Title: Mushrooms!
Ominous October 2024
Team: Dragon
Challenge: Trick or Treat prompt; Midnight spooky bingo card, I3
Prompts: "Would you like to go mushroom hunting with me?"; Mooncalf
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Gotta Catch 'Em All: number 247, Pupitar, ground
Prompt: [setting] forbidden forest
Jurassic Park: Gigantosaurus- Extra security
Prompt: [character] Luna Lovegood
Diagon Alley Adoption Centre: number 31, Dasher the Stag
Prompt: [setting] forest
Fandom Frenzy: Teen Wolf
Prompt: [object] full moon
Inktober: theme number 28, trees; location number 14, shoulder
Prompt: changing of the seasons; forbidden forest
Monster Smash!: Xmen, Magneto
Prompt: [creature] thestral
A Guide to the Apocalypse: step 4, water
Prompt: [word] putrid
House Challenge Tetris: piece 10, row 3, red T
Prompt: [word] kerfuffle
Writing club
Character Appreciation: number 1
Prompt: [appearance] blonde hair
The Forecast says: 13th, windy
Prompt: in the woods
Prime Time: number 4
Prompt: [creature] unicorn
Spooky Month Special Thread
Halloween Treats: number 9, spooky forest pudding cups
Prompt: [setting] forbidden forest
Pumpkin Patch: friendship number 3
Prompt: [item] friendship bracelet
Hayride: number 2
Prompts: [weather] breezy
Haunted House: scare 3, zombie
Prompt: [object] torch
'Tober Fest: dialogue-tober number 26; BONUS character
Prompt: "My life is a joke."; Luna Lovegood
The Menagerie on Discord
Weekly Writing Challenge: 8/26/24
Prompts: 3) [restriction] only 1 male character
Promptober: 10/26
Prompt:[weather] breezy
The Houses Competition
Challenge Bingo 2- Characters
Prompt: Luna Lovegod
Word count: 763
Warnings/Trigger warnings: NA
A/NLuna always knows how to cheer everyone up
"You looked sad, so I made you this," Luna said, handing a friendship bracelet to Neville. "So, you would always know you have a friend."
"Thanks," Neville said with a sniff.
"Why are you sad?" Luna asked, sitting beside him.
"My life is a joke," Neville replied sadly. "I'm barely a wizard and I'm not brave enough to be a Gryffindor."
"Well, the sorting hat obviously disagreed," Luna stated matter-of-factly. "It wouldn't have put you into Gryffindor if it didn't recognise those qualities in you. You need to have more faith in yourself."
"Thanks," Neville said, giving Luna a faint smile.
"Would you like to go mushroom hunting with me?" Luna asked. "You're good at Herbology and you can help me find orange grisette mushrooms. They make the most wonderful tea."
"Sure," Neville replied.
Neville followed Luna out of the castle and down the lawn. The sun was low in the sky casting low shadows that stretched ahead of them. The full moon was already visible in the sky and the brisk autumn breeze blew Luna's long, dirty blonde hair every which way. Neville felt a slight sense of trepidation when he realised that Luna was heading towards the Forbidden Forest.
Almost as though she had read his thoughts Luna piped up, "Don't worry. We won't be going far inside. There's a mossy clearing nearby that's usually good for finding them. Tonight's a full moon as well and that makes the mushroom tea the most potent."
Neville nodded but said nothing, following Luna into the shelter of the trees. Red, orange and yellow leaves crunched loudly underfoot as they picked their way amongst the trees looking for mushrooms. It wasn't long before they were struggling to make their way through the thick undergrowth. Neville's robes snagged on some brambles. He just about had his robes free when he caught his hand on the thorns.
"Ouch," he complained, sucking the blood from the stinging wound.
"Ooo, the thestrals might pay us a visit. They'll be attracted to the smell of your blood," Luna bubbled happily as Neville made his way out of the brambles and onto the path Luna had been aiming for. "There's one now," Luna beamed happily as a thestral appeared out of the gloom of the close-knit trees.
It didn't take for several more thestrals to appear. There was a bit of a kerfuffle around Neville as they all jostled each other to get closer to the scent of the blood. Neville and Luna continued on their way, closely followed by several thestrals. They reached the mossy clearing that Luna had mentioned and stopped short with a soft gasp. There was a herd of mooncalves in the clearing, their pale grey skin blending into the gathering gloom and shadows of the trees. A putrid smell reached their nostrils. Luna picked up a nearby branch and set it ablaze, making a makeshift torch. The torch crackled merrily casting a beautiful orange glow throughout the clearing. The dancing light fell on the source of the putrid smell: mooncalf dung.
"Don't you just love the way firelight dances?" Luna asked dreamily.
"I think I'll take some mooncalf dung back for Professor Sprout," Neville told Luna who handed him the torch and pulled a sack out of her satchel. "It'll speed up the growth of some of the magical plants."
Luna lit her wand this time and started searching for mushrooms at the base of the trees while Neville gathered up some of the dung for Professor Sprout.
"Oh, hello," Luna said softly. "Have you come to look for mushrooms too?" Neville turned around and saw Luna chatting happily to a unicorn that was next to the tree she'd been looking under. "I haven't found any mushrooms yet but I think I have a couple of sugar lumps in my satchel, if you'd like." She reached into her satchel and pulled out some sugar lumps, holding them in her open hand as she offered them to the unicorn. After a moment's hesitation, the unicorn bent its head down and gladly accepted the offer of the sugar lumps from Luna.
"Even if we don't find any mushrooms today, this has been fun," Luna said looking over at Neville. "You've got dung for your plants and we had a lovely chat with a unicorn, some mooncalves and some thestrals. And I got to spend time with you, which is always nice."
Neville smiled, Luna always knew how to cheer people up and she was right, it had been nice just to spend some time with a friend.
