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The Harry Potter franchise counted many skills that wizards and dark wizards displayed in the movies. From powerful spells to parseltongue and house-elf magic, J.K. Rowling managed to fill her wizarding world with all sorts of important magical abilities. Among all of these extraordinarily exciting skills, one skill is often forgotten, and it was the franchise's most underrated.
Legilimency was a versatile and underappreciated skill in Harry Potter as it allowed its user to take a look inside another person's mind. Legilimens were practitioners of this rare ability who could look through people's deepest memories without needing consent, which inevitably set up its possible malicious use. Known Legilimens in the Harry Potter movies included Slytherin founder Salazar Slytherin, Severus Snape and Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. The Harry Potter universe cast Voldemort in the role of most dangerous Legilimens, as he could forcefully intrude into people's minds to extract valuable information.
Legilimency Affected Both Harry and Voldemort in the Harry Potter Movies
The Harry Potter movies created a lasting link between Harry and Voldemort that started when Harry was a baby. After Voldemort had killed Harry's parents, he tried to kill Harry as well but failed during the attempt. This led Voldemort to transfer some of his essence into Harry, thus solidifying a bond that was bound to last a lifetime. Voldemort was notoriously skilled at Legilimency, which helped him to occasionally look into Harry's mind and memories. This skill was first used by Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone when Voldemort entered Harry's mind and noticed that Harry hid the sorcerer's stone inside his pocket. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, Voldemort managed to catch wind of Harry, Ron and Hermione hunting Horcruxes after taking yet another trip into Harry's mind.
The Harry Potter movies showed the risk that accompanied Legilimency, as it permitted the victim to take a look inside their aggressor's mind in turn. Harry actually managed to look into Voldemort's mind on one of those occasions and sensed Voldemort's fear, especially in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Harry felt Voldemort's vulnerability, a characteristic Voldemort surely wouldn't want his character to be associated with. Throughout the Harry Potter movies, Legilimency was a most valuable skill and could generally only be obtained through loads of studying and dedication. There were, however, a few exceptions, like Queenie Goldstein from the Fantastic Beasts movies, who was born a Legilimens. Queenie tried to use her powers as Legilimens on Grindelwald, who was skilled at concealing his memories with the power of Occlumency.
Legilimency Has One Major Counter-Spell in the Harry Potter Movies
After finding out about Voldemort's intentions as Legilimens, Snape decided to teach Harry Occlumency in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoneix. Occlumency aimed to close off one's mind to the effects of Legilimency. Although highly effective, the user had to be in complete control of their emotions. Harry did not always manage to suppress his emotions, opening up windows of opportunities for Voldemort. Snape did his best to shield Harry from Voldemort but ultimately fell victim to his own spell, and Harry unconsciously intruded into Snape's memories. Harry subsequently saw a rather unfavorable version of his father, James Potter, showcasing the potential of this underrated skill.
The Harry Potter movies portrayed Legilimency on numerous occasions, yet it remained a highly underappreciated and underrated skill in the wizarding world. Potentially following its unflashy and sometimes confusing nature, Legilimency fell short of being as exciting as much as an action-packed spell battle. Nevertheless, Voldemort succeeded in depicting the immense value of a talented Legilimens and the potential advantage it gave over his opponents. In the end, Legilimency was central to the storyline of Harry Potter and made for a refreshing alternative to ordinary magic fights.