Excitement hangs in the air as lunchtime comes to a close. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger walk with several other third-year Gryffindors and Slytherins out of the great hall of Hogwarts Castle, making their way down the hill to their first Care of Magical Creatures class!
The trio spot their friend Hagrid, who took over teaching the class after the previous professor retired. The half-giant waves eagerly to the approaching students, beckoning them close for their (and his) first lesson. Once everyone is ready, Hagrid leads the group to a paddock containing some truly bizarre creatures!
Harry looks on in awe, taking in the sight of the nine-foot-tall beings that look half eagle, half horse, with all of their coats in different colors from one another.
"Hippogriffs!" exclaims Hagrid. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
Most of the class nod in agreement, Harry and his close friends included. They look fierce and dangerous, but they also carry a kind of elegant charm to them.
Hagrid beams as he details the proper way to approach one – Step close, then bow to show submission. The creatures are quite proud, as he explains, and one is expected to let them make the first move. "It's only polite!"
Then, he asks for a volunteer to demonstrate, and Harry steps forward.
"Great! Let's see how ya handle Buckbeak."
The large professor unties a large, grey Hippogriff with piercing orange eyes, before beckoning the boy closer.
Harry approaches the creature as Hagrid steps back, giving them ample space to go through the greeting ritual. "Remember to bow… And don't blink too much; they see that as untrustworthy…"
Doing as he was instructed, Harry lowers his head toward the creature, then stands back up and waits.
Buckbeak looks Harry over, cocking his head to the side as he regards the boy.
Harry doesn't move, not wanting to startle the creature. He holds his breath, waiting to see what they will do.
Then, Buckbeak steps closer to Harry and sharply lowers his head – While opening his beak.
"Uh, Hag-"
His words are cut off by a wet squish as the Hippogriff engulfs Harry's head in his beak!
"Harry!" shouts Hermione.
Hagrid freezes. This wasn't an outcome he had anticipated! Usually, Hippogriffs either return the bow or disregard it. He's never seen one do this before!
Inside Buckbeak's beak, Harry sputters, feeling the creature's tongue stroking all over his face and head, soaking him in thick saliva. He squirms, trying to pull free, but the creature's jaw is too strong to pry apart. Plus, he has a terrible feeling that if he fights too much, Buckbeak might use those talons to 'coerce' him into being more cooperative, if not turn him into more bite-sized chunks!
"Hagrid, do something!" pleads Ron.
The half-giant shakes his head and steps toward Buckbeak, a very nervous stammer in his voice. "B-Beaky… Put Harry down… N-Now, ya hear?"
The Hippogriff turns his eye toward the approaching man, then pushes his head down firmly.
Harry yelps as he's suddenly thrust forward, his face sliding along the back of Buckbeak's tongue and plunging into the rippling gullet ahead! His shoulders are jammed into the beak of the creature, preventing him from struggling as effectively.
The students watch in horror as Harry, the famous Boy Who Lived, disappears deeper into the creature. Even from where they are, they can see a bulge in Buckbeak's neck as the Hippogriff begins to swallow his meal down. Drool pours down from the creature's beak, soaking Harry's robe and clothing as it drips to the ground.
In desperation, Harry reaches into the pocket of his robe and makes a grab for his wand. He knows it would pain Hagrid to see him cast a spell on the creature, but it's better than ending up in its stomach!
He takes a deep breath of muggy, humid air, trying to move his arm correctly as he shouts "Stupef-ACK!"
Buckbeak took that exact moment to pull his head sharply upward, yanking Harry into the air and making him drop his wand. He can only yell "No!" as he's swallowed deeper still, his chest entering the creature's beak now, his arms entirely pinned to his sides, and his last means of defense gone from his grip.
Outside, Hagrid tries again to reason with Buckbeak, sounding even more meek than before. "B-Beaky… Please spit him up now… Alright…?"
Buckbeak merely takes a threatening step closer to Hagrid, who retreats in fear. As the creature's taloned foot comes down, a loud crack is heard as Harry's wand breaks in half under the weight of the Hippogriff.
"Hagrid!" screams Hermione, nearly hysterical. "Make it stop!"
With a heavy sigh, Hagrid shakes his head and looks over at her. "They don't like bein' interrupted while eating. Bes' ta just… Let 'im finish."
"WHAT?!" exclaims Ron.
"I'm right sorry…"
The class watches, terrified, as Buckbeak begins thrusting his head rapidly upward, swallowing Harry's midsection and then his legs with an audible Ulp… Ulp… Gllp… before sending the last of him down with a deep Gllck!
Inside, the boy descends smoothly through the creature's esophagus, disoriented from the rapid movements. He winces in pain as he's suddenly forced to bend backward at a nearly ninety-degree angle, and he reckons he must be entering the horse part of the creature's body.
Barely a moment later, his face presses against a tight ring of muscle that holds taut for a few seconds before giving way, letting him slide into Buckbeak's belly. He can't do anything to stop himself from being pushed into the chamber, forced inside by the peristaltic contractions of the esophageal muscles. Finally, with one last wet squish, the cardia squeezes shut once more, trapping Harry entirely within the digestive organ.
He can feel the creature's belly sagging from his weight, but the rubbery, muscular walls of the stomach keep him firmly in place, preventing him from moving beyond light squirms. And going by the almost pleased sounds Buckbeak is making, all Harry is accomplishing is giving the creature a nice tummy rub from within!
Back outside, Ron's own stomach turns as he sees the wiggling bulge in Buckbeak's belly. Hermione looks as though she's going to be sick.
"H-Hagrid…" mutters Hermione, "I'm… I'm gonna go get Professor Dumbledore… He'll know what to do…"
Hagrid nods. "Y-Yeah, good idea."
Harry can feel the stomach walls rolling and contracting, kneading against him. They grow slick with fluids that begin to pool at the bottom of the chamber, making him tingle as they soak through his clothes and into his skin.
"Hagrid! Someone! Help me!" he shouts, unaware his voice is completely muffled by the Hippogriff's body. He knows it won't be good if he doesn't get out of here soon…
Minutes pass. His shouting grows weaker, as do his struggles. The fluids have risen about a third of the way within the stomach and continue to rise. His hands have grown numb, submerged in the liquids for as long as they have been. The walls continue to churn, working those fluids over every inch of his curled-up form.
A particularly firm squeeze knocks his glasses off his face, not that he could see anything in the darkness anyway. He feels the stomach contracting, the surroundings growing tighter. The air grows thinner, making him lightheaded – Not helped by the tingling numbness now spread throughout his entire body. He can't feel his hands or his legs at all anymore.
"H-Hagrid… Professor Dumbledore… Please…"
The walls clench again, plunging his face beneath the digestive fluids.
About fifteen minutes after she left, Hermione returns with Professors Dumbledore and Snape following close behind her. They run to the paddock, where they find Buckbeak resting comfortably on his belly, napping after enjoying his meal.
Dumbledore examines the scene, then he nods to Snape, who steps into the enclosure while unlidding a vial of potion.
But before he can do anything with it, Buckbeak suddenly retches, and everyone watches as a bulge moves back up his throat. He lets out a sharp hacking sound, spitting out a pellet-shaped lump of red-and-gold robes, clothes, and a pair of black shoes, all thoroughly soaked in drool and digestive fluids. He then coughs once more, and a pair of cracked, round glasses falls from his beak, landing atop the pile.
Screams sound from the students as they run back to the castle in terror.
Hagrid watches them sadly, muttering "…class dismissed…"
Snape chuckles darkly. "Well… I suppose he isn't the Boy Who Lived any longer."
