"Although Occlumency is called 'sealing the mind,' in reality, its most basic form is accomplished by emptying the mind. That is to say, you must not think, not remember, not feel. By doing this, you prevent a Legilimency master from sensing your emotions and thoughts."
Link continued, "It's worth mentioning that when I say 'emptying the mind,' I don't mean zoning out. In fact, these two things are fundamentally different."
"The latter offers absolutely no protection at all against a Legilimency master, while the former not only defends against Legilimency but can also put you into a state close to absolute rationality, which, in a certain sense, can increase your efficiency in work and study."
"More advanced forms of Occlumency involve sealing off only specific thoughts, emotions, and memories, thereby creating a flawless 'illusion' for a Legilimency master."
"If you can reach this level, it means you've already achieved the standard of an Occlumency master."
"Of course, this level actually isn't important for you right now."
"Especially you, Harry. At the moment, you only need to do the first step well, empty your mind."
"I sincerely remind you, don't think this is something easy."
"Besides resisting Legilimency, Occlumency is also extremely effective against the Imperius Curse and Veritaserum."
"Just looking at these effects should make it clear to you that if you want to learn Occlumency, you must possess extremely strong willpower, as well as a high degree of mental and emotional self-discipline!"
When Link finished speaking, Harry and Ron in front of him were already completely stunned.
Even Newland and Sigrid were no exception.
The difference between the two groups was that Harry and Ron simply hadn't understood what Link was talking about at all.
Newland and Sigrid, on the other hand, were shocked by the astonishing effects of Occlumency.
By comparison, Emily, Cedric, and John appeared much calmer.
Thanks to Link, they had actually already been exposed to knowledge related to Occlumency long ago.
Unfortunately, they didn't have the talent for it.
Link's half-smiling gaze slowly swept across everyone present, finally settling on Hermione's dejected face.
He grinned and said, "Don't be discouraged, Hermione. Occlumency is a very obscure and niche spell. Although it really is powerful, it's not part of Hogwarts' teaching curriculum."
"All knowledge related to it is stored in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library, so even if you reached the NEWT level, you still wouldn't be able to access it."
Hearing this, Hermione's expression recovered a little. She took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Link. I think I already have a general understanding of Occlumency now. Maybe next you can tell us the detailed training plan."
As soon as she said this, the expressions of Link, Emily, and the others all became rather strange.
They exchanged looks with each other, and only then did Link spread his hands and say, "That's already everything there is to Occlumency."
Hermione frowned, sounding a bit unsure, "You… what did you say?"
"I said that what I just explained is already the entirety of Occlumency. So-called Occlumency is simply using your strong willpower and emotional control to force yourself not to think, not to remember, not to feel. Do that, and you've mastered it."
Link continued explaining helplessly, "This is completely a kind of mind-over-matter, almost mystical operation. As for the use of magic power, that's something only an Occlumency master needs to worry about."
"And as for the first stage, I think I've already described it very clearly."
"If you do exactly what I said, that counts as success."
Now it wasn't just the trio of Harry anymore, even Newland and Sigrid looked completely confused.
The room fell silent for nearly a full minute before Sigrid finally frowned and stepped forward, saying, "Lord Flamel, you… you're not joking, are you? This is just too, "
"It's hard to describe that feeling, right?" Link shook his head and said.
"I felt the same way when I first started learning Occlumency. You say it's difficult? Its basic principle is ridiculously simple. But you say it's easy? Those things that can be described so easily with words are things you simply can't do no matter what."
"That's why I always say learning Occlumency requires talent."
"For people with talent, this special spell is almost effortless. Historically, there have even been cases where people succeeded on their very first attempt."
"But for those without talent, no matter how hard or diligently you practice, it's completely useless."
"If you insist on me giving you some training advice, then try the method I once used."
As he spoke, Link casually waved his wand, and several beds appeared in front of everyone. "Lie down, then close your eyes and slowly empty your mind. This state is very similar to zoning out, but there is a fundamental difference!"
"Don't ask me what the difference is. Once you truly achieve it, you'll understand. That feeling can't be described with human language."
"The only thing you need to pay attention to is, don't fall asleep."
After saying that, Link made a welcoming gesture to everyone.
Ron was the first to pounce onto a bed. He even carefully covered himself with a blanket and tucked in the corners.
Among everyone, his pressure was the least, because he had never expected himself to learn Occlumency in the first place, especially after listening to Link's explanation.
For him, this was just an attempt and an experience.
For the others, lying down on the beds was much more difficult.
Especially Harry and Hermione.
Their expressions looked absolutely awful.
Because it seemed like they had understood Link's explanation, yet at the same time, it also felt like they hadn't understood anything at all.
Link and Emily, along with the others, watched Harry and the rest lie down and begin trying to empty their minds, their eyes filled with expectation.
Five minutes, ten minutes…
Ron's breathing was the first to become steady and rhythmic.
Then, light snoring sounds echoed through the Room of Requirement.
"Pfft!"
John couldn't help laughing out loud.
He knew there was a high chance of falling asleep while practicing Occlumency.
But he truly hadn't expected Ron to fall asleep in less than half an hour.
In a way, this could also be considered a kind of talent, right?
After all, not everyone could have such sleep quality.
It's just that when it came to practicing Occlumency, this kind of talent had the opposite effect.
It didn't just affect Ron himself, his completely irregular snoring also affected the other trainees in the Room of Requirement.
As the snoring began, Harry and the others almost simultaneously frowned.
They were already stuck in a painful tug-of-war between emptying their minds and falling asleep. Now, with Ron's disruption, their previously somewhat clear minds instantly became chaotic again.
Hermione was the first to open her eyes. She shot Ron an angry glare, then lay back down and tried again.
Harry followed soon after.
He sat up, rubbed his forehead, and shook his head helplessly.
"Link, I can't empty my mind at all. Closing my eyes doesn't help me, it actually makes my other senses sharper."
"When I try to empty my mind, sounds that are usually so faint I'd never notice them keep flooding into my head, like little black holes pulling all my attention toward them."
"I dare say this method definitely doesn't suit me. Link, do you have any other methods?"
Hearing this, John and Cedric exchanged a look, a sense of shared misery flashing in both their eyes.
In fact, when they had tried training before, they'd had exactly the same feeling as Harry.
Sixteen or seventeen is the age when a person's thoughts are at their most active. For someone that age to meditate, it requires years of training or special experiences.
And the mental emptiness pursued by Occlumency is, in terms of difficulty alone, even more terrifying than meditation.
It was only after personally trying it that they truly understood just how utterly abnormal Link was.
After all, Link had learned Occlumency years ago and had now successfully advanced to become an Occlumency master.
This kind of talent was simply unimaginable.
Meanwhile, the smile on Link's face slowly faded. He stared at the somewhat uneasy Harry, sighed, and said, "You should know that the method I just taught you is the safest and most reliable one, and it's an indispensable process for learning Occlumency."
"If you insist, I can try using Legilimency on you, letting you gradually get used to the feeling of your mind being invaded, and thereby train your instinct to resist."
"But that approach is completely forcing growth prematurely."
"It might let you gain the ability to resist mental intrusion in a short time, but it doesn't mean you've truly learned Occlumency."
"If you still want to become an Occlumency master in the future, you'll have to put in several times more effort."
Hearing Link say this, Harry instead felt relieved.
He said happily, "Let's use that method! To be honest, I have zero interest in becoming an Occlumency master. I just want to protect my mind as quickly as possible."
"Then, as you wish." Link raised his wand with a complicated expression.
"Pay attention, Harry! I need you to eliminate stray thoughts and discard all emotions. If you're ready, move the index finger of your right hand."
Harry quickly closed his eyes as Link instructed. After taking a few deep breaths, he slowly raised his index finger.
"Legilimens."
Buzz!
Harry had clearly misjudged himself.
He had thought he was fully prepared.
But in reality, the moment Link spoke the incantation, all the defenses he had built collapsed instantly.
He felt a buzzing in his head. Then the office before his eyes wavered and vanished, and scenes flashed through his mind like a movie. He could no longer see his surroundings.
At age five, he watched Dudley riding a brand-new red bicycle with his parents beside him, his heart filled with jealousy…
At age nine, he was chased up a tree by the neighbor's dog, and the Dursley family not only had no intention of saving him but laughed loudly on the lawn below…
When he entered Hogwarts, he put on the Sorting Hat and heard it say he should go to Slytherin…
Cho Chang… Cho Chang walking toward him in a dream…
'No! No! You can't look at this!?'
The moment this scene appeared, panic filled Harry's heart.
The intense emotional fluctuation caused the images before him to quickly become chaotic.
After a violent shaking, Harry felt a sharp pain in his knee.
The Room of Requirement came back.
He realized he had fallen off the bed, one knee smashing hard into the floor.
He looked up and saw Link staring at him with a blank expression.
Emily and the others around Link were all laughing uncontrollably.
John was laughing the hardest.
Just looking at the way he was clutching Cedric was enough to tell that he could barely stand from laughing so much.
As for Cedric, the moment his eyes met Harry's, he smiled at him and nodded gently.
This made Harry's face flush red as he guiltily lowered his head.
After quite some time passed, only when the Room of Requirement finally quieted down did Harry weakly say to Link, "You… you saw everything?"
"Uh, I really wish I could say no, but in fact I did… alright, I saw everything."
Link raised an eyebrow helplessly and, after speaking, shot a very strange glance at Cedric.
That instantly plunged Harry into despair.
He didn't believe that, given the relationship between Link and Cedric, Link would keep this from Cedric.
If Cedric found out that he liked Cho Chang, and even fantasized about those filthy things in his mind…
'Oh Merlin!'
Harry grabbed his hair in agony, the intense shame torturing him to the point where he almost went crazy.
And at that moment, he heard Link continue speaking, "What you're worried about actually won't happen. That guy is a very good person. And besides, as a matter of professional ethics, I will erase this memory."
As he spoke, Link pressed the tip of his wand to his own temple.
When he pulled the wand away, a strand of silvery substance, like thick spider silk, was attached to the tip.
Link casually flicked it off, letting it drift gently from the wand tip and slowly dissipate into the air.
This sight nearly made Harry cry.
He sincerely thanked Link.
If it weren't for his lack of literary talent, he would have wanted to compose a hymn in the most elegant language in the world to praise Link's noble character.
"In fact, for a first attempt, you did very well," Link continued.
"Especially at the end, you even broke free from my Occlumency. Although I don't remember what I saw at the time, the emotions you erupted with were extremely intense. From this point of view, you do have a certain amount of talent."
Listening to Link, Harry felt his heart burn with heat.
All day long, he had been immersed in the enormous pressure of possibly being controlled by Voldemort and used as a spy.
And now, he finally saw hope.
"Huff!"
He let out a long breath, adjusted his breathing, and said to Link, "Thank you, Link. Let's continue!"
Link pursed his lips and said, "Are you sure? Repeated mental invasions in a short time will put a heavy burden on you."
"I'm sure!" Harry said firmly. "In order to learn Occlumency, I'm willing to pay any price!"
Hearing this, Link nodded and raised his wand once more.
"Legilimens!"