Narcissa and Occlumency

[lealess]

No: HPFGUIDX 138191

When Severus pulls Draco out of Slughorn's party for an impromptu
interrogation in the bathroom, he tries Legilimency without success,
leading him to speculate that Bellatrix taught Draco Occlumency. 
However, Bellatrix seems like someone who wears her heart on her
sleeve.  The only thing she has to hide is her distrust of Severus, a
distrust Voldemort probably shares.  Not only is Bellatrix often
ravingly transparent, she is a fugitive.  How much time can she
comfortably spend with Draco?

When Severus guesses incorrectly that Bellatrix has taught Draco
Occlumency, this probably only increases Draco's contempt for his
professor.  It is more likely that Draco learned Occlumency from
Narcissa.  She has the time to devote to teaching Draco, and she has
the motivation of protecting her son, not to mention her husband's
secrets, and their property and name, from both Ministry and Voldemort.

So, if Severus tried to learn about Draco's task at Spinner's End by
using Legilimency on Narcissa, he may have been misled by a superb
Occlumens into making the Unbreakable Vow.  He may have seen only what
she wanted him to see.  He would have been better off using
Legilimency on Bellatrix, but Narcissa was the one breaking down into
obscene tears, was the one offering information, so he may have
overlooked the generally less stable sister.

If Narcissa was able to use Occlumency to hide Draco's task from
Severus, then he was essentially hoisted on his own petard.  He may
have spent a good deal of the next school year simply trying to find
out what Draco's mission was, after all.  If he only found out what
the mission was on the Astronomy Tower...?

Which leads to the question: how are all these Death Eaters and their
families learning Occlumency?  Harry had to be specially taught, by
Severus.  I wonder if Occlumency is taught as part of DADA in seventh
year.  If that is the case, then one would have to be an excellent
Legilimens to even bother with it.

lealess