Occlumency lessons

[antoshachekhonte]

No: HPFGUIDX 91617

Deb wrote:
> Does anyone else feel that Snape (sir!) didn't try particularly hard 
> to teach occlumency to Harry--even before the Pensieve? He never 
> explained how or WHAT Harry should do, other than "clear your mind of 
> all emotions" before diving in and attacking him.
> 
> But what I REALLY wonder at is that Hermione--the bookworm, 
> researcher extraordinaire that she is--didn't immediately start 
> digging out references to force on Harry when he started the lessons 
> in the first place. Or at least when he was making no progress with 
> Snape (sir!)--it's not like she doesn't know how Snape treats Harry 
> anyway, I'm sure she could well imagine that the lessons weren't 
> exactly smooth and easy like his Patronus lessons with Lupin had 
> been. If she can pick up all these other skills (like the hex she put 
> on the DA signup sheet, or on the gold galleons to announce each 
> meeting) from books, why not occlumency so that she could help Harry??
> 

Well, I can say from personal experience that some of the best practitioners of an art can 
be the worst teachers--they think what they're talking about is simple. So perhaps, for 
Snape, there really isn't anything more than "emptying your mind of emotion"--emotion 
being one of the things (as it's been pointed out here recently) that Harry has in spades.

As for why Hermione couldn't just find a copy of Occlumency for Dummies, perhaps (being 
a fairly dangerous subject) it's only covered in books in the famous Restricted section--
and since Hermione gets her head bitten off every time she brings the subject up (which 
is, to be fair, quite frequently), she may decide it's not worth trying to get past Madam 
Pince's wards...

About the galleons--I'd totally forgotten about them! Now I'm going to be waiting for one 
of them to show up in the next book! Since many have decided that the DA will thrive in 
the coming year, perhaps they become badges of honor for "charter members."

Antosha, who wishes Hermione would help him with HIS homework....