"You might not realize what you just did."
As he watched Avada keep up with him effortlessly, take several full pages of meticulous notes, answer his questions perfectly, and even apply what he'd learned to new situations, even Voldemort's fractured mind couldn't help but feel astonished.
He had personally trained plenty of members of his Knights of Walpurgis and the Death Eaters, but he had never met anyone so clever. The study of the mind was one of the most difficult subjects of all, and when teaching related magic, there had been plenty of idiots who had nearly made him tear his hair out.
"What we just discussed would be difficult even for a sixth-year student to follow. No, even a seventh-year! And yet you kept up without the slightest effort!"
"Is this really your first time studying mind magic?"
He raised his head and looked gently into Avada's eyes. Avada immediately felt his Occlumency being probed. Fortunately, the intrusion was slight, and he easily disguised the truth. He couldn't tell whether Voldemort was simply too weak or just couldn't be bothered to use Legilimency properly on a younger student.
"Yes."
As he used Occlumency to feed Voldemort false information, he explained aloud, "I don't know why, but from the first time I cast the Confundus Charm, I felt as though this—no, this whole branch of magic—had a strange affinity for me. It felt just like the first time I held the wand that was meant for me!"
"After that, whether I was doing my own research or reading the book you recommended, Psychodynamics, I could understand the material almost effortlessly, and I found the process immensely enjoyable..."
He gazed at his hands, looking dazed, and murmured, "It was as if I'd been born for this."
"Don't doubt it, K.