DISCLAIMER: HARRY AND HIS FRIENDS AND ENEMIES DO NOT BELONG TO ME! THEY BELONG TO THE AMAZING J.K ROWLING! ONLY THE PLOT IS MINE!
A/N: This takes place at the start of the Christmas holidays, OotP. Does not follow HBP or DH timelines.
Harry Potter and the Black Legacy
Chapter 5—Harry's Thoughts
"Harry, are you…are you okay?" Hermione asked cautiously, looking at the black hair, green-eyed boy.
"Yeah Hermione. Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked distractedly.
"Er…mate…its just that…it's vacation, and you have your nose buried in a book." Ron said uncertainly. "Are you positive that you're feeling alright?" He pressed. Harry sighed, looking up tiredly.
"Yes, guys, I'm alright. Ron, I have decided that studies are more important now that the OWLs are coming up, and I don't want to suffer with Snape any more, after classes, so I'm reading up Occlumency. Is there a problem?" Harry asked. He was half-lying, though. He didn't give a damn about his exams. He had other things to worry about. Namely, Voldemort and his minions. However, the part about avoiding Snape was true. After that incident (where he looked into Snape's worst memory), he didn't want to have another lesson, even if Dumbledore insisted. Besides, Sirius had a fight with Snape, and Harry dreaded the upcoming lessons now. If Snape's hatred really ran that deep, then Harry would be having a rough year ahead of him, so he decided to look up Occlumency in the Black library, which Sirius recently gave him access to, but not without cautioning words.
"I'll be down for dinner a bit later, guys!" Harry called from his trunk in the furthest corner.
"Okay Harry, just make sure not to take too long." Hermione said kindly before leaving.
"Yeah mate, or I won't leave you anything to eat." Ron joked. Harry chuckled.
"Don't worry, I'll be there." He reassured them.
"Harry, you are my heir, and you need to learn everything you can, on your own, first." Sirius said. "I still have a few things to take care of before we can start on our training, so I'll open the family library to you." He said with a small smile.
"There's a library in the house?" Harry asked in disbelief. "I've wandered these halls and I've never stumbled across a room that looked big enough to house all the books required in a library!" Harry exclaimed.
Sirius smirked mischievously. "It's another family secret, Harry. Keep this one safe from your friend Hermione, will you? If she gets her hands on it, when I die, my ancestors are going to resurrect me and kill me all over again." He laughed. Harry laughed with him. Hermione would, indeed, do that, for her love of books and literature. The Black library probably contains as many books as the Hogwarts library, having accumulated tome after tome over the years.
"Okay, I won't tell her." Harry promised.
"Good. Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Sirius said.
"Oh, you're reading up Occlumency?" Hermione asked with an approving smile. "But where did you get the book?" She asked, frowning slightly, her smile fading. "You didn't go anywhere…did you? Or did you get that from the Hogwarts library?" She fired off.
"Er…no." That was the truth…as for lies, Harry was coming up blank.
"Well? Where did you get that book?" She asked suspiciously. She stood up and walked over, snatching it from Harry's hands and examining it. "It's a normal book, isn't it?" She asked. Harry snatched it back.
"It's not like Riddle's diary, if that's what you're saying." He said rather coolly. Hermione blushed.
"Oi, mate. There's no need to be so snappy." Ron defended Hermione.
"Then will you leave me and let me read in peace?" Harry felt guilty in driving his friends away, but right now he really needed some quiet time to focus on the basics of Occlumency. He didn't want Sirius to be disappointed with him. Heir or not, the man trusted him enough to spill the Black family secrets to him, and he wasn't about to give it away that fast—at least, not until they could be trusted implicitly. He didn't like lying to his friends about such a big secret, but he valued Sirius' trust in him. Until the man gave the orders to let his friends in the secret, he was going to keep his mouth shut.
"Alright Harry. Well…go get Snape and show him." Ron said.
"Have fun." Hermione smiled before the duo walked out, leaving Harry alone. Harry smiled softly after the door closed. Ah…peace. He almost forgot what that was like. Everything was very hectic now. He barely had any time to himself now.
"Well, let's get started." He muttered, flipping the book to the table of contents again. He didn't manage to get a single word in with Ron and Hermione in the room, which was quite sad, as it was an hour wasted. Time was essential now. He must do whatever is needed to stay alive and defeat Voldemort.
Pausing in his scanning, Harry contemplated himself and his character. He used to be innocent, if not hopelessly naïve, in his previous years. Certainly with Hogwarts came danger and adventure, and each more exciting than the last. In his first year he fought 'Quirrelmort', as he liked to call the combination of man and spirit now. It was a major chance for him to see the world and its dangers, but he didn't realise just how biased and scary the real world can be until his second year, when he was revealed as a Parselmouth, and the Hufflepuffs turned against him, fearing that he was commanding the Basilisk to kill and petrify. Also, the experience in Knockturn Alley was terrifying for him. He didn't ever want to go into that place—that is, unprepared.
When he fought the Basilisk, he experienced, for the second time he could remember (counting his first year when Quirrel, or rather, Voldemort, nearly got him killed) being almost dead. The pain of the Basilisk's venom had been excruciating. It not for Fawkes…well, he certainly wouldn't be here, would he?
As for his third year, it was even worse. By running away at the start of the term, Harry had to adapt and learn how to deal with those situations. Thank Merlin he met the Weasleys and Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron, and had some company, at least. Then he was exposed to a new danger—an escaped convict, from Azkaban, the supposed unescapable wizarding prison—apparently going after him to finish what Voldemort started that night in Godric's Hollow. He had to deal with a werewolf teacher, Dementors, Sirius' tale, and Pettigrew's escape in a single (in his opinion, too short) year. It was enough to force Harry to grow out of his childhood and stop being somewhat sheltered.
The worst, however, had been his fourth year. It does get progressively worse, doesn't it? This year I had to deal with the visions, Harry thought grimly, but it really all started in fourth year. I remember at the end of the summer I dreamt of the old Muggle man being murdered.
During the holidays the Quidditch World Cup had taken place, and the Dark Mark was spotted after a Death Eater parade. That didn't bode well for anybody, especially Harry. It marked the beginning of a second war. Why else would the Dark Mark have been shot up? To terrorize the public? No, Harry felt as if there was something more ominous going on, and indeed there was, as proved later on that year.
The Triwizard Tournament had taken place during Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. Along with Victor Krum from Durmstrang, Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons, and Cedric Diggory from the Hufflepuff house in Hogwarts, Harry was elected, unwittingly and unwillingly, to compete in the tournament. Three times he came face to face with danger, and the last task almost finished him off for good. Who in their right mind would give enraged mother dragons protecting their eggs as a challenge? Who would give a screaming golden egg to the champions as a reward and make them race for the secret of it just to qualify for the second task, which consists of being underwater for an hour and having to fend off all kinds of creatures that may very well injure the champions badly? Do they even care that Harry was almost killed, and that Cedric was actually killed in the third and final task? Apparently not.
Now only he, his closest friends, Dumbledore, and a few others like Snape, and also the Death Eaters, knew that Voldemort was back.
Now…presently, in the first half of his fifth year, Harry had already experienced harsh Occlumency lessons from Snape, which really, only served to tear down any natural Occlumency barriers Harry had before he was subjected to the lessons, which was a convenient way of saying torture. Harry wasn't about to pay for a crime that he didn't commit. Then he snorted. Of course Snape wouldn't know the difference between James Potter and Harry Potter to save his life. Everything else might have changed, but their mutual hatred hasn't.
Moving on from the failed attempts at Occlumency lessons, there was the actual vision that triggered the reaction. If Voldemort didn't know of Harry's 'handy' little ability to delve into his mind before, he probably did now. Nobody should have known the mission Nagini had to kill Arthur Weasley—not even Voldemort's most trusted Death Eaters. Yet somehow, Ron's father escaped alive, injured, but fortunately, at least for the Order, the Weasleys, and Harry, alive. Harry would have to be careful from now on. He needs to learn how to occlude his mind, fast.
He also realised that all the times he's come face to face with danger or Voldemort, pure blind luck had been on his side. That meant that one day his luck would run out, and then what was he supposed to do? No, he could not rely on his luck anymore. It was better to be prepared, and now was the time to do so.
Voldemort isn't stupid. Harry had to give him some credit. It wouldn't do for him to underestimate his enemy. Arrogance could be his downfall, and Harry didn't want it to end that way. The four and a half years spent antagonizing Draco Malfoy taught him well. All the times the blond jeered and sneered at him, Harry kept quiet while Ron retorted quickly and hot-headedly. Well, mostly. The point here was that Harry evaluated the blond quietly, taking in his flaws and even learning a few things from him. He learnt that Draco's biggest flaws were hubris and arrogance. Indeed, Harry was right, as the Malfoy heir believed that everyone was below him and didn't deserve his attention nor his time. He hated Muggleborns and Muggles, and frankly speaking, he was a bigoted, spoilt little bastard. He was also too prideful, and gets wounded quickly, causing him to spout insults and all kinds of colourful threats that so far, he has not acted upon. Even so, Harry felt like he should watch out for the Malfoy heir. He could compare Draco to Voldemort, to say the truth. Draco is, essentially, a less racist, more spoiled, blond, and a bit less intelligent version of Voldemort. Oh the differences could go on, and Harry could write them all down, but narrowing it down, Draco was a mini-Voldemort. Harry just felt lucky that he wasn't that extreme and actually had parents to care and spoil him, even though it made Draco…well…an evil little blond ferret.
At this, Harry snorted. He had to give it to Barty Crouch Jr. as well. The man knew how to hex and transfigure. Taking a leaf from Ron's book, Harry would forever remember Draco Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. It was a priceless scene.
Back to the topic of Voldemort now. Harry wasn't sure where Sirius wanted to go with all his planning and secret rebellion, but it was better than staying in school and sitting classes, knowing, and worrying uselessly about the inevitable confrontation that will either save or destroy the world as he knew it. The talk with Sirius that day made the gears in Harry's head turn. He knew Sirius was up to something big, something that he was hiding from Harry, something that will rock the entire Wizarding World when it reveals itself. Wasn't breaking Bellatrix Lestrange, the infamous lieutenant and fanatic follower of Voldemort, out of Azkaban big enough? Then again, Sirius was a Gryffindor soul with a Slytherin mind, as Harry said before. Give a Gryffindor idea and add some Slytherin cunningness and you've got something great but shocking brewing, and this was exactly what was happening with Sirius and…well, whatever he was planning.
He just couldn't make the connection to Voldemort, though. He knew that Sirius meant well, but he still felt uneasy about this whole thing. Was it really such a good idea to rush into the plan and break into Azkaban, bust a prisoner out, and get out all unharmed? Was that even possible? Where was Sirius going with his plan, though? It was what frustrated Harry the most—not knowing. This year Dumbledore was also hiding things from him. Harry is slightly less irritated at Sirius because at least his godfather told him about his family and the upcoming 'jailbreak' (meaning that there were shenanigans behind it, the perpetrators being Sirius and his faithful accomplice, Harry). Now doesn't that sound grand?
"It is grand." Harry mumbled to himself. "Just completely reckless and disastrous should it go wrong." He muttered. Then he looked down at his book, looked around again, and looked down again.
"Did I just spend the hour reminiscing about past events when I was supposed to read on Occlumency?" Harry groaned. "Smooth going, Potter, real smooth." He said. "And where did it get you with all that musing? Nowhere. Now focus on the reading." He said to himself. Argh, he was going insane now. Looking down to the table of contents, Harry skimmed through the list.
"Guess I'll start with theory first." He sighed.
Occlumency is the art of concealing one's mind from unwanted intruders, who use the art of Legilimency, which will be introduced in the second half of the book. Occlumency comes in three forms. The most basic form is erecting shields in the mind. However, this form is easily broken through if the user does not have enough willpower, or if the opponent is brutal in their attack. A trained, strong Occlumens may use this as the outermost form of defense. However, this form of Occlumency may also contain images and conjurations of animals, which will attack the invader before he or she gets to the actual walls of defense. This is not recommended for beginners because of the complexity of it and the time taken to master a realistic animal form that roams the mind as a protector, and not an attacker. Essentially the animal needs to be tame, yet the user has to be the one to tame it. The user will have to be careful that the animal will not turn on him or her.
The second form of Occlumency is to make a landscape in the mind that conceals memories behind whatever scenery is present in the image. Take Hogwarts as an example. If an Occlumens were to use the castle as a defense, then he or she must hide their memories cleverly in the castle. They might hide their deepest secrets in, say, the dungeons below the castle, where the Slytherin students reside. Or they may hide their innermost thoughts inside the Headmaster's office, stored, maybe, in one of the unobtrusive tomes on one of the bookshelves near the front (as to throw off attackers, who will most likely scour the back first).
The third form of Occlumency is the most difficult, because it is not like the previous two forms. This form contains lies that lure the intruder round and round in circles, trapping them in your mind. The way to accomplish this is to have a very good understanding of the second form of Occlumency, which is essentially having a good grasp on your memories and thoughts, and having an organised mind in which to hide those thoughts. However, this goes deeper because one little slip may grant the intruder access to the other parts of your mind. How? In this form of Occlumency, everything is connected, however distant. It is like a spider's web, like a maze, and it is very easy to get lost in it, whether if you're the intruder or the user, so the user has to have a very organised mind. Basically, the intruder sees memories that lead them in deeper and deeper to other memories, but all are insignificant recollections or rambles for thoughts. While this happens, the user may reinforce the other shields that guard their deepest secrets or the most important thoughts and also dangerous knowledge, or they may counterattack the opponent while they're busy in your mind, which leaves them vulnerable to an external attack (not related to mind arts).
Those were the three forms of Occlumency. To start learning them, the user must accomplish a task. They must meditate every night. Meditation helps the mind calm down from the day's excitement and it also helps organise your thoughts and feelings, knowledge, and also memories. Meditation is not required in large amounts. Half an hour a day before the user sleeps is sufficient. If the user thinks that more time will help him/her achieve their goals faster, then they may extend it to an hour. To start on meditation, turn to page 10.
Harry was spitting with rage. Snape had told him to prepare himself, and then invaded his mind viciously, leaving Harry no time to defend himself. He didn't even know how to! Also, by telling Harry to 'learn to occlude' his mind every night before he goes to sleep, the man hadn't told Harry how to occlude his mind either!
"What kind of a teacher is he?" Harry snarled. He was going to Dumbledore and stopping these lessons, and that was that.
"Wait…" He said, pausing, his brain heading in a very Slytherin direction. Revenge. What if he could master Occlumency within the space of the remaining holidays? Maybe Sirius could help him. Then when he gets back to school, he'll show Snape how it's done.
He shut his book with a snap and jumped up, smirking in a somewhat disturbing way. He had a plan…and when he had a plan…the results were never good for the parties involved. It either goes catastrophically wrong or it fails miserably…or both, ending in injuries, being knocked out for a week, unconsciousness, and potential health issues related to stressing bushy-haired friends or a red-headed matriarch of a family of redheads, though this time Harry was sure that his plan would work.
"Sirius!" He yelled gleefully. He was going to get his revenge, and when Harry Potter sets his mind on something, he is going to finish it no matter what the obstacles are.
Yes, I know that this is a lot of thoughts and stuff and no action or plot, but we're still getting to know the characters, who are going to be OOC, so we need to see how they develop into the characters they eventually become later on in the story.
Well, review it and say what you thought! I'm not particularly pleased about this chapter, and please bear with me for the Occlumency book thing. I have no idea what it should be like, so I made up stuff XD.