The Animagus transformation doesn't require a wand to be performed. Unless they're of the habit of incarcerating suspected dark wizards in Azkaban with their wands handy.

 

Also Pettigrew escaped at the end of PoA without one.

 

I thought Peter had Voldemort's wand in addition to his own. Or did he go and get that later?

 

Yeah, I forgot about that. I went back and checked it, and the way it reads however, doesn't mean that he didn't use it, just that Harry was too focused on what was coming - and then everything started to shimmer. So at best, I think that's a neutral example.

True, but when Snape is explaining it to Harry, he says that Voldemort can't know what they're thinking right now because (1) there is a considerable distance, (2) Hogwarts is guarded by ancient spells and charms. From there, he states that "Time and space matter in magic, Potter. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency." Since there was neither distance nor spells protecting Narcissa from Voldemort (or at the least, not mentioned in canon), I think he could have very well detected her lying within having eye contact. Granted, that's a conclusion from argument, rather than the text.

Really? I'm trying to think of where that has happened in canon, and can't. I think I could argue for your point from Harry's wand operating on it's own against Voldemort in DH, but the contact is still there. Was there something in one of the wand-lore discussions that I'm forgetting?

 

Harry drops his wand in the (fifth book?) and can still cast lumos through it.

 

Continuing with the theme of semi-sentient wands that might as well be Harry's wand acting on it's own and not Harry actually casting the spell. Like "Duh, stupid wizard thinks he can cast a spell without holding me. Well, might as well indulge him."

Or was that somehow explained in canon?

 

Yes, it was right after he was attacked by the Dementors. The wand was a few inches by his right hand.

Edit: Now I wonder, would it have worked just as well if the wand had not been near his "wand hand"? hmmm

 

During the fifth book, when Harry's scar is like an aerial, he's not always getting visions. There are several times where he feels alien emotion and just knows, without seeing anything, what Voldemort is feeling. Vague impressions like "he's gotten something he's been looking for" or "something he's been looking forwrd to has just gone wrong, he's upset" etc. I think that may be how Legilimency works, or at least our best approximtion from canon. The object or reason for the feeling cannot be intuited, but it seems as though the feelings themselves are perfectly readable, even by Harry.

Of course, that may all be down to the scar, but perhaps the other part, seeing memories, is like a controlled version of Harry tagging along with LV in his dreams.

 

It makes since. To Harry the feelings would feel out of context through the connection. However if voldemort was able to establish such a connection during an interrogation (probably with much more finesse and control) the questions he asked would elicit an immediate response. Harry not only experienced extreme emotions but often spent entire days as Voldemort's mental emotional mirror. That makes better sense to me as it isn't like the mind becomes a book to read from.

 

I read a nice description of O and L once in a long fic, Stronger than Hope I think? I was something about simply being in control of what memories were availible to be accessed; that is true occlumency, as in doing it without being caught. Being able to recognise what the question is and then manipulating what memories answer it.

Edit, yeah it's here.

Also, the title says Occulumency...

 

Also is Occulumency considered a completely magical skill or simply a mental discipline? Legillimency seems solely dependent on magic. But the idea of O not as much. Would muggles be completely useless to any half way savvy L ?

 

From canon we see Harry using magic to defend himself from a direct L attack, however I don't think that's how Snape would have occluded his mind from Voldemort because it's not very subtle; therefore I'd say true O was more a mind art than magical but possibly a combination of both. Could muggles do it? Probably not, but who knows.

 

They could if they meditated enough. :awesome

 

Absolutely right! Then they could even order their thoughts, their life, the world, and cure cancer too!

I really hate reading "snake oil Occlumency" in fics - just meditate and you can do it all.

 

I like to imagine Voldemort trying to mind read, say, Fleur's mind and having the uncomfortable realization he doesn't speak French, causing him to curse his incompetent Hogwarts French teacher.

I know that wouldn't exactly work like that, but the mental image still amuses me.

 

Let's not forget about Harry's accidental use of Legilimency during his history exam. It could just be a JK aberration, but Harry doesn't use his wand, and he's not just getting feelings or impressions: he's getting full answers to the questions on his test.

 

... I've never seen anyone interpret that as legilimency, lol. The idea never even occurred to me. And while I would love Harry to have latent legilimency talent, I'm fairly sure it's just plain old "racking your mind for the answers".

 

In terms of Occlumency I view it as a sort of gradual mastery. Based loosely on canon, the first step seems to be recognizing and rejecting an obvious attempted probe. From there I would imagine that like in some stories you would branch out into being able to stop a probe from viewing a particular memory and eventually forcing it to view another instead of outright rejection. Until finally at a level which I guess you could interpret as mastery, you are able to show an "intruder" an image that has been falsified or even fabricated completely. So yes more subtle than shields and a mindscape.