapping, proud of their friend.

Hagrid grinned as he watched James fly, clearly pleased that one of his students was enjoying the experience so much. "Look at 'im go!" he said proudly. "Just like his dad!"

Buckbeak swooped low, flying in a wide arc around the castle grounds, giving James an incredible view of the lake and the Forbidden Forest. He felt completely free, like nothing could touch him up here. His cheers and shouts echoed through the sky as Buckbeak flew faster, his powerful wings cutting through the air.

When Buckbeak finally began to descend, James held on tightly, the ground rushing up to meet them. The landing was smooth, and as Buckbeak touched down, James slid off, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was brilliant!" James said, turning to his friends, who had gathered around, eyes wide with excitement.

"Mate, that looked incredible!" Edward said, giving James a playful shove.

"I think I'd be too scared to try that," Nate admitted, though there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.

"Yeah, well, you made it look easy," Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Even Luke, who had been making jokes earlier, gave James a genuine smile. "Alright, that was impressive. I might just have to try it next."

James laughed, feeling a surge of pride as he patted Buckbeak one last time. "You should. It's even better than it looks."

Hagrid clapped his hands together, drawing the attention of the rest of the class. "Alrigh' then, who's next?"

The Gryffindors eagerly lined up, a few of the braver Slytherins joining in, though Ethan Brookes and his crew hung back, looking less than enthusiastic. As the lesson continued, James couldn't help but feel like he'd just had one of the best moments of his life. Riding Buckbeak had been everything he'd hoped for-and more.

And as he glanced back at the castle, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was following in his dad's footsteps in the best possible way.