ตอน 70: Christmas Holidays - part 4
I woke on Christmas day feeling quite jolly; my occlumency training had been going extremely well. I learned after my first day that if I listened to music and reflected on my training, I understood the lesson better, and I was making leaps and bounds. After a week of training, I was managing a weak shield. Not strong enough to stop a legilimens, but enough to warn me of an attack, and making it very easy to fight back quicker and better.
I also took a trip with Mr. Malhook to buy supplies for Rodney's chicken coop. We built it together; I found it a fantastic experience and will probably look back on it as a fond memory. Rodney liked his coop and the three hens we had gotten for him. Mrs. Malhook had named them Penny, Julie, and Gretchen. Gretchen was a mean, bossy hen, and I think Mrs. Malhook named someone she knew.
But Christmas came with cheer and gifts and a family dinner. I got some sweets from my friends, and Grant sent me some new records. Tim sent me three band shirts, all Iron Maiden. And Tina sent me a very thankful letter and a dozen chocolate frogs, which freaked Mrs Malhook out when one jumped into her hair before I could catch it.
Wizard chocolates were really good, and they had no sugar in them. I had no idea what croakoa was, but it was delicious.
That evening, we had turkey and roast vegetables; it was a pleasant meal after I spent some time listening to the new albums I got.
From boxing day onwards, I was back with Mike, learning how to improve my shielding. Mike was generally impressed by the speed at which I was picking up occlumency. I learnt one fun fact: while legitimacy was powerful, it couldn't actually read someone's mind, just access their memories, so while I had a lot of future knowledge, I had no memories of learning them or talking about them, so that information was locked tight in my brain.
Some stuff, like when I wrote my plan for world domination, could be accessed, but all they would find were companies to invest in and products and ideas to fund or create, all of which went out the window with the fact I was in a fictitious novel, not the real 1990s. However, I still had hope that the muggle world would progress the same way as my old world. A fun fact was that the actors who played the Harry Potter characters were missing. I confirmed this by watching Die Hard on Christmas Day. Alan Rickman wasn't Hans Gruber; Rutger Hauer was, who threw me for a loop.
But all too soon, I was back in Kingscross, sitting in a cafe having a coffee with Mike, who was admitted to accompany me at the moment.
"Remember, Eddie, you can't use occlumency twenty-four, seven. You have to let the shield down and experience emotion." Mike took a sip of his black coffee. "It's equivalent to bottling up your emotions; eventually, the bottle breaks and the emotions pour out, but with occlumency, it has the chance to break your mind, too."
"you've warned me five times now, Mike," I said with frustration. "I'm not even going to try to use occlumency all the time, just when I have important meetings or when I'm with someone who I suspect is a legilimens."
"I know Eddie, I'm just doing my job", Mike sighed.
"speaking of your job, why have about a dozen of Lady Burrough's bodyguards immigrated since last summer?" I asked a question that had been on my mind since the start of the break.
"How do you know about that?" he asked, avoiding the question.
"Amelia Bones's niece is in my grade and a good friend of mine", I stated. "Now answer my question."
"well, for protection and investigating the deaths of your parents," Mike said straight-faced to me. I could tell he was using occlumency because it was the same expression I saw in the mirror when I practised.
"then you will keep me informed about how that investigation goes," I stated. I looked at the clock; I had 20 minutes to get on the train. "It's time for me to go" I finished the coffee and left for platform nine and three-quarters.
--
"Happy New Year", said Tim as he found the compartment I had claimed.
"happy new year buddy, good Christmas" i asked.
"yeah, brilliant. I saw my aunts and uncles, but one question, Eddie." he pulled out the drumsticks I got him. "What the hell is a Tim-Tam?"
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