The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 101 Whomping Willow

A few days after the New Year, Ada and her friends were going back to Hogwarts. On the night before returning to school, Mrs. Weasley was in a very low mood, and the jokes told by the twins could not make her smile.

They returned to school via the Knight Bus. The twins were very excited to ride the Knight Bus, as they are always interested in new things.

This three-story bright purple bus was "jumping" on the road. Yes, it was not moving but jumping. The driver, Ern Plan, was not even skilled in steering. He always drove the bus onto the sidewalk. If it were not for the rows of houses and car lights that actively avoided it, the Knight Bus would have been destroyed and killed.

The Fireplace Tour that's like a washing machine, the Knight Bus that's more thrilling than a roller coaster, is there no other way of transportation in the wizarding world?

The occasional vomiting sounds and unpleasant smells coming from the Knight Bus made Ada suffer. Everything in her eyes was spinning at high speed. She felt that her mind was a mess. If she didn't reach the destination, Ada would get carsick.

As Ada closed her eyes and tried to suppress her discomfort, the car drove through the snow-covered Hogsmeade village and finally stopped shakily at the gate of Hogwarts.

The Weasley boys unloaded the suitcases, and Ada breathed in deep gulps of fresh air as soon as she got out of the car. The smell in the car was really disgusting.

The road leading to the castle was a little icy, and Ada had to ask George to hold her up, for fear that she would fall down on the side of the road in a daze. After returning to the dormitory, Ada lay down for a long time before the dizziness disappeared.

The next day after returning to school, the school did not officially start. After lunch, Ada and the twins walked out of the castle. They wanted to go to the Whomping Willow to take a look.

The Whomping Willow is planted on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. This willow tree has a violent temper. No matter what approaches it, it will be mercilessly whipped by its thick branches until it escapes its attack range or is torn to pieces.

There were many secret passages shown on the Marauder's Map. After finding out how to use the map, the twins went to see these secret passages one by one. Some of the secret passages Filch knew about, some of which he didn't. But there was one secret passage that he had never visited, and that was the secret passage under the Whomping Willow.

Ada and the twins stood outside the Whomping Willow's attack range. This was not the first time they had done so. The first time they had done so, the Whomping Willow had tried to attack them with its branches, but as they came more and more times, the Whomping Willow had stopped paying attention to the three of them.

"The map shows that the secret passage is at the Whomping Willow." Fred said, looking at the Whomping Willow not far away. Although the map shows the location of the secret passage, it does not provide a way to enter it like the One-Eyed Witch's passage.

"Is it possible that we are too far away, so there is no way to show it?" Ida hugged her shoulders with both hands and tapped her left arm with her right index finger. "Doesn't the one-eyed witch have to get close to show it?"

George sighed and said, "But the problem is how do we get close..." George took a tentative step forward, and the Whomping Willow suddenly came alive, and a thick branch came directly towards him. George hurriedly retreated.

The thick branches hit the ground directly, stirring up a cloud of snow and gravel. Ida used her wand to block the things flying towards them. George looked at Ida and Fred and shrugged, meaning, look!

When the three people stood far away, the Whomping Willow with its huge joints looked peaceful and tranquil, but once the three people got close, they would face the whipping of branches like a storm. Ada and the twins, unable to get close, could only sigh at the tree.

Ada and the twins put their heads together and looked at the Marauder's Map carefully. The tunnel under the Whomping Willow was clearly marked, but the place where the secret passage led to was beyond the boundaries of the map, and no one knew where it was. There was no bubble text like the one-eyed witch.

"Are we going to return empty-handed again today?" Ada said. If possible, she really wanted to burn the tree. Fred picked up a stone and threw it hard at the Whomping Willow. He said, "While you are looking for the Shrieking Shack, it would be great if you can also find out the weakness of the Whomping Willow..."

"I looked for it, and I found it..."

The branches of the Whomping Willow swayed in the wind, as if to say: So what if you know? Come here!
"What is it?" George said excitedly, "Tell me!"

Ida sighed and said, "Some Whomping Willows have knots on them. If you press them, they will stop moving. But... we don't know if this one has any knots, and if so, where they are."

"How about we try getting Garlon or Banban?" Fred came up with an idea.

"Can you communicate with mice or dogs?" Ada asked expressionlessly.

Fred shook his head. He didn't have that ability. He lowered his head again and continued to think of a solution.

The Whomping Willow can only be stopped by pressing the knot, but to find the location of the knot you need to get close to the Whomping Willow. But before you press the knot, you may be beaten to death by the Whomping Willow. The existence of this kind of tree is really disgusting.

Ada paced back and forth with her head down, simulating the method she had thought of in her mind. Although Fred's idea was a bit bad, it did inspire Ada. Ada took out her wand and cast a transformation spell, turning a stone on the ground into a mouse. She used her wand to control the mouse to rush towards the Whomping Willow.

When the mouse entered the attack range of the Whomping Willow, the thick branches moved towards it. Ada controlled the mouse to dodge, and after dodging one branch, another one followed.

Fred and George also saw what Ida did. They stared nervously at the mouse that carried everyone's hopes. They helped Ida pay attention to the movements of the Whomping Willow and reminded Ida to pay attention to the branches coming over.

After dodging the Whomping Willow's branches that came at it like a tide, the mouse transformed from stone finally broke through the Whomping Willow's defense and ran to the roots of the willow.

Ada began to control the mouse to touch the knots on the tree. The Whomping Willow, whose defense was broken, went crazy. Even though it could no longer hit the mouse, it continued to wave its branches, making a whirring sound in the air.

It was winter now, the weather was very cold and covered with snow, but sweat was dripping down Ada's forehead. It was not an easy task to control the mouse to avoid the attacks of all the branches.

The Whomping Willow suddenly stopped moving, as if it had turned to stone. It seemed that they had successfully pressed its knot. Ada and the twins looked at each other, and the three of them ran forward together, not stopping until they reached the trunk.

A large hole appeared between the tree roots. Fred and George drew their wands and went in first. After confirming the knot of the Whomping Willow, Ada also went into the hole. Sliding down the slope, Ada entered a very low tunnel.

The twins were bending over and waiting for Ada. The fluorescent lights on the tips of their wands flickered slightly. Fred and George said together, "Welcome, welcome to the Kingdom of Tree Holes!"

(End of this chapter)