A/N: Hello everyone! Welcome back to another fic :) This started out way more depressing than how it ended, and I'm actually not mad, lol

This one is for Round 3 of The Houses Competition, where I'm in Ravenclaw House and writing for Potions. This competition, we have to write a drabble (500-1000 words) as well as a standard (1000-3000 words). This fic is the Drabble of the two. Prompts are listed below.

Thank you kindly to BBGrl, Rena, and BeaWrites for the beta!

Word Count: 950

Disclaimers/Warnings: Nightmare death

Summary: On an expedition with her father to find the Norwegian Nisse, Luna is saved by a most unlikely ally.

Prompts:

The Houses Competition Y10 R3

[Character] Luna Lovegood

"The Nisse"

Luna grinned widely as she and her father posed for a Muggle picture at a giant statue of what the Muggles thought were trolls in Norway. Luna, thankfully, had never met a troll in real life, but the pictures in her grandfather-in-law's book made them look ugly and smelly. How a photo could make something look smelly, she wasn't sure, but Newt Scamander somehow achieved it.

It was actually one of the reasons why they were on this trip in the first place. Luna and her husband, Rolf Scamander, had decided to make a newer version of Newt's book, Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them. Rolf had been ecstatic to care for their twins–newly turned two–to allow Luna and Xenophilius the chance to go on one last hunting trip before Luna focused her life on raising their children.

Luna had seen what working while child-rearing had done to her mother, and she didn't want to end up the same way—taken from her children far too early, all due to a work accident.

For this trip, they were hunting for the Nisse, which were said to be little men with beards and pointed hats like Muggle garden gnomes. They often lived in barns and farmsteads, so the two of them were headed to a farm in Southern Norway. Luna had gotten the homeowner's permission to stay and look around for a week.

"We're looking to write up an article about the Nisse, to share the story with my children when they get older," Luna had said on the phone.

"Oh, like Patrick Nielsen!" The woman had said enthusiastically. "He was here just last winter, doing research for his children's book. It's coming out next year, did you know?"

Luna hadn't, but she had been interested and pre-ordered the book for her own children with Hermione's help. And now, Luna and her father were staying at the farmstead for four days and three nights, to try to meet the family's Nisse.

They had found a little rocky outcropping by the west fence today. Luna had hung back while her father investigated the area. A general sense of unease filled her, but she wasn't quite sure what was off about the whole situation. They had been at the farmstead for two whole days now, and the homeowner, a lovely old lady by the name of Ingrid, had been nothing but welcoming to them. Even Ingrid had been disappointed when her Nisse hadn't shown himself yet, but she had just explained it away as Ulf being shy.

The sun was just beginning to set, and Luna cast her gaze to the sky. "We should go soon," she said, turning to take in their surroundings so they could find the area again later. "After breakfast tomorrow, we could-"

A bright green light filled the air behind her, and Luna whirled around just in time to see her father collapse to the ground.

"Daddy!" came her piercing shriek. Time seemed to slow down as she took off across the rocky outcropping to get to her downed father, who laid amongst a now fading light-filled rune carved into the rock. Even before she collapsed to her knees by his side, she knew he was gone, but that didn't stop her from running every diagnostic spell she knew, trying to find even the tiniest spark of hope that her father might still be alive.

With a gasp, Luna's eyes shot open to see a tiny man's face in front of hers, their noses touching. Adrenaline spiked through her veins as she dove for her wand, the squeak of a small man filling her room as her hand closed around the familiar wood of her magical implement. With the flick of her wrist, the bedside lamp lit itself, casting a faint glow throughout the room. The light illuminated a funny looking little man, with a beard and a pointed hat.

"Is Miss okay now?" he asked worriedly in thickly accented English, wringing the hem of his tunic in his hands.

"You're this farmstead's Nisse!" she said with wonder. The little man nodded.

"I am! You were having a bad dream, Miss. I got rid of the Flingwigs for you," he replied. "They cause bad dreams at night and worries in the day."

"I was, thank you for helping, Ulf," Luna said kindly and he blushed at her praise.

"Oh, it's nothing. You and your father have been nothing but kind to Miss Ingrid since the beginning of your stay. Kindness given is kindness received in turn."

Realizing she still had her wand in her hand, Luna quickly set it down before crawling back into bed, the adrenaline quickly fading now that she could see the Nisse.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" Luna then asked, her breath hitching at the thought, her hands twitching to grab a quill and parchment. The Nisse shook its head.

"In the morning you can ask me all that you want," he replied. "But for now you need your sleep."

"But-" Luna began to argue but he cut her off real quick.

"No buts, Miss! You still need your sleep, and I'll still be here when you wake up in the morning. I'll answer all of your questions after breakfast," Ulf replied.

"You promise?" she then asked, and he nodded his head.

"I promise. Now, off you go! I will stop you from getting any more bad dreams tonight," the Nisse said.

"Thank you, Ulf. I appreciate it," Luna replied.

As Luna settled down in bed for the second time that night, she couldn't help but grin at her luck. She went to sleep again feeling like a kid on Christmas Eve.

She couldn't wait until morning!