After the Legilimency session, they opened their eyes.
A long silence followed. Snape's method proved useful for mastering Occlumency. His opponent's expertise in Occlumency and emotional manipulation was unmatched by Damon.
Although the other party hadn't concealed anything, or rather, Snape had completely dissected his childhood, revealing it to Damon almost defenselessly.
It was as if they were comparing two things.
Damon's agony before his time travel, and Snape's agony before meeting Lily.
Damon's ecstasy at discovering Hogwarts, and Snape's joy at meeting Lily.
Of course, he was certain Snape hadn't discovered the secret of his "time travel." After all, he had already mastered it to a considerable degree. Time travel was his most crucial secret, one he couldn't reveal to anyone.
But Snape had indeed grasped his emotions in that moment, the beginning of a frustrated man's second half.
"You..."
Did you do this on purpose?
Damon was silent for a moment, not asking.
"It seems you've grasped it. Very good, my efforts were well worth it. Now, give me my due."
Snape, pleased with Damon's performance, smiled slightly. It seemed their dueling prince understood their shared predicament.
"Well, here you go. By the way, I have a matching set here."
Damon pulled out a magical photo. 'Lily' in a blue floral dress, rustic yet quirky.
This was the memory he had just seen. Although he had seen it in a movie in his past life, seeing it in person was a completely different experience.
Snape gently took the photo, glanced at it, and held it carefully.
He sent the guest away.
"That's all for today. I'll see you here next Friday at the same time. If you have any questions, feel free to visit me in my office."
"Okay, thank you for your guidance, Professor."
Damon prepared to leave. This study session had left him a little tired—and it had also reminded him of another important thing: never underestimate magic.
"Damon, thank you."
As Damon closed the door, he heard a faint thank you behind him.
He didn't respond, simply raised his right hand and waved it left and right.
You're welcome, bye.
When Damon returned to the common room, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were still awake. Even Neville remained with them, reading the Handbook of Herbal Disasters and Treatment.
Seeing him safe and sound, they all breathed a sigh of relief. Ron asked,
"Damon, did Snape give you any trouble?"
"Don't worry, no, we get along fine."
Damon leaned back on the sofa, letting out a soft breath.
"Why do you look tired? Are you stressed out?"
Hermione observed his expression with a hint of concern, her fingers clenching quietly.
"Yes, a little, but it has nothing to do with Snape. It's just the side effects of practicing Occlumency."
"What is Occlumency?"
This advanced magic is beyond even Hogwarts' final-year curriculum, puzzling everyone. "Emotions and thoughts aren't confined to the brain. Skilled Legilimens can capture these free-floating fragments and control your thoughts."
Occlumency is the antidote to this magic - to do this, you must keep a clear mind and put aside all emotions. This is not easy, and it makes me feel a little sick."
"Legitimate? What kind of magic is this!"
"Isn't this mind reading?!"
"No, mind reading is a Muggle term. There's a subtle yet fundamental difference. The human mind isn't a book you can flip through at will.
Thoughts aren't etched in the skull, meaning they can't be read.
It's not as quick as mind reading, but it allows for more."
Hermione and the others' expressions grew subtly ambiguous. Doesn't this mean their thoughts are completely exposed to a Legilimency master? Damon, sensing their concerns, smiled and said,
"Don't worry. Legilimency is an extremely difficult and profound spell, mastered by very few wizards. Furthermore, reading the mind is extremely offensive and insulting. Neither Snape nor Dumbledore would ever use it on you."
His words failed to dispel their doubts.
Hermione asked,
"Can we learn Occlumency, too?"
"Of course. In fact, I can teach you right now. However—I think rather than jumping right into such advanced spells, you should first lay a solid foundation, so you don't end up spending a whole semester without even getting started. What do you think?"
The others were convinced.
"Shall we go to the Room of Requirement to practice spells tomorrow? All five of us?"
Harry asked, feeling a sense of urgency.
Everyone else looked at Damon.
"Sure, I should be up by six in the morning. Can you guys get up?"
"I'm fine," Hermione answered first.
The boys hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance before saying with a bitter face,
"We should be able to—if we can't, please drag us out of bed."
"I don't like to force things. If you can't, just come later."
"Okay, sleep on."
For the other students at Hogwarts, this weekend was just the first day off of the semester.
For Harry, Ron, and the others, it was something completely different.
They finished all their homework on Friday with Hermione's help, then spent the remaining two days in the Room of Requirement practicing spells.
Their only break was lunch and dinner in the first-floor hall. That was how it should have been.
Ron hadn't expected Damon to even give them that break. Instead, he used Transfiguration to transmogrify the food the house-elves had prepared onto the table.
"I don't like eating in the middle of practice; it disrupts my flow. Magic requires focus."
Although Damon didn't demand the same from the others, if even such an accomplished Damon was so diligent, what excuse did Harry and the others have for slacking off?
Having made up their minds, the group became even more motivated. For
the past two days, Damon hadn't chosen to teach them advanced spells, or even the material they were supposed to learn in their second year.
Instead, he had them go back and learn elementary spells. Yes, spells from the first-year Charms textbook, "The Standard Book of Spells: Elementary"—spells as simple as cleanse, levitation, and illumination, spells that the group had already mastered.
"Foundations are the foundation of everything."
Damon had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, seemingly a pedantic figure.
"In my opinion, none of your spellcasting movements, sounds, aura, or the will you exert is up to par.
The reason you can't do it well is that you haven't developed a habit.
To solve this problem, I have no other suggestion but to practice extensively and repeatedly.
Cast each spell a thousand times daily until it becomes second nature. Then, I'll teach you more.
Read 20+ chapters ahead at
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(End of this chapter)