Occlumency
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Occlumency is, in the fictional realm of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, a branch of magic that concerns itself with closing one's mind against external penetration, with the intent of preventing others from reading one's thoughts or emotions. To perform it, one needs to "rid his mind of emotion, empty it...make it blank and calm." (Harry Potter 5, page 610) Therefore, instead of simply "blocking" an enemy's attempts in breaking into your mind, Occlumency requires an individual who can leave a blank mindset that would reveal nothing. One who is practiced in occlumency is known as an Occlumens. The companion art to Occlumency is that of Legilimency, the ability to read another person´s mind. The characters Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore are experts in the field, as well as in Legilimency. Both Legilimency and Occlumency are highly complex activities, owing to the complexity of the human mind.
The term "Occlumens" was created by J. K. Rowling through the combination of the word "occludere" (Latin for "to close or block off") and the suffix "-mens," (Latin for mind).
In the context of the book series Occlumency plays a significant role in the plot development surrounding Severus Snape. Snape is known to be a highly accomplished Occlumens and during the course of the 5th and 6th books, it becomes apparent that both the Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix believe that Snape is acting as a spy for their behalf. Because of his uncommonly good ability in this art it is unknown as of the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where his true loyalties lie. Since the death of Dumbledore, most of the main characters believe that Snape had betrayed them. This, however, is subject to controversy among fans.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Snape attempts to teach student Harry Potter Occlumency by orders of Albus Dumbledore in order to defend himself from being manipulated by the evil Lord Voldemort. Despite the fact that Dumbledore is an expert Occlumens as well, he was not willing to teach Harry Occlumency for fear of Voldemort reaching him through Harry's mind. Because of the animosity between Snape and Harry, the latter neglects to clear his thoughts and close his mind before going to bed, as Snape had advised him to. Harry also refuses to follow this advice in order for him to continue investigating The Department of Mysteries through his dreams, which he had been dreaming about for the past few months. Eventually, Snape abruptly stops teaching Occlumency due to Harry looking at a pensieve of Snape's worst memories (Which involved Snape being humiliated publically by James Potter). Due to the mutual animosity and sudden end to the lessons, Harry never was able to master Occlumency, which he regrets later on.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it is revealed that Draco Malfoy is being taught Occlumency by his aunt, Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange. He seems to defend himself using Occlumency when Snape attempts to discover his mission using Legilimency.es:Oclumancia pl:Oklumencja