Occlumency

Li Weide could not let the secrets in his heart be exposed before Queenie.

They were not things anyone in this world could understand.

He neither wanted others to think he was crazy, nor did he want them to go crazy because of his secrets...

God knew what would happen if Queenie discovered that the world they lived in was fictional in another world.

Of course, it was also possible that magic and everything else were real, but a writer had simply written them into a novel, and they had somehow become fictional...

Li Weide cut off his tangled thoughts. Now was not the time to dwell on such things.

What he urgently needed was a solution.

And he had at most one day and two nights!

After Li Weide and the others got out of the carriage, Flender Doyle drove the Thestral Carriage away from Godric's Hollow.

Professor Hicks stayed behind, responsible for taking care of Li Weide and Tom until Jacob's family arrived.

Tom was naturally thrilled by this, because it meant he would have more time to receive one-on-one guidance from an outstanding professor.

Compared to the enthusiastic Tom, Li Weide seemed far too leisurely.

After arriving here, he even lay in a lounge chair "dozing off" during the day...

Of course, that was only on the surface...

On the very day they moved into Godric's Hollow, Li Weide quietly summoned Toby before him.

He told Toby to hurry to Diagon Alley and buy every book on Occlumency he could find in the bookstores.

Then, he was to store them somewhere hidden and safe.

Toby was an experienced House-elf. Such a task was naturally no challenge for him.

He returned just after everyone had finished dinner.

Once the sky had darkened a little, Li Weide took the initiative to tell Professor Hicks that he was tired and wanted to turn in early tonight.

Professor Hicks naturally did not think much of it. Besides, she still had studious Tom to deal with.

After returning to his room, Li Weide locked the door and had Toby use Apparition to take him to where the books had been stored.

It was a dry mountain cave. Toby had sealed the entrance with stones, leaving only a gap large enough for ventilation. Li Weide had no idea how Toby had found such a place.

Toby had even thoughtfully placed a complete set of tables and chairs in the cave, along with a bundle of candles. The purchased books were piled atop a large table.

The huge pile of books included both new and old copies, because Toby had not even spared the secondhand bookstores.

He had bought and brought back nearly every book on Occlumency available on the market.

At that moment, Li Weide was immensely grateful to have an experienced House-elf helping him.

So, starting that night, after drinking the Energy Potion Toby had bought for him, Li Weide urgently began studying Occlumency!

To grasp the basics of Occlumency within one day and two nights, and reach a level capable of fooling Queenie...

Just thinking about it made the odds of success seem slim.

Li Weide did not have much confidence in it either. He could only give it his all.

Of course, since the chances of success were so low, he had already quietly prepared a second plan.

If he failed to learn Occlumency during this time, he would take Toby and leave temporarily...

After all, coming up with a barely plausible excuse after leaving was better than having Queenie directly peer into his secrets.

That night, thanks to his powerful memory, Li Weide had basically memorized all the knowledge on Occlumency after going through the books.

In Li Weide's view, so-called Occlumency was about setting up a door in one's mind, locking the memories one wanted to hide behind it so no one could see them.

Then, turning that door into a screen that constantly played false memories.

When a Legilimens probed one's memories, they could only see those false memories and would be unable to peer into the memories behind the door.

That was Occlumency.

Of course, if the Legilimens was powerful enough, they could still see through the illusion and smash the door directly.

However, Queenie, whose Legilimency was passively triggered, would not be able to reach that level.

Unless she took out her wand and directly used Legilimency on Li Weide...

According to these books, there were two ways to practice Occlumency.

The first method produced results relatively quickly.

It was to find a trustworthy wizard and have them repeatedly use Legilimency on oneself.

This would stimulate one's mind and magic, allowing the magic to develop resistance to it.

When it detected the magic of Legilimency, it would automatically construct a mental wall and passively build the door.

The entire process was somewhat like stimulating the body's immune system.

Compared to the first method, the second was much slower.

The learner needed to deliberately control their own consciousness...

First, they needed to keep themselves in a tranquil state at all times, with nothing in their minds.

Second, they had to add prepared false memories into those calm thoughts...

Finally, when the learner could maintain that state anytime and anywhere, Occlumency would be considered mastered.

Since he had no wizard he trusted who could assist with his practice, Li Weide could only choose the second method...

After choosing his method of practice, Li Weide began meditating, trying his best to reach a state free of distracting thoughts.

He did not even have time to check that night's system shop refresh.

Even after Toby took him back the next morning, he did not stop practicing.

When Tom saw Li Weide lying in the lounge chair with his eyes closed, meditating, he thought Li Weide was taking a nap.

Tom, who wholeheartedly wanted to surpass Li Weide, was naturally delighted to see him slacking off. He wished Li Weide would remain this lazy forever!

Professor Hicks, meanwhile, thought Li Weide had not slept well after arriving somewhere new and was catching up on sleep, so she did not disturb him.

Thus, Li Weide was able to continue practicing Occlumency in peace.

This kind of practice was truly difficult. The very first step alone—setting aside every distracting thought—was enough to make most people give up.

Li Weide persisted for an entire night but still failed to accomplish that first step... he could not even calm himself down a little.

In truth, the more preoccupied a person was, the harder it was for them to become calm, because they were constantly thinking whenever they were awake...

And Li Weide was exactly that sort of person. Even in his dreams, his mind could not settle down. How could he possibly keep his mind free of distractions while awake?

As time passed, Li Weide's heart gradually sank.

Perhaps, if he had enough time, he would eventually be able to clear his mind.

But now, he did not have much time left...

As the sun slanted westward, Li Weide slowly opened his eyes. In the end, he chose to give up.

Tonight, he would take Toby and quietly make a run for it.

As for the reason for leaving... he would think of one if they got caught...

Li Weide wearily rose from the lounge chair.

At that moment, Professor Hicks was explaining the basics of Transfiguration to studious Tom.

"...When you transform an object, you do not need to deliberately imagine every detail of what you want it to become..."

"For example, if you want to turn a goblet into a small bird, you do not need to construct every detail of that bird in your mind."

"If you had to imagine the shape of every single feather, a simple Transfiguration spell would exhaust someone to death."

"When transforming, we only need to sketch out the image of the bird in our minds. As for everything else, leave it to magical magic. Magic will naturally help a wizard fulfill his intent."

Professor Hicks was explaining the basics of Transfiguration. Li Weide had naturally already read all of it in the Complete Guide to Transfiguration, but...

"...leave everything else to magical magic..." Those words now struck through Li Weide's mind like a bolt of lightning!

Li Weide suddenly understood. That's right... I'm a wizard. I have magic, and Occlumency is magic! It isn't some kind of meditative discipline!

I don't need to rely on sheer willpower like a Muggle to empty my mind. That's not a state one can achieve in a short time! My method of practice had been wrong from the very beginning!

In fact, as a wizard, he only needed to leave everything to magical magic. Magic would naturally help a wizard fulfill his wish!

Because magic was inherently shaped by the mind!

With that realization, Li Weide, who had just stood up, stretched and lay back down...