“Where did you get that scar from?” Zhenya said, poking Dimitri’s cheek. It was thin and long.
“I got whomped,” he said, smiling. His mother tisked impatiently. She was angry about the entire thing, obviously.
“What do you mean you got whomped? DO THE PROFESSORS USE THE CANE?” she asked, mortified at the possibility.
“No, it was a willow.”
“What was? The Cane?”
“NO! The willow whomped me.”
“How did it do that?” she asked.
“Whom me?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s a whomping willow,” he said, puzzled she didn’t yet know this.

“A whomping willow?” she said, laughing.
“Yes,” he said slowly.