The library had turned up something really interesting—a small, leather book called The Introduction to Mind arts . This book wasn't about fancy magic spells or fighting curses. It was actually about something called Occlumency, which is the art of protecting your mind from being invaded by outside forces. It's like a shield for your thoughts and feelings, and it helps you keep them safe from people who might try to read or control your mind. The book didn't really explain how it is done, but to Arthur it seemed like a really useful knowledge to have.
To Arthur, this wasn't just "defense." It was guanteed Security. It was the ability to partition his memories, encrypt his secrets, and optimize his magical studies.
...
December 24th.
Ravenclaw Boys' Dormitory
11:45 PM.
When the whole school was bustling with Christmas decorations , Arthur was sitting on his bed, eyes closed.
The room was quiet, except for the sound of Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein breathing slowly in the beds next to him. Arthur was sitting up, his back against the cold wooden headboard. The snow outside, which had fallen softly over the Scottish countryside, made everything feel muffled and still. But inside Arthur's mind, it was a different story—the memories and thoughts of two whole lifetimes were swirling around, making it hard for him to think clearly. It was like a constant noise, a chatter in his head that he couldn't turn off.
He called out the 'Interface.'
Seeing his skills and magic spells reaching higher and higher in proficiency lightened his mind up.
As he closed his eyes. He didn't seek to empty his mind but to organize it.
In the back of his mind, Arthur began to move all information he knew. He visualized his consciousness not as a cloud of thoughts, but as a massive, multi-layered library.
'First things first' he thought to himself, 'I need to sort out the old memories.'
He delved into his past, recalling a world of technology and metal, a life he had left behind when he was reborn. His fingers moved deftly as he pulled up the memories, now stored as old books with yellowish papers, and dragged them into a secure, old book rack in the back of the library. The action required a small amount of his magical energy, and he felt a faint, icy sensation as the past memories sorted themselves, protected by powerful sealings.
'Step Two,' Arthur continued. 'The current memories.'
He moved to the St. Jude's Cluster. Billy. The orphanage. The cold radiators. These were his vulnerabilities. He began to wrap them in a mental firewall, a layer of logic designed to keep them hidden from any "Intruders" who might dare to look.
'Step Three,' his mind strained. 'Index the magic knowledge.'
This was the largest set. Every spell, every Arithmancy equation, every bit of knowledge he had acquired since arriving at Hogwarts. He began to sort them into directories: transfiguration, charms, and magic theory.
As he shifted the last piece of the "Magic Theory" puzzle, everything suddenly took a turn for the worse.
Each "seal" he placed on a memory required a portion of his magical power, which was already, lowered by his training in spells the whole day . He had overestimated his 14% reservs. He was trying to organize two entire lifetimes worth of information with the little bit of a mana left within him .
Suddenly, the Great library in his mind trembled, as if someone or something is shaking it.
Arthur's eyes flew open, but he saw nothing but darkness.
A sharp, pain pierced his skull which felt as if someone drilling a white-hot needle into his mind. The pain stem from his brain slowly took over his magical core. His breath hitched; the air in the dorm felt heavy to breath in.
He felt completely drained, every last bit of energy seemed to have been sucked out of him, leaving him feeling hollow and empty.
His magical core, which had been pushed to its limits to keep his mental shields up, had automatically switched to life-support mode to keep him going. It was as if his body had been reduced to a mere shell, with nothing but a faint spark of life left to keep him ticking. The sensation was eerie and unsettling, like his very bones had been hollowed out, leaving him feeling fragile and vulnerable.
Arthur let out a quiet groan, his hands grasping the sheets tightly.
He was hit with a wave of pain, and then everything went silent and still. It was as if his mind were disconnecting from his body. He felt himself slipping away, unable to move or speak. His body went limp, and he fell onto his pillow, unable to even call out for help. The silence was terrifying, and he was trapped in a void, unable to escape. His consciousness was fading, and he was powerless to stop it.
....
Arthur woke to the sound of a bird chirping outside a window. The light was too bright.
The bed was too soft.
He didn't move.
Felling his body intact, with no visible injury he sighed.'that was a oversight' he thought internally.
'Interface,' he thought.
[Occlumency: Beginner (5.06%)]
Sorting all his thoughts and memories, he sat there calmly, calculating.
He spoke in a rough voice, "Three days." His throat was sore, feeling like sandpaper was rubbing against it.
Madam Pomfrey showed up right away, looking really upset. "You were trying to do Occlumency, Mr. Pendergast?" she said.
"At your age, that's not a good idea. You're lucky your roommates found you when they did. If they hadn't, you could have ended up in a magical coma for the rest of your life. What were you thinking, trying to use dangerous magic like that?"
Arthur didn't respond to the lecture. He was
as looking at his hands. They were pale, trembling slightly. He felt... different. His mind was quieter, more organized—but the cost had been three days of his life.
That evening, Arthur was sitting at a little table in the hospital ward, his special pen moving slowly across the paper.
'To: Billy
From: Arthur
Billy,
I am writing this to document a significant failure in my planning.
On the night before Christmas, I attempted an advanced mental discipline. I intended to organize my knowledge to become more efficient. However, I failed to calculate the energy cost of securing all the necessary information My response system crashed.
I have been unconscious for three days. I missed the train to home.
I'm feeling calm and my thoughts are in order now.
But I have failed my commitment to be there for the holiday. This was an amateur mistake. I allowed my fascination with a new spell to blind me to my physical limitations.
I'm coming back this summer, and I want to assure you that we won't have any more unexpected problems like this. Right now, I'm looking into what went wrong so I can prevent it from happening again in the future. My goal is to make sure everything runs smoothly from now on.
Keep the radiators running. Use the pliers.'
Arthur
He closed the letter, feeling empty inside, but his mind was clearer than ever. It was like he had finally built a wall around his thoughts, and now all he needed was the strength to stay behind it.