Looking into Parvati's head (Was:Balance of power)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 91459

> Sue, who is wondering today if Harry actually used legilimency to see 
> into Parvati's head during the Magical History OWL exam or if Lord 
> Thingy was sitting in his study, strumming his fingers irritatedly(?) 
> remembering historical facts while he waited for Harry to fall asleep.

Carol:
I agree with your "balance of power" post but don't have anything to
add, so I'll respond to your P.S. I like the suggestion that LV
practicing legilmency on Harry (without his knowledge) put the idea of
looking into Parvati's head into his mind. But to me the scene also
indicates that Harry still doesn't understand the important
distinction that Snape made between legilmency and the Muggle concept
of mind-reading. The legilmens senses feelings and sees memories and
other images but not words. "The mind is not a book to be opened and
perused at will." 

If Harry had been able to enter Parvati's mind, he might very well
have felt her frustration as she struggled with an answer or sensed
her excitement as she remembered the right answer to a difficult
question, but he would not have seen (or heard) the answers because
the legilmens does not read thoughts--unless he could somehow have
looked through her eyes at the answers she was writing on the paper.
But from what we've seen so far of legilmency, Pensieves, and memories
preserved in diaries, the subject of the thought or memory is seen
from the outside. So to me the scene mostly indicates that he still
doesn't understand what legilmency is.

Carol