yule_balls_mod (yule_balls_mod) wrote in hp_yule_balls, @ 2008-12-03 12:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2008, character: harry potter, character: neville longbottom, fic, pairing: harry/neville |
Fic: Neville Longbottom and the Lost Mushroom (Harry/Neville, NC-17) for coffee_n_cocoa
Author: vanseedee
Recipient: coffee_n_cocoa
Title: Neville Longbottom and the Lost Mushroom
Rating: NC17
Pairing(s): Neville/Harry
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.
Summary: When a fungus goes missing, it needs at least two heroes to conquer a cave.
Warnings: Awkwardness, lack of kinks but pretty graphic, EWE
Word Count: ~8400
Author's Notes: Dear coffee_n_cocoa, I hope you like this and that I managed to hit a few of your kinks. Many thanks to You-Know-Who-You-Are for holding my hand, listening to hours of whining and most of all for countless and invaluable blue comments.
Neville Longbottom and the Lost Mushroom
Neville broke into a wide grin when he saw who the Ministry assigned Auror was for his trip to Nepal.
"Harry! What did you do now?" Neville asked and hugged him briefly. The Ministry didn't usually send Harry Potter on bodyguard duty.
"No idea what you mean," Harry answered with a grin of his own. "I swapped jobs when I heard you needed assistance. Why did you request a nanny anyway?"
Neville rolled his eyes. "You read the report I sent the Aurors?"
"'Course I did." Harry shuffled his feet. "Most of it. The part that said we'd go hunting for extinct plants in ominous caves."
That wasn't far off the mark. No one had seen the Red Tinted Honey Fungus in decades. Unlike its non-magical relatives, which formed some of the largest existing organisms worldwide, the magical fungus was rather small and used its energy for developing healing properties instead of growing uncontrollably. Only recently had its true potential been discovered. Too late, they had thought, as the plant had been believed to be extinct. Not anymore, though. A few weeks earlier, it had reappeared on a small market in Pakistan. Neville, as the one who'd been in charge of the project team that had researched the fungus' characteristics, had traced the origin of the plant back to a system of caves in central Nepal, in the Annapurna region, near the Thorong-La saddle.
"You should have read the part where I described the ancient culture of the mountain people. They were highly spiritual. The legend says that nearly two thousand years ago there was a witch called Anna Purna. She was powerful and made the soil all around the mountains rich and fertile, giving the people food and hope. Muggles have a similar legend and built temples for her. The witches and wizards who lived in simple stone houses scattered across the region, used the mountain caves for their rituals, making them their sacred places, where they could meditate and regain their strength. They protected the caves from Muggles with Muggle repellent charms. Wizarding folk were welcome, but they didn't want strangers in the caves so they set traps and left curses. This was centuries ago. Today there are no people left who know exactly what is legend and what is true. The magical people of the area avoid the caves, that's why I couldn't find a Nepalese guide and had to ask for an Auror."
Harry nodded and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "Hunting for extinct plants in ominous caves. I said I read it. How dangerous do you think it is?"
Neville considered the question. "It's just a legend. We know that the plant we're looking for comes from one of the caves, and the man who collected it is reportedly still in good health. As long as we're careful and reasonable, we should be safe."
Harry beamed. "Careful and reasonable. I see why they are sending us."