Harry clutched his chest. The despairing pain from moments ago still seemed lodged there.
It had been so vivid, as if he had lived through it himself.
Yet it had been fake?
Seeing his confusion, Vaughn placed the chocolate in his hand and returned to the sofa opposite him. "This was an experiment, Harry. Do you remember what I told you before Legilimency? You lack a sense of urgency, and that has kept you from learning Occlumency."
"Of course, from the bottom of my heart, I don't want to force you using your most precious memories. But you do need some extra measures to put pressure on you, to rid you of your carelessness and laziness. So just now, I used an experimental technique I've been working on inside your mind."
After saying that, Vaughn asked, "Want to take a look?"
Harry froze. "How? Go into my mindscape?"
Vaughn nodded.
After hesitating, Harry nodded as well. "Okay..."
He still felt that the supposedly fake memory from earlier had been far too real. It was completely different from before.
Before, even when he could not control his actions, he had remained conscious. He knew that false memories were causing him to lose control, so after snapping at Snape during the day, he quickly suppressed the influence of those false memories and apologized to Snape.
But just now...
Harry could not help wondering whether Vaughn had tampered with his brain somehow.
For example, muddling his perception of what was real and what was false.
"Legilimency!"
His vision swam again, but this time, what appeared before Harry was the familiar mindscape.
He was still sitting opposite Vaughn, floating in midair. Endless darkness lay beneath his feet and all around him. Only a desk lamp hovered between him and Vaughn, providing a little light.