Who?

[Mistress Siana]

There's one thing that keeps me thinking...we all know that Snape is an outstanding occlumens/legilimens. He has to be, because as a spy, he either lies to Voldemort or Dumbledore, who are known as the best at that subject. So I think that only one of those two could have been Snape's teacher, and I wonder wether it was DD or LV. I guess it must have been Voldie, after all he himself taught Bellatrix the dark arts.
Not quite and important question, but still...

[AngelicS_89]

well,I think he's on Dd side but and Dumbledore and Voldemort are mighty wizards,how neither one hasn't relise that Snape is fake? I mean Dd has ful trust in Snape and Voldemort...? We don't know that side of story.Anyway I trully hope that Snape is on the good side

[senorita pickle]

i HOPE it was dd... but we know that voldie is an occlumens, don't we? or am i imagining things? and also, whoever taught him would know his weaknesses... do we want voldie knowing snapes weaknesses? i don't think so...

[Mistress Siana]

Yeah, Voldie is a suberb occlumens and legilimens...to me, it seems as if he's even better at that subject than DD.
But I think that after Snape (hopefully) changed sides, there can impossibly have been enough time for Snape to learn occlumency before he went back as a spy, at least not well enough to lie to LV. And I think that LV would have realised it if Snape had been any different. So personally, Ithink it must have been Voldemort. Scary idea, isn't it?

[Phinea Rogue]

But would Voldemort teach any of his followers occlumency? I guess he wouldn't like them to shield their minds from him, to hide if they're lying. Being Voldemort, I would want to be able to go into their minds and see whether they're really doing what he wants them to do, have no secrects before him. And so if Dumbledore thought Snape occlumency, than he can know lots about Snape, maybe he saw something in his mind to make him trust him so much. But the truth too is that there wasn't enough time to learn it with Dumbledore. Maybe Snape started studying it on his own and later Dumbledore helped him? Snape's seems very clever...

[Mistress Siana]

Yes, but clever enough to fool Voldemort with nothing but self-teaching? Maybe LV believed that his own abilities in legilimency were better than Snape's occlumency skills...and wouldn't he have noticed if Snape had suddenly been hiding feelings from him?

[Reverie Revenge]

But would Voldemort teach any of his followers occlumency? I guess he wouldn't like them to shield their minds from him, to hide if they're lying. ... And so if Dumbledore thought Snape occlumency, than he can know lots about Snape, maybe he saw something in his mind to make him trust him so much.

Wow! I also think Snape didn't have just one teacher.
First, Sirius or Lupin said Snape was absorbed by the Dark Arts already in his first year. So he probably started on his own. 8) I think he started to learn because he didn't want to let the Marauders know how much they had hurt him.

When Snape joined Voldie, LV might have been his teacher - like he taught Bella. But Voldie wouldn't know his followers to know ''too much''. How typical for a tyran It's more likely that LV taught Snape Legillimengy than Occlumency. Though you probably must know both of them (I think with Legillimency & Occlumency it is like with reading & writing). Maybe Snape learned on his own that LV wouldn't know all about his traumas.

Dumbledore - that's why he trusts Snape!!! He knows his pure thoughts

[Eol]

First of all Occumency and Leglimency aren't Dark Arts. Being able to hide your thoughts or tell when people are lying to you can be useful in almost all situations. Voldy is definitely an excellent Leglimens, he almost always knows when people are lying to him, I guess Snape would be the exception. Dumbledore is also well versed in leglimency as he knew when Kreacher was lying and there have been many scenes where he sees through Harry, as if looking into his brain.
I'm guessing that Dumbledore is the one who taught Snape occlumency, as Voldy would be more suspicious of Snape if he knew. But it could just as easily have been self taught, Hermione does it all the time. I also think that Voldy wouldn't want the minds of his followers closed to him so wouldn't teach them occlumency
If Snape wanted to hide his deepest thoughts from Voldemort he'd just stick them in a pensieve and hide it away. Much like Dumbledore had the prophecy in the pensieve rather than in his head when he faced Voldy.

[Alice I]

Here is a theory to really twist you all up.

Who do you think taught Voldemort?
What if Dumbledore taught Voldemort when he was Tom Riddle. Then taught Snape when he was at school.
Perhaps Legemency/Occlumency was taught more regularly befor Voldemort came to full power.
We know that the cirriculum has changed over the years, Dumbledore makes reference to that somewhere in the books.

It might be quite interesting if The Dark Lord and the Spy infiltrating his inner circle were taught by the same teacher.
This would explain why Snape has been able to fool Voldemort all this time.

[Groo]

hmm... could be possible i guess. but i disagree because Riddle mentioned to Harry that when all the teachers were proud of Riddle as a student, DD was the only one who kept a close watch on him to which Harry replied "I bet he saw right through you" or something like that.

i am guessing that DD wasnt too fooled by Riddle's good boy acting. but this gives rise to another query...

Why didnt DD use Legilimency on Riddle during the Chamber of Secret episode when he did suspect him a bit?

[Deedra Malfoy]

Good question, Groo.

I have to agree with phinea on this one, though. he didn't wnat anyone to know about his teasings or posible beatings as a young child. All Slytherins have some sense of pride, high and mighty or not.

*puffs out chest*

[Phinea Rogue]

Why didnt DD use Legilimency on Riddle during the Chamber of Secret episode when he did suspect him a bit?

Maybe because he didn't want to intrude into someone else's privacy (I guess DD is noble), but I guess he at least knew that Riddle was hiding something and so he didn't trust him (unlike the other teachers who thought highly of him).

[Deedra Malfoy]

that's a good point, phinea.

[niki_192]

yeh dd has strong faith in snape so i think that he is on the good side but he still shows evilness to harry (probably coz of james)
oh well