A few days later, under Dumbledore's arrangement and Madam Pomfrey's strict supervision, a special ward in the Hospital Wing was emptied and encased in the strongest soundproofing and protective magic.
Harry, lying in bed, was asked to have a follow-up examination, which he found somewhat puzzling, as he had just had one.
Sirius stood anxiously by the bedside, Hermione beside him, and Dumbledore stood by the window, his expression unusually calm, yet seemingly concealing... a hint of anticipation.
Draco entered, nodded to Madam Pomfrey, who gave him a stern look, turned and left, closing the door behind her and standing guard outside.
" Draco Hermione? Professor? This is..." Harry sat up, looking at the scene with confusion.
" Harry, what I'm about to say might sound absurd, but it's all true," Draco warned beforehand.
"The reason you could speak Parseltongue from a young age, sense Voldemort's emotions, even see his perspective in your dreams, and have those nightmares about killing and darkness... isn't just because you're the Boy Who Lived."
Upon hearing this, Harry's eyes became confused and uneasy. He hadn't expected Draco to expose his secret that no one else knew.
"The real reason is that a fragment of Voldemort's soul remains within you. When the Killing Curse rebounded, it not only destroyed his body but also accidentally embedded a torn piece of his soul into yours, leaving it in your scar."
The ward fell eerily quiet.
"Wh... what?!" Hermione exclaimed first, her voice trembling with shock. She knew about Horcrux, but she never imagined that Harry himself... was one of them?! This was terrifying!
Shocked, Hermione finally understood the cryptic words Draco and Dumbledore had spoken in the Room of Requirement.
Sirius was struck dumb, leaping from his chair, his face deathly pale, his lips trembling as if he had heard the most terrifying thing in the world:
"No... this can't be! Harry... how could he be... that kind of thing?!" He looked nervously at Dumbledore, seeking confirmation, but the other simply nodded.
This confirms Draco's words.
Harry was completely stunned; his mind went blank.
Does he have a fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him?
He is... Horcrux?
Not a savior, but a... container? Something used to store fragments of the Dark Lord's soul?
"This... this is impossible..."
Harry muttered to himself, his hand unconsciously touching the scar on his forehead, feeling as if it were burning.
"That explains it," Draco's voice broke the suffocating silence, "Why you always have those nightmares about killing, darkness, and Voldemort's perspective."
"That wasn't Prophecy; it was a projection of a fragment of your soul deep within your consciousness. This also explains why you were born with Parseltongue, because it's a talent inherited from Salazar Slytherin, and the fragment of his soul shared it with you."
"You know all that?!" Harry jerked his head up, staring at Draco in shock. "My nightmares... I've never told anyone in detail! Nor have I dared to..."
"You wake up in the middle of the night in your dorm quite a few times," Draco said casually, shrugging.
"Even though you've covered them up very well with the curtains, Neville, Ron, and Seamus aren't deaf."
"They all just assumed you were under a lot of stress and had nightmares about the You-Know-Who, and never asked any further questions."
Harry froze, a look of guilt crossing his face.
He always thought he had hidden it well.
He hadn't expected it to be like this... He looked at Draco, and then remembered how cautious Neville and the others usually were, trying their best not to mention the nightmares. A warm feeling and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.
"I... I don't know..." Harry said.
"Thank you... thank you all, Draco, and... please tell Neville and the others thank you, and also apologize for me."
"Hey buddy, no need to thank me..." Draco waved his hand.
"Alright, let's get down to business." Draco's expression turned serious as he said to Hermione, " Hermione, give me that jar."
Hermione quickly and carefully handed the jar containing the fragment of Voldemort's soul to Draco.
Draco held the jar in his left hand and pulled out the ancient wand with his right, gesturing for Harry to lie down.
"It might feel a little... strange, just bear with it." Draco said, slowly bringing the tip of his ancient wand closer to the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead.
Stop when you are about an inch away from the skin.
Concentrate
He slowly channeled pure Ancient Magic through his wand, creating a probe-like field of magic that penetrated deep into the scar, making contact with the fragment of the soul residing within it.
"Ugh--!" Harry's body trembled violently, and his forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat. He then let out a suppressed cry of pain. He felt a sharp pain, as if his soul was being torn apart, coming from the scar, which was more intense than ever before!
Sirius clenched his fists nervously, Hermione held her breath, Dumbledore remained calm.
Draco's eyes were focused, and his wrist was as steady as a rock.
Under his magical guidance, a very dim, dark red dot of light, like a malignant tumor dug out from the deepest part of Harry's scar, was painstakingly pulled out!
The dark red light struggled and howled, trying to burrow back in, but was firmly bound by Draco's magic.
The whole process lasted about a minute, but felt like an eternity. When the last wisp of dark red light completely detached from Harry's forehead and hovered in mid-air...
He collapsed as if utterly exhausted, gasping for breath, but the excruciating pain in his forehead quickly subsided, replaced by a feeling of relief as if a tremendous burden had been lifted, and even his thoughts felt much clearer.
Draco swiftly aimed the jar at the struggling fragment of soul. A powerful suction force pulled the fragment into the jar with a scream, merging it with the main soul fragment inside.
After merging, the souls once again frantically rammed against the jar.
Almost at the same time, the lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry's forehead, which had been with him for over a decade, rapidly faded and became lighter!
Although it hasn't completely disappeared, leaving a faint trace, its original ferocious red color is no longer visible!
" Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed first, pointing at Harry's forehead, " Harry's scar! It's... it's faded! It's almost invisible!"
Harry was startled and quickly reached out to touch it.
It has a smooth texture and only a very faint old mark.
He rushed to the mirror in the corner of the ward and stared blankly at the faint, barely perceptible silver mark on his forehead reflected in the mirror.
He was immediately overwhelmed by ecstasy and a sense of liberation!
This scar, a symbol of pain, responsibility, and a connection to Voldemort's curse... has finally disappeared!