Harry Potter and the War of the Wands

Chapter 10 - Occlumency and Legilimency

It was nearly midday before Harry finally roused from his deep sleep. The battle in Diagon Alley the day before had certainly taken it out of him, and he'd passed out on the couch almost immediately after lying down. Harry had taken his fair share of hits and was in even worse shape than after the wedding. He was aching all over, and there were several deep gashes on his arms from where he had to dive to the ground onto broken glass to avoid being hexed. His mother had been shocked at the state of him when he made it back to Godric's Hollow. His father, although concerned, understood that injuries couldn't always be avoided in the heat of battle. He praised Harry and the Weasley brothers for putting up such a good fight against the odds.

"How do you feel," Lily asked as Harry shook himself awake and grimaced with pain. James had also been sleeping as usual, but had woken as soon as he heard Harry stir.

"Pretty sore, to be honest," groaned Harry with a wry smile. "It's a lot harder with the targets hitting back." James laughed as Lily shook her head disbelievingly.

"You're just like your father," she said gladly. "He wasn't one to let a few cuts and scrapes get him down either."

"Not a chance," said James, grinning. "You're a Potter through and through." Harry smiled as his father beamed with pride.

"Where is Laranole?" asked Harry, realising his friend wasn't curled up at his feet as he was when he'd fallen asleep.

"He's out hunting, but he shouldn't be long," replied Lily. "He was out most of the night."

Harry, although sure that no one knew where he was, had been reluctant to leave the fireplace entrance open. He remedied this situation by fashioning a hole, wide enough for his friend to make it through the fireplace. This suited him perfectly.

"First things first, we should get you patched up," said James. Harry nodded.

He gingerly slid his robes over his head, wincing in pain slightly as he did so. As he removed his t-shirt it stuck to several matted clots of blood. His mother looked anxious and seeing the worried look on her face, Harry spoke up.

"Don't worry, Mum," he smiled, "it looks much worse than it is." Lily looked sceptical. "Honestly...." She still didn't look convinced.

"Right, well, we'll definitely need to clean those wounds before dressing them," she said, assuming a very nurse like tone. James smiled as if he was used to being spoken to in a similar manner. "Hopefully, we have everything we need here. There should be a rack of potion ingredients in the cupboard over there." She pointed over into the corner, and Harry retrieved the rack. It contained various familiar ingredients and others which Harry didn't recognise. It also looked like a medical case, with small cotton swabs, plasters and bandages.

"Okay, this will probably hurt quite a bit, Harry, but you need to do it to make sure none of the wounds get infected," said his father. "Some dark spells used by the Death Eaters were designed to be quite insidious." Lily nodded in agreement.

"Use the swabs to clean each cut carefully. Jus dip it into that light yellow bottle on the right," said Lily. "That should take care of any infections."

Harry carefully soaked one of the swabs in the yellow liquid and began gently tending to his wounds. His father had been right. Each wound stung painfully as he cleaned it out. Two of the cuts even let off smoke, which his father told him was a sign they had indeed been infected, but were now cleansed. Luckily, he hadn't taken any to his back and could reach them all.

It was a slow and painful process but eventually Harry had finished, and all the cuts were as clean as they could be.

"That's looking much better," Lily said appraisingly. "Now, I'm going to show you how to make a very special balm which will help your cuts and bruises heal much, much quicker than normal."

Harry was stiff and sore as he lifted out the various ingredients as his mother named them. Using a small medicinal cauldron, he mixed everything up according to her instructions.

"How much Aconite should I use?" Harry asked uncertainly. He had always been taught that Aconite was poisonous rather than regenerative and he knew it was also a key ingredient in Wolfsbane Potion.

"Just a dash, along with the Hellebore to dilute it," replied Lily. "Although both of them can be poisonous on their own, combined their toxins are negated, and they form the base of the restorative part of the balm."

Harry cautiously poured a little of both into the cauldron and continued stirring. After a few moments, he was directed to heat the contents. He used his wand to produce a ring of fire below the cauldron stand.

"That should do it now," said Lily happily after a couple of minutes. Harry scooped the contents into a bowl and surveyed the light golden brown paste he'd prepared. "Now, rub it deep into your bruises and apply it lightly to the deep cuts. You should notice an improvement straightaway." She smiled.

Harry scooped a little of the balm onto his fingers, took a sniff at it - it smelled quite nice, he thought, and began rubbing it onto a large bruise on his chest. He was astonished at the effect. The pain immediately disappeared, and he was sure he could even see the bruise lessen in size.

"Mum, this stuff is amazing!" he said in surprise. "Where did you learn how to make it?" He was now applying liberal amounts to the cuts with much the same effect.

"It's a little creation that an old potions partner and I put together," she said haltingly. "Is it helping?" she asked quickly. Harry didn't notice it but James's expression had turned slightly sour, but he soon mastered himself.

"You bet it is. Look!" he said. He stood up to let his parents see the improvement.

"Much better, you'll be back to your best in no time," piped in James. Lily, on the other hand had become rather quiet.

Laranole chose this moment to return through his hole, a fresh mouse clamped between his jaws.

"Ah, you're awake again," he said gladly. "You ssseeem to be in better ssshape after your ressst?"

"Much better now, Laranole," replied Harry. "And seeing as you have your lunch with you, I think I'll have mine too." He smiled.

****

Harry was sitting comfortably on the couch, Laranole curled around his foot, reading through Voldemort's diary again. His parents were slumbering in their portrait as usual. He supposed there wasn't much else to do when you were a painting. As he read each excerpt, he became increasingly sickened by the apparent lack of human emotions which the young Tom Riddle exuded in his narrative. He seemed to view everyone as beneath him, frequently making mentions of the extent of his powers and claim to greatness as Slytherin's heir.

From what Harry could judge by the diary, Voldemort had done extensive research into creating Horcruxes. Considering they were a forbidden subject at Hogwarts, Harry wondered briefly where he could have got the literature for it, but assumed that he had taken a trip to Knockturn Alley at some point. Voldemort sounded almost pleased that murder was the key element in creating a Horcrux. By the time the diary had been written, Voldemort had already committed at least four murders, that of his uncle Morfin and his father and grandparents. He had traced a picture of the Peverell ring next to a note stating his intention of making it Horcrux number two, his immediate attention being the creation of the Diary Horcrux.

He had also apparently already had his chat with Professor Slughorn as he had decided on the seven part soul. Dumbledore was right that his intention was to create the Horcruxes out of important items.

The fat oaf Slughorn was easy to deceive

As soon as I put on my timid obsequious pupil voice he was taken in

Seven Horcruxes, seven and I would be invincible.

But, what vessels would be worthy to hold the soul of Lord Voldemort?

They must be steeped in magical history, that is obvious

It is so simple, it is fate, four of them are already easy to choose

The Founders of Hogwarts will secure my immortality

I already hold the illustrious Salazar Slytherins ring and the Sword of Gryffindor is still held at Hogwarts

But, where to find the Healing Cup of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws Diadem of Thought?

Here it is, thought Harry. According to Dumbledore there was no way that Voldemort could have gotten to the Sword, which meant that the missing Horcrux had to be Ravenclaws diadem. Finally, he'd made some progress. Unfortunately, Harry had no idea what the diadem was though, or even where to start looking for it.

He lay back and heaved a huge sigh.

"What's wrong, son?" James asked blearily. He'd obviously just woken up and was rubbing his eyes slowly.

"Oh, sorry Dad, did I wake you?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry about it, we get plenty of rest in here in case you hadn't noticed," he replied wryly. "Anything I can help with?" he said with a nod to the diary.

"I don't know, maybe," replied Harry. "I think I might know what Voldemort used to make the missing Horcrux. Have you ever heard of Ravenclaw's Diadem of Thought?"

"Ah, yes, the lost diadem of Ravenclaw," said James. He nodded thoughtfully and gently roused Lily. "I can tell you a little about it, I'm sure, and you're mother should be able to fill in the gaps." Harry sat up straighter as his father explained to Lily what Harry had found.

"Well, to begin with, the diadem is basically a golden circlet, or tiara, with a single diamond in the centre of it," began James.

"It's a sapphire, not a diamond, honey," interrupted Lily.

"Okay, sapphire then," said James mockingly. Harry smiled as Lily punched him playfully on the arm. "The legend goes that Ravenclaw made it and imbibed in it a lot of her own magical wisdom. Supposedly, it gives the wearer a keener insight and deepens their magical capacity." Harry listened intently.

"But only if you're a woman," added Lily.

"Obviously," said James with a grin.

"Who has it now, and where is it?" Harry asked eagerly. He had a feeling it wasn't going to be a simple answer.

"No one knows," replied his father. "As the story goes, Ravenclaw passed it on to her daughter before she died. This daughter was a renowned witch in her own right, but she fell in love with the wrong man. One night in a fit of jealous rage, he killed her and stole the diadem. He was bitter that she was magically superior to him." Harry looked shocked.

"The diadem was never found. Supposedly, the man felt so much remorse over the murder that he buried the diadem far away and threw himself on his own sword," finished Lily.

"That doesn't give me much hope," said Harry dejectedly. He knew it would be difficult to track down Voldemort's Horcruxes, but the history of the diadem was too vague to begin with.

"If Voldemort managed to find it, there has to be a way you can find it too," said James convincingly.

"Exactly," joined in Lily.

Heartened by his parents' confidence in him, Harry forced himself to look at the upside. At least now he thought he had all of the Horcruxes listed. That's a better position than he had been in.

He spent the rest of the day training as usual and had an early night as he was still feeling exhausted from the battle.

****

A week later and Harry's Occlumency lessons were going well by all accounts. Although he didn't truly have a partner to work with, his mother instructed him well with the aid of the textbooks he had access too. Harry himself felt that he was making definite progress this time. The meditation exercises his mother had given him had become almost second nature to him and he was able to control his emotions and blank out his mind much more easily than when he had trained with Snape.

A result of this new found control was that his scar wasn't prickling as much as it had been over the summer. He'd noticed that he now only seemed to get a sense of Voldemort's emotions if he was either particularly angry or happy. Also, since he'd started his meditation ritual before going to sleep, he'd stopped getting visions through his dreams.

Harry was poring over one of the textbooks on Legilimency when he came to a chapter entitled Mind Over Matter. It began describing a form of duelling, which wasn't based on a physical confrontation. Rather, the duelists' minds became locked in a battle, in which the physical laws of nature weren't restricted. In this type of duel, the only constraint was the limit of your imagination. It was fascinating.

"Mum, what do you know about using Legilimency to fight a battle of the minds?" asked Harry inquisitively.

His mother and father had been having a playful game of hide and seek in their portrait whilst Harry was researching. Lily came out of hiding and James pounced on her gleefully.

"I win," he laughed heartily as Lily shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Right, sorry Harry, what was the question again?" she asked.

"Well, I've come to this chapter where it talks about duelling without physically facing one another," said Harry. "It says there is a method of locking minds with your enemy and battling them mentally."

Lily nodded in understanding.

"It's a very advanced form of Legilimency," said Lily. "You need exceptional mental control to be able to link with someone in such a way. Not many wizards can do it."

"Sort of like the link that Voldemort and I have without even meaning to?" asked Harry thoughtfully.

"I'd say your right, Harry," said James. "From what you've described you do seem to have a unique link to each other."

"And if we did face each other like this..." started Harry.

"Then he wouldn't hold as big an advantage over you as in a physical duel, as it's your own imagination which limits your power," interrupted Lily soberly. "The only problem being there is only so much I can teach you, and only so much you can learn from the books, without having someone to practice with."

Harry nodded, but was still intent on learning about this new method of duelling. He had a feeling that it could be important. He went back to reading and his parents went back to their game of hide and seek.

****

It had been two weeks since the battle in Diagon Alley and Harry had spent all of his time between training and research. He had continued to read through Riddle's diary but had also begun reading up on the legend of the Ravenclaw Diadem. Fortunately, there were a few historical books he could go through which mentioned the Diadem, although he hadn't uncovered anything conclusive yet. He had also redoubled his efforts in Occlumency, Legilimency and learning about mind battles.

Although relatively convinced that he was safe in Godric's Hollow, he'd only made a few trips to the local shop to get provisions. Each time he made an appearance, Mrs Hargrove was pleased to see him. They made idle chit chat about the weather and so on, and she always gave Harry an extra couple of apples free of charge.

Harry and Laranole had also built a firm friendship, and Laranole had decided to accompany Harry on his travels whenever he decided it was time to leave. Harry himself thought that time was coming soon. He felt that there was only so much he'd be able to do whilst being hidden away. The Horcruxes were still out there and had to be found and destroyed before he could even think of facing Voldemort. One of his first tasks would be to track down R.A.B. and find the real locket. He also wanted to know what was happening in the Wizarding World, considering he hadn't been able to get hold of a Daily Prophet for weeks. He was so thirsty for information he'd had even settled for a glimpse of The Quibbler.

Hermione had already exhausted the Hogwarts Library resources looking up R.A.B. before end of term and Harry could only think of one other option for trying to find out who it was.

"I think I'm going to try to tap into Voldemort's mind," said Harry finally. Laranole had returned from hunting in the middle of the conversation and slithered silently to Harry's side.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, son?" asked James soberly. Lily looked slightly worried.

"I don't know to be honest, but it's the only way I can think of getting any information," replied Harry truthfully. He hoped he was making the right decision. It was definitely dangerous to go messing around in Voldemort's head without any real practice.

"You don't know what you're going to be up against though," said Lily. It seemed she wasn't keen of the idea of letting Harry lock minds with the Dark Lord so early in his training.

"I guess I'll find out," said Harry gently. "I'll be careful, I promise." He tried to give her a reassuring smile but he felt far from confident.

"If the Dark Lord isss asss powerful asss you have desscribed, you will need all your witsss about you when facing him," he said, "whether in the mind, or in a direct confrontation." He'd obviously caught enough of the conversation to grasp what Harry was planning.

"I know, hopefully I won't need to confront him though," said Harry. "I'm hoping that I can fly just under his radar long enough to catch something useful."

"When are you planning on doing this?" asked James.

Harry paused for a moment before replying. "Now."

"Now?" his mother asked, almost incredulously. "I don't think you've had enough training for this, Harry."

"I know I haven't learned it all," started Harry. "But, I've already got a head start with this because of the link I have with Voldemort. I just think it's important to get started as soon as I can. I don't know what's going on out there."

His parents looked at one another sombrely, before giving him a simultaneous nod.

"Good luck, son," said James finally.

"Be careful, and remember everything we've talked about," said Lily.

"Thanks, I will," replied Harry.

"Isss there anything I can do?" asked Laranole.

"If I go too deep, I might have trouble getting back," said Harry. "If I look as if I'm struggling, do anything you can to bring me round again. Even if it means biting me," he said.

Harry picked up a cushion from the couch and placed it on the floor before settling himself comfortably on it. He was sat cross legged with his eyes closed. He took deep calming breaths to focus his mind and then let his consciousness reach out. The effect was almost instantaneous. An image fleeted through his mind. A man was kneeling before him and a cold voice spoke. The image disappeared.

Harry opened his eyes for a second and composed himself again. His eyes closed slowly once more and the image reappeared almost as quickly. He was looking through Voldemort's eyes. He could hear the man's voice, full of fear.

"...matter of time. Your servants infiltrate the Ministry daily, my Lord."

"The sooner the better," the high, cold voice replied. "I grow impatient." The man shuddered as if a cold breeze had just hit him. The lights were dim, but Harry could make out they were in an old fashioned sitting room. Dust covered the mantelpiece above the fire and cobwebs littered the dark corners of the room.

The image fleeted away as Harry delved further and deeper into the dark recesses of Voldemort's mind. He was in control just now, searching through jumbled images and feelings, trying to find anything of use. It was such an overwhelming feeling to be connected so deeply to another mind. It felt alien to him. It felt as though he was falling through an abyss, filled with images of the past and the planned future.

Laranole noticed that Harry's breathing had become slightly laboured. A bead of sweat was rolling down Harry's cheek, but he appeared not to feel it.

Harry strained harder and harder until a barrier appeared in the abyss. He focused his mind and pushed through it. He wasn't prepared for what he found. He seemed to be in a barren wasteland, a lone figure stood before him; Voldemort. He reached out hopelessly for his wand, but instantly everything went black for a second, and Harry found himself back in the old fashioned sitting room. He was looking into a grand mirror, but, instead of seeing Voldemort he was looking back at himself.

"It looks as though we have an uninvited guest, Nagini." Harry's mouth curled up in a disdainful sneer as the chilling voice came from his own lips. "I can see you, Harry Potter."

Harry's body shuddered involuntarily. James and Lily looked down as Lararnole spoke to Harry, trying to wake him.

"From your unexpected intrusion, I would surmise that you have been instructed in the subtle arts of the mind, Harry?" It was disconcerting hearing the question coming from his own mouth. "But where have you been studying, I wonder?" Harry focused intently, trying to push away from Voldemort's mind, but it was useless.

A barrage of unwanted images of Shundsfell Cottage rushed through Harry's mind. He screamed, unable to stop it. He saw the place where his father had made his last stand. He was standing in the wreckage of his old room, toys still scattered on the floor. With a spasm of panic he could see the fireplace in the living room opening up to reveal the secret passageway.

"Ah, but of course," sneered Voldemort. "You ran home. Well, let's see if we can arrange a late homecoming party for you, shall we?"

Suddenly a sharp pain shot through Harry's leg and he was yanked out from Voldemort's consciousness. Harry's eyes shot open and he saw a trace of blood on Laranole's fangs.

"Are you okay, Harry?" asked Laranole quickly. "You sssaid I should resssort to anything to wake you."

Harry jumped up, looking around wildly. His parents looked alarmed.

"Harry. What's wrong?" snapped Lily.

"He knows," gibbered Harry. "He knows!" Harry careened round the room gathering up all of his belongings and throwing them haphazardly into his bag.

"Knows what?" asked James sharply. "What does Voldemort know, Harry?" Lily had gripped onto his shoulder in fear.

"He knows where I am," said Harry frantically. "We need to get out of here right..." He stopped abruptly. Several popping noises sounded from the other side of the wall. Muffled voices were trying to decide how best to get through the fireplace.

"They're here," whispered Harry. His mother and father looked forlorn. "I can fit you..."

Harry didn't get a chance to finish the sentence. A voice rose suddenly louder than the others, and the fireplace burst asunder. A handful of Death Eaters poured through the wreckage.

"Harry!" screamed his mother. "Get out of here!"

A jet of red light narrowly missed Harry as he dove for cover. The Death Eaters split up, two of them going to the right and the rest going to the left. Harry fired a powerful hex from behind the couch.

"I can't leave you two!" he yelled. He couldn't lose them again, he thought desperately.

"Yes, you can!" bellowed James. "We're already dead! You can't save us, Son. But you can save yourself!"

"Go!" yelled Lily. "We love you, Harry."

Harry screamed in fury and unleashed a barrage of spells, one after the other. He didn't notice one of the Death Eaters trying to sneak round to broadside him. A scream of pain alerted Harry, as he saw the Death Eater wildly shaking Laranole from his leg and kicking him away.

A vicious spell flew over his head and hit his parents' portrait, which burst into flames. Harry wheeled round and let out a loud moan as he saw his mother and father smiling sadly back at him as the fire rose around them. Two Death Eaters burst forward, trying to grab hold of Harry.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" roared Harry as he turned to face the oncoming Death Eaters. The closest Death Eater stumbled backward as blood spattered onto Harry's face. The second one froze in fear at the malice in the young man's eyes. Harry raised his wand again and the man was thrown back vigorously, hitting the wall with a heavy thud. The other Deaths Eaters wavered for a second, but then resumed their attack.

Tears of anger flowed freely down Harry's cheeks as he threw curse after curse at his attackers. He grabbed his holdall and broke for the secret exit, stopping only to scoop up Laranole where he fell and to take one last glance at his parents. James had Lily's face cupped in his hands as they kissed.

Another curse flew by Harry's face, and he pushed through the exit as the Death Eaters broke from cover in a desperate attempt to stop him escaping. The door swung shut forcefully, helping Harry's getaway as he stumbled blindly up the stone corridor with Laranole scooped in his arms and his holdall swung over his back.

He reached the mausoleum and made his way out of the door quickly. The sun was still shining brightly as he laid his friend gently on the ground.

"Laranole?" Harry whispered desperately. He stroked the snakes head softly.

"Sssss," the snake responded weakly.

"Thank Merlin you're alive," said Harry. "I'll get us out of here, okay?" As he gently lifted Laranole in his arms again he heard a shout from down the hill. The Deaths Eaters had found him again.

He focused his mind and spun on the spot, disappearing as a beam of green light flew through the spot he'd just vacated.

"Alive, you fool," screamed a Death Eater. "He's to be taken alive!" His comrade merely shrugged.

****

The village of Hogsmeade had been rather subdued of late. People were increasingly scared of leaving their homes as the war escalated. Therefore, the arrival of Harry on the outskirts of town went unnoticed.

"Okay, we'll be safe for a while once we get to the castle," said Harry. Laranole nodded slightly. Harry had wanted to avoid coming back to Hogwarts because, with Dumbledore out of the way, he felt his presence would be a danger to the staff and students. There was, however, no alternative just now. He had to have a base somewhere, and he had nowhere else to go.

He raised his eyes to the place he had called home. He could see the tower where Dumbledore had fallen. A lump formed in his throat as he remembered Dumbledore's words. "I am not afraid, I am with you." Pushing the thought away, Harry focused his mind.

He raised his wand and summoned his Patronus. As the silver light burst from his wand, he was shocked to see that it wasn't Prongs who appeared, but instead, a huge Phoenix soared in circles above him. Something vague flittered through his mind about Patronuses changing during times of emotional upheaval. Slightly shook, he beckoned the Phoenix down to him.

He'd never sent a message this way before, but he was sure he knew how it was done. He thought exactly what he wanted to say to Professor McGonagall and waved his Patronus on. The huge silver bird swept away as Harry made his way up the road towards Hogwarts.

As he came in sight of the gates, he saw the Headmistress bustling towards him anxiously.

"Well, you have some explaining to do, don't you think so, Potter?" she asked as she looked him up and down. Her lips were pursed and she looked flustered. Harry noticed her do a double take at Laranole. He nodded in response. "But it can wait," she added as her expression softened. "The main thing is you're alive. Come along then. It's dinner time just now, but I think it best if you go straight to the common room."

"If you don't mind, I'd rather see my friends?" Harry asked quietly. "And I need Hagrid or someone to look after Laranole. He got hurt."

She swayed for a second before nodding her acceptance.

"I'll take him to Hagrid right away," said Minerva. "Don't worry," she added gently as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You're going to be okay, pal," Harry whispered to his friend in Parseltongue. "You can trust people here. Hagrid will look after you."

As they came to the entrance of the Great Hall, Minerva took Laranole from Harry, promising him again his friend would be looked after, and told him to go on ahead.

Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the Great Hall.

****