Obviously, he failed.
The main reason was that he hadn't expected Harry's talent for Occlumency to be this poor. He had been learning for several days in a row, but was still stuck in the same place, making no progress at all.
Snape's expression shifted unpredictably, as if he was hesitating whether or not to continue.
Kael didn't rush him either. He simply sat down on a chair nearby and said, "Professor, after observing for the past few days, I've noticed that Harry seems to be resisting learning Occlumency."
"Impossible," Snape said. "Occlumency can help him block the Dark Lord from invading his mind. Why would he resist it?"
"I don't know..." Kael said, "Maybe it's because of Sirius."
"Black?" Snape frowned thoughtfully.
"It's just a guess," Kael whispered.
With the information he got from his dreams, Harry let Dumbledore know ahead of time that someone from the Order of Phoenix was in danger, and managed to save Sirius just in time.
That's probably the reason why Harry is resisting learning Occlumency.
If he doesn't learn Occlumency, he can still see Voldemort's thoughts. Maybe, one day, he can save Sirius again.
Harry's thinking isn't exactly wrong, but he's neglecting the most important point: if Voldemort sees into his mind, it won't just be Sirius who's in danger.
Moreover, Voldemort could easily create a bit of deception, deliberately let Harry see it, and in that way, the whole Order of Phoenix might be led astray, or even fall directly into a trap Voldemort had set in advance—the consequences would be unimaginable.
Of course, Harry knows this too. He just cares too much about Sirius.
Maybe even Harry himself hasn't realized that, deep down, he's subconsciously resisting Occlumency.
But the most important thing in learning this magic is confidence—believing you can do it. It's the same principle as learning the Patronus Charm.
And it's precisely because of this almost instinctive resistance that Harry's progress has been so slow.
If he doesn't resolve this problem, he might never learn Occlumency at all.
With Kael's reminder, Snape realized the same thing.
"Sentimental idiot," he muttered under his breath. "And that Black, always getting in the way..."
"Professor!" After thinking for a moment, Kael suddenly asked, "If we let Harry suffer a bit, that should be fine, right?"
"What do you mean by that?" Snape asked coldly.
"It's nothing, I just want to try a different teaching method with Harry—the same way I learned Occlumency," Kael said. "Originally, I didn't think there was any need, but now, it might be worth a try."
"What do you want to do?" Snape asked.
Actually, he was quite curious how Kael managed to learn Occlumency so proficiently before even third year.
"First, I need to borrow something," Kael said. "And I'll need Professor Dumbledore's signature, since what I'm asking for is pretty dangerous. Without the headmaster's permission, they probably wouldn't lend it to me."
"I've already told you, the headmaster isn't here," Snape said. "And he's gone far away; he won't be back until term starts."
"That's all right..." Kael pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, hastily wrote a short letter, and pushed it toward Snape.
"What do you mean by this?" Snape asked in an icy tone.
"The signature. If Professor Dumbledore isn't here, the head of house is fine too," Kael explained. "I just need someone with enough authority to prove I'm borrowing it for an official purpose."
Snape glanced over the letter.
Seeing the contents, the corner of his eye twitched involuntarily.
"This is how you learned Occlumency?"
"Ah, that's right," Kael said. "The process was painful, but it worked well. And more importantly, its Legilimency is safer."
"Are you sure this will help him learn Occlumency?"
"Not sure, but we've got to try, right?" Kael spread his hands. "Of course, if you have a better idea, just pretend I never said anything."
Snape hesitated briefly, then picked up the quill and signed his name beside the [Approver] at the bottom of the parchment.
...Head of Slytherin, Severus Snape...
"That's all I needed." Kael took the parchment and looked it over, then said in a low voice:
"Professor, give Harry a day off tomorrow. In the week that follows, he probably won't have much time to rest."
"I don't think that's necessary. Half a day is enough for him to rest," Snape said with a cold, sinister smile, looking like a villain with no redeeming qualities.
...