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Chapter Thirty-Five: It Must Be Among the Students!
"Gilderoy! What idiotic thing have you done now? You're bringing the Headmaster endless trouble!" Snape stormed in without warning, robes billowing furiously. "Guests from a sister school were attacked on Hogwarts grounds — attacked — and woke up with no memory of what happened. One girl was nearly assaulted, and the worst part? The perpetrator hasn't been caught, and the whole matter is in the newspapers!"
"Scrimgeour checked my wand already," Lockhart said calmly. "It wasn't me. Someone must have infiltrated — a Death Eater, most likely."
"I know perfectly well you used some trick to get past Scrimgeour," Snape hissed. "But you cannot fool me. What in Merlin's name were you thinking? With the Headmaster here, nothing will go wrong with this Tournament. Are you paranoid? Traumatized? Your head is stuffed full of schemes upon schemes upon schemes. Honestly, your head is full of nothing but fools!"
Snape's fury was so intense it felt like the air itself had darkened.
"How many people would dare lay a hand on Potter inside Hogwarts?"
"As long as even one person dares," Lockhart met his gaze evenly, "we cannot lower our guard."
"Utter nonsense!" Snape snapped. "Stop your dangerous behaviour at once! Or I will not be polite next time."
He spun round, blasted the door open, and swept out, muttering, "Madman. Absolute lunatic…"
Lockhart rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Pretending to be righteous was easy — but, truthfully, he had gone too far this time.
If he hadn't been so vain and tried showing off in front of Fleur, he wouldn't have been spotted at all.
Why couldn't he control himself?
But the investigation couldn't stop now.
Just imagining Barty Crouch Jr skulking somewhere among the students, watching him and Harry like prey, was enough to kill any trace of Lockhart's former enthusiasm.
Still, he obviously couldn't dose the entire school with Veritaserum — there wasn't enough, and Snape would flay him alive.
But perhaps…
Perhaps he could use his lessons.
A spark of inspiration ignited.
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A Very Suspicious Lesson
"Quiet down, class — we'll begin," Lockhart said with his trademark radiant smile. Students immediately leaned together, whispering; clearly something had put him in a very good mood.
"After several years of study," Lockhart began pleasantly, "I trust you all have a solid understanding of how to respond to Dark magic. But today, we will look at a different kind of spell. It's not Dark magic, but it is frequently used by very unpleasant people, and the Ministry of Magic heavily restricts it."
"Can anyone guess what it is?"
Silence.
Even Hermione was frowning in concentration.
Not that Lockhart cared about their guesses.
When no one raised a hand, he announced:
"Legilimency."
A ripple of unease spread through the room.
"Legilimency," Lockhart continued, "is a practical — albeit misused — form of memory magic. When casting it, the Legilimens must look directly into the target's eyes to read their emotions and memories. Whatever the target is currently thinking, and whatever memories are particularly vivid, are the easiest to access."
He paused, giving the class time to fidget nervously.
"It becomes easier if the caster is close, or if the target is relaxed, distracted, or emotionally unsettled. Eye contact is crucial. Words can provoke emotional responses, making memories easier to reach. Skilled Legilimens can even detect lies without using an incantation."
Hermione raised her hand sharply — only to speak before he acknowledged her.
"Professor, the Ministry of Magic strictly forbids using Legilimency on students!"
"Granger," Lockhart said smoothly, "rules are rules, but people are flexible. And next time, please raise your hand before speaking."
He pressed on at once.
"Any other questions?"
Malfoy lifted a hand, looking remarkably serious.
"Professor… does the Dark Lord know Legilimency?"
"As far as I know," Lockhart replied, "he is exceptionally skilled at it. If any of you were ever captured by him, my personal advice would be: surrender immediately or end your own life. Don't even think about lying to him."
The class shuddered.
Another hand shot up.
"Sir, is there any way to block Legilimency?"
"Yes. Occlumency. It can resist Legilimency, protect your mind from manipulation, lessen the effects of the Imperius Curse, and even reduce the pain from the Cruciatus. But learning it is… difficult."
"Professor, can you teach us Occlumency?" a student blurted eagerly.
Lockhart froze.
Teach Occlumency? To dozens of noisy teenagers? Absolutely not.
"If any of you wish to learn," he said kindly, "go to Professor Snape. He is the most accomplished Occlumens I've ever encountered."
The Gryffindors groaned in despair.
Even the Slytherins looked appalled.
Lockhart strongly suspected no one would actually ask Snape for lessons.
"Right," Lockhart clapped his hands. "Now, I will demonstrate Legilimency on each of you. Line up — no one is excused. Your homework will be to write a detailed reflection on what it feels like to have your memories accessed."
He added, with a gentle smile that made the class collectively recoil:
"And students — you might want to think of something you don't mind me discovering. I would hate to stumble across too many of your secrets."
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