Richie felt a quiet stir at Tom's words.
He hadn't expected the story behind the charm to be so brutal. Those wizards had faced two choices: starve to death inside their tower or walk out and become prey for the witch-hunters, their lives no longer their own.
The story already told him which one they'd picked.
Tom watched Richie's expression in the mirror, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
"What I mentioned earlier—attacking yourself with Legilimency—is exactly how you use this charm."
Tom raised his wand and pointed it at his own reflection.
Richie took a quiet step sideways.
Tom noticed and paused. He lowered the wand as if nothing had happened and walked over to the window.
"Once you master the Mirror Reflection Charm, you still need to learn Legilimency before you can practice Occlumency."
He turned back to Richie.
"Do you know what Legilimency is?"
Richie shook his head.
"I've only heard you mention it. I've never seen it."
Tom nodded like that was exactly what he'd expected.
"Of course not. If a first-year had already seen Legilimency, the wizarding world would be in serious trouble."
He reached out and drew an eye on the window glass.
"The real key to Legilimency isn't the simple incantation. That's just the trigger. The important part is the eyes."
When Tom stopped, Richie played along and asked, "The eyes?"
Tom looked pleased with Elliot's quick mind and kept going.
"Yes. The eyes are the windows to the mind. When you stare into someone's eyes, you're standing right outside the door to their consciousness."
"Then you raise your wand and cast the spell: Legilimens."
"If the target isn't on guard or if their emotions are running high, that door swings open."
"The person being invaded feels their thoughts being ripped out—pure pain."
Richie's mind clicked. So emotions could be used against you too?
He smacked his own forehead. He'd been overthinking it.
Emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear—weren't just fuel for casting spells. They were their own separate thing. You could use them, others could use them, the environment could mess with them. It was all normal.
Without meaning to, he'd just figured something out.
Tom had no idea Richie's thoughts had wandered off. He assumed the explanation had gone over the kid's head, so he paused to give him time to catch up.
Richie snapped back, scratched his head, and gave a sheepish grin to stay in character.
"Sorry, I didn't quite get it."
Tom shook his head kindly.
"That's fine. You don't have to understand everything right away. You've got me now—ask anything."
Richie smiled innocently and asked, "What if the other person won't look at me?"
Tom rubbed his chin.
"If they refuse eye contact it's still possible, but the effect drops off hard. That's why skilled Legilimens learn how to make people look at them."
Richie nodded. Tom emphasized the next part.
"That's why Occlumency works by using the strange feeling you get when someone invades your mind as a warning. You empty your thoughts and emotions instantly and enter a blank state."
"Of course, experts can flood the attacker with meaningless or fake memories to confuse them and accomplish other goals."
Richie nodded slowly. Tom's explanation was incredibly detailed—everything from the Wizard's Tower story to the mechanics of Legilimency and the principles of Occlumency. It was a completely different path from the one in Legilimency and Countermeasures: Introduction to Mental Defense.
Just like he'd said: clever people always find unconventional routes.
"All right, that's my method," Tom said, looking at Richie. "Mirror Reflection Charm, then Legilimency, then use Legilimency on yourself to train Occlumency."
He paused.
"But it's messy."
"First, the Mirror Reflection Charm can't fully reflect your own spell, so the Legilimency will be much weaker and probably won't work."
"Second, you're casting Legilimency on yourself. That means you'll be reading your own memories while trying to defend against them at the same time. It's easy to get lost and pass out."
"Those risks can't be avoided."
"But… I have one more method."
A strange restlessness flickered through Richie. He asked before he could stop himself.
"What method?"
Tom's eyes narrowed, like a snake finally baring its fangs, and he said softly, "Split… your consciousness."
"Split off another version of yourself inside your mind. One version casts Legilimency. The other practices Occlumency."
"It solves both problems perfectly, and…"
"Your secrets stay yours."
Richie had to admit it sounded logical.
Yeah—one self casting Legilimency, the other defending. No need for the mirror charm, no risk of your own brain fighting itself, and the secrets just pass from one hand to the other—still yours.
Then reality hit him.
Split consciousness? That wasn't "brain fighting itself." That was splitting your damn brain in half!
Was that even safe?
Richie's expression turned wary. Tom, who had been watching him closely, immediately softened his tone.
"Oh, splitting consciousness isn't the same as splitting your soul. Souls are far more complicated…"
"Of course, you're still too young. Splitting consciousness would be too difficult for you right now. The mirror method is safer."
"Let's talk about how you'll learn the Mirror Reflection Charm and Legilimency instead, shall we?"
Richie forced a fake smile.
"Sure."
---
Richie didn't know how long he'd spent inside the diary world, but when he finally returned to his expanded suitcase study he dropped into the chair, exhausted.
He watched Tom's elegant handwriting appear on the open page.
Tom: I really enjoyed talking with you today. It's been a long time since I made a new friend.
Tom: If you have any more questions, come find me anytime!
Richie's eyes flickered. He wrote back:
Richie: Okay.
He closed the diary, pulled out a notebook, and jotted down the incantations and casting methods for both the Mirror Reflection Charm and Legilimency.
The Mirror Reflection Charm looked simple—he figured he could nail it after a few tries.
Legilimency was going to be a nightmare to learn.
Plus there were legal issues.
So he'd have to practice in secret.
"Looks like I need to buy a few spiders…"
Richie bent over the desk and kept writing.