Occlumency

[Mimi Barker]

No: HPFGUIDX 101017

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Mel" <melaniertay at y...> wrote:
> If there is a little bit of Voldemort in Harry (as stated 
> in cannon) then the intrusion is "internal" not external.  In which 
> case occlumency would not work and possibly make him worse. (clue 
> from cannon would be that Voldemort cannot block Harry and he is an 
> expert legilemens/occlumens) Of course, Snape and DD probably 
didn't 
> know that.  I don't think their overall intentions were bad.  
Still, 
> if occlumency is an impossibility between Harry and Voldemort, is 
> Harry still to blame?

I can think of two reasons for any wizard to learn Occlumency. One is 
to protect his thoughts from being known by a skilled Legilimens, and 
this seems to be the motive behind why Harry is given the lessons, so 
that Voldy can't find out what Harry knows, or manipulate Harry by 
planting info. 

But there is another reason, one we are reminded of almost everytime 
we meet Voldy. He can tell when someone is lying to him, and this is 
a skill related to Legilimency. So another reason to learn Occlumency 
is to be able to lie to a Legilimens and get away with it. 

I think this is one of the keys in how Snape is able to spy for the 
Order, Voldy believes him because he (Voldy) thinks he would know if 
Snape was lying to him. Or else Snape has a way of spying in some 
persona other than his own. We know of several ways people can be 
present and even participating but not be recognized: invizibility 
cloak, animagus, polyjuice potion, metamorphmagus, and whatever DD 
does. 

But to get back to Harry, something else that happened to him in OoP 
besides the Occlumency lessons, was his detentions with Umbridge. One 
of the results of that was a new scar. Now the back of his hand has a 
scar that says, "I must not tell lies." Maybe this makes the 
Occlumency lessons pointless or unneccesary. I think there is a 
connection, and that as evil as Umbridge is, her punishments may 
benefit Harry before it is all over.