For Non-Human Boot Camp - Prompt #2 Wizards

For 19,000 Prompts, 500 Words, One Week Challenge – Prompt: Belong

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Questioning My Existence

The Whomping Willow is generally disregarded as a mere tree, cursed to defend its land. Originally it was like that, but anything magical has the ability to end up as so much more. So it started to question its existence, like a common witch or wizard, wondering why it should defend itself, and if it should, why did it have a kill switch? Was it not magical enough to stop everything in its path?

Then it started to notice the children around it, the flock of orange headed kids, who never seemed to leave the school completely. The hoard of younger children, colouring at the base of the lake in an attempt to connect to their home and childhood and everything they have ever known. The older children laughing at tricks The Whomping Willow had seen many times over to barely be amused.

No one came down to see it. It? What a horrible term for something that was clearly living. No one ever came down to see him. He started to question his ability to attach to those around him, so many people feared him. So he became lenient, still controlled by the magical spell laced upon him, yet forcing himself a smaller restriction boundary. Hurting less and letting more children come closer, listening to their stories of the inside walls of the castle that lay before him.

He even caught the short glimpses of children who would break the boundary further in order to not be seen as they kissed passionately behind the willow that no one dared to approach. He caught brief snippets of conversation he wish he understood.

"Kiss me Penny. No one can see us," a young orange haired girl said grabbing the young girl known as Penny and kissing her so passionately he felt a sense of curiosity at their clear confinement. The longer he observed and tried to understand, the easier it was to feel what the children felt. Well not actually, but he could certainly imagine how joyful felt. Even sadness around him seemed to make his branches wilt just slightly.

After a while, he stopped questioning his existence, he didn't need to. As far as a magical tree on the grounds of Hogwarts went, he was pretty content. If the Whomping Willow could smile, he would as he spent his years looking at the children happily playing around him.