Harry Potter:Diamond Heart.

No,' Salazar shrugged. 'Sphinxes live for thousands of years, but they're normally very reclusive. This one was interested in us, spent centuries studying how we thought in comparison to how it did, I tracked it down near the Byzantine city of Ephesus and convinced it to teach me about the mind arts. It was an unexplored branch of magic back then, not many wizards bothered with it, and most still don't. It takes a certain type of wizard or witch to understand and master it.'

'It tested me,' Harry told him.

'You met a sphinx?!' The painting dropped its wand in surprise.

'There was one in the shrugged, unconcerned.

tournament,' Harry

'A sphinx would not have deigned to take any part of that tournament,' Salazar shook his head. 'They don't care about wizards and their affairs, not when they can strip every thought from your head in an instant.'

'Than what was it doing there!'

'Testing you, obviously,' Slytherin retorted. 'Did it tell you anything?'

'A riddle, one I don't understand.'

'Well don't forget it,' the founder told him sternly, 'it will make sense when you need it, no doubt.'

'I shall teach you the principles of legilimency, then,' the painting decided. 'You'll have to find your own way to test yourself and your progress.'

'Now?' There was still a little time before he had to sneak to the Great Hall and pretend he had been on the train. 'I'll give confirmed.

you

a

brief

introduction,'

Salazar

Harry took a seat behind the desk, pushing the stack of newspapers and the bag of galleons to one side.

'Legilimency is not the opposite of occlumency,' Slytherin began firmly. 'That's a generalisation made by wizards who don't understand the subject. Occlumency is organising and controlling your own emotions, memories and thoughts, whereas legilimency is the art of reading and understanding those of others. It is a different principle entirely, and far less obvious.'

Harry was tempted to argue, both the sphinx and Riddle had been far from subtle in their attempts to use it upon him, but he refrained, because there wasn't time for Salazar's rebuttal and explanation. 'The first step is active legilimency, the incantation is legilimens and it requires direct eye contact to maintain for those who are not a master of the art. This is not the same as transfiguration, you can't visualise it, your intent must be entirely focused by will. Active legilimency is a battle of intellect and intention. The mind is not a straight forward object, you cannot read from its pages, meaning and connection must be gleaned by more abstract means, like all the best branches of magic,' Salazar added cheerfully.

'And passive legilimency?'

'The more subtle, undetectable by the unaware, aspect. It's an extension of wandless, wordless, active legilimency and very hard to master. You have to perfectly find the edge of the knife, a legilimency attack so light it cannot be felt, but strong enough to skim the surface thoughts and emotions of your target.' The painting petted his serpent thoughtfully.

'I felt it when Dumbledore tried to use it against me?' Harry inquired.

'You're a practitioner of occlumency, you're much more aware of your mind, so you are more sensitive to such attacks.'

'That makes sense,' Harry agreed.

'Go to the feast,' the painting sighed, 'I can see you edging towards the door as it is.'

Harry shot him a rueful smile, but strode out with a parting wave.

'Oh wave,' he heard the painting say bitingly as he crossed the bridge, 'why don't you wave your wand at that basilisk that you still haven't removed?' Harry smiled, pausing before the gaping mouth of the basilisk, and sending a thin stream of fiendfyre down its throat. A ghastly, red glow poured out through the dead serpent's mouth and eyes, brightening to white, then its scales hardened and the whole thing crumbled to ash.

They drifted gently across the chamber, settling onto the floor where Harry vanished them.

'Hey Myrtle,' he called out into the toilet above the chamber.

There was a loud squeal of surprise and the pearly figure of the ghostly girl flew through the two cubicles walls.

'Harry,' she gasped, flushing silver. 'How did you get here?' Students aren't meant to be at the castle yet,' she whispered slyly.

'I came to see you, Myrtle,' he smiled. 'Things are going to be complicated this year, he's back, the one who opened the chamber.'

'I thought he was dead,' Myrtle paled, turning so translucent Harry could hardly see her.

'I need you to watch the entrance for me, Myrtle,' Harry asked, his tone serious. 'Tell me if you see anyone near it, or looking for it, anything suspicious at all.'

'I will, Harry,' she promised. 'I'll do anything I can to make sure he's defeated.'

'Thank you, Myrtle,' Harry reached out and placed his finger on the ghost's cold cheek, brushing the cold echo of life with its tip.

'Any time,' she stuttered, then squeaked and dived back into her toilet.

Good. Now I have a guard on the entrance to the chamber.

He felt a little bit guilty for deceiving Myrtle, but it wasn't quite a lie, and he needed a pair of eyes to make sure he knew if anybody found where he was, or even started looking.

It took a small list of spells to make sure he was hidden, the disillusionment charm, the muffling charm and an older, rather clever adaption of the concealing charm that hid anything he touched. Harry suspected it would hide footprints, his scent, and more but had yet to test it.

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