Still wondering why Snape trusts DD! (was: James the Berk?)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 107129

Carolina asked:
<snip> Just a question, do you think occlumency is basic or advanced
DE training or 
> was acquired before joining the merry party?


Carol responds:
It can't be DE training at all or Voldemort's legilimency would be
useless as a means of controlling his DEs. Moreover, he can't know
that Snape is an occlumens or Snape would be unable to spy on him or
observe him or attend meetings (whatever he's doing) without giving
himself away. Occlumency isn't *basic* anything: it's evidently a very
rare skill that no one except Snape or Dumbledore is capable of
teaching Harry. (Voldemort, OTOH, teaches his DEs--or some of them--
how to cast Unforgiveable Curses. Otherwise, he probably takes
advantage of skills they already have, such as potion making. But
Snape would be an utter fool to let Voldemort or any of the DEs know
that he's an occlumens, and Snape, whatever his faults, is far from a
fool.)

My guess is that Dumbledore taught occlumency to Snape when Snape
first began spying for him. Someone said in another post that this was
*just* before Voldemort's fall. I don't think so, since the young
Snape (about 21 at the time) was spying on Dumbledore "at great
personal risk," suggesting that he did so more than once and possibly
for a prolonged period--possibly about the same length of time
(approximately a year) that Peter was spying for Voldemort. I think
that he learned occlumency during this period, when it was crucial for
his survival. No canon, of course, but it makes sense to me.

Carol