Annie was watching closely as the students took their turn with the Willow. She almost stepped forward and said something as two, er, whompers came awfully close to Evelyn.

If only to preserve the girl's wand. Sigh. Where was Bunz's hiding? Its very wood had come from this tree.

That sad thought aside, she was now watching Jake Upstead very closely. He was so very weird. Such a weird little catnapper boy so focused on the tree. But at least he was applying the fertilizer correctly and carefully. The tree would respect that, hopefully.

"Ethan?" she stepped closer toward him and touched his shoulder, missing the Evelyn!encounter entirely. "Would you lead us to the tunnel?"

Tunnel.

"Tunnel."

Ethan just sort of walked forward in a daze, right up to the base of the tree and around the trunk a few times until he sort of remembered what he was doing. Hugs were bad.

Truebridge stood beside the tunnel and gestured to the tunnel opening.

Yes. The Willow was still moving. But Ethan had his wand, possibly the only professor who still did and he was quite ready to immobilise the tree if necessary.

Besides, the students needed the exercise.

ooc: Yeah you get to RP entering the tunnel. It can be as difficult or as easy as you like but remember not to RP for the Whomping Willow and that Truebridge, even though he's all weirded out on hugpower, is watching and ready with his wand. He actually kind of likes Bunbury's his students so he won't let anything too bad happen.

Much.

Awww. The tree had been a GOOOOOD tree, to Fyo. He stepped back once had made a good spread of the mooncalf dung at its base and -- and jumped backwards, in a most sudden whirl of astonishment. Because the tree ... because the tree ...

Because the tree had WHOMP'ED'ED a student!

Several students, in fact.

At least it was not him. Not to mention, the professors were quick to ... make sure nothing serious happened. The Gryffindor shook his head, a bit dazed, then looked around. Tunnel? Eeep! Off to a tunnel now, they were.

Yes, they included him.

From where he knelt, spreading the fertiliser, Jake blinked and looked up towards Truebridge, still practically massaging the roots, unaware of bunbury. He blinked again and tilted his head, using the least words he could to avoid stuttering. "Climb?"

That's what you said, right?

Climb?

Yes?

"Yes." Ethan agreed, "If the tree agrees. If the tree likes you. And if you finish the class task." Truebridge pointed at the tunnel entrance.

"Or you are welcome to wait right here with me." No points for that though.

"Oh," Jake said simply. He pulled his gloves from his hands and let them fall as he stood back from the tree and looked at where Truebridge was gesturing to. Without another thought, without paying attention to how difficult it might be. The tree might have been making it very difficult... But Jake didn't notice. He just wanted to climb, and his temper wasn't getting in his way. His small size was helpful in getting him through the gap, and without another word, Jake was out of sight.

Just as LouAnn had distributed the last of the mooncalf dung, she heard Professor Bunbury mention going through a tunnel. LouAnn loved exploring tunnels...they were so mysterious and always led to really interesting places. Her eyes flickered towards Professor Truebridge, who was gesturing towards the tunnel's opening.

LouAnn examined the tree as she thought carefully about how and when to proceed. She spotted Jake just up ahead and watched him as he went forward and then vanished into the tunnel. Curious to experience this tunnel for herself, LouAnn took the same route, disappearing into the tunnel only seconds after Jake.

Now this...should be interesting.

'He's joking right? They are both joking...' she watched as the Professor moved toward the tree and stood right by the tunnel. They had to go through the tunnel? Well, that part was the easy part. Going to the shrieking shack sounded fun... but the getting to the tunnel was the hard part. "Ummm... yeeeaaa..." Placing her hands on her hips, she stared up at the tree. 'I can toooootaally do this. Yea.' Or maybe not.

Becca smiled at the praise."Thank you Professor Truebridge!" Five whole points! This was great, and she was glad she was paying attention!

Turning her attention back to the Willow, who almost.....nodded at her. She grinned at her success. Into the tunnel? Becca thought Alright, I can do this.She found a logn stick, said a very sincere "I am so so sorry." to the wonderful Willow slowly, she walked a bit closer to the tree, then poked the knot before sliding through the secret entrance.

Celandine peeked around the tree with obvious interest. She'd seen the tunnel before though she'd never actually had the inclination to go particularly far into it, certainly not all the way to the shack. She finished with the dung and patted the Willow, quite reluctant to leave the tree.

The ground shaking under the whomps was actually kind of comforting.

Plymouth wasn't exactly thrilled about leaving the tree. She, the she-tree, was having a fit there at some girls and Plymouth ... kind of liked it. Made him giggle. "Hehe." OBVIOUSLY the Missy Willow was just messing with them... Plymouth was easy-going enough though, and he could see the ROOTS from underneath. So. Let's roll!

Never getting up from his seating position, Plymouth crawled over to the opening and as Plymouth's will do, dove in head-first. "GERONIMO!!!"

Okay, everyone else was going through the tunnel. It should be safe...right? The tree wasn't whomping them, so it was safe. Right? RIGHT?!

'Oh c'mon Ev! You can go through the forest in the middle of the night, deal with your parents and brother, and practically anything else!...but you can't get close to this tree. A tree.' Taking a deep breathe, embarrassed at the fact that it was true, she couldn't get close to the willow tree without freaking out, she took a cautious step forward and then sprinted towards the Professor.

The Professor would make sure nothing happened right? Argh! So many questions! Not even paying attention to anything else, just the hole to the tunnel, she slid through. Mission accomplished!

Massage time. This was why the great and mighty tree permitted students to live.

She approved of this young Puff, even with that odd glint in his eye and his nonstop muttering of the word 'climb.'

Maybe the child would grow out of that foolish desire. Or maybe he would have to be taught.

Either way, the tree swayed her branches appreciatively and then stiffened up when the man professor spoke again and came closer....


......


so the students were going UNDER her now? They were USING HER?

The tree started swinging her largest, most useful beating branch about as she thought to start whomping. Annie hadn't exactly asked...

...even if it was in the name of education....

......perhaps just a few could go in, maybe the ones she approved of.......

Oh.


No.


She didn't.


The One That Was Terrified was gravely mistaken if she thought she was going to sneak past THE Whomping Willow without another good who---


*FREEZE*

It was like the Muggle children's game of "freeze tag." The great, majestic, and most beautiful Whomping Willow had been frozen in place with one limb outstretched to sweep that Slytherin off her feet.

Damn Ravenclaw.

Such a travesty.... now all of the children would be permitted to enter her tunnel.



But some one was going to pay for this on the way out.

Scrambling out of the tunnel, Jake gave the tree a quick pat on the trunk and then swiftly moved out of the way. Who knew what was going through its... errr... mind?

...

Yeahhhhh.

So, Jake moved rapidly from the entrance of the tunnel and waited for Fred to join him. Glancing at the tree, Jake did feel kind of bad.

"I'll ppppput suhhh-some mmmmore of that sssstuff on your roots lllater, Ma'am," he called to her, looking slightly ashamed of, you know, going in and out all the time. Since he didn't plan on returning, he could just... be nice to the tree... riiiiiight?

Right!

Fred exited the tunnel and saw his escort seemed to care more about the tree which was still frozen from earlier. He walked over to Jake coughing a bit and took hold of him for support and said, "I needed you back there and you're just running ahead, why? I had to lean on the walls of the tunnel for support and let me tell you there are some pretty disgusting things there", Fred said glaring at the boy and pointing out the bat poop on his robes and some bruuises that came from being dependant on the cave walls to get through the tunnel.

"At lllleast you dddddidn't duhh-die," Jake stuttered, shrugging as much as he could with the boy's hand on his shoulder. Without elaborating, Jake turned starting towards the castle and tugging Fred along, thinking.

It really was a good thing Fred hadn't got worse in the tunnel, after all the accusations about Jake previously. "S'go."