Scars

• Type: Magical or mundane physical marking
• Owners: Notable individuals with significant scars include Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Bill Weasley, Alastor Moody, and victims of Dolores Umbridge's Black Quill.
• Maker: The cause of a scar can be varied, ranging from rebounding Dark Magic (such as the Killing Curse), cursed wounds from creatures like werewolves, or specific magical instruments designed to inflict them.

A scar is a mark left on the skin after a wound or injury has healed. In the wizarding world, scars can be ordinary reminders of past injuries or possess unique magical properties tied to their origin. Their appearance is as varied as their cause.

• Harry Potter's Scar: Located on his forehead, this is the most famous scar in the modern wizarding world. It is shaped precisely like a bolt of lightning. For most of his youth, it was the only physical mark left by Lord Voldemort's attempt on his life. After Voldemort's final defeat, it is described as having faded to the point where Harry Potter's children need to look closely to see it.
• Albus Dumbledore's Scar: Dumbledore had a scar above his left knee which he claimed was a perfect map of the London Underground. The origin of this scar is unknown.
• Bill Weasley's Scars: After being mauled by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Bill Weasley was left with a “savagely scarred” face. These deep, disfiguring wounds were cursed and could not be fully healed.
• Black Quill Scars: Scars inflicted by Dolores Umbridge's Black Quill appear as silvery-white words carved into the back of the victim's hand. In Harry's case, the words read “I must not tell lies”. The scars often ache or tingle long after they have superficially healed.

While many scars are mundane, some possess powerful and unique magical properties, often linked directly to the magic that created them.

• Harry Potter's Scar: Harry's scar was far more than a simple mark. It was the result of his mother's loving sacrifice intermingling with Lord Voldemort's rebounding Killing Curse.
  1. Connection to Voldemort: The scar served as a two-way connection to Lord Voldemort. It would burn and ache whenever Voldemort was nearby, experiencing powerful emotions, or when his power was growing.
  2. Mental Window: This connection sometimes allowed Harry to see into Voldemort's mind, witnessing his actions and feeling his thoughts. This ability was a form of unintentional Legilimency.
  3. Unintentional Horcrux: Albus Dumbledore eventually revealed that the scar was the housing for a fragment of Voldemort's soul, making Harry an unintentional Horcrux. This connection was what gave Harry his ability to speak Parseltongue and the mental link to Voldemort.
• Cursed Scars: Certain scars inflicted by Dark Magic or dark creatures carry a permanent curse.
  1. Bill Weasley's scars could not be removed by any known healing magic. While he did not become a full werewolf, the cursed nature of the wounds resulted in him developing a liking for very rare steak.
  2. The scars from Umbridge's Black Quill are similarly permanent, though they fade over time. They are known to tingle or become more prominent when the victim recalls the trauma or thinks of Dolores Umbridge.

The history of a magical scar is the history of the event that created it.

• On 31 October 1981, Lord Voldemort murdered James and Lily Potter. When he turned his wand on the infant Harry Potter and cast the Killing Curse, Lily's sacrificial protection caused the curse to rebound, destroying Voldemort's body and leaving the lightning-bolt scar on Harry's forehead.
• For years, the scar served as a warning system for Harry, alerting him to Voldemort's presence at Hogwarts in his first year and flaring up with increasing intensity as Voldemort regained power.
• During the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998, Voldemort struck Harry with the Killing Curse again in the Forbidden Forest. This act destroyed the piece of Voldemort's soul attached to Harry, severing the magical connection. The scar remained, but it was now just an ordinary scar.
• In June of 1997, Bill Weasley received his scars during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, a permanent reminder of his confrontation with Fenrir Greyback.
• During the 1995-1996 school year, Harry Potter and other members of Dumbledore's Army were forced to use the Black Quill during detentions with Dolores Umbridge, leaving them with scarred hands.

Scars are a powerful and recurring symbol throughout the series, representing survival, identity, and the permanent nature of some emotional and physical wounds.

• Harry's Identity: Harry's scar is the primary source of his fame as “The Boy Who Lived.” It is a constant, visible reminder of his past, his mother's love, and his unique connection to Lord Voldemort.
• Plot Device: The scar's magical properties are a crucial plot device. Its burning provides warnings, and the visions it grants give Harry and Dumbledore vital information about Voldemort's plans, particularly his search for the Elder Wand. The revelation that the scar is a Horcrux is the final key to defeating Voldemort.
• Character Revelation: Other scars serve to reveal character. Bill Weasley's scars demonstrate his bravery and provide a moment for Fleur Delacour to prove the depth of her love. The scars from Umbridge's quill are a physical manifestation of her cruelty and the corrupt nature of her power within the Ministry of Magic.

• J.K. Rowling has stated in an interview that she chose the lightning bolt shape for Harry's scar because it was “cool” and “forceful.” She noted, “I couldn't have my hero sport a doughnut-shaped scar.” (J.K. Rowling interview).
• In the film adaptations, Harry's scar is consistently depicted in the center of his forehead. The books are less specific, simply stating it is on his forehead, and many cover illustrations place it off-center. (film).
• J.K. Rowling has also discussed the deeper meaning of scars, explaining that she saw them as a metaphor for emotional wounds that people carry with them throughout their lives. She has said, “I wanted him to be physically marked by what he has been through. It was an outward expression of what he has suffered on the inside.” (J.K. Rowling interview).