The Lion

The group slowly traveled down miles and miles of the Yellow Brick Road. They noticed that the amount of scattered trees that sat on the edges of the road was slowly increasing. Soon, they were in a thick forest, and the sky could hardly be seen through the treetops. It was dark, and Scaregnome Hermione kept getting closer and closer to Harry as they walked.

“I don’t like this,” she said, her voice trembling. “It’s dark... and eerie... and I can hear animals out there.”

Padfoot walked between Harry and the edge of the forest, protectively. Harry turned to Tin Man Snape. “Do you know what kind of animals might be out here?”

Tin Man Snape sighed irritably. “Probably some flesh-eaters and some straw-eaters. Nothing to worry about.” He smirked when Scaregnome Hermione looked at him in horror. “Possibly some dementors, forest trolls, quintapeds, acromantulas, flesh-eating slugs, and vampires. Like I said, nothing to worry about.”

Scaregnome Hermione’s bottom lip was trembling. She gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat. “Forest trolls?”

Even Harry was starting to get nervous. “Dementors?” No Patronus Charm would work here. He was currently wandless.

“And boggarts!” Tin Man Snape added to his ongoing list of deadly creatures that could attack their little group at any time.

“Oh, my!” Scaregnome Hermione’s body was now trembling so hard that straw was falling out of the front of her shirt. “Trolls!”

“And dementors!” Harry added.

“And boggarts!” Tin Man Snape snickered.

“Oh, my!”

Harry and Scaregnome Hermione were now on either side of Tin Man Snape, leaning into him and repeating, “Trolls and dementors and boggarts! Oh, my!” He was quickly becoming annoyed. After quite a few repetitions of the phrase, he finally threw them off of his arms that the two were holding tightly on to. “Enough! I was teasing! There’s nothing dangerous in these woods!”

Scaregnome Hermione’s eyes grew wide, and the color drained from her burlap face. “Then w-wha-what’s that?” She was pointing one shaking, gloved hand into the forest. Tin Man Snape, Harry, and Padfoot all turned to see what was causing the look of horror that was plastered on her face.

Suddenly, a large lion jumped out in front of the group, startling them all with his ferocious growl. Standing on his hind legs, with his large arms up like he was about to attack, the lion moved towards them. The group was huddled together and hunkering down. Even Tin Man Snape was now shaking slightly with fear, although he was standing protectively in front of the others, axe at the ready.

The lion let out another long roar. Then, suddenly, he yelped and fell face-first to the ground. Padfoot had bitten into the lion’s ankle and pulled it out from under him. The lion was now clawing at the ground and trying to crawl away, but Padfoot continued to yank at his leg. He was no longer roaring and growling but whimpering and crying in a very humanlike, and rather pathetic, manner.

“Get ’im off me! Get ’im off me!”

The other three moved out of their “please, don’t eat us” positions and leaned forward to get a better look. The lion was wailing like a child and pounding his fists into the ground. They were slightly confused and more than a little amused at the sight.

“Alright, alright, back off,” Harry said to Padfoot, patting him on the back.

The lion rolled onto his back and sat up, clutching at his ankle. He was sniffling and wiping snot from under his nose. Harry now got a good look at the animal. His face was that of Ron Weasley’s, and it was surrounded by a large, fiery red mane.

“We are just quietly traveling along, and you jump in front of us in this crazy attack mode, and look at you! You’re nothing but a big coward!” Harry thought that Ron was actually a lot like the Cowardly Lion from the movie. Easily frightened but thoroughly courageous when he needed to be.

“You’re right. I’m nothing but a pathetic coward.” He was moping on the side of the road, his bottom lip sticking out. “I just try to scare away anyone who journeys near in hopes that they won’t attack me first.” He continued to clutch at his ankle, whimpering.

Scaregnome Hermione sighed and squatted down beside him. “Look, he didn’t even break the skin. It may be a bit sore, but you’ll be fine.”

The lion sniffed at her seemingly unsympathetic tone.

“Come here.” She offered him a hand and helped him up. “No need to cause a fuss. We’re just on our way to see the Wizards of Oz. We have no reason to attack you.”

“What about him?” Cowardly Lion Ron was pointing at Padfoot.

“Oh, he was just protecting us. You attacked first, remember?” Harry answered him.

“Oh.” He blushed and looked down ashamedly. “Sorry.”

“That’s quite alright,” Scaregnome Hermione said. “I’m Scaregnome. This is Harry, Padfoot, and Tin Man,” she said, gesturing to each of her fellow travelers. “We’re on our way to the Emerald City to see the Wizards of Oz.”

“What for?”

“Well, I need a brain, Harry needs to get home, and Tin Man is coming along to protect us.” She leaned forward to whisper to him, “We want to get him a heart, but the bloody git is completely convinced he’s better off without one.”

Tin Man Snape overheard and scowled at her. She smiled shyly back at him.

“Why don’t you come with us?” she offered. “You could definitely use some courage.”

Cowardly Lion Ron’s face lit up, and he suddenly looked hopeful. “You really think so? Wow... if I only had the nerve...

“For a Gryffindor, it is odd, I really must be flawed.

I'd be brave and be wild...”

He suddenly gestured at Tin Man Snape to continue the song. He didn’t exactly look too eager to sing any more, but he sighed and mumbled something out anyways.

“I’d be whinier than a child...”

He then scowled some more at the Scaregnome to his right.

She was more than happy to carry it on.

“My hair’d be nicely styled...”

In turn, she looked hopefully at Harry to finish the line.

“If the Wizards are two wizards who will serve.”

“Then I’m sure to get a brain!”

“Some peace and quiet once you leave me alone.”

“Revenge!”

“The nerve!”

After finishing his final line, Cowardly Lion Ron turned to Harry. “Revenge?”

“There is a certain pair of twins that I believe I need to take care of...”

Cowardly Lion Ron didn’t quite understand, but nodded his head anyways.

Harry stepped between him and Scaregnome Hermione and offered them his arms. “To Oz?”

They hooked arms and said cheerfully in unison, “To Oz!”

“We’re off to see the Wizards,

the Wonderful Weasleys of Oz!”

TBC