Occlumency

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 191685

...

Steve:

Excellent points Shaun, good to have you back in the discussions. 

I'll not address specific issue, just make a few side note. 

First, while Dumbledore is agreeable to the Occlumency lessons, and Snape is agreeable to the lessons, so is Harry. He doesn't like it, but he does see the underlying necessity of it, and he continues to go. So, we really do have consent all around. 

Next, in the Occlumency lessons, Snape is not seeking out specific information. He is not willfully seeking Harry's embarrassing memories. Rather, he is simply opening Harry mind and letting random thoughts flow, and it is Harry's job to close his mind and stop the flow of random thoughts. Snape is not specifically seeking out embarrassing thoughts or memories; he is simply taking the memories as they come. 

Though something of a side side note, we do see that when truly embarrassing memories appear, Harry does have the ability to cut them off. This tells me that under a different teacher, Harry could have gotten quite good at Occlumency, and I suspect later in life, when he had a better teacher, he did become very good at it. 

I see this as very different than the willful, malicious, and purpose directed invasion of a person's mind. That is what Voldemort does. He enters a person's mind seeking and pulling out very specific things that he wants to know, and he forces his way into their mind against their will. That is not what is happening to Harry in these lessons. 

I also think that part of the reason Harry can't stop the flow of thoughts is because, he is actually interested in seeing them. Only when a very private thought flows through does Harry become concerned. 

So, on the issue of permission, even being a child without the legal capacity for permission, Harry has none the less given it. And further, even as much as he doesn't like it, Harry does understand the need for the lessons, and continues to return. It is just unfortunate for all that it is Snape teaching him. 

In all honesty, I see nothing here that warrants the word 'Mind [the word that shall not be named]'. 

Does Harry feel violated by the continual intrusions into his thoughts and memories, certainly, who wouldn't? But that is the nature of the beast. You can't learn to block your mind against invasion unless someone invades so that you can block. 

All concerned have given permission. All concerned have agree to the necessity of the lessons. All concerned probably agree that it is an unpleasant experience. Yet, a very necessary experience. Lots of experiences in life are unpleasant, but we do them anyway; that's just life. 

Now there are always a group of people, who have a strong reaction to just about everything in the books. Some think the Twins are harmless mischief makers. Others see them a vile bullies who deserve to be in jail. Some see Harry as determined to do what is right, even if it means breaking the rules, and other see Harry as an unruly kid who flaunts the rule, causes trouble, and would do better to keep his mouth shut and stay in bed. Any one in the books can be seen has horrible if you have the right mind set. 

In the case of the Occlumency lessons, this random opening of Harry mind to the random pouring out of random thoughts and memories, would have been inevitable no matter who was teaching Harry. Though I'm sure there are some who Harry would have felt more comfortable having see his private memories. But, the flow of memories itself was inevitable. To teach the blocking of the mind, the mind has to be opened, so that you can learn to close it. 

Given that they are at Hogwarts, and that the rest of the Order are busy with their own assignments, there are very few choices in trusted people to teach Harry. Really, under the circumstances, Snape is the only person. It is just too bad that he and Harry do not get along, and equally unfortunate that Snape chooses to use such ham-fisted methods. 

But to be fair, Snape isn't teaching a random classroom Occlumency lesson, he is teaching Harry to resist the most brutal and gifted Legilimens in existance. When Voldemort invade Harry's mind, it will not be even remotely has gentle as Snape was. Compared to Voldemort, ham-fisted as Snape was, he was actually being gentle. 

We need to keep these things in perspective, and not let emotions or overblown rhetoric get the best of us. 

Steve/bboyminn