Harry, Snape,Occlumency

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 94331


> > Annemehr wrote:
> > > So Occlumency lessons did indeed make Harry more vulnerable to the
> > > scar connection.  Yet Snape never warned Harry of this effect, 
> > > which added to Harry's confusion.  No wonder the kid had trouble 
> > > learning! 
<snip>
> > 
> > Tip replied:
> > I feel ... something much more along the lines of Harry not really 
> > wanting to stop the visions. ..., Harry is also somewhat drawn
> > to hear the voices of his parents, something he had never previously
> > heard. So his desires were clashing with what he knew he should or
> > was supposed to be doing.
> > 
> > Tip
> 
> 
> bboy_mn:
> 
> First, regardless of what any of the Snape defenders say, Snape did a
> lousy job of teaching Harry. I don't think Snape did that with
> willfull intent. I think the tension and animosity between him and
> Harry is so great the neither of them was capable of making the
> situation work.
> 
> Put yourself in a situation where someone, like an evil drill sargent,
> is standing over you screaming at you to be calm and clear your mind.
> That's just not going to work.
<snip>

Annemehr:
Yes, this is all true.  Occlumency was apparently doomed.  Reasons for
its failure:

1)The bad relationship between Snape and Harry -- Dumbledore refers to
this as Snape having wounds too deep for healing.  Dumbledore blames
himself for having Snape teach Harry; he does not place the blame with
either Snape or Harry for the problem.  The flip side of the
relationship, of course, is that it is very stressful for Harry to
have his mind invaded by a teacher he distrusts so much, making it
much more difficult to clear his mind.

2)The lateness of the attempt -- Voldemort's desire to get behind the
door of the DoM has infected Harry's mind for six months before the
lessons even begin.  That desire is now Harry's desire as far as he
knows.  Furthermore, the lessons were not attempted until after
Voldemort had become aware of the connection to Harry, so Harry now
had to learn while LV is actively putting things into his head.

3)The "Drill Seargent" method -- Here I'll let Anne (Silverthorne)
summarise the reasoning behind it:
> However, for Military trained people <snip>, the
> ability to remain calm and rational no matter *what* Mr Asshole 
> Seargant is screaming <snip> at you is one of the primary foci of 
> training.
> Why? Because later, when you're stuck in a fox hole with bombs going
> off right over your head, a bleeding gut wound, and the best buddy
> you knew since high school laying right next to you with his guts
> hanging out, you're still going to have to be able to function and
> *think* in order to survive where you're at.
True, Voldemort is certainly not going to make it easy for Harry.  The
reason this teaching method becomes a problem, though, is because of
problems 1) and 2) above.  In other words, the urgency and stress
involved make it harder for Harry to clear his mind. I agree with Anne
and bboy_mn in not placing blame here.

4)It gets worse before it gets better -- as Dumbledore told Harry, "I
have already said that it was a mistake for me not to teach you
myself, though I was sure, at the time, that nothing could have been
more dangerous than to open your mind even further to Voldemort while
in my presence --" and Harry replies, "Snape made it worse, my scar
always hurt worse after lessons with him --"  Unfortunately, Harry
never knew while the lessons were going on that this was an expected
side-effect.  If he had known, he may have distrusted Snape less.

5)Harry is arguably having the most stressful time of his life -- and
I'll just let bboy_mn's excellent summary speak for itself:
> Also, as the school year progresses circumstances conspire against
> Harry's efforts. It's already a high-stress year with O.W.L.s coming
> up and homework overload. That is then compounded by Umbridges ever
> more foul powerplays. Harry is infuriated by Snape's general attitude,
> and the fact that Snape is offering no helpful technique at achieving
> the goal he demands. As Tip pointed out, Harry is consumed by
> curiousity about what is behind that door in the Department of
> Mysteries, and who wouldn't be. He has lost Quidditch which was one of
> his best methods for coping with stress. He is worried about Sirius.
> He is worried about Voldemort. He is worried about Cho. He is worried
> about Ron. So, while he should be worrying less, circumstances are
> forcing him, as it would with any normal person, to worry more.
[end quote from bboy_mn]

6)Harry doesn't take it seriously enough -- Snape did affirm to him
that Voldemort would try to make Harry "do things," but we also have
this from Dumbledore as he's leaving after the discovery of the DA:
"Listen to me Harry," he said urgently, "you must study Occlumency as
hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape
tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so
that you can close your mind to bad dreams -- you will understand why
soon enough, but you must promise me --" [OoP ch. 27]  We never see
that this had any effect on Harry.  Even after "Snape's Worst Memory,"
when the lessons have stopped, Lupin tells him through the Floo,
"Harry, there is nothing so important as you learning Occlumency! Do
you understand me? Nothing!"  Though the lessons never resumed, Harry
still could have tried to clear his mind at bedtime.  Perhaps Harry
has already given up on being able to learn, since these exhortations
come quite late in the proceedings.  We can try to analyse why Harry
never gives Occlumency the effort he is urged to, but I won't do it
here as it'd just be pure speculation on my part.


So that's everything I could find that worked against Harry learning
Occlumency, with help from Tip, bboy_mn and Anne.  I agree with
bboy_mn that JKR wrote all this very believably and in character.  

And I still wonder, if Harry had learned it, would he have had to
maintain the Occlumency block 24/7 in order to keep Voldemort from
ever influencing or possessing him? And would it really have been
effective, given the scar connection is not the same as Legilimency?

Annemehr