-Chapter Twenty One-

Occlumency and Dreams

Harry was very isolated the next couple of days staying in his room reading up on Occlumency from the books he had gotten from the Room of Requirements.

Lupin had taken Wormtail and locked him in the dungeons in Hogwarts and had an Order Member guard him. Ron and Hermione tried to talk to Harry but he continued to stay in his room isolated in his quest for his minds on safety.

She's in danger because of me? Harry repeated to himself as he Harry sat alone; in his room reading the books he had gotten.

I have to keep trying Harry thought angrily after another failed attempt in Occlumency after reading from a purple coloured book with gold writing on the front saying: Occlumency, the Art for Closed Minds. Harry found it quite useless to say the least, being very vague and describing Occlumency as:

A strong branch of magic, Occlumency that its users have the power to hide emotions and thoughts from their enemies. Top use this magic one must learn block out emotions such as anger and guilt for these are considered weak emotions…

Harry felt that he was best with Occlumency, the Guide for those with Open Minds. This explained how to use the Occlumency easily and didn't go of on the theory instead giving detailed instructions:

To use Occlumency at a novice capacity one must first try to keep you mind blank, by focusing on an inanimate object. One could act as if one is in a sort of daydream by thinking off nothing at all or something trivial.

Harry sat on his bed looking down at the little dent in the door. He sat almost mesmerised at it. Harry's eyes closed over and he started to breathe slowly as suggested in the book if you were to go to sleep.

Harry collapsed on the bed, his eyes drooped and closed until he appeared in windowless corridor, it was black and murky and he walked down it. He knew this place. It was the department of mysteries. Harry tried hard to block the dream remembering the consequences of these dreams. He appeared in a circular room with doors spinning around. Harry tried with all his might to try and block the dream out. The doors stopped spinning a bright pulsating light shot from the room inside the door.

"Harry? HARRY!"

Harry opened his eyes to see that it was night and people were standing over him. It was Ron and Hermione; they looked at him worriedly.

"Are you alright?" Hermione said gingerly as he got up whipping the sweat from his forehead.

"No," Harry said heavily.

"Is it your scar?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head; his scar was not hurting. "The Occlumency must be working, then?"

"But, all that well, it took you ages to wake up we thought you never were going to wake up," Hermione said concerned.

"I feel strange," Harry said looking at his hands.

"It probably means the Occlumency is working, mate," Ron chuckled triumphantly punching Harry in the arm.

"No, this is different. I feel as if something is inside of me," Harry said with conviction looking down at his sheets, "something... strong, something powerful. Something that is one with me."

"You-Know-Who?"

"No," Harry replied getting up and looking out of the window. "This was something warm, wholesome something… good."

"What do you think it is?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know. But, it's in the Department of Mysteries that's for sure," Harry said looking out at the fat moon bouncing off his hand. "And Voldemort wants it."

"Don't even think about it," Hermione said almost snappishly.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"Don't even think about going there. You'll be killed. Voldemort's taken over the headquarters and there has to be at least a million Death Eaters there," she said quickly gasping for breathe when she finished.

"I'm not," Harry said blankly.

"You're not?" they both said shocked. "then, what are going to do."

"Bide my time," Harry said, "we need to know what we're dealing with and what Voldemort wants with it."

"You're not going to stop Occlumency again are you"? Hermione moaned.

"No," Harry snapped defensively. "There other ways of finding out these things."

"Like what?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Harry said blankly to himself. He looked up at them not believing what he was about to say, "we need to find Severus Snape."

"What?"

"He was in Voldemort's inner circle. He'll know things, plus, he still has that vial we need," Harry said.

"But, we don't know where Snape is?" Hermione said exasperated.

"Pettigrew," Ron barked triumphantly, "you're going to ask Pettigrew."

"Of course, he would know. Snape told him," Hermione cried.

"Snape was bluffing," Harry interrupted their triumphant rants. "Snape knows Wormtail is weak... I mean he betrayed his friends. He'd betray Snape in a heartbeat. Snape used the same technique as Sirius only this time it fell in his favour."

"So, who do you think his Secret Keeper is?" Hermione said.

"Narcissa Malfoy," Harry said, "Snape is protecting her son so she wouldn't oblige to being their Secret Keeper and then, she gave her location to someone else."

"Lucius?" Hermione said quickly.

"Could be she would visit him and he's already lost his son?" Harry said, "and I think his trust with Voldemort is starting to waver after everything that has happened."

"So, do we go to Azkaban?" Ron said.

"No," both Hermione and Harry said.

"Snape has the vial and will probably being able to figure it out," Hermione said, "so he'll be trying to find the Horcrux so that he can meet up with us so that he can kill us and bring us to Voldemort so that he can regain Draco's forgiveness along with the Horcrux."

"So, what we need to do now is find the next Horcrux so we'll know what the other one is," Harry said, "then, we can meet up with Snape only this time. We'll have the upper hand."

Ron looked at them blankly confused as to just what they were talking about.