Chapter 24: Occlumency

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 109104

Melanie (I think) asked: 
> > <snip> why 
> > on Earth didn't Lupin or Sirius really sit down and have this chat 
> > with Harry?  
> >>>>>>SNIP>>>>>>
> 
> Aggie:
> My understanding was that everyone was following DD's orders.  That 
> he had informed them all that Harry *wasn't* to be told.  It is my 
> belief that Sirius *DID* want to tell Harry all about it, (the night 
> he [Harry]arrived) but that Molly, acting on DD's orders, deemed it 
> inappropriate. 
<quote snipped>

Carol responds:
But these comments and quotes relate to an earlier point in the story,
before the occlumency lessons have been proposed. Molly wasn't
involved in the occlumency discussions, which began at a later point
(near the end of the Christmas holiday) with a conflict between Sirius
and Snape.

If that weren't bad enough, Sirius undermined any trust Harry might
have placed in Snape and the Occlumency lessons by giving him the
two-way mirror--*to use to contact him if Snape gave Harry a hard
time!* (The fact that Harry didn't open the package or use the mirror
is irrelevant.) Sirius could--and should--have taken the opportunity
to explain what Occlumency was and why it was needed (to the best of
his ability, not being an occlumens himself). He should not have
allowed his animosity toward Snape to interfere with Dumbledore's plan
for Harry to learn occlumency through the best teacher available. But
resentment or jealousy or immaturity or whatever it was kept Sirius
from accepting the possibility that Snape could and should be trusted
with the occlumency lessons, and rather than keep his misgivings to
himself, he reinforced them by using *Snape* as his reason for giving
Harry the mirror (bad timing, bad motivation, and more secrecy No
wonder Harry didn't use it when it was most needed).

Lupin at least informed Harry that *Professor* Snape was a "superb
occlumens"--showing him respect as a colleague and fellow member of
the Order, as Sirius did not. But even he did not explain what
occlumency was or why Harry needed it. The explanation was left to
Snape, who, IMO, made it as clear as he could to a resistant pupil
whose instinct to mistrust him had been reinforced by Sirius's
misguided gesture and bad advice. 

Carol