- October 1, 2005 -

“What were we supposed to be looking for again?” 

Kibum’s brow furrowed as he scanned the roll of parchment Professor Sprout handed out as soon as class started. The goal was to find, identify, and bring back as many plants that were on this list to the greenhouse for discussion. In only ten minutes. Once they were released, Minho had run as fast as his legs could carry him down to the Forbidden Forest, leaving Kibum to catch up.

He was panting by the time he reached Minho, who was standing on his tiptoes as he peered inside the dark shadows of the forest. 

“Uh, puffapod…moonseed…four-leaf clover…mistletoe…ling – “ 

“Are we allowed to go in?”

Kibum looked up from the list. “Why…you see something?”

“Maybe.” Minho took a step closer to the forest, and Kibum glanced back to where Sprout was probably…definitely watching them all search. “I remember reading ahead about moonseed, and I think that – “ he pointed into the forest, “ – fits the description.” 

He followed Minho’s finger, seeing nothing at first. Then, there was a faint silvery glow – how deep into the forest, it was hard to tell – with the slightest defined crescent shape. Minho gulped, and Kibum scanned the area again. 

No one was watching…they’d have to be quick.

“Hand me the gloves.” Kibum looked down at Minho’s outstretched hand, his teeth. “What? We can’t both go in together. We’ll get in trouble.” 

“Oh, no, that’d be the worst thing ever,” Kibum said in the flattest voice he could manage as he turned around and, without breaking eye contact with Minho, stepped back into the Forbidden Forest. 

The silence of the shadowed woods was deafening. Instantly, his skin started to crawl and he wanted nothing more than to get out of the woods. Minho stood frozen on the edge of the trees, watching him with wide eyes. “This was your idea, come on,” he whispered through clenched teeth.

Minho took a deep breath and stepped forward, hurrying to Kibum’s side. “Let’s make this quick.”

They both fumbled to get their wands out of their pockets, and Minho grabbed Kibum’s arm as soon as he lit the tip. They made their own path, cutting through the teaming underbrush to the alleged moonseed. 

It was beautiful in almost an entrancing way. The delicate petals of the single flower flattened and curved to form a crescent moon. The scent of salt hung in the air…sort of like at the beach. The petals themselves were almost translucent, and within the crescent, there seemed to be a sort of liquid. As the breeze twisted the underbrush and the moonseed, the liquid inside swished back and forth. 

Kibum stepped forward, reaching out to feel if the petals were as soft as they looked, and blinked when Minho smacked his hand away. “Wha – “

“Don’t…the petals might eat away your skin.” Minho held his hand out then, and Kibum passed him his set of gloves. “Get ready to cut the stem,” he whispered as he slipped them on. “Then we’ve gotta run.” 

Slowly, very slowly, Minho reached forward and grabbed the flower with both hands, holding it closed. When he nodded, Kibum directed his wand at the thick green stalk. “Diffindo!” A flash of green, and they were off and running, back to the safety of daylight.

Not only were they awarded full marks for class participation and rarest plant found that day, but they also got detention for embarking into the Forbidden Forest. 

With Filch. 

To clean all the baseboards in the Great Hall.

“Was it worth it?” Analecia asked them as they were all on their way downstairs.

“No,” Kibum said at the same time that Minho exclaimed, “Of course!”