My room was starting to amaze me, suddenly on the bookshelf lay an old copy of a book on the mind arts, further inspection told me it was Rowena Ravenclaw's copy, no less, when I had seen the little scribbles in the margins I had squealed with delight. Not having time to read any before morning classes, I had skimmed the index and rushed up to the library the first spare moment I got.
That was the reason for me being in the library at lunchtime, but to my disappointment the mind arts section in the castle was severely lacking. There was only one book about Occlumency, and even then it was just the theory behind it. Perhaps the restricted section would be more helpful.
I made a mental note to ask Professor Sinstra in her next Astromony class, a whispered panic about how I felt one of the Slytherins trying to probe into my mind would be enough to ensure Aurora would sign the form.
"Occlumency, Poppy?" I jumped, but thankfully didn't scream, clutching at my heart.
"Must you do that, Tom?" I demanded, breathing heavily. He just smirked.
"Tell me, what secrets do have, that you would go to such lengths to protect?" he asked, leaning casually on a shelf and regarding me with a curious expression. I tried not squirm under his gaze.
"I was just seeing what the Hogwarts library has to offer, a dismal collection it seems, but I have no desire to learn Occlumency," I replied. Tom's eyes narrowed.
"Poppy, you're a Black and I'm not an idiot," he stated. "Which can mean only two things, either you are lying to me, which I would never accuse a noble lady such as yourself of doing but it is a possibility nonetheless. Or more plausibly, you are merely trying to use your above average intellect to try and dodge my question, and in face you have already learnt it," he deduced, dark eyes regarding my every movement.
"You know Tom you really are good at reading people," I said brightly. "Do you think I lived with Lord Black for years without him insisting I learnt? Can you protect your mind?"
"Yes," he replied assuredly. "I'm learning to delve into others'."
"Not with any help from the Hogwarts library," I muttered darkly, walking slowly down the aisle, trailing a finger over the spines of the books.
"And you, Poppy?" Tom asked. "Did Lord Black try to teach you Legillimency?"
"No," she replied. "He did not."
"And that must mean that you learnt from somewhere else," Tom said with a smirk. "You're not very good at evading my questions."
"On the contrary Tom," I replied. "You're just good at spotting my evasions."
"I have a proposition for you," he said. "If you are really are a legillimens, that is." I waited. "Meet me tonight."
"Why?"
"Because I need to practice my occlumency, with someone who is actively trying to break through my defences. I can swat away Dumbledore's stray thought Legillimency, but I need to know my mind can withstand a purposeful invasion," he explained.
"I might see something I shouldn't," I pointed out.
"You won't," he replied. "I am confident in my ability."
"What time?" I asked.
"Midnight," he said. "Late enough that no one knows that you're missing."
"Where?"
"I'll meet you outside Ravenclaw tower."
Sure enough, at midnight on a Monday night, all the studious Ravenclaws were in their dormitories. I hastily checked the marauder's map and saw that Tom was walking along the corridor towards the tower.
"Good evening Poppy," he said. "Are you ready?" I nodded once and we walked back the way he had come.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"The dungeons of course," he replied, giving me a strange look. Perhaps my question was obvious. We slipped down a little used, rickety staircase, so to avoid the patrolling staff and prefects which could easily spot us on the grand staircase.
We reached the Slytherin common room and Tom stepped in first to check the coast was clear.
"Come on," he said, ushering me in.
"Tom, where exactly are we going?" I asked again, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"My bedroom of course," he replied, watching as my eyes widened. "Unless you have a better idea of where will find sufficient privacy to do this."
"Oh Merlin, if anyone is listening to this now," I groaned, but followed him anyway.
We tiptoed through the labyrinth of corridors which was the Slytherin dormitory. All at once, a door opened, Tom slunk back into the shadows fluidly, but I was too surprised to move in time.
"Cassie?" came a groggy voice that I recognised at once. "What you doing up?" I sighed in relief; it was too dark and too late at night for Abraxas to notice it was not Cassiopeia in the hall. He wasn't expecting to see me so he didn't.
"I left an earring in the common room, I didn't want the elves to steal it before morning," I replied in the haughtiest voice I could muster, and pushing my shoulders back to emulate Cassie's superior stance. "Now go back to sleep, before you wake anyone else up."
"G'night Cassie," he mumbled, through a yawn.
"I can't believe you pulled that off," Tom muttered as he pulled me down the corridor, at a faster pace this time. I could tell he was impressed, I just shrugged.
Finally we reached the door with Tom's name on, but he stopped me, pulling out his wand and aiming it right between my eyes.
"What are you doing?" I demanded, still in a hushed voice but outraged.
"I have to key you into the wards," he whispered.
"Oh," I said, deflating. "Why have you warded your bedroom?"
"Because I don't like people touching what is mine."
Oh.
He opened the door and we slipped in, candles illuminating as we did so. Tom's room was not unlike Cassie's in size. Though his bathroom was smaller and did not have a bathtub. Also, whereas Cassie's room was cluttered with trinkets, Tom's was ordered, a large bookshelf almost bowed under the weight of the old heavy books he had acquired. The surfaces were host to neat stacks of potions ingredients and parchment. I noticed the small cauldron, bubbling in the corner of the room, but chose not to mention it.
He drew up two emerald green armchairs with his wand, placing them on the rug, near the small fire. We took a seat, and locked gazes.
"Are you ready?" I asked. He nodded once and I drew my wand.
"Legillimens," I said clearly, wand aimed straight between his eyes.
Immediately I could see images, the Great Hall of Hogwarts, it must Tom's sorting. I saw the little boy, his eyes filled with wonder, rather than shaking with fear like his future classmates.
I immediately drew back, removing myself from Tom's mind.
Focussing myself back to the physical world, I saw he was breathing deeply and looking at me with irritation.
"You pulled out," he said reproached.
"I didn't want to see anything I shouldn't," I defended.
"Again!" he instructed. "And don't leave until I push you out this time."
"Fine."
Willing my own mind to quieten so I could focus on Tom's I gently eased myself into his mind. Enough that he would know I was there, but it would make it easier for him to dispel me. I saw Tom, he was studying the library, it would be easier for him to push me away if I found a memory which meant something to him. My consciousness swam through his, but it was harder than it was last time, this time he was putting up some resistance. Good.
The Slytherin common room appeared, looking much like it did at the party a few days ago. For a second I was startled, from behind I thought it was me sat next to Tom, but it was Cedrella. She was leaned forward, draping herself over his side, a glass of wine tipping precariously in her hand.
"Tom," she crooned, drawing circles on his shirt.
"Cedrella," he replied, not looking impressed, plucking the glass from her hand and setting it down on the coffee table.
Even though she was not head girl yet, Cassie stood up and made the speech. Tom made to leave.
"Tommy, you can stay," she said desperately, latching on to his arm.
"There is never an exception to Cassie's rule, Cedrella," he said sombrely. Cassiopeia it seemed had heard him.
"Tom is correct," she said, looking at Cedrella with distaste. "He is only a fourth year."
"Cassie, please," she begged. For a second Cassie looked torn.
"What kind of example would that be setting to the others," he said fairly. "Goodnight."
"Tom no!" Cedrella squeaked, running after him, her long legs wobbling like a new born foal in her heels. She grabbed him, banging their heads together as she pulled him in for a kiss.
I wanted to see no more of this memory, it stung like bile in my throat, though I wasn't sure if it was out of shame and sympathy for my cousin or if it was Tom being kissed by someone that wasn't me, the last thought shook me.
I was feeling a lot of resistance from Tom now, so I continued.
I was in a garden of an old, bleak house, again there was Tom, he was crouching next to a bush with sparse, dry leaves and sharp sticks. Suddenly I felt a lot more resistance, it was as if Tom was almost desperately trying to expel me from this memory, I caught a glimpse of the winding tale of a serpent, so pulled back. I didn't want him to know that I knew of his ability to speak to snakes.
Back in his room he was hunched over, breathing laboured and brow sweaty.
He took one look up, seeing me unaffected.
"You didn't even try to stay," he accused.
"I could tell you really didn't want me to see what happened," I said with a shrug. He leant backward with a sigh.
"I thought I was better than that."
"You would have expelled most people," I said honestly. "I'm just good at mind arts, I've had years of practice." He frowned at me curiously and I inwardly cringed.
"How," he asked. "Tell me." His voice was strong, commanding.
"When I was young and travelled with my father, I used to accompany him on business," I said guardedly. "Most people can tell if their minds are being invaded, but they have to be concentrating on the person they suspect to be doing it. His… associates would be too busy keeping tabs on him to suspect the nine year old."
"You had it mastered at nine?" he demanded, banging his fist on the arm of the chair.
"I couldn't do Occlumency and I could only look into people minds enough to see memories connected what they were currently thinking about. I had grasped the basics at nine," I clarified with a modest shrug. "I had a natural gift, I admit."
"If you're so excellent, you'll let me try and look into your mind," he said.
"You said yourself you haven't practiced at that as much," I pointed out, trying to discourage him. He didn't back down. "Fine, whenever you're ready."
"Legillimens," I heard him say loudly. I imagined my mind being pulled backward and a thick, white wall slamming down between our physical bodies.
I heard Tom cry out in pain, my eyes snapped open to him clutching at his head.
I jumped from her chair, instantly regretful; I knelt down next to his knees and rubbed his back soothingly.
"It will only last for a minute," I said. Sure enough, moments later Tom was sat up again.
"So I have to emulate that," he deduced thoughtfully, his mind already processing how to improve.
"Not yet," I said, reseating myself. "To start off with, you have to accept that a good legillimens will get in to your mind, you just have to keep the important memories away and only show them the ones of no significance. Imagine your mind as a pond, you have to stir it, make sure that important memories always float away, just out of reach. You have to imagine them moving away in more than one direction, down, up and around, like a rotor is churning the water up.
"Try again," I instructed. "I'll show you." He was hesitant. "I won't block you like last time."
He agreed and once again, entered my mind. Carefully, I led him through my mind, showing him images of Hogwarts in the last few weeks. Tom pushed harder and instantly regretted it.
Suddenly he was in darkness, he couldn't sense anything. It was as though he was in an infinite space, but he felt a nauseating sense of claustrophobia, he couldn't withdraw. He couldn't leave. He felt panic bubbling within him. I could feel it all, he was in my mind..
"See what can happen when you try and delve in the mind of a Legilimens," I said "I could keep you here forever, parted from your physical self, if I was feeling especially cruel."
I changed the scene and a pristine white beach appeared, so real Tom could feel the sand brushing at his skin.
"I could find the perfect setting for you," I told him serenely. "Keep you there for a while and then release you. You'd be driven insane with longing; the real world would never be good enough. I could possess you; drive you insane with the pain of having your own mind squashed by one stronger. There are many things you can do with Legillimency, I don't know many at all in the scheme of things. But it's just as easy for it to backfire and for you to become the victim, which is why you always have to use it in moderation and only when it necessary… or when you're teaching someone," I added with a smirk.
"You may leave now, withdraw yourself, so I don't hurt you," I said kindly.
Back in Tom's bedroom, he was looking enlightened, like a vast array of knowledge had just been exposed to him.
"That was… quite spectacular," he stated. "But my head hurts too much to do anymore tonight."
"Very well," I replied, glancing at the clock. "It's almost three already."
"I will walk you back to Ravenclaw tower," he said, but he struggled to stand, he was exhausted from his mental exertion.
"Go to sleep, Tom. I can walk myself. But thank you for the offer," I said cordially. He nodded once, just as I was about to close the door.
"Thank you, Poppy," he said in a small voice. I poked my head back around the door.
"My pleasure Tom," I replied, slightly stunned and more than a little pleased. I gave him a small smile,. "Any time."
"Goodnight."
