Grounds: The Climbing Tree

[Wilber Winterbottom]

Graphic credit: Felixir

Standing squarely in the middle of an otherwise featureless lawn is an immense oak tree with sprawling, high-reaching branches, its foliage thick and rich with natural colour, depending on the time of year. The tree is taller than it has any right to be, and seems ideal for climbing. That is, indeed, what your benevolent groundskeeper had in mind when he grew it.

The very lowest branches jut out six feet or so above the ground, but if you can't reach or haul yourself onto these, there are little nooks and conveniently located knots in the trunk to get you started. Up in the higher branches, you'll find platforms and maybe a basic treehouse structure or two, but the real fun to be had is in traversing the tree itself.

Climbing tree though it is, this area also serves as a pleasant meeting place, the vast canopy of leaves providing plenty of shade in the summer months. A plank swing dangles from one of the lower branches, and a tyre swing from another.

It's pretty difficult to confuse this tree with the Whomping Willow. For starters, you're in an entirely different part of the grounds. Not to mention, the climbing tree is an oak, and (presumably) won't maim you for trying to climb it. All the same, you're expected to treat this place with respect. Don't act like a fool, especially when you're high up in the tree. If you do happen to fall, the slowing and softening charms in place around this area will kick in, and you will come to no great harm.

Do as you please here, as long as its within school rules. Relax. Have fun. Go wild (but maybe not too wild).

[PhoenixRising]

Standing squarely in the middle of the grounds, Emma glanced one way and then the other just to make sure she hadn't mistaken this immense oak tree for the Whomping Willow. Her father had been a skilled Appleby quidditch player before retiring and while they had a quidditch pitch in their yard and she knew enough of the basics, it wasn't really until the feast that Emma decided she would just go for it. While she didn't have her broom with her - she hadn't intended to tryout for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team until that morning really - the fourteen year old decided if she made the team she would just owl for her parents to mail her broom.

Did she know what position she'd want to play? Not really. Her father played seeker to her recollection and her small build would likely set her up for success there, but she wasn't married to the position. She just wanted to get some agility training to make sure she could handle whatever was thrown at her during tryouts. Reaching upwards, she wedged her foot into one of the little nook thingies to give herself an edge upward.

[Holmesian Feline]

Fresh air and Nadia went together like peanut butter and jelly. She chalked up the less than perfect academics to that fact since she would get antsy and not want to study after a while if she was free from classes. And now to get in the mindset to be ready for quidditch try-outs she was definitely feeling antsy and had taken off randomly across the school grounds once she stepped outside the stone walls of the castle. It was a nice autumn day in Scotland…not to warm but not too breezy. Good for flying, but irioni9cally she wasn’t drawn to it at the moment. Other aspects of game garnering her attention.

The Gryffindor eventually found herself coming near the climbing tree, slowing her stride as she approached the large sturdy trunk of the oak. Nadia let her hand absently trace upon the rough surface of the wood as she slowly walked around it as if debating her next move, finally stopping abruptly as she noticed she wasn’t alone. “Guess we had similar ideas…” she mused aloud for the younger girl to hear as she leaned back against the trunk.

[sweetpinkpixie]

It had become a tradition for Anna to start off the school year (and every month of term) lying out in the grass watching the clouds. She wasn't JUST watching them, though often she got lost in the whimsy that was fluffy white against bright cerulean, but rather working on her own personal Divination project with Nephelomancy. Whatever findings and interpretations she found were usually taken to Professor Rook to discuss, but the knots in her stomach as she watched a fox (or maybe it was a cat?) shaped cloud lazily drift across the blue canvas before her...she wasn't so sure she wanted to. But then it would be obvious that something was awry if she did not show up since she had been doing so ever since she was a second year!

Still laying on her back in the tall grass, her notebook held above her with one hand while the other messily scribbled down both animals, the seventh year's ears twitched when she heard voice (well, a singular voice) from nearby and she sat up. Though, to someone looking at the scene from the outside, it looked as though Anna had just popped out of the ground like a daisy. Something told her this 'similar idea' was not directed at herself but rather her small blonde housemate making her way up the tree. "Are you looking for bowtruckles?" she chirped with a cheerful wave at her friends.

[PhoenixRising]

Being petite led itself advantageous when it came to wedging herself into places. Although lacking in arm strength, her lanky body allowed for extended reach providing adequate balance. Emma had been oblivious to her housemate in the grass - her intent solely fixated on agility training. It wasn't until she heard a voice that caused her to freeze mid-climb and look over her shoulder. An older gryffindor she recognized only as Aryan's older sister. If she had less mannerisms, she'd likely have greeted her as such.

She was about to respond when she noted Anna popping up out of the grass. Perplexed, "Bowtruckles? Uh no, but ... were you down there this whole time?" She held still onto the grippers, looking over to Aryan's sister who perhaps was there for bowtruckles. "The weather was so lovely, I'd though I'd do some unique exercise prep for quidditch tryouts." Which this was actually the first she'd openly admitted her intentions aloud, having only just recently made the decision to go for it.

[Holmesian Feline]

Looking upwards, Nadia hadn’t noticed her friend’s sudden appearance amongst the taller grasses surrounding the tree. So it was her turn to be surprised by Anna’s surprise vocalizations causing her head to quickly turn in the direction it was coming from. Thankfully no falling off a swing for her. “Geez I would have tripped over you if I had come from that direction…” she mused with a chuckle and shake of her head in minor disbelieve at the other girl’s hiding place. “And no…no searching for bowtruckles.” For once she wasn’t playing off of her family’s, both related and chosen, connection to creatures.

As for the younger girl’s comment about what she had been doing, she couldn’t help but smile. “Now that is a good plan,” she remarked supportively. “For me, I am trying to clear my head about try-outs,” Nadia admitted with a soft sigh. “I don’t remember feeling this way when trying out for England’s team.” Was it because of Professor Adara? Her coach knew how she played but the Gryffindor wasn’t assuming that meant she had a spot. Who knew if her housemates would turn out better than she was?

[sweetpinkpixie]

Oh. No bowtruckles. That was a little disappointing but not in any manner that showed prominently on her freckled features. She had just spent a fair bit of time with Mr. Derf's bowtruckles, particularly Picketta, over the summer during her volunteering with Aurora and she was rather keen to try out some of the techniques she had learned on wild non-rehabilitating bowtruckles. Then again, if they were in this tree that would mean that it was their Home Tree and that would be terribly inconvenient and just rude for herself and her fellow Hogwartians to be climbing it all willy nilly. After all, no one really fancied having people come over to their homes and proceed to climb all over the interior walls and leaving scuff marks.

"Bowtruckles," she repeated with a nod towards Emma. "Just word association, I suppose. Tree equally bowtruckles. Nevermind." It was perfectly okay that there was no bowtruckle searching in progress but also quite fascinating that apparently this tree was a homing beacon for athletic anxieties. Anna did not have any of those herself, but the other two did and about the same sport so that was enough of a coincidence for her to draw this conclusion. "And, well, apologies for spooking you both," she laughed and fluffed her curls a bit to shake some grass and wildflower petals free from it. Being petit like Anna was made her a perfect contender for hide-and-go-seek, though it came with the drawback of sometimes being mistaken for a first year despite certain physical features clearly implying that she was much older than 12, and the grass at Hogwarts was so soft and lush that it hid her very easily. "I usually lay down closer to the lake where the grass is much shorter but the view of the sky from here inspired me today."

Turning towards Nadia and Emma proper, though still sitting in the grass, Anna placed her hands on her knees and smiled wide. "I'll be in the stands cheering you both on in that case," she promised. And she was quite good at cheering, as she had learned over the years, though the penmanship on her signs left much to be desired and just maybe this term she would leave those in the common room. "It's perfectly okay and normal to be nervous about tryouts, Nadia," she offered as encouragement. She couldn't speak to whether or not climbing trees helped with training but she supposed that ti could offer a different and unique perspective of being high up and that could be helpful. "The best advice I received about being nervous about performing...was to focus on what I could actually control and not focus on the things you can't. So...stressing about the importance of the tryouts, impressing the coaches and team captains, all the what if's, and even just the simple thought of 'I want to get the role' ... er... 'I want to make the team' are the sorts of thoughts that are going to distract you from staying in the moment and focusing what you are doing and none of those things are things that you can directly control. Oh! And don't use up your mental energy trying to compare your performance to those around you because you are likely going to undermine and self sabotage that way. Sooooo, you focus on one play at a time and not what is at stake! And...I know...easy for me to say because I am not trying out but I do think the advice holds a lot of truth to it regardless of my lack of participation."

[PhoenixRising]

Emma realllyyy should have paid more attention to who was quidditch prospects and who played for the U17, but given that she hadn't even considered trying out herself until recently, she had been absolutely clueless of Ary's sister Nadia's status on England's team. So when the older Gryffindor girl brought up the team, she had to admit she was shocked on many accords. She wasn't completely naive though, in that she did know the U17 only played during the summer months. "Maybe because that is just a summer league? So uh... how do you feel then?" Was it wrong to ask an opposing team member for advice? It was good sportsmanship, right? She'd probably offer advice to younger students regardless of house, should she ever get the chance. But Emma wasn't sure how Nadia felt about that.

Oh. Doh. Emma wasn't very good with word associations "Oh... right. I think bowtruckles maybe prefer the trees closer to the forbidden forest?" she looked back at the tree that she was still hugging, as she hadn't really moved from her mid-climb since her classmates joined her. "Apology accepted. I really should pay attention to the long grass, particularly with aspirations to play quidditch. Wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a bludger, should my attention waver," she grinned sheepishly.

And then Anna offered all sorts of advice about performing and Emma had kept her holding on the tree and her gaze on the older hufflepuff as she said she needed to focus on one play at a time. Don't think about comparing to others about how much she wanted the play for the team. But all that made a lot of sense actually when she considered her dance recitals of pre-Hogwarts days, which had been four years already since her last performance? She was young then so some of the advice given was very different to the advice Anna was talking about, but also not much. "I never had a solo dance performance, but I remember when I was dancing, I tried as much to focus on my own performance. But my instructor also said to pay attention to others too, because we didn't need a collision on stage. I'd imagine that quidditch tryouts are much of the same... focus on yourself and your own space."

[Holmesian Feline]

Not so much that she had been spooked, but she would have hated to have tripped over her friend in surprise. Nevertheless, Nadia accepted the apology aimed at both of them, nodding in understanding towards the explanation for her behavior. Yes, the sky was rather clear and gaze worthy, the sixth year slipping down the tree trunk to sit down on the ground to share the best of both worlds. Tree, sky and ground. “True there…” she agreed as Emma equated being of things that might be in the tall grass to being aware of your surroundings in quidditch to avoid those pesky bludgers.

“I’d appreciate that…” Nadia always liked having people she knew in the stands, not so she could show off, but so that she could share something she enjoyed with the people she cared about. Kind of like how she had been reminded in Muggle Studies that both playing in and watching a sporting match can be entertaining. As for advice on how to deal with her nerves, she listened intently to see what she could use. “I felt way too excited to worry about anything. I wanted it so bad I couldn’t think of doing horrible and not making the team.” The butterflies had been energetic but not make one sick to your stomach in a knot of nerves energy.

"Yeah, I’m my own worst enemy now apparently.” She just needed to repeat it like before. Care just enough on her space and the movements of others, but not care how others were doing. And surely it wouldn’t be so tough this time around.