HP: Those Years Sleeping with the Half-Blood Prince

"No, bioluminescent mushrooms only grow in the Forbidden Forest, at the boundary between a specific humus layer and a moonlit area. They are very difficult to cultivate artificially, and Hogsmeade cannot buy fresh ones. Dried ones are less than 30% effective."

"so?"

There was a few seconds of silence.

Severus's voice lowered, almost a whisper: "...I need it. If this variant formula works, it's incredibly effective against neurotic mana depletion, and has fewer side effects than any existing remedy. The parchment says it's one of the secret formulas used by medieval wizards to treat the aftereffects of dragonfire burns."

Ian understood.

Severus wanted to go to the Forbidden Forest.

It wasn't for the adventure, but for the ingredient, for that potentially valuable recipe.

"You know students aren't allowed in the no-go zone, especially at night," Ian said, his tone devoid of emotion.

"……Um."

"And it's very dangerous."

"……Know."

Another silence followed.

Then Ian asked, "How much do you need?"

Severus seemed to pause for a moment. "...Two or three will be enough. The spores are very small, but they must be scraped off from under the cap on the spot."

"Any clues about the exact location?"

"The parchment included a simple map, very old, but it marked the approximate area... in the northwest of the Forbidden Forest, near the edge of the old forest of the Willow of the Beating Man, there is a small swamp nearby."

Ian blinked in the darkness.

The area around the "Hit-Man Willow"? That's a notoriously dangerous area.

"When are you going?"

This time, Severus remained silent for an even longer time. "...The next moonlit night, the bioluminescent fungus will only release its active spores around midnight, during or near the full moon."

Ian calculated the dates; the full moon would be in three days.

"Okay," he said, turning over to face the wall. "Go to sleep. This needs to be planned carefully. At least we need to get Kevin and Aris involved—Kevin has a good nose, and Aris has a good sense of direction. Don't think about going alone; that's like feeding spiders."

Severus didn't say anything more, but Ian knew he had taken it to heart.

The next day at breakfast, Ian whispered to Kevin and Aris about the glowing mushrooms.

Kevin's eyes widened in surprise, a mixture of excitement and fear in his eyes: "The Forbidden Forest? At night? Merlin... this is too..."

"The fluorescent spores of the luminescent mushroom are indeed very special. Many high-level soothing agents cannot do without them, but it is almost impossible to buy fresh ones on the market."

Aris's voice was calm, "But trespassing into the Forbidden Forest at night violates Article 37 of the school rules, and the risk level is high. You can't just do whatever you want. Give me a reason to go to the Forbidden Forest."

"The reason is that Severus needs that stuff, and the recipe might be useful." Ian cut the sausage on his plate. "Are you going or not? If not, Severus and I will go by ourselves."

"Of course I'll go!" Kevin said immediately, but then shrank back, "But... could you please not get too close to the Hufflepuff Tree? I heard that tree beat a Hufflepuff who sneaked in last year so badly he was in the hospital for two weeks..."

Aris pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Indeed, but if the recipe is really as you say, I'll give it a try."

"The prerequisite is that we need to figure out the route and evacuation plan. I can consult more information about the terrain and dangerous creatures in the northwest Forbidden Forest at the library to develop a relatively safe route and early warning plan."

The plan was thus finalized.

Over the next two days, Aris indeed unearthed several tattered old maps of the Forbidden Forest and several botanical books that mentioned the growth habits of luminous mushrooms from some obscure areas of the library.

Kevin, on the other hand, subtly inquired about the patterns of the Forbidden Forest patrols and Hagrid's patrols from the older students.

Ian prepared several bottles of basic white succinate, antidote, and energizer, and also dug out a few dark old cloaks.

Severus studied the diagram attached to the parchment repeatedly and treated several copper nuggets with a potion he obtained from Slughorn, creating a simple detector.

On a night with a full moon.

After the curfew, the castle fell silent. The four changed into dark clothes, put on cloaks, and, led by Ian, went down to the eighth floor.

The Room of Requirement had been turned into a makeshift equipment room tonight, and they did a final check on the items.

"Map, detector, potions, rope, glowing wand..." Aris counted, "and this—"

He took out several small glass bottles sealed with corks, containing a dark red, viscous liquid. "A simple smoke bomb, very pungent, it can interfere with creatures with a keen sense of smell, and lasts for about thirty seconds."

"Great stuff!" Kevin exclaimed.

Severus examined the treated copper nuggets, which lay quietly in his palm. "That's enough."

Ian took a deep breath: "Remember, the objective is clear: get the spores and leave. If anything seems amiss, retreat immediately. Aris, lead the way; Kevin, keep an eye on the surroundings; Severus, identify and collect the spores; I'll cover the rear. Any questions?"

No one objected.

In the exchange of glances, there was a tense excitement and determination.

They slipped out of the Room of Requirement, gliding like shadows through the silent corridors, dodging a patrol of armored soldiers and a near-miss with Peeves, before finally slipping out of the castle through a secret passage in a painting.

The night wind was biting, and the full moon hung high in the sky.

Aris unfolded the pieced-together map and used the moonlight to orient himself.

"Here, stick to the edge, avoid the front of the willow, and go through the old oak grove on the side. The map shows an old path there that is almost overgrown with weeds."

They slipped into the forest.

The rustling sounds of various nighttime activities came from all directions, and unknown eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Kevin was so nervous he almost moved his hands and feet together, but he tried to widen his eyes and prick up his ears.

Aris walked steadily, occasionally checking the map and the surrounding terrain features.

Severus held the copper nuts in his hand, feeling the coolness of the metal on his fingertips.

Ian stood behind, wand in hand, warily scanning the darkness behind and to his sides.

After walking for about half an hour, the trees became increasingly tall and ancient, and the atmosphere became even more oppressive.

They found the old path Aris had mentioned—it could hardly be called a path, just a slightly sparse trail overgrown with weeds.

"We should be there soon." Aris lowered his voice, pointing to a blurry mark on the map, "The edge of the old forest, the swamp. Glowing mushrooms prefer dampness, and decaying tree stumps near the swamp are common growing spots."

After groping forward for about ten more minutes, the air became humid and stuffy, carrying a strong smell of mud and rotting plants.

Severus's palm of copper nuts suddenly began to heat up slightly, and one of them became particularly hot to the touch.

He stopped and raised his hand in greeting.

Everyone held their breath.

Severus carefully parted a clump of huge plants in the direction Tungnat had pointed out.

Before me lay a small forest swamp, its water dark and bubbling with tiny bubbles.

Several huge, decaying tree trunks lay across the area.

On the shady side of one of the thickest tree trunks, near the waterline, a few blue-white fluorescent lights were softly glowing.

It is a luminous mushroom.

The cap is small, umbrella-shaped, and emits a dreamlike glow, like condensed moonlight.

There are about five or six flowers, clustered together.