Snape and Occlumency

[Tammy]

No: HPFGUIDX 121620


Inkling wrote:
> 
> I just can't get past the fact that his so-called lessons contained 
> no specific instructions and had the opposite result from what was 
> (supposedly) intended.  JKR makes quite a point of this: "Before he 
> had started studying occlumency, his scar had prickled 
> occasionally...Nowadays, however, his scar hardly ever 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 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."  
> (just in case the "sure" doesn't convince, she adds "firmly" :-)
> Something as dramatic as this, IMHO, cannot be laid simply to 
> Harry's lack of effort in occlumency.  His mind is, in fact, under 
> assault, and it has something to do with what's going on in Snape's 
> lessons.
> 

Tammy:

Don't forget that these lessons are happening because Dumbledore
believes that Voldemort now knows about the link between himself and
Harry. It stands to reason that Harry's scar would hurt more after
Voldemort knows about the link, because Voldemort would no doubt be
testing the link, seeing what he could do with it, how he could use it
to his advantage. We can't know that Harry's scar hurting more has
anything to do with Occlumency or with Voldemort trying things out.

-Tammy, who firmly believes in Snape's moral goodness - hidden
somewhere deep within his icy heart.