Dueling with Tom was like breathing to me.
It was fun to throw non-harmful spells, and witty comments when we almost got hit. I lost count of what was happening around me, and it helped me calm down.
After a while of wordlessly throwing spells and hexes at each other, Tom and I decided to help practice everyone's Occlumency skills.
Every one of them were hesitant to even try, even Bellatrix.
The only one cocky enough to even consider doing it, was, of course, Sirius Black. Which amused Tom and I to no end.
"I suggest that each one of you practice this skill, it is crucial that we all practice occlumency, even Tom and I. I can't exactly say if there will be someone but I can guarantee that if there is, it will most likely be Nikolai. I believe he may know legilimency, not only that but he has been toying with a certain gift I have." I said, explaining my reasoning.
"How exactly will we be practicing this— skill?" James asked, caution written all over his face.
"Well, seeing as Tom and I have that specific set of skills, and are particularly more advanced in this specific subject, we will be the ones practicing this, with two of you at a time, of course. Make sure that you clear your minds, any opponent that you could have can end up toying with your mind. If you let them in, they'll break down your mind in a matter of seconds, your worst fears willing become the reality before you." I said, watching for his reaction. I wasn't disappointed, he flinched back slightly, pulling Lily behind him.
I briefly wondered if he was getting any closer to proposing to Lily, knowing him it would maybe happen sometime after graduation. Just before we had to battle with Nikolai. I snapped out of it quickly, shaking my head to clear it.
I noticed then that Tom, who stood next to me, had his eyes trained towards the back of the crowd.
I didn't have to have the telepathic link we shared opened to know who his first victim would be.
Sure enough, towards the back of the room stood Sirius, with a cocky smirk plastered on his face.
"Have we made ourselves clear? Great. Now moving on. Any volunteers?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as everyone in the room took a step back simultaneously.
In that instant I felt fear, curiosity, determination coming from around the room.
I blinked twice before shaking my head in amusement.
Before I replaced the amused expression with an expressionless one and squared my shoulders before I began scanning the room to look at my choices.
"Black, you. Yes you, step up." Tom said, pointing towards the back.
I watched as an overconfident Sirius Black strolled to the front, arrogantly.
"Alright then. Dolohov." I called, inclining my head to the side in a 'get your arse over here' way.
I watched as he hesitantly stepped out of the crowd, slowly making his way towards where Tom and I, along with Sirius waited.
"My Lady?" He asked, hesitantly.
"Dolohov, I will be going into your mind. I want you..., to try to keep me out of it. Push me out of your mind." I said, watching as he nodded in response.
"Is this absolutely necessary?" Abraxas asked, hesitantly, from the far-left corner of the big hall.
"It is unless you would like to have your mind invaded." I retorted, looking towards Tom.
"It's optional. We are just strongly advising you all to do this. You don't have to do it, though, but it'll be like going in blindly into this war." Tom added, pursing his lips in while holding his arms behind him.
"I would like a demonstration of what you shall be doing." The older Malfoy said.
I looked over at Tom, who was already looking in my direction. "Tom, why don't you give the older Malfoy a demonstration?" I asked, opening our link as I did.
'What are you thinking of doing, Sophia?' He thought, raising an eyebrow.
I inclined my head towards Malfoy's direction, raising an eyebrow of my own at him.
"Block your mind." I threw towards Abraxas.
Before anyone could utter another word, the elder Malfoy leaned back against the marble wall, struggling to stay upright as Tom invaded his mind without battling an eyelash.
'His worst fear is watching everyone he knows and cares about die before him.' Tom observed.
To take it one step further Tom used a charm and began to manipulate his mind, putting an image of his exact worst fear play before him.
'Stop, don't push him too far.' I cautioned.
Without warning, suddenly his mind became blank, nothing came or went.
The bloke had succeeded, he had managed to shield his mind. With incredible difficulty, but he had done it.
I nodded in approval, feeling as the left corner of my mouth began to lift, stopping it before it did.
"Did everyone understand the demonstration?" I asked, looking around the room briefly.
Everyone nodded in response. Many of them still looking wide-eyed towards us.
I could see and feel what most if not everyone was feeling once more.
Fear. Tension. Amusement, though I was sure it was Seamus and Remus who were amused.
Jealousy. Anger. Determination, I was almost sure that it was Lily who determination was coming from. Yet the other two emotions were a surprising emotion to find in the mix.
"Guard your mind. Don't let anyone see something that is meant to be private." Tom instructed, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
"If Tom and you are going to be doing this exercise with us. Then who is going to do it with you two?" An unfamiliar Ravenclaw boy, friend of Seamus, asked me.
"We haven't got a need to do it. We already know how to block our minds through Occlumency." Tom answered, rather forcefully.
"Besides, how exactly are we going to do it when we share a telepathic link?" I accidentally wondered out loud, hearing a collective sound of gasps throughout the room.
Tom let out a groan, shaking his head at me before he looked back to the crowd.
"Alright, that's enough. Calm down, all of you." Tom instructed, rolling his eyes annoyed.
"Does everybody understand what we'll be doing?" I asked, growing inpatient.
"We won't be announcing who we'll be focusing on so, guard your mind. At all times." I added before I began to scan the room.
I saw everyone nod their head once in response.
Turning back to the task at hand, Sirius and Dolohov. I closed my eyes in concentration as I felt Tom do the same.
I pushed through Dolohov's mental barrier with ease, watching some of his most private thoughts come at me one after the other, some more disgusting than others, going through it easily, until I reached his worst and possibly biggest fear of all.
It was rather interesting to watch.
I wanted to shake my head at the utter amusement I felt but reigned it in, continuing with the invasion. Within seconds of invading his mind I knew everything, and chose to forget it as soon as I felt his mind begin to fade.
When I snapped back to the present, I was met with Dolohov on his knees, he took shaking breaths, sweat dewing on his forehead as he focused on keeping his mind closed.
I turned to look at Tom and Sirius to find Sirius completely, if not almost, unconscious on the ground. His eyes slammed shut, and a pained expression etched on his face.
"Alright, that's enough for today." I quickly said, dismissing everyone.
James and Remus automatically stepped towards Sirius as he weakly sat up on the ground.
"Boys, take care of him." I instructed as I took Tom's hand, half-dragging, half- pulling him out of the room.
I could feel as everyone's stare bore into me as I pulled Tom with me out of the room.
When I reached my room I pushed him in, slamming the door behind me.
"What was that?" I asked, incredulously.
"What was what, darling?" Tom asked innocently.
"Tom, we're supposed to be helping these people." I said, almost whining. "How are we going to teach them if you render them unconscious?" I asked.
"He was thinking rather nasty, inappropriate things about you. I didn't do anything, I just replayed the most painful memories he has." Tom explained.
I shook my head at him, unbelievably, as I pulled off my cloak from my shoulders.
It was well past five in the afternoon; the sun was beginning to set.
Hunger was probably something we were all feeling after this stressful first day of training, and we had all yet to eat a single bite of food.
"I was just defending you. He knew I could hear and see what he was thinking. Do you honestly think I wasn't going to defend you? Even if it was just a thought, it still had a bad intention behind it." He said, sitting next to me on the bed.
I shook my head in amusement, and laid down on the bed tiredly.
"Right well, wake me up for dinner. I need a nap." I muttered sleepily.
"You're always sleepy nowadays." He grumbled, as he laid down next to me, pulling me towards him.
"Yes, and you're always in a bad mood." I retorted, as I raised my hand in the air, putting up a silencing spell, and locking the door magically.
"Goodnight love." He whispered, before I fully fell asleep.
"Mm." I replied, settling into a dreamless sleep.