Snape in the Shrieking Shack (was re:time-turning)

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 112853

> The Other Cheryl wrote:
> <snip>
>And, remember, Snape is a superb occulamens, who can tell 
> when he's > being lied to. He has to be trying to use it there, if
for no other reason than to come up with evidence to support his side.
> 
> Hannah: That's interesting.  I'd always taken occlumency as being 
> separate from legilimency, so although Snape is brilliant at 
> blocking his thoughts, he isn't necessarily as good at reading those 
> of others.  Harry has lied to him a few times and Snape's never 
> *seemed* to use legilimency.  But maybe the two go together - has 
> anyone worked out if they do or not?
>

Carol:
According to Snape himself, only a Legilimens (like Voldemort) can
tell whether he's being lied to (by reading the emotions and memories
of a person, usually someone with whom he has eye contact). An
Occlumens, especially a superb one like Snape, can block his own
memories so that he can lie to a Legilimens without being detected.
(This skill probably saved Snape's life in the days before Godric's
Hollow when he was spying on Voldemort for Dumbledore. If he's in
direct contact with Voldemort now, as I don't think he is, he would
again need to use it.)

In any case, Snape is not a Legilimens and consequently can't use that
skill in the Shrieking Shack--or detemining whether Harry was in
Hogsmeade or stole potion ingredients from his office. (He is able to
access Harry's memories in the Occlumency lessons through a
Legilimency *spell*, which is a different matter altogether from being
able to enter someone's else's mind at will. And, as Snape tells us,
even a Legilimens can't read another's mind as if it were a book. IOW,
he isn't reading the *words* that the person is thinking or has
thought. He only sees the visual record of *memories,* presumably
those related in some way to the present situation (and perhaps senses
fear or other emotions associated with those memories). In the case of
a liar, the Legilimens would see what really happened as opposed to
what the liar is saying.

Presumably Snape can block any memories that belie his words.
Possibly, given his special skill in the art of Occlumency, he can
even manufacture memories to replace those he has blocked. But IIRC
the only indication that he might be able to perform *Legilimency*--as
opposed to Occlumency--without a Legilimency spell is Harry's feeling
in CoS (after the flying car incident) that Snape can read minds. And
we know that Harry's perception of Snape is seldom a reliable
indicator of what Snape can do or intends to do.

Carol