Outcast

07

The holiday's were approaching quickly and soon everyone who wasn't staying at Hogwarts had left. I was discharged from the hospital wing after two days of staying there. All of the Slytherins were going home, so I had the entire common room to myself and I hate to admit it but it's quite lonely in the common room. Professor McGonagall arranged for me to stay during the day in the Gryffindor common room with my brothers and Harry, who were the only ones staying for the holidays. I was browsing the library for a new book when I saw Harry and Ron looking through a stack of books.

"Hello, what are you guys up to?" I asked.

"Searching for stuff on Nicholas Flamel," Harry responded.

"Nicholas Flamel..." I trailed off, "Oh! I think he has something to do with some stone but I'm not sure."

"A stone?" Ron questioned.

"Yeah, it's like some stone of immortality or something, I don't know what it's called," I told them. "Anyways, I'm looking for a book to read for the day, see you," I walked off and continued browsing the shelves. A title caught my eye, A Guide to Legilimencey and Occlumency by Queenie Goldstein. It looked interesting, so I took it off of the shelf and checked it out of the library. I walked off and found an empty hallway where the secret room appeared before. I watched a door form on the wall and gently opened it. I was back in the room, and it brought back memories of my frenzy. Luckily, the bookshelf I shoved George into was not there anymore. I sat down in a different bean bag chair and started reading.

Legilimencey is the act of magically navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. A person who practices Legilimency is known as a legilimens.

Occlumency is the act of magically closing one's mind against Legilimency. A person who practices Occlumency is known as an Occlumens.

Turn to page 5 on information on Legilimency

Turn to page 130 on information on Occlumency

I turned to page five and started reading on how to perform Legilimency.

Legilimency is a learned skill (unless born with it, though this is very rare) that requires eye contact in order to probe into someone's mind. In order to begin learning Legilimency, you must practice the spell "Legilimens".

I pulled out my wand and said "Legilimens", nothing happened but that was probably because I wasn't practicing on a person. I'd have to practice on Ron later. I kept on reading and I got to page 115 before I put it down and walked down to the dungeons.

+

The next day was Christmas morning, none of my presents were in the Slytherin common room because they were arranged to be sent to the Gryffindor common room. I got dressed into a black and white sweater and denim ripped jeans; I wore my hair up in a messy bun. I grabbed the book for Legilimencey and made my way to the Gryffindor common room.

"Christmas," I said the password which Professor McGonagall changed. 

It looked like no one was awake, the presents surrounding the tree were untouched, so I laid across an armchair near the fire and continued reading.

"Presents? For me?!" I heard a voice yell from the top of the stairs, Harry.

"Yeah, why not, it's Christmas!" Another voice said, Ron. "Oh, hey Anna, when did you get here?"

"Few minutes ago," I responded. "And what do you mean, have you never gotten presents for Christmas?"

"Er no, unless you count a pair of socks each year,"