Chapter 224: Dylan, You're Using Legilimency on Me Again!
"Dylan, why have you even learned Legilimency, and why are you so good at it?" Cedric asked, rubbing his sore temples, as he looked at Dylan.
Today, it had finally stopped raining, and the sun was out. The afternoon sun slanted through the stained-glass window of the abandoned classroom, casting a warm glow on both of them.
"This is the third time," Cedric said, breathing slightly as he put his wand back on his belt. "Your Legilimency is almost like it has a mind of its own. I just thought about the Quidditch match, and you immediately sensed that I was thinking about the moment I caught the Golden Snitch."
Dylan chuckled, his lips curling into a nonchalant smile. He lowered his head and gently wiped his wand with his handkerchief. "Occlumency isn't just about blocking thoughts. It's about layering your memories like a mille-feuille. Do you understand?"
Putting his handkerchief away, Dylan suddenly raised his hand and placed the tip of his wand on Cedric's forehead. Cedric instinctively leaned back. However, a silvery-gray light swirled in his eyes because of Dylan's magic.
"Imagine your memories are ghosts wandering around. What you need to do isn't to chase them away, but to put an invisibility cloak on them," Dylan's voice said in Cedric's ear. "The key is to keep your thoughts flowing, like swimming in the Black Lake—even though no one swims in the Black Lake. What you need to do is not to get caught by a particular memory while you're swimming. Because once there's a strong emotional fluctuation, it's like a signal light that can be easily captured by the Legilimens."
Hearing this, Cedric held his breath, feeling the cool magic seep from his forehead into his consciousness. He didn't resist Dylan's help in simulating Occlumency. Even though this might expose his memories to Dylan, Cedric believed he didn't have any shameful memories that couldn't be seen. Even if some of his memories were unpleasant and filled with his emotions and struggles, they were all in the past. Cedric wasn't someone who was often stuck in the past.
Dylan was also surprised by Cedric's cooperation. But it was precisely because Cedric wasn't resisting and allowed him to gradually infuse magic into his mind that Dylan could not only guide him but also study someone else's mind a little. He had studied people's minds before, but it had only been a few.
"Don't resist. Relax your nerves, like you're adjusting the angle of your broom on the Quidditch pitch. Use the most natural posture to guide your magic," Dylan said. "The more you try to hide a memory, the more it'll be like a Growth Charm was cast on it and quickly grow in your mind."
At this moment, while Cedric was adjusting his thoughts according to Dylan's instructions, Dylan subtly infused some things into his mind.
"Wait, what's that? What are you doing, Dylan..."
"Shhh, it'll be over soon."
When the last wisp of Legilimency magic dissipated into the air, Cedric snapped back to his senses and staggered, grabbing onto a dirty, old desk nearby. His face flushed red as he looked at Dylan, who was slowly wiping his wand.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dylan asked, as if Cedric was a wronged wife.
Cedric choked. "Why... why did you put the image of a troll doing ballet into my mind?" He continued, "And Ron in Transfiguration class, making his pants disappear and revealing some torn, fluorescent pink underwear with a Niffler pattern on it!" Cedric's expression was complicated, and he was struggling to keep a straight face. "You can actually create images in my mind—and the worst part is, I can't get rid of them! Now, every time I close my eyes, I see a troll doing ballet and Ron shaking his butt in front of me in fluorescent pink underwear!"
Dylan shrugged. "Don't you think it's effective? Look, it's almost instantaneous. You can't think of anything else."
Cedric was stunned and blinked. It did seem to be working... But wasn't this method a bit too strange? It didn't feel very proper.
Dylan glanced at him. "What, you think it's not proper? As long as it works, who cares?"
Cedric twitched his lips and then nodded slightly. "You're right." After a moment of silence, Cedric suddenly asked, "Did you really see a troll doing ballet? And did Ron really make his pants disappear in Transfiguration class?"
Dylan laughed. "No, those are just things I imagined." Dylan explained his little trick for using Occlumency. "Imagine a bunch of ridiculous things, and they'll become your thought shields."
Dylan waved his wand. The old, abandoned desks and chairs around them suddenly sprouted two butt cheeks in quick succession. Then... "Poof~," "Poof~," "Poof poof poof~," the desks and chairs started to fart.
Cedric's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth.
Dylan, a smirk on his face, waved his wand again. The desks and chairs instantly returned to normal, and the gas they had released also vanished.
"When you encounter an enemy who knows Legilimency, if they want to peek into your secrets, they first have to get past the tapping-dancing Dumbledore."
Hearing this, Cedric stepped back. "Heavens! That's just... that's just... insane!" Cedric suddenly felt that Dylan's training methods seemed even more bizarre than those of the Dark Wizards.
"You... you even dare to make fun of Headmaster Dumbledore?"
Dylan blinked innocently. "Why not? As long as it helps, that's what matters. I think Headmaster Dumbledore would praise us for a job well done even if he knew."
Cedric was speechless. "Are you sure? Are you sure the Headmaster wouldn't cast a Blasting Curse and blow you up after seeing himself in a pink tutu, tap-dancing in your mind?"
He swallowed, doing his best to maintain his composure. He let out a dry laugh and moved on from the topic. "I think I've got the key points of practicing Occlumency down. I'll go back and give it a good try."
Dylan nodded, looking like a proud mentor. "But remember, this method is just a trick. The person probing your mind might think you're crazy, and they might also suspect that you're deliberately thinking about these ridiculous things."
Cedric nodded. "Don't worry, I won't use this trick as my main practice goal."
Dylan looked satisfied. He had to admit that Cedric's talent wasn't weak. He wondered how he compared to Florin's daughter, Vera. It was a shame that Vera's father was just an ice cream vendor and couldn't help her much at the Ministry of Magic. But Cedric was different. Even if his talent was a bit less than Vera's, he had his father's support. Unless something unusual happened, he would always have a smooth and successful path.
"By the way, I was a bit surprised that you lost to Ravenclaw in last week's Quidditch match." Dylan said as he walked out of the abandoned classroom with Cedric.
Cedric's eyes shifted, and he smiled. "It's a game. Winning and losing is normal, isn't it?"
"Normal?" Dylan shrugged. "Is it because you've been focused on learning Occlumency and fell behind on your Quidditch training?"
"Of course not," Cedric said, shaking his head. "I keep things separate. I never let one thing distract me from another. So don't be fooled by how long it seems like I've been practicing Occlumency; I've also been very serious about my Quidditch training."
Dylan saw that Cedric's expression was serious and raised an eyebrow. "Then how did you lose?"
"That's because... Ravenclaw's level this year has really gone up a lot—it's a fact I have to admit," Cedric said haltingly, a smile on his face as his lips curled up slightly.
Seeing his lovesick expression, Dylan's eyes narrowed. Instantly, he sensed the image in Cedric's mind.
"Oh, a pretty girl."
"Yeah, she's very pretty—wait, what?!" Cedric nodded, but then he suddenly realized what was happening. He stiffened, his eyes wide with shock and astonishment. "Hold on! Did you just use Legilimency on me? The training is over now! I don't need you to help me test my Occlumency anymore!"
Dylan looked hurt. "Oh, you're turning on me after you're done? That's really hurtful."
Cedric's lips twitched. "Stop acting, Dylan. Your expression is a bit too much..."
Dylan's expression returned to normal, and he shrugged. "Is that Ravenclaw's Cho Chang?"
"You really did use Legilimency on me..."
Dylan blinked. "It's your fault you haven't mastered Occlumency yet, not mine."
Cedric rubbed his nose. "My fault, my fault, okay?" He continued, "But I remember, Cho Chang is in the same year as Harry, right? Did she join the Quidditch team?"
A few days ago, when Dylan was on his way to cook in the Hufflepuff kitchens with Luna, he ran into Cho Chang walking out of the Ravenclaw common room with Luna. The two girls seemed to be on pretty good terms.
Cedric nodded. "Yes, she's Ravenclaw's Seeker. Even though she's only in her third year, she seems to be very talented. I can't believe I lost to her."
Dylan laughed. "Didn't you think you might lose to Harry, and they're not even in the same year?"
"The new students are getting better and better," Cedric said, shaking his head.
"So what happened? You lost the Quidditch match to her, and now you're not trying to win the match back, but to win her over instead?" Dylan watched Cedric with interest.
"What are you talking about..." Cedric's face flushed. He paused for a moment before saying, "We're already dating."
"What?!" Dylan's eyes widened. "So soon? You're already dating??"
Dylan blinked and took a moment to process this. When he was helping Cedric practice Occlumency, he hadn't deliberately peeked into his memories. He really hadn't expected this. They were already dating? Hadn't they just met?
Dylan clicked his tongue. "You didn't lose the match because you were dating her, did you?"
"Of course not! I'm not that kind of person!" Cedric immediately denied. "Besides, we only met after the match."
Dylan nodded in understanding. "Did you go on a date yet, or did you just start dating?"
"Not yet... we just started dating. I plan to ask her to go to Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop with me the next time we go to Hogsmeade."
Oh, nice! Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop was a famous dating spot at Hogwarts. Not bad, not bad at all.
Dylan nodded gently. "Cho Chang is a good girl. Since you're dating, you should cherish her."
"Of course. Even though I'm two years older than her, you don't have to tell me that. I will," Cedric said, his eyes lowered to his feet, a warm blush spreading from his ears to his cheeks, even his earlobes were tinged with a soft crimson.
Dylan twitched his eyelid at Cedric's lovestruck demeanor. "Young people fall in love so fast."
Cedric said, "I never thought I'd fall for a girl at first sight. After the match, she came over to shake my hand, and... well..." Cedric looked a little shy. "Anyway, we both seemed to have feelings for each other, and then this week..."
Dylan's eyelids twitched as he listened to the sweet details. He raised his hand, stopping Cedric from continuing. "Alright, alright, that's enough. You don't have to tell me anything more." Dylan clicked his tongue. "But since you're two years older than her and about to graduate, don't break up with her just because you meet a new girl after you graduate."
Cedric's eyes widened again. "Am I that kind of person?"
Dylan rolled his eyes. Through their more frequent contact and time together, Dylan's initial impression of Cedric had been completely overturned. He had initially seemed firm and honest, but that was just a facade. A gentleman was always charming.
When a boy showed elegance and charm, he could effortlessly captivate an innocent girl. It was no wonder that Cedric was so popular on campus. When he wanted to pursue a girl, he would use his charm to its fullest extent. It was probably normal that Cho Chang would fall for his irresistible romantic gestures in just a week.
....
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