Occlumency

Occlumency is the act of closing one's mind against a Legilimens. To perform Occlumency, one must clear one's mind &mdash; "make it blank and empty" &mdash; in order to prevent the Legilimens from accessing one's thoughts and feelings. In the 1995 school year, Albus Dumbledore had Severus Snape teach Harry Potter Occlumency, though Harry did not do well. In 1996, Bellatrix Lestrange taught Draco Malfoy how to do Occlumency. Dumbledore has said that Horace Slughorn "is much more accomplished at Occlumency then poor Morfin Gaunt."

The word "occlumency" comes from "occlude" (to conceal) + "mens" (Latin for "mind"), literally "to close the mind."

Known Occlumens

 * Lord Voldemort
 * Severus Snape
 * Draco Malfoy
 * Bellatrix Lestrange
 * Horace Slughorn
 * Albus Dumbledore
 * Harry Potter