I've been stuck on this chapter for a few years now, and it's not quite complete. However, I thought I'd post everything I've written so far for a couple reasons, one of which is that another author has offered to help me finish the story. However, should those plans not work out, I'll probably abandon this story, as there are quite a few things I don't really like about this fic in reading over it over the past couple days. But, here it is, everything I've created so far.
Enjoy!
Chapter 27 Occlumency and the End of the Second Year
Keeping a known convict in the Chamber of Secrets wasn't what the Harry and Rose being thought it would be. It was perfectly normal at Hogwarts school, with the exception of the Dementors that patrolled the grounds. No one knew of Black's presents and the Harry and Rose being didn't hint at such a thing. Professor Dumbledore had long since informed the students about the monster of the Chamber having been found and defeated, which meant the attacks would stop. Having been told that the Harry and Rose being had killed the monster, the students had apologized to them in an awkward and uncomfortable way. The Harry and Rose being simply accepted their apologies, smiling and calmly telling them it was all right for them to feel as they did. Privately, the Harry and Rose being knew that such irrational behavior was expected from people so young, though found it a little odd they would even entertain such a thought, being twelve them self. They felt much older, more experienced. Perhaps that, too, was a result of the regeneration of the Phoenix, though having two minds did help their maturity along in its own right.
As the days and weeks passed, the Harry and Rose being continued to study magic, learning at an even greater rate than before. Their memory was far clearer than ever before and they were able to retain information better as well. Performing the practical portion of the magic they studied wasn't difficult for them, and they found them self quickly outstripping their peers in classes. As a result, they were well into learning what they would during their third year even though it was the beginning of February.
Professor Lockhart had decided the students needed a morale-booster to make them feel better, wash away the memories of the prior term. That found the Harry and Rose being entering the great hall on February 14, which was decorated in large pink flowers with heart-shaped confetti falling from the ceiling. Valentines day had arrived, but the Harry and Rose being weren't enthused by it at all, not what Professor Lockhart had decided to set up, at any rate. They went and sat down at the Gryffindor table, where several giggling girls were staring admiringly around. It wasn't long until Ron and Hermione entered. Ron was looking sickened and Hermione seemed to be overcome with giggles like the rest of the girls. The Harry and Rose being simply sighed, looking exasperated.
"Really, Hermione, you're still star struck over Professor Lockhart?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"He's just so... Wonderful!" Hermione said in a dreamy voice.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." The Harry and Rose being said in an exasperated tone. "You know, I'll bet he didn't even write all those books of his with things that actually happened to him."
"But he wrote everything in such detail!" Hermione said indignantly.
"Yeah, and I'm surprised you haven't discovered the inconsistencies for yourself. For example, pinning a werewolf down with one hand? Come on, even the Rose half when she used to have a similar condition could have easily broken that." The Harry and Rose being said.
Ron stared at them, paling. Oops, they thought, remembering Professor McGonagall's warning she'd given them before their first year.
"You... You were a werewolf?" Ron stared at the Rose half.
The Harry and Rose being sighed, then said calmly, "Yes, Ron, the Rose half originally had something similar to the condition of the werewolf. I'm not surprised you didn't make the connections, the wizarding world is terrible at using logic. Did I ever hurt you, lose control? No, I wanted both you and Hermione with me during my full moons, that was peaceful, I enjoyed that. And besides, Ron, the werewolf is only dangerous when it's not in control on the full moons."
Ron gulped and the Harry and Rose being saw him trying to collect himself.
"Tell me, Ron, would you treat a werewolf with rudeness, prejudice if you ever met one?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
Ron looked down and the Rose half reached out, gently taking his chin in her hand and raising his face, the Harry and Rose being making eye contact with him.
"How many other things would you simply react to, Ron, without listening to reason?" The Harry and Rose being asked in a disappointed tone. "That's quite sad, Ron."
"Oh, look, Professor Lockhart's about to make a speech!" Hermione called and the Rose half let Ron go, the Harry and Rose being turning to look at Professor Lockhart, his pink robes matching the decorations. The other teachers looked stone-faced.
It was about as ridiculous as the Harry and Rose being expected, though they hadn't expected the dwarfs he'd no doubt purchased for the occasion. Throughout the day, they rudely entered classrooms to deliver singing valentines to people, though luckily, the Harry and Rose being were spared such a thing. They were glad when the day came to an end, though felt a longing for the romance other couples shared. It was something they could never have, and while the male and female halves would have intimacy at some point in the future, romance with them self would never be a reality.
That evening, as was their normal schedule these days, the Harry and Rose being transported to the chamber of secrets in a flash of flame. They gazed around, enjoying how it had transformed from a dank chamber to a place of welcome. Soft light filled the area and a soft, thick carpet covered the floor. The walls and pillars had been painted to match the environment, and several doors led to different rooms. They flamed into the entryway to Sirius Black's bedroom where he slept, which was similar to the living room of a house. They looked at the furniture, spotting Sirius sprawled out on one of the couches. Already, he was looking healthier.
"Hi, Dad." The Harry and Rose being said.
Sirius sat up, book marking his book and closing it as he rose, moving over to them and hugging them both, smiling widely. The haunted look of Azkaban was leaving his face. Perhaps, in part, it was due to the Harry and Rose being crying for him and leaving him some phoenix tears to drink. The Rose half handed him a vial of the tears as they pulled away from him, and Sirius examined its contents.
"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me." He said. "Not being on the run, surviving in relative comfort, it's cleared my head a great deal."
"I hope our talks have helped as well, though it's strange to think that I've been counseling you." The Harry and Rose being said with soft and joyful smiles.
"Well, since your phoenix burning, you're so very wise ones now." Sirius said with a grin.
"You never grew up, Dad, no doubt because of you being so very black in name and color." The Harry and Rose being said, chuckling a little.
"How dare you." Sirius stated in a low, dangerous voice, pulling out his wand, which Dumbledore had managed to procure for him. As he aimed it at them, the Harry and Rose being pulled out theirs, wordlessly raising a shield.
"Try it." They said, smirking.
Sirius sighed and returned his wand to his robes. As they put theirs in their holsters, they said, "It might be wise for you to get a holster like me. I've enjoyed both of mine."
"Yeah, I'm sure you have." Sirius replied.
"Tell me, Sirius." The Harry and Rose being said as they sat in a comfortable chair wide enough to seat them. "How do you feel about Peter Pettigrew?"
"Still angry, but I'm not going to go after him. You're more important." Sirius responded.
"I thought you'd say that." The Harry and Rose being said with satisfaction. "However, I can't stay with you just yet. I've got to return to the Dursley home, for a time. I still need the protection it provides due to Lily's sacrifice."
"I suppose so." Sirius said with a sigh. "You will visit, though, won't you?"
"Of course I will." The Harry and Rose being replied. "Isn't that obvious? You're my father. And besides, it takes my mind off of Lockhart's ridiculous valentines celebration."
"I wonder what that git's done now. I never thought highly of his skill, and I don't understand why Dumbledore made him the defense teacher." Sirius said. "And Snivelous? What did he ever do to be a potions teacher?"
"I don't know why he has either of them as teachers. Professor Snape's potion teaching methods are, to put it mildly, not worth the words he states. I've already done independent research in that area, along with defense. With this new level to my being, the phoenix burning making my memory near perfect if not perfect, and the advantage I already had in having two minds, I'm quickly outstripping my peers. I've projected I'll complete fourth year class work by the end of this school year, and if I work throughout the summer, I should finish fifth year, then sixth and seventh years next year." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Imagine it. The earliest ever to finish O.W.L and N.E.W.T. tests." Sirius said. "Though I must say, I'm very disappointed in you."
"Why?" The Harry and Rose being asked as Sirius sighed, looking despondent.
"Will you promise me to immediately correct this oversight?" Sirius asked in a serious tone of voice, his facial expression grave and stricken.
"I'll do what I can." The Harry and Rose being said, worried.
"You must do this to make me proud, and I don't want you to let me down. Prove that you're worthy of this major responsibility." Sirius stated seriously.
"I will." The Harry and Rose being stated.
"You must, by the end of this school year, collect at least a minimum of ninety detentions by pranking whoever you can, and must perform a minimum of forty pranks without being caught." Sirius stated, still looking quite serious.
"Ninety detentions is not worth it. Forty pranks without being caught should be quite easy." The Harry and Rose being stated, relieved that it wasn't actually anything of important's that he wanted them to do.
"Oh, come on!" Sirius shouted. "Carry on the legacy of the marauders!"
"Dad, we're not quite normal children, perhaps you've not noticed. While pranks are fun in their own right, it's not the most important thing, which is study and learning magic. I must eliminate Lord Voldemort from the magical world, and must do so without killing Tom Riddle." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Aren't they one and the same, from what you've told me?" Sirius asked, having known from previous conversations that they'd had.
"Tom Riddle has called himself Lord Voldemort. It's an anagram of his full name." The Harry and Rose being said. "Since the phoenix burning, I can't bring myself to want him dead, and my very way of thinking has altered from what it used to be. I'm more clear headed, less clouded by emotional concerns."
"You can't kill Voldemort without killing Riddle." Sirius stated.
"Removal of all his memories might do the trick." The Harry and Rose being said. "But that's not a certainty either. Stripping him of his magic should also work, but is there a way to do that? We also have his Horcruxes to deal with."
"His what?" Sirius asked, paling dramatically.
"Lord Voldemort has Horcruxes, objects with a piece of his soul within. The Harry half and the diary were two of them, one intentional, the other not." The Harry and Rose being stated. "Dumbledore wanted this information kept somewhat confidential, I believe, but I see no reason not to tell you."
"If he wanted it confidential, have you learned to protect your minds?" Sirius asked.
"No. That wasn't mentioned." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Of all the... Why would he..." Sirius muttered to himself.
"Why, I didn't know you had it in you to be responsible, Sirius Black, my father the prankster." The Harry and Rose being grinned.
"Listen." Sirius stated, sounding completely serious for once with no traces of sarcasm. "I'd recommend you talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible. Get him to help you with Occlumency. It's a means to protect the mind against intrusion."
"I'll speak to him immediately." The Harry and Rose being stated.
"Good." Sirius stated. "Oh, and could you have him bring me some books about it? I could refresh my own skills, for that matter."
"I'll do that." The Harry and Rose being responded.
"Thanks." Sirius said as the Harry half pulled his invisibility cloak from his bag. The Harry and Rose being brought it with them, just in case they might need it for something. Swinging it around their shoulders, they vanished. Sirius heard a slight whoosh as they flamed away, then sat back with a sigh. It was clear, even to him, that he needed to be less the prankster dwelling on how Harry was so much like James, and more of the responsible godfather he needed to be. After all, the Harry and Rose being had only him, and perhaps a few others, as good guardian figures to guide them.
The Harry and Rose being appeared outside Professor Dumbledore's office, gazing at the gargoil that blocked their way. Professor Dumbledore had been kind enough to give him his password, just in case they needed to visit him for any reason. After looking around and determining no one was in the area, they pulled the cloak off them self, the Harry half replacing it back in his bag as the Rose half stated, "Ice Mice."
The gargoil moved aside, the Harry and Rose being moving up the steps and toward the headmaster's office. Once there, the Harry half gently used the knocker to announce their presents. The calm, wise voice of Professor Dumbledore then said, "Enter."
The Harry and Rose being pushed the door open and stepped into the office, which was familiar to them from their previous visits. Professor Dumbledore stood with his back to them, gazing out the window with his fingers interlaced, chin resting on them. As the door closed, he turned to face them and smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.
"Ah, Harry, Rose. What can I do for you this fine evening?" He asked.
"It was suggested we learn Occlumency to protect our minds against sensitive information being obtained, presumably through some type of mental contact." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Oh, dear." Professor Dumbledore sighed gravely. "I should have first taught you that skill before giving you the prophecy, and other potentially sensitive information."
"No one is perfect, Professor." The Harry and Rose being responded casually. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"You are correct, of course." Professor Dumbledore replied. "Well, then, I happen to have a free hour we can use to assist you in learning this skill, should you wish to begin immediately."
"It would be wise to do so, judging from the seriousness of Sirius." The Harry and Rose being replied.
"Very well, then." Professor Dumbledore stated, beckoning them to sit. They did so, gazes focused on him. "Occlumency is, in essence, occluding the mind against intrusion, hence its name. This is accomplished by clearing the mind of emotion and thought, or, in more advanced cases, clearing the mind of any extraneous information that you do not wish a legilimens to retrieve. As you likely have guessed by now, legilimency is the act of, in a way, reading the mind, though it is far more complex than the fanciful stories of Muggle tails that contain mind reading. The mind has many layers and infinite complexity, and the skill of legilimency is, perhaps, as difficult as that of occlumency."
"How do I clear my mind?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Attempt to think about, and feel nothing, as if meditating. Are you at all familiar with meditation?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"No." The Harry and Rose being responded.
"Breathe deeply. Allow yourself to relax." Professor Dumbledore said, voice calm. The Harry and Rose being breathed deeply, feeling the centered calm they seemed to have since the regeneration of the phoenix. They felt it, allowed it to permeate their being.
"Now." Professor Dumbledore said, his voice quieter. "I shall attempt to cast the Legilimens spell. Keep your mind clear." Professor Dumbledore rose his wand and aimed it at them.
The Harry and Rose being found them self in the dark cupboard, listening to Dudley ripping open Christmas presents, heart bursting with jealousy and deep longing. The Chamber of Secrets surrounded them and they watched Professor Dumbledore fighting Tom Riddle. They were on the Hogwarts Express for the first time, excited and eager to go to Hogwarts, and something was nagging at them. They were trying to practice clearing their mind, and struggled to return to the calm.
The Harry and Rose being found them self sitting in the large armchair that Professor Dumbledore had given them to use, heart pounding. Professor Dumbledore had lowered his wand and the Harry and Rose being took deep breaths, struggling to calm from the emotions and memories that had flashed past their minds eye.
"You realized my intrusion, though an accomplished legilimens would have retrieved the information he needed well before you attempted to fight me." Professor Dumbledore stated practically. "You must learn to recognize the feel of a legilimens attempting to intrude into your thoughts and feelings."
"How?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Repeated practice will be required." Professor Dumbledore said. "Are you ready to try again?"
"Yes." The Harry and Rose being responded, attentive.
Professor Dumbledore rose his wand. This time, the Harry and Rose being tried to focus on anything that was different as Professor Dumbledore began his spell. There was a brief flash of being disconnected from reality, a sense of awareness being internal in the mind rather than external. The memories then began, but rather than attempting to clear their mind, the Harry and Rose being thought of another tactic. They remembered the Rose half being petrified, what it had felt like when the Harry and Rose being was no more. They focused on the memory, remembered the feeling, sank into the icy, cold, lack of awareness and the feeling of a soul torn in two. They enhanced it, amplified it, pushed it into their awareness. It was terrible to relive it, but the spell ended almost immediately. The Harry and Rose being noticed that Professor Dumbledore looked pail and distant, his eyes slightly glazed.
"Professor." They said, feeling shaken them self from reliving the memory so vividly.
Professor Dumbledore blinked, staring at them and shaking his head a little.
"That was... Most effective, very innovative." Professor Dumbledore stated.
"It was difficult, but if it stops people from reading my mind, it's worth it." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Perhaps a memory with less impact would be wise." Professor Dumbledore stated.
"If someone is attempting to access my mind and thoughts without permission, and I become aware of it, shouldn't I use everything at my disposal to prevent them from obtaining information?" The Harry and Rose being asked, feeling a deep pang of guilt at hurting Professor Dumbledore, at the thought of harming anyone.
"Perhaps you are correct." Professor Dumbledore said in reply.
"I don't like it." The Harry and Rose being said shortly. "Oh, and Sirius wants some books to read on the subject as well, says he wants to practice his skills."
"I shall tend to that when we finish." Professor Dumbledore stated. "Unless, that is, you do not wish to continue at this time."
"I don't think I do." The Harry and Rose being said in a tired voice. "I think I have an effective defense, even if I don't much enjoy it."
"If you are certain." Professor Dumbledore responded, his voice also sounding drawn and tired.
"As certain as I can be, but feel free to randomly test me." The Harry and Rose being stated as they stood.
"I shall, if you believe it necessary." Professor Dumbledore responded.
"It would be wise." The Harry and Rose being said.
"Then I shall do as you request." Professor Dumbledore said. "Good night, then, Harry and Rose."
"Good night." The Harry and Rose being said, then vanished in a flash of flame, reappearing in their room and dressing for the night before climbing in the bed. Their sleep that night was restless, but they felt rested enough the next day to function without alerting anyone to their sleepless night.