Occlumency

Li Weide could not allow the secrets in his heart to 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 an author had written them into a novel, and they had truly become fiction because of it...

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, Flander 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 instruction from an outstanding professor.

Compared with the eager Tom, Li Weide seemed almost too relaxed.

Ever since arriving here, he had even spent the daytime lying in a recliner, "dozing off"...

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

On the very day they moved into Godric's Hollow, Li Weide quietly called Toby over.

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, so such a task was naturally no challenge for him.

He returned just after everyone had finished dinner.

Once it grew a little darker, Li Weide took the initiative to tell Professor Hicks that he was tired and wanted to turn in early that night.

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 Apparation to bring him to where the books had been stored.

It was a dry cave. Toby had sealed its 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 also thoughtfully set up a complete set of tables and chairs in the cave, along with a bundle of candles. The books he had bought were piled atop a large table.

This huge stack of books included both new and old copies, because Toby had not even overlooked Used Book stores.

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

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

Thus, beginning that very 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 himself had little confidence in it. He could only give it his all.

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

If he failed to learn Occlumency in time, he would leave temporarily with Toby...

After all, it would be better to leave first and come up with a barely plausible explanation later than to let 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, Occlumency was essentially about setting up a door in one's mind, locking the memories one wanted to hide behind it so that others could not see them.

Then, one turned that door into a screen that continuously played false memories.

When a Legilimency user 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 Legilimency user was powerful enough, they could still see through the illusion and smash the door directly.

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

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

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

The first method produced results relatively quickly.

It involved finding a trustworthy wizard and having them repeatedly use Legilimency on oneself.

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

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

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

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

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

First, they needed to keep themselves in a state of perfect calm at all times, like still water, thinking of nothing.

Second, they needed to add prepared false memories into those tranquil thoughts...

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

Since there was no wizard he trusted enough to help him practice, Li Weide had no choice but to choose the second method...

After deciding on his practice method, Li Weide began meditating, trying hard to reach a state free of distracting thoughts.

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

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

When Tom saw Li Weide lying on the recliner with his eyes closed, meditating, he assumed he was taking a nap.

Determined to surpass Li Weide, Tom was naturally delighted to see him slacking off. He wished Li Weide would stay this lazy forever!

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

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

This practice was truly difficult. The very first step—putting away every stray thought—was enough to discourage most people.

Li Weide persisted for an entire night, yet he still could not complete even that first step... he could not even calm down a little.

In truth, the heavier a person's thoughts, the harder it was for them to find peace, because whenever they were awake, they were thinking every moment...

And Li Weide was exactly that kind of person. Even in his dreams, his mind could not settle down. How could he possibly remain free of distracting thoughts while awake?

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

Perhaps, given enough time, he would eventually be able to empty 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 his reason for leaving... he would think of one if they caught him...

Li Weide wearily rose from the recliner.

At that moment, Professor Hicks was explaining the basics of Transfiguration to the 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 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, even a simple Transfiguration spell would exhaust someone to death."

"When transforming something, we only need to sketch out the bird's appearance in our minds. Leave everything else to magic. Magic will naturally help a wizard fulfill his intention."

What Professor Hicks was teaching was basic Transfiguration knowledge, and Li Weide had naturally already read all of it in the Complete Book of Transfiguration, but...

"...Leave everything else to magic..." Those words now struck through Li Weide's mind like a bolt of lightning! He suddenly understood. Right... I am a wizard. I have magic, and Occlumency is magic! It was not some kind of meditative discipline!

He did not need to rely on sheer willpower like a Muggle to empty his mind. That was not a state one could attain in a short time! His practice method had been wrong from the very beginning!

In fact, as a wizard, all he needed to do was leave everything to magic, and magic would naturally help him fulfill his wish! Because magic was inherently driven by the mind! With that realization, Li Weide, who had just stood up, stretched lazily and lay back down...