Contact

• Type: Magical mental connection, a unique and complex branch of Legilimency
• Participants: Primarily Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort
• Origin: Forged on 31 October 1981, when Lord Voldemort's Killing Curse rebounded, unintentionally lodging a fragment of his soul within Harry Potter and making him a Horcrux.
• Effect: The involuntary transference of thoughts, emotions, and visions between the connected minds. The connection is often triggered by strong emotions from either participant.

The primary physical manifestation of the “Contact” between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort was the searing pain in Harry's lightning-bolt scar. This pain typically occurred when Voldemort was nearby, experiencing intense emotions like anger or elation, or actively using his powers. The connection allowed for a deep, two-way mental and emotional link:

• Emotional Transference: Harry could often feel Voldemort's surges of rage, joy, or triumph. This allowed him to sense Voldemort's fury upon discovering his Horcruxes were being hunted, and his exultation when he acquired the Elder Wand from Albus Dumbledore's tomb.
• Visions: The connection enabled Harry to witness events from Voldemort's perspective. He saw Voldemort's attack on Arthur Weasley at the Ministry of Magic and later used this ability to track Voldemort's hunt for the Elder Wand and his other Horcruxes. Conversely, Voldemort discovered he could plant false visions in Harry's mind, a tactic he used to lure Harry to the Department of Mysteries by making him believe Sirius Black was being tortured.

The primary magical defense against this mental intrusion is Occlumency, the art of magically closing one's mind. Albus Dumbledore tasked Severus Snape with teaching Harry Occlumency to block Voldemort's access to his thoughts and emotions. These lessons were largely unsuccessful due to the animosity between teacher and student, as well as Harry's lack of understanding of the connection's true nature at the time. Harry discovered that the connection could be disrupted by powerful, positive emotions that Voldemort could not comprehend or tolerate. When Voldemort attempted to possess Harry in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Harry's overwhelming grief for Sirius Black caused Voldemort such intense pain that he was forcibly expelled from Harry's mind. Dumbledore explained that love was a power Voldemort had never known and could not touch. In his final year, Harry learned to exert a limited amount of control over the connection, intentionally peering into Voldemort's mind to gather crucial information about his whereabouts and plans.

The magical link was intrinsically tied to the piece of Voldemort's soul residing in Harry. The connection was permanently and completely severed during the Battle of Hogwarts. When Voldemort struck Harry with the Killing Curse in the Forbidden Forest, the curse destroyed the soul fragment within Harry without killing him. This was possible because Voldemort had previously taken Harry's blood to regenerate his own body, which maintained Lily Potter's sacrificial protection and tethered Harry to life. After this event, Harry's scar never hurt again.

• In the film adaptations, the “Contact” is often depicted visually through rapid-fire montages, distorted imagery, overlapping voices, and Harry hearing Parseltongue whispers. This cinematic technique is used to convey the disorienting and invasive nature of the mental connection. (film)