Hogwarts Whomping Willow

"People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it."

- Remus Lupin

The Whomping Willow of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry grounds is a very valuable, very violent tree which was planted in a solitary location on the school property. Whomping Willows attack anyone and anything that comes within range of its branches. There are two known ways to immobilize the particular Whomping Willow placed at Hogwarts: pressing a particular knot at the base of the tree or using the "Immobulus" spell.

It was planted around the year 1971, the same year that Remus Lupin began attending Hogwarts. It was placed so to disguise the opening of a secret passage leading from Hogwarts to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. This allowed Lupin to travel unnoticed to and from the Shrieking Shack, where he was able to undergo his transformation as a werewolf in privacy. This was kept a secret from everyone but Hogwarts staff and Lupin's three closest friends, James Potter, Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black. In time, Severus Snape also discovered its purpose.

History
When the tree was first planted students would play a game in which they would attempt to get as close to the tree as possibly. Students were forbidden from going near the tree after Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye.

In 1992, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley accidentally crashed a Flying Ford Anglia into the tree, seriously damaging it. The tree violently defended itself and nearly killed both boys.

In 1993, Harry Potter's Nimbus 2000 broomstick was destroyed when it fell from the air into the Whomping Willow's branches.

In 1994, Sirius Black, in his animagus form of a large black dog, dragged Ron Weasley into the secret passage beneath the Willow. They were quickly followed by Harry and Hermione, then later by Lupin and Snape.

In 1998, Harry, Ron, and Hermione snuck through the passage under the Willow to the Shrieking Shack during the Battle of Hogwarts. There, they witnessed Snapes's murder by Lord Voldemort and his serpent, Nagini.



Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Whomping Willow is located in the Training Grounds, whereas in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the tree is on a hill, far from the castle. The cause of this change is probably the new location of Rubeus Hagrid's hut.


 * In the Chamber of Secrets video game, the Whomping Willow is located within the boundaries of the Forbidden Forest. This is its largest incarnation to date as it appears to be nearly a hundred feet tall. It is the first boss in the game.
 * It was possible to get past the tree's swinging branches by prodding a knot that would freeze the tree.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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