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Chapter 853: Occlumency (Happy New Year, everyone!)
Chapter 853: Occlumency (Happy New Year, everyone!)
Under Snape's explanation, the young wizards who had been watching the spectacle reluctantly turned their heads away.
Ivan was completely unaffected and managed to read through two advanced Dark Arts books in the morning.
However, from the efficiency, the improvement brought by the Ravenclaw Crown was far less significant compared to the System's Scholar Experience Card, offering only about a third of its effect.
The good thing was that the Crown could be used at any time without the hassle of earning House Points. With such a boost in mental capacity, Ivan was quite satisfied.
As the bell signaling the end of class rang, Harry and Ron, who had endured two periods of Defense Against the Dark Arts, heaved a sigh of relief. They had been on edge throughout the class, fearing that Snape might catch them in some mistake.
"By the way, Harry, weren't you planning to ask Professor Snape to teach you Occlumency?" Ivan put away the two books on his desk, removed the Ravenclaw Crown from his head, and turned to Harry to ask.
"I think it might be better to bring it up next week during Potions..." Harry hesitated, trying to back out.
"That won't do! Such an urgent matter should be addressed as soon as possible..." Hermione interrupted Harry sternly, urging him to go find Professor Snape immediately.
Harry felt helpless, watching Snape's retreating back. After a moment of hesitation, he finally steeled himself and ran after him.
"Please wait, Professor Snape." Harry hurried forward, stammering as he spoke.
Hearing the call, Snape stopped in his tracks, turning around with a frown. His hollow gaze made Harry shiver involuntarily.
"I heard from Ivan that you are Britain's best Occlumency master... so... so I hope you can teach me that magic." Harry gathered his courage and spoke, anxiously awaiting Snape's response, though he didn't have much hope.
He knew how much Snape disliked him. If Professor Dumbledore were still alive, Snape might have followed his orders to teach him. But now, it was uncertain... However, if Snape outright refused, it might be for the best, as he wouldn't have to endure the torment of being alone with Snape.
Just as Harry was thinking this, Snape's cold voice cut through the air.
"Come to my office at six tonight!"
Harry was visibly stunned, staring at Snape in disbelief, almost thinking he had misheard.
"I don't want to repeat myself!" Snape said impatiently, pausing for a moment before continuing. "Remember, don't tell anyone about this. If anyone asks, tell them I'm planning to give you detention for a few days. Understood? I doubt anyone will question that..."
After this brief instruction, Snape didn't wait for Harry's response and walked off towards the entrance hall.
It took Harry a while to recover. He never expected Snape to agree so readily. Dazed, he returned to the classroom, where Ron and Hermione immediately approached him.
"How did it go, Harry? Did Professor Snape agree?" Hermione asked.
"He told me to come to his office at six tonight." Harry ignored Snape's warning, knowing he couldn't keep it from Ivan and the others.
Not to mention, he was counting on Ivan, Ron, and Hermione to come to his rescue if Snape had any ulterior motives.
...
At a quarter to six in the evening, after having dinner, Harry forced himself to muster up the courage and headed alone towards Snape's office.
After politely knocking on the door, Snape's gloomy voice echoed from inside.
"Come in!"
Harry took a deep breath, gently pushed the door open, and stepped in.
The room was dim, with only the flickering flames in the fireplace providing a faint light. Harry glanced around and saw hundreds of glass bottles on the shelves on either side, containing various sticky plant and animal specimens floating in colorful potions, giving off a strong scent of potion.
Harry wrinkled his nose in discomfort and quickly shifted his attention to the prominent ancient clock on the desk. It seemed to be broken, as the time was stuck at eleven o'clock.
"Looks like you're not late today, Potter!"
Snape's icy voice suddenly rang out in the office, startling Harry, who had been distracted. He hastily turned his head and saw Snape's figure emerging from the shadows.
"How much do you know about Occlumency?" Snape asked directly, with no intention of making small talk.
"It can protect my memories and prevent the Dark Lord from using magic to probe my thoughts..." Harry recalled the notes he had read over the summer and continued, "Advanced Occlumency can even create false memories to deceive those who try to read them."
"Very well. Since you have some understanding, we'll skip the beginner lessons and go straight to practical training... I've always believed this is the best way to learn", Snape said, his eyes gleaming with a hint of malice.
"But, how should I do it?" Harry asked nervously. The notes Ivan had given him contained some explanations, but he only had theoretical knowledge and no practical experience.
"Use your will to resist my spell... or you can try other methods", Snape said casually.
Harry glared at him in frustration. What was the point of saying this if he didn't provide any specific techniques or methods? He even suspected that Snape had agreed so readily earlier just to humiliate him during the Occlumency training.
"We'll start now. The Dark Lord won't give you much time to prepare..." Snape ignored Harry's angry gaze and calmly continued, raising his wand.
Harry immediately refocused, concentrating on the few methods he had read in the notes to resist Legilimency.
Try to think of useless things to distract the caster, use your will to channel your magic to resist the intrusion, create false memories to confuse the enemy... and there was an even more extreme method: directly attacking the caster.
"Legilimency!" Snape didn't give Harry any further warning and suddenly cast the spell, shouting loudly.
The scene around Harry vanished in an instant, and he realized that the resistance techniques he had imagined were largely ineffective.
Snape's approach was brutal and unmasked, like a spoon viciously stabbing into his brain and stirring wildly. Harry felt countless memories surging out of his mind...
(End of Chapter)
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