Just a quick update before I go to bed... I shall reply to all of your lovely comments tomorrow when I am not dead on my feet, LOL.

THOUGHTS: BELLATRIX, DRACO and SNAPE...

'... That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about - don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work - I can stop you!'
There was a pause and then Snape said quietly. 'Ah... Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"
'I'm not trying to conceal anything from him, I just don't want you butting in!'

I have always found this exchange to be... interesting.

"I'm not stupid, but it won't work" <-- uhm... weird phrasing there, Draco. "I'm not stupid - BUT it won't work?" Like, triple negative, LOL. You have to be intelligent for you mind to be Legilimensed? Uhm... no. I dunno... maybe Draco was extremely flustered, or JK slipped (it has been known to happen, LOL). Or maybe it's my addled brain... whatever, LOL. Any thoughts on that?

How does Snape know it's Bellatrix? Either Bella (and no one else Draco has had contact with), is a very good Occlumens (and is known for it)... or Snape actually got something through Draco's defences... OR, it's the obvious, and Snape knew that Bellatrix was going to help Draco and just assumed. LOL. Though he does seem quite adamant about it for someone who just assumed...

"What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?" - YOUR master? OUR master, surely Severus... (see: Snape is OMG TOTALLY "GOOD", LOL) And why does Snape immediately jump on the Voldemort bandwagon? Surely the first thing you would think of would be in case Dumbledore tried to read his mind, or the Ministry... Draco fobs it off as keeping his thoughts from SNAPE (which is understandable, seeing as it is BELLATRIX helping him, LOL)... but perhaps Snape did see into Draco's mind (that would explain how he knew it was Bellatrix teaching him) and saw that he WAS trying to keep something from Voldemort... in which case... what would that be? That he was failing? Or something else (here's hoping, LOL).

And finally... why would Bella want to know Occlumency? I suppose it'd be handy if she were captured by The Order (because she knows Death Eater secrets)... but it's not as if she's not willing to die for the cause... surely she'd just kill herself for Voldiepants. And she was extremely proud to stand up and show off her alligence to him during the First War... it's not as though she tried to keep anything from the Ministry...

Well... who knows... maybe Bellatrix is actually Regulus. LMFAO. XDDDD

Like I said... it's an interesting conversation.

THOUGHTS?

Peace,
Rotae