Why Harry Potter's Scar Is More Disturbing Than You Think

Even the most casual Harry Potter fans know all about the titular character's lightning bolt-shaped scar. It's the scar that formed when Harry was only 15 months old, after Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse failed to kill the boy who, as a prophecy foretold, would vanquish the Dark Lord: Instead, Harry was a left with the mark in question, and Voldemort was seemingly defeated.

However, Harry's scar is more disturbing than you might realize. As fans of the books and films know, Harry's scar is actually Voldemort's final Horcrux. As revealed in The Deathly Hallows, the Dark Lord divided his soul into fragments, and hid them in several objects, or Horcruxes, as a way to achieve immortality. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry as a baby, and failed, he inadvertently turned Harry into his last Horcrux, leaving a part of his soul trapped in Harry. Over the years Harry's scar would hurt, sometimes with more severity than others. Eventually Harry realized it hurt more whenever Voldemort was near. 

The reason for this pain, though, is far creepier than might be immediately apparent.

While there are always plenty of fan theories about every aspect of Harry Potter's story, including his scar, one of the more interesting — and scary — notions was recently pointed out by writer Ajay Aravind on Screen Rant, regarding why Harry's scar hurt so much when Voldemort was close: namely, that the scar is a "skin-based doorway for the exchange of spiritual essence." 

Is this true, though? Actually, yes. As Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling told PotterCast in 2007, the fragment of soul stuck in Harry was "seeking to rejoin the master soul. When his scar is hurting him so much, that's not scar tissue hurting him. That's this piece of soul really wanting to get back out the way it entered. It really wants to — it entered this boy's body through a wound, and it wants to rejoin the master. So when Voldemort's near him, when he's particularly active, this connection ... it was always there. That's what I always imagined this pain was. Yes, so there you go. There's a moment when Dumbledore casts a charm, and you see a two-headed snake split. Do you remember that?" So, yes, when Voldemort is near Harry, the fragment of the former's soul wants to escape Harry and push its way out of Harry to return to its master. Of course, Voldemort used several other objects as Horcruxes, including his diary, Marvolo Gaunt's Ring, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, Salazar Slytherin's Locket, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, and his loyal snake Nagini.  

The scar is the most memorable horcrux, though, and Harry is the only one who shows us how painful it is to have someone else's soul trapped inside of you.