Harry Potter's scars

Harry Potter's scars
There are two types of scars that Harry's got, and mentioned in the Harry Potter series. The one is the scar on his forehead, described as the lightning scar or lightning-bolt scar. It is the crucial and most discussed ailment of Harry Potter in the series. The other one is the scars on his left hand.

The lightning-bolt scar
"That ain't no ordinary cut on your forehead, Harry. A mark like that only comes from being touched by a curse, an evil curse."

- Rubeus Hagrid to Harry Potter

A scar on Harry Potter's forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt is the result of failed murder attempt by Lord Voldemort on October 31, 1981, when he struck fifteen-month-old Harry with the Killing Curse.

In the years to come, Harry always felt hurt on this scar when he is close, or in a near danger cause by Voldemort or by His followers known as Death Eaters. Also occured when the Dark Mark has been set nearby.



As the scar is served as a telepathic link between Lord Voldemort and to Harry Potter, Harry use this opportunity sometimes to see what's Voldemort had done or acquired from other people. In Mr. Ollivander for example, While Harry is asking Mr. Ollivander about the existence of the Elder Wand, He had seen a vision from the past when Mr. Ollivander told Voldemort that Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand.

It is also served as a physical evidence of his tragic past which both of his parents were killed. Later in the story it is explained to Harry that he escaped death because his mother gave up her life for him, thus, while it is a reminder of a painful event, the scar is also a sign of his mother's limitless love.

Others interpreted that the scar seems to be like a badge of honour, visible proof of having survived a great battle and of his destiny to wage more battles in the future.

Scars on Harry's left hand
The scars on Harry's hand is only got in his Fifth-year in Hogwarts, When Dolores Umbridge successfully took the position as a teacher of D.A.D.A., Umbridge use the Blood Quill to Harry Potter as a punishment when they two debates inside the class about the comeback of Voldemort. See the [[Blood Quill] main article for more info.

Behind the scenes

 * According to J.K. Rowling during a web chat with her, the lightning scar is no longer burns or hurts after Voldemort's defeat.
 * In the films, Harry's scar is off-center on his forehead. This was done at J.K. Rowling's insistance, because many fans believe that the scar is in the middle of his forehead; but the scar's location is never mentioned within in the books' text.
 * There are several times in the series that Draco used the word "scarhead" to Harry Potter, intentionally to give insult to him.