Shrieking Shack, Whomping Willow and Alexis

[Alexis Alméida]

Alexis was in one of her spaced out moods, nothing anybody was saying around her seemed to reach her ears, in fact it just kind of span off, shrugging things off with a slight rise and fall of her shoulders or a nasty look given in the right direction.

However, right directions werent exactly Alexis's strong point. She had, on number of occasions, given a foul look to a wrong person, got the wrong end of the stick about something or other or even gone to the wrong classroom for the wrong lesson. Yes, she wasnt perfect, especially in her spaced out moods, who knew where she would end up.

This time, she had ended up somewhere she didnt expect, but being Alexis she didnt realise this until it was too late. She had been wandering around the castle, trying to find something to do or someone to tease, though it seemed like things were lacking somewhat these days and soon enough, Alexis found herself outside. Taking in her stride, she put her head forward and began to walk, not really taking much notice in where she was walking. In fact the only time she looked up was when she found herself lying on the floor.

What had happened was, she hadnt been paying attention and she had walked right into swinging range of the Whomping Willow. Of course it was already too late and by the time Lexi realised, a huge branch had smacked into her side and sent her flying backwards, landing heavily on her right arm. She stood up with a mumbled "ow" and looked at the tree. Now all she wanted to do was best the damn thing.

[Nikole Talley]

Nikole sat just out of reach of the Whomping Willow as she studied her transfiguration. This was one of her favorit places to study. She had always found the tree to be fascinating, and as long as she stayed out of its reach she would be okay. Out of the corner of her eye as she scanned the pages of her book, Nikole noticed someone walking toward the tree, and wondered if they realized that they were heading straight for the Whomping Willow.

Looking up from her book, Nikole saw that it was a fellow fourth year, Alexis Almeida that was doing the walking. Nikole had never really spoken to the Slytherin girl, so she didn't know much about her like whether or not she was reckless enough to knowingly walk up to the tree. The girl didn't seem aware of what she was doing, but before Nikole could call out a warning, she had gotten in range of the tree and had been knocked backwards.

Nikole jumped up, dropping her book, and headed over to the girl. She let out a sigh of relief as the girl stood up, apparently not too injured. When Nikole reached her, she saw that Alexis was looking at the tree as though she were planning something. "Are you okay," Nikole asked, without too much concern in her voice. Obviously the girl was fine.

[Alexis Alméida]

Lexi hadnt noticed Nikole as she had been walking aimlessly around. The only time she realised she wasnt alone was when she was stood next to Alexis asking her if she was okay. "Im fine" she mumbled, though couldnt shake off the stabbing pain in her side from where it had hit her. Without thinking she rubbed it gently.

She looked up at the tree, its branches were swinging, and if Alexis wasnt mistaken it seemed as though they were swinging happily now, as if it liked whacking students off their feet. This didnt amuse Alexis as now she wanted to show that thing that just because it was a tree, Alexis wouldnt back down.

"I knew i didnt like trees" She said, she knew there was a specfic point on the tree you had to touch to stop it from moving, or there was a spell you could use, but she was too big to touch it and she didnt know the spell either. "Wheres an animagus when you need one?"

[Nikole Talley]

Nikole giggled a bit at the girl. "Animagus? You don't need an animagus," she said as though it were a simple fact. She knew what the girl was thinking. The way that Alexis looked at the tree as though she could defeat it made it obvious what the girl was thinking. There was a knot on the tree that when pressed would paralyze the tree for a short time.

"You just need to touch that spot," Nikole said pointing. She had researched the tree quite a bit. After all since she spent a good bit of her study time out here, she figured it would be best to know as much about the tree as possible since it could prove to be a danger to her. "and stay out of the tree's reach at the same time. That could prove to be a challenge, but I doubt if you're one to let a challenge stop you." Nikole looked at the tree's swinging branches and smiled. It really was a fascinating plant.