Updates will take a little more longer this week, as I have a guest at the moment and not much time to write. You'll have next chapter by the en of the week... Sorry for the inconvenience!

And once again, thanks ALOT for your reviews. Don't hesistate to ask me anything or to make suggestions :)

And more importantly: ENJOY!


One day, as winter was slowly coming to an end, Harry suddenly asked, out of nowhere : 'Could you teach me Occlumency ?'
Snape raised an eyebrow, surprised.

'That's a very difficult branch of magic to master, you know' he answered.

'Oh, believe me, I know' Harry sighed. 'I've already tried to learn it, but I was not a very serious student'.

'Who was your teacher ?' Snape asked, curious.

'Oh, uh...' Harry hesitated. 'It was you.'

'Ah. So, this means I'm going to have to try to teach it to your dumm-head doppleganger at some point.'

'I'm afraid so.' Harry said with a sorry face.

'Fantastic.',Snape simply said with a somber grin.

'But now I'm willing to learn !' the young man added on a cheerful tone. 'I promise I will do my best.'

'I guess it's worth trying, then' Snape replied, his features softening a little. 'What do you know about Occlumency ?' he asked.

'Well, huh... I know it's kind of the opposite of Legilimency, which is used to read minds. Occlumency is used to protect oneself's mind against intrusions. And it requires a lot of will to use it properly.

'That's right. You have to be able to empty your soul from emotions. Or at least bury them as deep as you can. This is the first form of Occlumency : being able to hide your thoughts. To literally blank your mind. But with a lot of pratice and patience, you can also learn to lie with your mind. To let people read false informations. This is the most advanced form of Occlumency.' he stopped a moment, thinking. 'In order to understand how Occlumency works, you first have to learn how Legilimency does.' he concluded.

'How do I do that ?' Harry asked.

The older wizard rummaged around in several of the piles of books scattered around the room, and with a triumphant 'Hah !', finally put a very old and heavy tome in Harry's hands.

'Read that.' Snape said. 'You will find everyhting you need to know. It may sound boring, but practicing will be a lot more easier if you understand the mechanics of this art. This book does not only teaches the theorics, it's also a very good introduction to self mind-control.'

'Like... yoga ?' Harry asked.

'What ?' Snape croaked, perplexed.

'Yoga. It is a muggle method of relaxation, where you learn to control your own body and soul'

'Oh, right. Well, if you want, it's like... Yowgeh.' Snape said with a grimace on the last word.

The young man repressed a laugh and sat on his bed, carefully opening the huge book on his lap.


It only took Harry a week of intense reading to finish the book. He devoured it from cover to cover, eager to begin practicing as soon as possible. Although he didn't realise it, the reading had slightly changed his way of thinking. He didn't notice, for example, that he was no longer failing to fell asleep as soon as he decided to. Neither did he notice that he needed less time to think when he was asked something, and could answer much more quickly. He was ready for his first lesson.

'A few more things before we begin' Snape said, his eyes already drilling into Harry's. 'This requires a lot of energy. A good Occlumens is able to constanty hide his thoughts, but he needs to be perpetually focused. It takes months, even years to get to that result.'

Harry nodded, keeping eye contact.

'Occlumency is a branch of wandless and unspoken magic. That's why it is so difficult to learn : the wizard has to dig into his own resources. Eventually, a good Occlumens his able to notice when someone tries to force into his thoughts and which informations the intruder is looking for, and to decide how to shield them in consequence.'

'Understood.' Harry said.

'Alright. First, I'm going to penetrate your mind. Try to empty it from all emotions. It's like the short instant when you fall asleep, when your brain shuts down.'

'Can I close my eyes ?' Harry asked.

'You can for now, if you want'.

The young wizard closed his eyes and tried to relax the tension in his body. Breathe in, breathe out. Suddenly, a kind of tingling wrapped around his brain, and then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Harry shuddered.

'Forget the body' the slender wizard said. 'Focus on the mind. Let's try again'.

The exercise was exhausting. After only half an hour, the young man's energy was completely drained off. He crashed on the sofa, panting.

'It's like if my brain hurts from the inside' he said, trying to focus his blurry vision.

'That's normal. You're doing quite well for a first try. You have to be patient.'

'I know... But it's frustrating. How come you are so good at it ?'

Snape sat next to him. 'I've trained for years, since I was eleven' he explained. 'A child's mind learns faster. I've been practicing everyday since, that helps a lot'.

'What about Legilimency, then ?' Harry asked. 'Is it as difficult ?'

'No. I'd say it's easier.'

'Why can't I learn that, first ?'

'The good Gryffindor, invading mind privacy ?' Snape grinned.

'I'm a warrior, now, not just a stupid Gryffindor' Harry breathed between his teeth, slightly upset.

'Even the Dark Lo... You-Know-Who can't penetrate my mind, I guess I can let you try' Snape said, still grinning.

Harry spent the next hour trying to penetrate his friend's mind, unsuccessfully.

'I'm never gonna do it.' he whined, resigned.

'Be patient. I'm sure you will. We'll keep practicing everyday, and you'll see, you'll improve.'

He glanced gently at the broken down young man on his side. 'But for now, you need to rest' he said, kindly ruffling his hair.