Chapter 1255 - 70: Concentration Forming

Thinking of Voldemort entering Hogwarts attached to the back of Quirrell's head, Snape fell silent for a moment.

Given his position, anything he said at this moment didn't seem quite right, and he gained a new appreciation for Vid's consistent caution.

Unlike some foolish Troll kid.

Hunted by Voldemort for so many years, still stupidly unaware of any progress, constantly occupied with either Quidditch or other nonsense, so blind that even if real danger jumped onto his nose, he still wouldn't see it.

The Professor of Potions lowered his gaze and swiftly changed the subject.

He waved his magic wand, causing the scattered parchment to return to their rightful places, and leaned against the desk saying:

"You must know, Occlumency is merely the most basic defense technique."

"At best, it only prevents you from being read like an open book when facing Mind Reading."

"But when you encounter a real enemy, using Occlumency is like shouting to the world—'I've resisted, and Legilimency won't find anything in my mind either!'"

"And you know what the outcome of that is?"

Vid softly responded, "They will use every means to break through the defense, forcing the mind to be laid bare for them to see."

"Exactly," Snape nodded, "For example... the Cruciatus Curse."

The name of the Unforgivable Curses, spoken from the Professor of Potions' lips, seemed to freeze into ice, dropping piece by piece onto the ground.

He slowly paced, walking back and forth in the dim shadows of the office.

"How long can one maintain Occlumency under the torment of the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Let me tell you, under normal circumstances, not even three minutes before defenses in their mind turn into a broken fishing net, easily torn open."

"Not everyone is like the Longbottoms..."

At this point, Snape paused.

Vid simultaneously thought of the time when Lestrange and others used the Cruciatus Curse on the Longbottoms, not simply to torture, but to learn where the suddenly disappeared Voldemort had gone.

Presumably, the answer they obtained from Frank and Alice was—both had no idea.

That's the truth.

Yet the Death Eaters did not believe.

They perhaps thought they had encountered unprecedented resistance, or that extreme fear instead catalyzed anger and brutality...

Those people tortured the two for a long time until their minds were destroyed, never obtaining the answers they wanted.

The reason for the heroes' indomitable courage is simpler than imagined—

[They said nothing, because they truly knew nothing.]

Snape could have revealed and mocked this, but his lips moved, swallowing the sarcasm before it came out.

Longbottom is not Potter.

Out of support and respect for his comrades, he lightly interrupted his previous train of thought again and continued:

"So, the real way to protect your mind is not to defend, but to deceive."

"What you need to do is learn to conceal your true memories deep down, allowing others to see the illusions they wish, then leave satisfied."

"Have you learned this technique?"

Vid shook his head, "No."

A clear desire appeared in his eyes.

For the first time ever, Snape felt pleased and satisfied with a student's ignorance.

"Good," he said, "then we shall start from the beginning."

...

The magic of fabricating memories is known as "Concentration Forming."

But in reality, much like Occlumency, it lacks a specific spell, as everything occurs within the wizard's own mind.

It is also hard to instantly complete during a Legilimency invasion of the mind.

To construct a memory convincingly, a wizard must first extract fragments from real memories, then meticulously piece them together, modify until they resemble truth yet differ.

This demands intense focus and detailed imagination, considering each participant's reaction, even noting changes in light and shadow.

Otherwise, the adversary might see scenes like—

For example, a serious meeting in a conference room where someone suddenly dons pajamas and begins dancing atop the table;

Or, Dumbledore's long hair transforming into McGonagall's bun, or Professor Sprout's nose being transferred onto Professor Flitwick's face;

Or, a serious person suddenly crying uncontrollably in the memory, or laughing loudly when they should be saddened.

All of these would alert the enemy that what they are witnessing is indeed false.

The trickiest part of this magic is that a person's attention is limited; when truly in the environment, most can actively notice and remember only one percent of information.

Whereas in their memory, theoretically all scene details can be fully reproduced—if within the memory holder's sensory range.

Luckily, when someone uses Legilimency to examine another's memory, their attention is likewise selective, unlikely to scrutinize every leaf shadow or everyone's facial contour.

Still, at least thirty percent of details are necessary to achieve initial deception.

If facing a suspicious wizard like Voldemort, detail reproduction may need to reach fifty… or even over seventy percent.

Thus, the basis for fabricating memories is not last-minute preparation but preemptively trimming and decorating any potentially probed memories thoroughly, then continuously reinforcing and reviewing them until the day they are needed.

...

"Legilimency!"

The spell struck Vid once again, and he did not resist, merely stepping back half a pace unconsciously.

Snape narrowed his eyes slightly, suddenly confronted with unfamiliar memories.

...

"Sit, Vid." Dumbledore sat behind the desk, half-moon glasses perched on the bridge of his nose, warmly looking at him, said, "You come to see me, is there something you need?"

Vid sat in the chair, somewhat embarrassedly saying:

"Sorry to take up your time, Professor Dumbledore... I wanted to discuss my future career path with you, I'm somewhat... unsure of how to choose."

"Ah, I understand." Dumbledore smiled, "First I'd like to hear your thoughts—after graduating, what plans do you have?"

Vid thought for a moment and said, "Everyone says I'm suited to be an Alchemist, but the Ministry of Magic seems good too..."

...

The brief few seconds of scene abruptly ended, Snape withdrew his wand, looking somewhat surprised.

"You just said... you've never learned this magic?"

He asked, instinctively glancing at the clock.

From when he outlined the Concentration Forming magic's essentials to Vid, instructed him to try weaving a memory, until now… only seven minutes had passed.

"Yes." Vid saw his gaze, added, "However, I've encountered some theories before… and imagined what kind of fabricated memories would be more believable."

Snape nodded, accepting the explanation begrudgingly.

He sat back in the chair, slowly nodding as he said:

"The content is fairly smooth, and the scene clear; Dumbledore's tone and demeanor are handled quite meticulously..."

He paused, "No major mistakes."

"But there are still some issues with the details… to me, using Legilimency."

Vid was taken aback: "Sorry, professor, Legilimency... I know the spell but am not very proficient."

"It's okay," Snape said blandly, "Reading memories can be simpler when the other party is willing to cooperate."

"...Alright." Vid stood up, raised his wand: "Legilimency!"

[Sit, Vid.]

He saw the very memory he had just woven, with Dumbledore smiling at him:

[You came to see me, is there something you need?]