Chapter 52: 52) Ghosts of past
"A natural Legillimens!" Minerva exclaimed in wonder and bafflement alike looking at the young boy of her house with sharp eyes.
"Legilimens?" Jacob asked with a frown as he looked at the members present there. He was confused out of his wits at the irregular behaviour showed by everyone present there. Mcgonagall was hyperventilating and was a little afraid and it made him perplexed. Minerva Mcgonagall was perhaps the strongest and strictest woman he had ever seen; to see her so shocked and somewhat afraid made him unsettled very much.
"Legilimeny is the art of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. A person who practises this art is known as a Legilimens," Dumbledore spoke calmly. This was certainly something he didn't knew about Mr Jacob. This year had been getting interesting for him, more and more with some new information coming out of the blue
"So you mean, that I can read minds," Jacob spoke up after processing what the Headmaster had told him.
"The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Grey. Or at least most minds are... It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. But, it is not the case always," Severus spoke up with a calm and straight face.
Dumbledore was a little shocked to hear the same words from the mouth of Severus Prince. The same words; which he had seen in the memories of Harry Potter.
"Mr Prince, can you too do this like Jacob?" Olivia Green asked out of the blue, looking at her senior student.
"I have not learnt the aggresive side of mind arts much," Severus commented calmly, giving away only what was needed for the answer.
"So there is a defense against mind reading which Jacob can do?" the girl asked curiously looking at him.
Severus had to say that he was a little impressed by the girl and her deduction skills. But then again she was a member of Department of Mysteries in future and worked in the brain room.
He looked at Dumbledore who was smiling at him with twinkling blue eyes behind the half moon spectacles he wore.
He sighed inwardly as he looked at the little Ravenclaw impassively. "Occlumency is the magic of closing one's mind against legilimency. It is ancient, and had existed since medieval times. It could prevent a legilimens from accessing one's thoughts and feelings, or influencing them. A wizard or witch who practise this art is known as an occlumens. The magical defence of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one." He spoke up calmly as Olivia Green soaked his words like a sponge, along with Duncan Ashe.
"As Mr Prince explained, Occlumency is the defensive side of Mind Arts while Legilimency constitutes the aggresive side of it," Dumbledore continued as he looked at the three students eagerly with a small smile. Jacob needed to be trained in his skill of Legilimency otherwise he will be a walking disaster.
It was not a weapon, he would like to be used carelessly by Jacob who was rebellious.
He needed some further thinking in case of Jacob about which path he should direct Jacob to.
"You all may go to your respective classes," Albus said looking at the fellow students in front if him as it was the time for break.
Severus nodded as he walked away from the scene, never seeing the curious eyes of Olivia Green on his back.
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Remus Lupin was sitting in the hall with the other Gryffindors of his year. It was a good thing that they had arrived on corridor in time. The corridor was in path for the Great Hall and he had arrived in time to stop Prince from bullying the younger students.
"What is Legilimency?" Marlene was the first to ask among the people present there. She had arrived on the scene with Lily after their class had ended. This hour was their free period and they had plans to stay in Great Hall. She was also a little confused by the blame which Prince had placed on Jacob.
"It is an obscure branch of magic that helps you to read the mind of others," Hermione spoke up slowly from her place next to Harry in the group of theirs.
"Read minds!" Lily asked surprised at the whole thing. She had never considered that there was some type of magic like that too, present in Wizarding World. She was heavily unsettled by the revelation of mind reading, she had always been a firm believer in everyone's right to privacy. This magic was a clear violation of what she believed.
"Has someone tried it on you Hermione?" Lily asked a little curious and concerned about the information.
"Well No," Hermione replied slowly as everyone's eyes came upon her.
"Harry had experienced it though," she added and immediately everyone's eyes were upon Harry, who was sitting beside Mary Macdonald.
"How does it feel like, Harry?" Mary asked a little softly knowing how sensitive the matter would be for him. She surely would have not liked her privacy being breached and she could imagine that it would not have been fun for him too.
Harry looked around the eager audience aroud him and was a little unsettled, it still felt a little odd to have more friends than Ron and Hermione for him.
"It's not that fun. If the user is skilled enough, you won't feel anything much but if he wants to cause pain and suffering, you will feel like your whole mind is being split apart," he replied slowly and there were concerned and a little pale looks at that.
"The Mind arts are a terrible thing in the hand of skilled," Hermione said knowing how well Harry was affected by it.
He had lost Sirius because of it, and the guilt was something that he was not going to forget that easily. But the past was the past and she didn't wanted to bring it now.
She saw Mary looking at him a little concerned and was a little amused.
Harry was really clueless when it come to some things. She knew Mary had a small crush on Harry for being kind and not acting poncy and cocky like his cousin. Besides Mary had admitted to Marlene and the girls about that in their girl talk, which they had done after Alice had arrived back from the party.
Marlene had teased Alice much about the photo of Alice and Lucius Malfoy.
Afterall in Marlene's words, 'It is not everyday that you dance with, the most eligible bachelor of whole Wizarding World from 98 weeks.'
Hermione didn't knew whether to be amused or feel sorry.
It was a surprise to learn that Lucius Malfoy was holding the title for most eligible bachelor of Wizarding World from 98 weeks till now. She didn't knew what girls saw in him.
She felt a little sorry for Narcissa Black who was going to marry him. But then again she could see why Draco was, like he had been.
While Narcissa Black was good in duelling, she was aloof in everything else. Everyone else was insignificant in her eyes and she rightly deserved the title of 'Ice Queen of Hogwarts.'
At that moment she heard a slight shifting among the Gryffindor table as she saw Jacob and his fellow friends arriving to the Hall.
The Slytherin boy walked to his housemates and Jacob and his friend were immediately called by an anxious Sirius Black.
"Grey, Green," Sirius called out loudly to the two ickle third years.
"Sirius, you won't believe what I learnt," Jacob said excitedly looking at one of his favourite housemates. The marauders were the most funniest group in Gryffindor and one of his idols.
"Calm down Grey, now tell me, did Dumbledore punished Snivellus?" Sirius asked eagerly looking at Jacob who was amused by the question.
Jacob started to eagerly tell everything about what Dumbledore had told him and the others. Everything that happened, except the fact about how he was forced to his instincts by Severus. He wasn't going to admit his weak moment infront of other Gryffindors, thankfully Olivia wasn't against his decisions as she chose to remain silent.
In his tale, it was Severus who had theorised about him being a natural legilimens with Dumbledore.
He didn't mentioned the insane menacing aura of Severus which had scared him to his bones.
"How did Prince knows so much about Mind Arts?" Mary asked a little confused about the whole thing. Many Seventh year and fifth year students had appeared near them to hear the explaination of Jacob.
If there was one thing which was craved by everyone in Hogwarts, it was a nice juicy gossip.
Alice herself was a little curious about the whole thing as Severus had never told her about something like that.
"Some families teach their children about it. My father and mother tried but I was never good in both of them," Sirius spoke up with a frown. From what he remembered from the boring lessons about Purebloods from his father, it was that - House Prince was one of the biggest houses in Magical Italy. Surely 'Snivellus' was taught about it too by his family.
"Dumbledore said me that he is a practioner of Mind Arts and is apparently good at it," Jacob said with a frown. He remembered Dumbledore telling about it to him. Apparently those skills were honed by practise and Severus Prince was indeed a practioner of Mind Arts.
"Really?" Remus asked a little concerned to Jacob.
"Yeah, Dumbledore said so and he can't be wrong, can he?" Jacob asked a little confused about the whole thing. While he knew that the Marauders and Severus Prince were never on good terms, he didn't knew the true extent of it.
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Severus was sitting calmly in the Astronomy Tower looking at the grounds of Hogwarts. The view had a soothing effect on him. He wanted to have some time for himself, thinking about the whole thing.
"Traveller, are you so eager to go back once more?" a calm voice spoke up and Severus turned a little back from the window to look at the intruder. He got up from the window calmly and stepped aside from it for the ghost who had talked to him.
Helena was a tall witch with waist-length hair. Her facial features were beautiful, and she carried herself in a serene manner. She was wearing a floor-length cloak.
"Traveller?" Severus asked a little confused about the words used by her. He wasn't naive enough to not realise what she meant.
"Do not think me a fool child. While even among the ghosts, no one could spot the lingering traces that have nearly faded, but I am not going to be fooled by it. You came back, back from the other side. You didn't came back as spectre of your former self, but of flesh and blood," Helena Ravenclaw spoke calmly looking at the boy who didn't showed much emotions. For a young boy, he was good in hiding his emotions but then again his soul was not the same like his body.
"You are indeed your mother's daughter," Severus said calmly with a small sigh. He discreetly casted a 'muffliato' wandlessly as he looked at the ghost of last Ravenclaw in blood.
Now it was Helena who was surprised at the whole thing. He knew her identity which meant that he had knowledge about her and it made her a little anxious.
"We should have a talk Lady Helena, don't you think so?" Severus asked calmly looking at her. Helena Ravenclaw was a proud and arrogant one and he wasn't going to underestimate her for even one second.
"I do, Scion of House Prince," Helena replied, she wanted to know more about him now. Noone knew her true identity, the baron was no fool to tell about her identity to someone which meant that she must have confessed to him about her past and it made her a little wary of him.
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