In the common room, Hermione was still engrossed in her book. Harry plopped down beside her. Hermione, sensing the movement, looked up, surprised.
"Harry, why are you back so early?" she asked, curious.
"Snape and I had a little disagreement, so he sent me back ahead of time," Harry explained simply.
Hearing this, Hermione's brow immediately furrowed. "Harry, don't tell me you and Professor Snape argued again."
"Don't worry, Hermione, we're fine. Snape even walked me back to the common room." Harry didn't want to dwell on the subject, but Hermione clearly wasn't going to let it go easily.
"Tell me what happened," Hermione insisted, her tone leaving no room for argument.
With no other choice, Harry reluctantly gave Hermione a censored version of the events.
"Is that all?" Hermione pressed, sounding suspicious.
Just then, Fred pushed open the common room door and quietly slipped in. Harry immediately felt a wave of relief. "Uh, I need to talk to Fred about something. I'll be right back to continue our chat." Harry hurried away from Hermione.
Hermione watched Harry leave, deep in thought.
Harry and Fred found a secluded corner. Fred couldn't wait to ask, "Well, Harry, did you get it?"
Harry didn't answer, instead pulling out the small vial containing the Polyjuice Potion from his pocket. Fred's eyes lit up immediately. He eagerly took it, examining it closely before reluctantly handing it back to Harry.
Harry didn't take it. "You keep it," he said instead. "It's for George anyway, in the end."
"Really? Oh, thank you so much! George and I have always wanted to get our hands on some Polyjuice Potion to study," Fred said, overjoyed.
Harry frowned. "The amount in there is probably just enough for one use. I don't think you'll be able to study it much."
"Don't worry, Harry. George and I will figure something out." Fred decided that as soon as he got back, he'd tell George to speed up his charm-inducing techniques. The faster they could deal with Lockhart, the less Polyjuice Potion they'd need to drink.
"Speaking of which, why are you back so late? Did you run into any trouble on the way?"
At Harry's question, a mysterious smile appeared on Fred's face. "Harry, look what I've got!" Fred said, pulling a golden hair from his pocket. Before Harry could ask, Fred eagerly explained, "I used the passage behind the witch statue to go to Hogsmeade. I got this hair at a pub there; it belongs to a rather fiery witch."
"You don't think there'll be any problems, do you?"
"Relax, I asked the regulars at the pub. She's definitely that kind of witch," Fred assured him confidently.
Seeing this, Harry relaxed. After discussing their plan for a bit longer, Harry left.
Hermione didn't say anything when Harry returned, looking much more relaxed. After a while, Hermione casually asked, "How is it that you and Fred have become so chummy? Is it related to Professor Snape?"
"Oh, yes, yes, and Snape—of course not!" Harry almost blurted out the truth before catching himself. Now Hermione was sure: Harry had definitely done something to annoy Professor Snape.
Harry nervously watched Hermione for a while, realizing she wasn't going to press the issue. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Aren't you going to ask more?"
"Everyone deserves their privacy, but if you want to tell me, I'm happy to listen," Hermione said, shaking her head.
"Thank you, Hermione," Harry said, touched. At the same time, he resolved to successfully expose Lockhart for what he was, so Hermione could truly see him.
Meanwhile, after parting ways with Harry, Fred eagerly headed back to the dormitory. George was going to be absolutely astounded when he saw these two things, Fred thought triumphantly. That's right, Fred had tricked Harry; he hadn't told George about the plan for him to cross-dress yet. But Fred figured George wouldn't refuse.
Fred was humming a tune as he walked when he was suddenly pulled aside. Ginny dragged Fred into a corner, then urgently asked, "Fred, what are you planning? Don't drag Harry into this!"
Fred shook free from Ginny's grip. "What do you mean 'drag Harry into this'? This is something we're planning together!" Fred said, annoyed.
"What is it?" Ginny immediately demanded.
"It's none of your business," Fred said impatiently.
"You—"
"George was right, you really should give up on Harry." Fred turned and walked away, leaving Ginny standing stiffly in place.
Suddenly, Fred came back, pulled out a sweet, and pressed it into Ginny's hand. "Don't blame your brother for being harsh, but you and Harry really aren't meant to be." Fred softly comforted Ginny for a few moments, then truly left.
Ginny stood there, gritting her teeth, watching Fred walk away. She would not give up so easily; she would definitely find out what they were planning.
At the same time, Snape forcefully closed a drawer filled with potions. He discovered that a vial of Polyjuice Potion was missing. Then Snape opened another drawer, where Lily's belongings were kept. Snape immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that Harry might have found this, which was why he hadn't pursued the matter further just now and had let Harry go so easily.
"Alright, alright, Potter, I'll see what you're really up to," Snape thought, gritting his teeth.
The next evening, in Snape's office.
"Get up! Is this your limit?" Hearing Snape's taunt, Harry remained sprawled on the floor, saying nothing. Snape said that Harry had a preliminary grasp of Legilimency, but still couldn't control his inner desires very well.
"If you're going to be driven by desire, you might as well use a Severing Charm. At least the invaded person would die more peacefully," Snape sneered. He then suggested that Harry experience being invaded himself, to better master Legilimency.
Seeing Harry nod in agreement, Snape eagerly used Legilimency on Harry. At first, it seemed normal, but when Harry uncontrollably recalled the events of last night, he realized something was wrong. Because Snape dared not output too much magical energy, Harry struggled and shot out a spell. However, Snape was prepared and promptly blocked Harry's spell with a Shield Charm. Fortunately, Harry also seized the opportunity to avert his eyes, which stopped Snape's intrusion.
I actually fell for Snape's nonsense, Harry thought furiously.
Hearing Snape urge him to stand up again, Harry gritted his teeth and got to his feet.
"Legilimency!" Snape cast the spell again. This time, Harry didn't just stand there; he avoided Snape's eyes.
"Has the Boy Who Lived forgotten that you need eye contact? Turn your head—" Snape said impatiently.
However, Harry replied, "Unless you tell me what the point of this practice is, I won't continue."
Snape scoffed, lowering his wand, but he was too lazy to explain.
Bang!
A fresh monkey brain was placed on the table. "Use Legilimency on it," Snape said to Harry after pouring a potion into it.
Harry eyed Snape suspiciously, worried it was some kind of trap. Snape let out a derisive laugh, as if he knew why Harry was hesitant. "If I truly wanted to use Legilimency on you, what would you do to resist?"
Harry thought about it and realized Snape had a point, so he no longer hesitated. Harry stared at the monkey brain and uttered "Legilimency." He easily entered the monkey's brain, but Harry was surprised to find that the overwhelming desire to control it had faded. At the same time, Snape observed the monkey brain from outside. It wasn't steaming like yesterday, just trembling a little faster.
Wasn't James Potter a reckless ape? Why can Harry Potter so easily master such a difficult magic? Is it inherited from Lily? Snape wondered, then slowly fell into thought as he looked at Harry's eyes.
After exiting the monkey brain, Harry eagerly asked, "Why do I feel more relaxed?"
Hearing the sound, Snape immediately snapped out of his reverie. "Nothing is more effective for learning than experiencing it yourself," Snape said lightly.
"But I don't understand the principle at all. How can I improve further?" Harry asked, puzzled. Snape didn't answer, because what he had just said was a fabrication; he had just wanted to teach Potter a lesson, but he hadn't expected Potter to have such high talent.
But Snape remained outwardly composed. He took out a new brain and placed it on the table, this time without pouring any potion into it. "Continue," Snape gestured. Harry obediently raised his wand, but this time he failed. No matter how much magic he channeled, he couldn't enter this brain.
Seeing this, Snape subtly let out a sigh of relief. He had worried that Potter could even enter lifeless brains.
"Is it the potion?" Harry guessed.
Snape simply hummed in affirmation.
"What kind of potion is it?" Harry pressed. This time, Snape answered Harry's question. "A potion that replenishes life force. Without it, that brain would have no vital activity." (In the Chamber of Secrets, Ginny had a large amount of life force absorbed by Tom Riddle's diary, but afterwards she was normal and even had several children, so I'm guessing there's a potion that can replenish unnaturally lost life force.)
Hearing Snape's answer, Harry immediately remembered Voldemort in his first year. If such a potion existed, why did Voldemort choose unicorn blood? Unable to figure it out, Harry simply voiced his confusion.
Snape looked at Harry with an expression usually reserved for trolls. "Why would you think the ingredients for brewing this potion are readily available?" Snape asked, perplexed.
"What kind of ingredients?" Harry asked, curious.
"That's irrelevant to your Legilimency practice, and I'm not obligated to privately teach you Potions," Snape said with a cold laugh. Harry then shut his mouth and focused on practicing.
After a long period of practice, Harry wearily raised his wand. Repeated use of Legilimency had exhausted him. And Snape wouldn't even allow Harry to drink potions to replenish his magic.
"Do enemies only attack when you're full of energy? If an enemy ambushes you when your magic is depleted, are you planning to fight them hand-to-hand?"
Harry was speechless. He realized that Snape seemed to genuinely be teaching him something.
When Snape saw that Harry truly couldn't go on, he finally called a halt to the practice. "You may leave," Snape said. Harry breathed a sigh of relief; he had only gritted his teeth and persevered because he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of Snape.
Harry sank to the floor, took a breath, and said, "Let me rest for a bit, then we can head back to Gryffindor Tower."
"What has given you the mistaken impression that I would escort you?" Snape said without looking up. He was carefully putting away the brain jars; he'd need them for the older students' potion experiments tomorrow. Harry looked at Snape in surprise. His current fighting ability was almost negligible; if he encountered an attacker alone, he'd be easy prey.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just then, there was a knock on the office door, and then Dumbledore walked in.
"Severus, Harry, good evening," Dumbledore said with a smile.
"Professor Dumbledore, why are you here?" Harry asked, curious.
"Severus just told me that you've pretty much mastered Legilimency, and he has nothing more to teach you, so I came over," Dumbledore explained. Harry suddenly understood. No wonder Snape wasn't planning to escort him; he had informed Dumbledore to come instead. But Harry was puzzled as to why Snape was no longer willing to teach him.
"But I feel like I haven't completely mastered this magic yet," Harry said.
Snape, who had been silent since Dumbledore entered the room, finally spoke, but his words were dripping with sarcasm. "Heh, Potter doesn't think a 'normal person' could successfully enter someone else's mind on their first try, just by figuring it out themselves, does he?"
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Severus is right. While Hermione not being on guard played a part, Harry, your talent still surprised me."
Hearing Dumbledore and Snape both say this, Harry began to recall his classmates in Charms and Transfiguration, realizing they were right.
"Professor Dumbledore, did you also learn this magic successfully on your first try back then?" Harry asked, curious.
"Hmm, let me think, that was many years ago." Dumbledore stood there for a moment, thinking, then stated with certainty, "I also successfully entered Grindel—cough, cough! However, I wasn't just figuring it out on my own; I had professional instruction."