Who's to Blame/Ending Occulmency/Long

[koinonia02]

No: HPFGUIDX 100571

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Sherry Gomes" 
<sherriola at e...> wrote:
> 
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, SnapesSlytherin at a... wrote:

> While I am a Dumbledore supporter, I think that Dumbledore and 
>Snape hold the highest blame for Harry and ending the occlumency 
>lessons.  Harry is 15, and nobody really explained the true reason 
> why they wanted him to take the lessons.  Looking at it the way he 
> might, just telling him the lessons will prevent him seeing things 
> like what happened to Arthur, isn't good enough.

"K":

Sherry, I'll just reply to your comments as they are the last I've 
read on this subject.  :-)

I am a big Snape fan and I also love Harry but it does no good to 
constantly ignore the wrong things that Harry has done. He is not 
perfect nor do I expect him to be so. However, the constant remarks 
by Harry apologists that *he's only a boy* just doesn't sit well 
with me. I can be a Harry apologist as much as most folks but not 
when it comes to overlooking his wrong deeds. Which are many, BTW.

Harry is only 15 but he isn't a normal boy and he knows it. Good old 
Voldy wants to kill him and as Harry has met up with Voldemort a 
couple of times you would think Harry would listen to the advice of 
others but he doesn't.

Harry was told by Snape exactly what Occlumency was: 

~~Occlumency, Potter. The magical defense of the mind against 
external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly 
useful one."

"Why do I have to study Occlu --- thing?" he blurted out.

"Because the headmaster thinks it a good idea," said Snape 
smoothly.~~
oop/ch 24/pg 519/us

Snape gave Harry important information during the very first lesson 
they had:

~~Snape continued to survey him through narrowed eyes for a moment, 
then said, "Now, Occlumency. As I told you back in your dear 
godfather's kitchen, this branch of magic seals the mind against 
magical intrusion and influence.

"And why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it, sir?" said 
Harry, looking directly into Snape's dark, cold eyes and wondering 
whether he would answer.

Snape looked back at him for a moment and then said 
contemptuously, "surely even you could have worked that out by now, 
Potter? The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency ---"

What's that? Sir?"

"It is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another 
person's mind---

"He can read minds?" said Harry quickly, his worst fears confirmed.
<snip>
Well then, why do I have to learn Occlumency?"

Snape eyed Harry, tracing his mouth with one long, thin finger as he 
did so.

"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. The curse 
that failed to kill you seems to have forged some kind of connection 
between you and the Dark Lord. The evidence suggests that at times, 
when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable --- when you are 
asleep, for instance --- you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts 
and emotions. The headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to 
continue. He wished me to teach you how to close your mind to the 
Dark Lord."~~
oop/ch 24/pgs 530-531/us

Harry was told:

* The usual rules did not seem to apply to him.
* Curse seems to have forged some kind of connection between Harry 
and the Dark Lord.
* The Dark Lord is highly skilled in Legilimency.
* Tells Harry he is sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions.
* Headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue.
* Tells Harry when the connection appears to happen...when his mind 
is most relaxed and vulnerable...when he is asleep, for instance.
oop/ch 24/pgs 530-531/us

* Occlumency is a highly useful branch of magic.
* It can seal the mind against magical intrusion and influence.
oop/ch 24/pg 519/us

Harry knows there is a connection with Voldemort and if someone is 
trying to teach him how to break that connection then he should pay 
close attention. Harry made the choice to ignore what people were 
telling him.

LUPIN:

~~"Harry, I know you don't like Snape, but he is a superb Occlumens 
and we all --- Sirius included ---want you to learn to protect 
yourself, so work hard, all right?"~~
oop/ch 24/pg 527/us

~~But Harry, first of all, you're to go back to Snape and tell him 
that on no account is he to stop giving you lessons 
Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency!"  
Do you understand me? Nothing!~~
oop/ch 29/pg 672/us

SIRIUS:

~~"He WHAT?" 
"I'm coming up there to have a word with Snape!"
oop/ch 29/pg 672/us

~~Sirius wanted Harry to resume Occlumency lessons.~~
oop/ch 30/pg 681/us

DUMBLEDORE:

Headmaster thinks it a good idea
oop/ch 24/pg 519/us

"Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at 
all (Hermione)
oop/ch 25/pg 554/us

"It became a matter of even greater urgency that you should master 
Occlumency." (Dumbledore)
oop//ch 37/pg 829/us

HERMIONE:

..."Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor 
at all
...You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."
oop/ch 25/pgs 554/us

~~  Hermione nodded, apparently still lost in thought. Then, quite 
abruptly, she said, "But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry."
   "What?" he sad, taken aback.
   "You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this 
sort of thing," said Hermione, suddenly stern.
   "I know I am" said Harry. "But---
   "Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," said 
Hermione firmly. "And you ought to put a bit more effort on your 
Occlumcency from now on."~~
oop/ch 26/pg 589/us

..."You are trying to block your mind, aren't you?"
..."You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"
oop/ch 30/pg 682/us

Sherry:
> In his place, I might think it was good if I could see those 
>thing, just in case something else happened to someone I care 
>about.

"K":

Isn't this one of the reasons Sirius died? Harry was determined to 
see what was going on. He didn't want to learn Occlumency. Did Harry 
try as hard as he should have?
 
~~After a few minutes, however, he remembered that he was supposed 
to be emptying his mind of all emotion before he slept, as Snape 
kept instructing him at the end of every Occlumency lesson.~~
oop/ch 26/pg 577/us

~~"I haven't got to tell anyone," said Harry shortly. "I wouldn't 
have seen it at all if I could do Occlumency. I'm supposed to have 
learned to shut this stuff out. That's what they want."~~
oop/ch 26/pg 587/us

~~ "You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this 
sort of thing," said Hermione, suddenly stern.
   "I know I am" said Harry. "But---
  oop/ch 26/pg 589/us
 
~~...and could not stop himself from dwelling on the dream in which 
he had seen Voldemort, though he did not bring it up with Ron and 
Hermione again because he did not want another telling-off from 
Hermione.
oop/ch 26/pg 589/us

...surge of guilt 
...he had not practiced Occlumency once since their last lesson
oop/ch 28/pg 636/us

..."Have you been practicing?"
..."Yes," Harry lied
oop/ch 28/pg 638/us

...You are trying to block your mind, aren't you?" said Hermione, 
looking beadily at Harry. "You are keeping going with your 
Occlumency?"
   "Of course I am," said Harry, trying to sound as though this 
question was insulting, but not quite meeting her eye.  The truth 
was that he was so intensely curious about what was hidden in that 
room full of dusty orbs that he was quite keen for the dreams to 
continue.
oop/ch 30/pg 682/us

..."But I didn't,"
..."I didn't practice, I didn't bother, I could've stopped myself 
having those dreams
oop/ch 37/pg829/us


Sherry:

>Nobody told him, till it was too late, that they were afraid 
>Voldemort might implant visions or use him to spy on Dumbledore.

"K":

That's not really true, as I've pointed out before. Harry was told 
by Snape what Voldemort might try to do from the very first lesson. 
Others warned him for months. Harry knew all of this but ignored 
Snape and the pleas of Lupin, Sirius, and Hermione to work hard at 
Occlumency.

As Harry says:

~~The truth was that he was so intensely curious about what was 
hidden in that room full of dusty orbs that he was quite keen for 
the dreams to continue.
oop/ch 30/pg 682/us


Sherry:

>Dumbledore should have told Harry everything. Once Voldemort had 
>returned to his body, it wasn't time to protect Harry
> from the truth anymore.  

"K":

I don't think we even know all the truth right now. I still trust 
Dumbledore and I'm sure there's a reason Harry isn't being told 
everything.

Also, who says Harry didn't learn Occlumency to some extent? 

A D.A. lesson is in progress when Dobby comes to warn them that 
Delores Umbridge is coming.

~~"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.
<snip>
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN".~~

The kids are running in different directions. Draco causes Harry to 
fall. Umbridge brings Harry to Dumbledore's office. Can you imagine  
what's going through Harry's mind? The office is full of people 
including Dumbledore, McGonagall, Fudge, Shacklebolt, a tough-
looking wizard Harry doesn't recognize and Percy. The portraits are 
watching. 

~~ As Harry entered, a few flitted into neighboring frames and 
whispered urgently into their neighbors' ears.
   Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp as the door swung 
shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring at him with a kind of 
vicious satisfaction upon his face.
   "Well," he said. "Well, well, well..."~~

Wouldn't you be nervous and afraid to some extent. I imagine my mind 
would not be at ease but what about Harry?

~~Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. His heart 
drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddly cool and clear.~~
oop/ch 27/pgs 606-610/us

His heart drummed madly BUT his BRAIN was ODDLY COOL and CLEAR.

Maybe Harry has learned a bit more of Occlumency then even he is 
aware of. There is one more scene where it's possible Harry uses 
Occlumency. It's the scene where Bella, Harry, Voldemort, and 
Dumbledore are at the ministry. Sirius has just died.

~~Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white 
and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring...Lord Voldemort 
had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry 
who stood frozen, quite unable to move.
<snip>
   "But Master - he is here - he is below -"
   Voldemort paid no attention.
   "I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said 
quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"
   Harry had not even opened his mouth to resist. His mind was 
blank, his wand pointing uselessly at the floor.~~
oop/ch 36/pgs 811-813

After all Harry has just gone through with the Death Eaters, with 
Voldemort causing Harry physical pain and Harry being in a rage, 
Harry comes to a point where his mind is BLANK.


I believe there is a lot more to Occlumency than we have been told. 
I think it's only the beginning. There is now a connection between 
Snape and Harry. How this will be used I don't know but I feel it 
will be important.

~~... Harry felt he was getting worse with every lesson.

...Before he had started studying Occlumency, his scar had prickled 
occasionally...  Nowadays, however, his scar hardly every stopped 
prickling, and he often felt lurches of annoyance or cheerfulness 
that were unrelated to what was happening to him at the time, which 
were always accompanied by a particularly painful twinge from his 
scar. He had the horrible impression that he was slowly turning into 
a kind of aerial that was tuned in to tiny fluctuations in 
Voldemort's mood, and he was sure he could date this increased 
sensitivity firmly from his first occlumency lesson with Snape. 
<snip>
"It's lessons with Snape that are making it worse," said Harry 
flatly. 
<snip>
"I am working!" said Harry, nettled. "You try it sometime, Snape 
trying to get inside your head, it's not a bundle of laughs, you 
know!"

"Maybe..." said Ron slowly.
"Maybe what?" said Hermione rather snappishly.
"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," said Ron 
darkly.
"What do you mean?" said Hermione.
"Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry..."
<snip>
"Maybe, he said again in a lower voice, "he's actually trying to 
open Harry's mind a bit wider...make it easier for You-Know---"
"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione angrily.~~ 
oop/ch 25/pgs 553-555

~~ "Snape made it worse, my scar always hurt worse after lessons 
with him ---" Harry remembered Ron's thoughts on the subject and 
plunged on. "How do you know he wasn't trying to soften me up for 
Voldemort, make it easier for him to get inside my ---"
   "I trust Severus Snape," said Dumbledore simply.~~
oop/ch 37/pg 833/us

Notice Dumbledore does not tell Harry that Ron was wrong. He just 
says he trusts Snape. As I've said, I think the connection between 
Snape and Harry will come into play later on but that doesn't mean 
it will be in a negative way.

Yes, Snape ended the lesson but maybe, just maybe, Snape had 
finished what needed to be done.  

"K"