Harry drank just to have something to do, and his stomach was filled with a terrible, burning guilt. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info if it weren't for him, they would still be sleeping in bed. Even if he said to himself that his alarm ensured that Mr. Weasley was found in time, it was useless, because there was one inescapable fact: he attacked Mr. Weasley in the first place......

Don't think about it, you don't have fangs, he said to himself, trying to keep his composure, but the hand holding the beer bottle was shaking. You were lying in bed and didn't attack anyone......

But what about Dumbledore's office? He asked himself.

I felt like I wanted to attack Dumbledore......

He put the bottle on the table, but the action was heavier, and the wine spilled, but no one noticed. Suddenly, a flash of fire illuminated the dirty plate in front of them, and they screamed, and a roll of parchment fell to the table with a golden phoenix tail feather.

"Fawkes!" Sirius said immediately, grabbing the parchment, "It's not Dumbledore's handwriting - it must be your mother's letter, to—"

He shoved the letter into George's hand.

George tore it open and read, "Daddy is still alive." I'm going to St. Mungo now. Stay there and I'll keep you informed as soon as I can. Mom. ”

George, look at everyone.

"Still alive......," he said slowly, "but that sounds ......"

He didn't have to finish, and Harry felt that Mr. Weasley sounded like he was torn between life and death. Ron's face was still unusually pale, staring at the back of his mother's letter, as if it could say something comforting to him. Fred took the letter from George's hand and read it himself, looking up at Harry. Harry felt his hand tremble in his grip on the bottle again, and he gripped it tightly.

Harry couldn't remember when he had survived longer nights than this. Sirius had once told everyone to go to bed, but his tone was not very forceful, and the Weasley brothers' expressions of disgust were enough to answer. They sat silently around the table most of the time, watching the wicks burn lower and lower in the liquid wax, sometimes raising the bottle to their lips, and talking only to ask the time, guess what was going on, or reassure each other that if there was bad news, they would know immediately, because Mrs. Weasley must have arrived at St. Mungo's Hospital long ago.

Fred dozed, head tilted over his shoulders. Ginny curled up in her chair like a kitten, but her eyes were still open, and Harry could see the glow of the stove inside. Ron sat there with his head propped up, unable to tell if he was awake or asleep. Harry and Sirius occasionally glanced at each other, two outsiders who had invaded this family tragedy. Wait...... Wait......

At 10:50 on Ron's watch, the kitchen door opened and Mrs. Weasley walked in. She was very pale, but she smiled feebly when they all turned to look at her, and Fred, Ron, and Harry stood up.

"He's out of danger." She said, her voice weak and tired, "He's sleeping." We'll be able to see him together later. Bill was with him, and he had taken a leave of absence in the morning. ”

Fred sat back in his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny stood up and walked briskly over to hug their mother. Ron laughed weakly and drank the rest of the butterbeer.

"Breakfast!" Sirius jumped to his feet and whispered aloud, "What about that abominable house-elf?" Kreacher! Kreacher! ”

But Kreacher did not respond.

"Oh, forget it," Sirius muttered, counting the numbers, "I'll take a look—seven...... Bacon with eggs, some tea, and toast—"

Harry hurried to the fireside to help. He didn't want to disturb the joy of the Weasleys, and he was afraid that Mrs. Weasley would let him tell the dream. However, as soon as he took the plate out of the cupboard, Mrs. Weasley took it and hugged him.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry." She whispered, "Arthur may not be discovered for a few more hours, and then it will be too late." Thanks to you, he was saved by his life, and Dumbledore came up with a good explanation of why Arthur was there, otherwise, you don't know how much trouble he would have, look at poor Stoic......"

Harry couldn't bear her gratitude, but thankfully she quickly let him go and thanked Sirius for keeping watch over her children all night. Sirius said he was happy to help and wanted them to stay at Mr. Weasley's house while he was hospitalized.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful...... The hospital said he was going to stay for a while, and it would be nice to be close...... Of course, that means we might have to spend Christmas here......"

"That's better!" Sirius said so sincerely, Mrs. Weasley smiled at him, put on her apron, and began to help make breakfast.

"Sirius," Harry whispered, unable to hold back any longer, "can I speak to you?" Hmm-now? ”

He walked into the dimly lit pantry, and Sirius followed. Harry told his godfather every detail of the dream, that he himself was the snake that attacked Mr. Weasley.

As he paused to catch his breath, Sirius said, "Did you tell Dumbledore?" ”

"Yes," said Harry irritably, "but he didn't explain it to me, and he won't tell me anything now......

"I'm sure he'll tell you if it's serious." Sirius said calmly.

"But that's not all," Harry's voice whispered, "Sirius, I'...... I feel like I'm going crazy...... In Dumbledore's office, before we touch the portkey...... For a second or two I felt like a snake, I felt like a snake - my scar hurt so much as I looked at Dumbledore - Sirius, I wanted to bite him-"

All he could see was a small strip of Sirius's face, the rest was in the dark.

"It must be the residual effect of the hallucination, and you're still thinking about that dream - whatever it is-"

"No," said Harry, shaking his head, "it's like there's something coming out of me, like there's a snake in me—"

"You need to sleep," Sirius said firmly, "have some breakfast, go upstairs to rest, and go with them to see Arthur after lunch." You're stimulated, Harry, you're blaming yourself for just what you saw, and luckily you did, otherwise Arthur might have been finished. Don't be cranky......"

He patted Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry alone in the dark.

……

Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's office.

"Which of you will do it?"

Across from him stood Duten and Snape, who looked at each other as Snape slowly stepped forward.

"I'll do it."

"Okay."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Then it's up to you to teach Harry Occlumency, Severus. Du Teng, how is the investigation? ”

Dumbledore looked at Duten again.

"Basically, the location has been determined, just one or two days, I'm going to go over and take a look, if it's true, I'll bring it back directly."

"Okay, then I'll trouble you."

Dumbledore looked at Duten with a grateful expression.

The two had a conversation before, and Dumbledore knew Duten's identity, and if Duten was unwilling, he couldn't force the other party to help him. Only with Du Teng's own consent can this matter continue.

……

At six o'clock on Monday night, Harry stood outside the door of Snape's office, and he paused for a moment, wishing he was somewhere else. As long as it's not here, it's anywhere. Then he took a deep breath and knocked on the door to enter.

It was a dimly lit room with hundreds of glass bottles on shelves, and slimy specimens of plants and animals floating in colorful potions. A cabinet in the corner was filled with the herbs that Snape had accused Harry of stealing. But Harry's attention was drawn to the desk, where there was a shallow stone basin carved with mysterious symbols in the candlelight. Harry recognized it—Dumbledore's meditation basin, wondering what it was doing here, when Snape's cold voice came from the shadows, startling him.

"Close the door behind you, Potter."

Harry complied, feeling in horror that he had locked himself up. He turned, and Snape had walked to the light, silently gesturing to the chair across from his desk. Harry sat down, and Snape sat down, staring at Harry with cold black eyes unblinking, disgust carved into every line on his face.

"Potter, you know what you're doing here." He said, "The Headmaster wants me to teach you Occlumency, and I can only hope you're a little smarter than you were in Potions class." ”

"Yes." Harry replied without daring to say more.

"This may not be your average class, Potter," Snape's eyes narrowed sinisterly, "but I'm still your teacher, and you're going to call me 'sir' or 'professor' at all times." ”

"Yes...... Mr. Harry said.

"Alright, Occlumency, I told you in your godfather's kitchen that this spell will prevent the mind from being invaded and affected by magic."

"Why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it, sir?" Harry looked directly into Snape's cold dark eyes, wondering if he would answer.

Snape glared at him for a moment, then said contemptuously, "You should have figured it out by now, Potter?" The Dark Lord is extremely good at taking the mind of the gods-"

"What does that mean, sir?"

"That is, to extract sensations and memories from another person's mind—"

"Can he read people's hearts?" Harry asked immediately, and his worst fears were confirmed.

"You don't care, Potter," Snape said, his dark eyes glinting, "you don't know the subtle distinctions, and that's one of the flaws that makes you dispense potions so badly. ”

Snape paused for a moment, apparently savoring the pleasure of insulting Harry, before continuing:

"Only Muggles speak of 'reading hearts'. The human heart is not a book, and it should not be read at will. Thoughts are not engraved in the brain, and people should not be allowed to read them. The human mind is a complex, multi-layered thing, and Potter, at least most minds are ......," he laughed, "but a person who is mindful can study the minds of others in certain situations and interpret them correctly." For example, the Dark Lord can almost always tell that someone is lying to him. Only a person who is good at Occlumency, can seal the feelings and memories that contradict the lie and lie in front of him without being detected. ”

Regardless of what Snape said, the Guardian still sounded like reading a human heart to Harry, and he didn't like its name at all.

"So can he know what we're thinking now? Mr? ”

"The Dark Lord is far away, and the walls and grounds of Hogwarts are guarded by many ancient spells, ensuring the physical and mental safety of the people in the school." "Time and space have an effect on magic, Potter. Eye contact is often crucial for the receptive. ”

"Then why do I have to learn Occlumency?"

Snape glanced at Harry, groping his mouth with a thin finger.

"Routine doesn't seem to apply to you, Potter. The spell that didn't kill you seems to have created some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord. There are times when your mind is at its most relaxed and vulnerable—like in your sleep—that you can sense the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The Headmaster doesn't think he should be allowed to continue, and he wants me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord. ”

Harry's heart pounded. It doesn't make sense.

"But why did Professor Dumbledore stop it?" He suddenly asked, "I don't really like it, but it's useful." I mean...... I saw the serpent attack Mr. Weasley, otherwise Professor Dumbledore might not have been able to save him, would he? Mr? ”

Snape looked at Harry for a moment, still touching his mouth with his fingers, and then spoke slowly, as if considering every word.

"The Dark Lord doesn't seem to have noticed this connection between you and him until recently. Before that, it seemed that you could sense his emotions and thoughts, but he didn't know it. But, that pre-Christmas dream of yours—"

"Mr. Weasley and the snake?"

"Don't interrupt me, Potter." Snape said fiercely, "I said...... That dream before your Christmas had invaded the Dark Lord's mind so badly—"

"I'm in the snake's head, not his!"

"I think I just said don't interrupt me, Potter!"

But Harry didn't care if Snape was angry, he finally got the roots. He leaned forward, and before he knew it, he was already sitting on the edge of his chair, his body tense, as if he was ready to run away.

"I perceive Voldemort's mind, how can I see things with snake eyes?"

"Don't say the name of the Dark Lord!" Snape shouted.

There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other across the meditation basin.

"Professor Dumbledore also said his name." Harry whispered.

"Dumbledore is a skilled wizard," Snape said gloomily, "and he probably doesn't shy away from the name...... But the rest of us ......" He seemed to touch his left arm unconsciously, and Harry knew it was the place that had been branded with the Dark Devil's mark.

"I just want to know," Harry tried to keep his tone polite, "why-"

"It seems that you got into the snake's brain, because the Dark Lord was there," Snape roared, "and he was possessed in the snake's body, so you dreamed that you were in it too......"

"Did he find me?"

"Seems so." Snape said coldly.

Harry's eyes widened in astonishment. (To be continued.) )