The Flying Machine

(One-Shot)

Disclaimers: I don't own anything apart from some DVD's/books for this series.

AN: This is a short standard prompt for 'The Houses Competition" set in 'Marauders Era' time. As I am old (ish), my views of them may vary from the young ones, including the fact that I am TeamCharlus/Dorea, have Sirius/James as distant relations through Black blood, as well as TeamTrans (as an ally). I do not accept any new stuff by Rowling.

House: Gryffindor

Class: Astronomy

Category: Standard

Prompt(s): [Dialogue] "It is clear that you have no clue what is going on." / [Dialogue] "I only came here because I was forced to."

Word count: 1,427 according to AO3 (5 pages)

Summary: In which, Sirius invites James to the muggle side of his life. (Starbucks fluff)

"Sirius?" James whimpered, gingerly sitting behind him on the long seat. It was his first time on a muggle machine. Sirius had been trying to get James into riding the bike for a while now, but James had never bothered with the muggle side of life until recently. This was his first attempt!

"Calm down," Sirius said as he passed over the spare helmet. "I've ridden this thing many times. Remus has often joined me. So has Peter a few times. I know how to double on a motorbike. Put that on."

"Ok," James gulped, snapping the helmet strap under his chin before wrapping his arms around Sirius to hold on. His grip became panther-like as soon as the bike under them roared to life. They were soon speeding down the highway, James feeling more queasy as Sirius pushed the machine (or monster in James's mind) into high gear.

By the time they had gotten to wherever Sirius was bringing them (he had yet to tell James), Sirius had to duck into an underground parking lot to sort James out. His stupid antlers had poked up, piercing the spare helmet.

"Merlin's sake, Jim!" Sirius groaned. "Lucky I'm seventeen, now." He helped pull the broken helmet off before casting Repario on it. "Pull your antlers in. We're in Muggle territory."

James put a hand to the side of his head, feeling the top points of the antlers. Some velvet was still there. He would have to rub that off later. He pulled them in out of sight. "Good thing they didn't come out all the way. Red deer horns are long."

"I know," Sirius said, putting the two helmets aside. "Come on!" He grabbed James by the hand. "We'll walk the rest of the way." As they hurried along, he asked, "Was it really that bad?"

"Eh," James groaned, nervously digging his fingers into Sirius's palm until he was sure it hurt a little.

"But you have SOME idea of these machines, don't you?" Sirius went on. "I mean you know what the Ministry cars look like, right?"

"Of course, I do," James said. "But those still have magic. Your bike doesn't."

"Not yet," Sirius admitted, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I might want to make it fly some day."

"Fly?" James gasped.

"Yeah," Sirius pulled James around the corner to reveal a large field where several very large strange muggle contraptions stood. "Got the idea from these choppers."

"Choppers," James echoed, not liking the name at all.

"Short for helicopters," Sirius explained. "These do tours all over the countryside. I've always wanted to try!"

James watched in some horror as another one of these monstrosities came whirling in to land. "They FLY?"

"Yes."

"Without magic?"

"Yes."

"You want to ... " James hesitated as he watched the muggle riders disembark. "THAT? You're going to do that?"

"Correction," Sirius swiped back some of his long black hair, revealing the small gold loops in his earlobe. "WE are going to do that."

James stared at him, his eyes blown wide in a perfect 'deer in the headlights' stunned gaze. He suddenly realized – "OH HELL NO!" His antlers poked up again.

"You are such a flight animal," Sirius teased. "No wonder you got stuck with a Stag."

"Sirius, it's not safe! They have no magic!"

"It is clear that you have no clue what is going on," Sirius said. "Look, they do this all the time. Muggles are amazing inventors. They have large ships to cross the sea—"

"Yeah, because that worked so well for a ship named Titanic a few decades ago!"

"—Even bigger ones to travel in the skies!" Sirius continued, pointedly ignoring the jibe at the Titanic. "They can fly across vast areas without magic, no problem."

"Again, Titanic!" James reiterated. But his stupid distant cousin didn't seem to listen.

"They do it through science," Sirius went on. "I guess, maybe, science is like magic but for Muggles."

"Sirius? Padfoot? Sweetheart? I am NOT getting in that contraption!"

"I paid fifty quid each for this," Sirius complained. "That's a hundred quid so—"

"I know how to add!" James rolled his eyes. He wasn't quite that dumb. Prongs the stag was pretty dumb, shoving up some antler points at the most inconvenient times, but James the human was better, or so he liked to think.

"You're going!" Sirius grabbed James by the hand. "The horns, you numpty!"

James glared but had no choice as Sirius had already started moving towards a large white helicopter, holding firmly onto his hand. The horns disappeared, somewhat unwillingly. "What is quid?" James asked under breath as they neared the door.

"Muggle money," Sirius answered. "Will you stop acting like the total pureblood filth that you are? You're going to expose us!"

James smirked a little in spite of himself. Sirius had always hated the pureblood cult. He had turned his back on the Black house a long time ago. The only pureblood he truly got along with in school was James; although, Sirius liked to point out his 'filthy' blood status whenever he could, as a jest to the culture he had turned against.

James nodded politely as Sirius started pointing things out to him. The propellers. The steering wheel. Everything connected by something called wires. Running on something called power. All good. Something to do with aerodynamics. In reality, James still didn't have a clue what was going on. Muggles were weird. That was all he knew. But Sirius was the most muggle-minded sorcerer in the history of Wizardkind, so far. He seemed to understand everything just fine.

In a few moments, James found himself strapped in next to Sirius. He was 'siriusly' (he mentally smiled at the joking use of the name, it never got old) regretting not finishing off the velvet on his antlers right about now. He could have had them all nicely polished, but no! Sirius had plans for a date that were literally off this world.

"Are you alright, sir?" The pilot checked over both of them, noting that James was slightly panicking.

"I only came here because I was forced to," James muttered.

"He's fine," Sirius said. "Take us up."

The machine lurched into the air.

"Bloody 'ell!" James yelped, grabbing hold of the bar on the side of his seat.

Sirius laughed as he pulled James close to him. "Calm down. This is normal. Wait until we see the views up there!"

"I am going to kill you!" James mouthed under breath. He leaned against Sirius, head on his chest. He could feel Sirius shaking in laughter, but a hand slowly started petting his hair. Ever since mastering Prongs, James always had softer hair due to the velveteen nature of his horns. He slowly relaxed as the machine flew higher.

James eventually sat up, still holding the bar with one hand. His other hand was gripping Sirius hard on his arm. "Is it over, yet?"

"Such a flight animal," Sirius reminded him again. "We're just levelling out, up here. Also, do you mind?" He glanced down where his leather biking jacket was bunched up in a vice-like grip. "You're starting to cut off the circulation."

"Sorry," James said, releasing Sirius but not the bar. "I'd take being a deer of being a dog any day. You slobber too much as Padfoot."

"I do not!" Sirius exclaimed. "Besides, slobber over cud any day. You waste literal hours chewing cud."

"No, I don't!"

"You are such a liar!" Sirius scolded. "We all can hear you at night, doing it. Munch. Munch. Munch. Burp it up, then munch some more. Keeps us up at night back in the dorms."

"Sorry," James replied, clearly not sorry at all.

Sirius shook his head. "Look!" He suddenly pointed out the window.

James chanced a glance outside. "Oh!" He gasped at the height, burying his face into Sirius's shoulder for a moment. He adjusted his glasses before he slowly looked out the window again.

Sirius held him tightly as James got used to looking down. One thing was right. The view was fantastic! Sirius put a hand on the window, pointing down to the water. "Is that an iceberg I see?"

James scowled. Sirius was picking on him for the Titanic comments, for sure. "Pretty sure that's a cruiser ship, Paddy."

"Ok," Sirius smiled. "Just thought I'd ask."

"Shut up," James groaned.

But his eyes forever remained on the view of the setting sun sinking into the water. Sirius was right. It was a fantastic view up here!

~the end