"Exactly!" Dudley agreed, then continued, "But why does Dumbledore value you so much?"
"Because I'm Voldemort's downfall! He needs me to destroy Voldemort, the great evil!" Harry quickly figured it out.
Dudley nodded.
"That's right. Dumbledore wants so-called justice to triumph over darkness, to maintain the stability of the wizarding world, and to keep the status quo between wizards and Muggles, ensuring they don't interfere with each other.
To achieve this, he's carefully orchestrated his plans, treating you as the key to victory and focusing most of his attention on you.
For this goal, he's willing to allow a certain amount of sacrifice—whether it's Hagrid, me, or any other ally, even himself.
But at the same time, he's a kind, gentle old man, an elder who doesn't always think things through.
So I admire him and despise him, like him and dislike him. In the end, I want to change him."
"It's that complicated?"
Harry couldn't fully grasp such complex emotions, but he was beginning to understand the deeper meaning.
"People are complicated. Everyone has many sides. So, Harry, don't rush to judge someone too quickly, and don't waste too much energy on people who don't matter."
Dudley shared his life philosophy, using it as an example. "If things don't go well with Dumbledore tomorrow, he'll immediately be categorized as 'unnecessary,' and any plans to change him will be scrapped.
Our family will leave Britain and go abroad to study magic. We'll focus on getting stronger and solving the problem with your scar. Once we're powerful enough and have developed magic to counter Voldemort's abilities, we'll return and crush him!"
"My scar has a problem?" Harry seized the key point.
"Exactly. Your scar was left by Voldemort ten years ago. It hasn't hurt all these years, but today it suddenly did. That's when I realized something was wrong, and what happened later confirmed my suspicions.
Voldemort appeared. His presence, or rather his attention on you, triggered your scar."
Dudley, having knowledge from the original story, easily deduced the reasoning and presented a logical analysis.
"My scar can sense Voldemort?" Harry perked up. "That's a good thing! It means he can't ambush us!"
"To some extent, yes," Dudley said, knowing the sensing wasn't foolproof and carried significant risks. He warned, "But there are two sides to everything, Harry. You can't just see the benefits and ignore the risks.
You need to think about why the scar can sense Voldemort—or more accurately, sense his soul.
The Voldemort we encountered today was possessing a wizard named Quirrell. He only had a soul, using someone else's body."
"This..." Harry pondered, but lacking sufficient theoretical knowledge, he couldn't figure it out.
"Harry, remember what I said? After your eleventh birthday, your childhood is over."
Dudley suddenly became stern, playing the role of a strict older brother.
"In the past, you didn't put in 100% effort in your studies, often settling for minimal effort and relying on talent. I didn't push you too hard because I wanted you to have a carefree childhood.
But starting tomorrow, that won't fly anymore! You must seriously learn, master, and internalize the knowledge and skills that will make us stronger, broaden our horizons, and sharpen our minds!
Otherwise, forget about avenging your parents yourself! Understood?!"
Harry was startled, the authority in Dudley's voice snapping him to attention. "Understood, cousin!"
"Once we're home, take the Hogwarts textbooks we bought today, along with the books on mysticism and psychology from my bookshelf, and study them thoroughly!
Focus on the most practical content first—spells, then magical theory, then potions and herbology... Got it?!"
"Got it!" Harry replied firmly, though he felt an invisible weight pressing down on him. "Cousin, can you tell me now why my scar can sense Voldemort's soul?"
Dudley didn't hold back, revealing the truth: "Only a soul can sense another soul. Harry, don't forget how Voldemort ended up in his current weakened, soul-like state."
"Cousin, are you saying there's a piece of Voldemort's soul in my scar?!" Harry was stunned. "When the protective charm rebounded his attack, it not only turned him into a soul but also trapped a part of his soul in me?"
"That's the result, but it probably wasn't because of the love protection charm your mother cast. That charm was meant to protect you, not leave you with such a dangerous flaw."
Dudley analyzed, "I think it's more likely that Voldemort practiced some dark magic related to splitting his soul. When he was unexpectedly severely injured, he unconsciously cast it.
Voldemort doesn't know he left a piece of his soul in your scar, nor can he sense it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to observe you to confirm your identity in the vault.
Also, the soul fragment in your scar likely doesn't have its own consciousness and can't influence your mind. If it did, it would have affected you over the years, exposing itself to Dumbledore."
"So, if that's the case, the soul fragment in my scar isn't that harmful, right?" Harry said optimistically.
But Dudley disagreed. "It's still a part of Voldemort, Harry! If we don't destroy that soul fragment, when Voldemort's main soul dies, he might be reborn through the fragment in your scar!
You could become the next Quirrell!"
"No! I don't want a creepy face on the back of my head!" Harry was horrified by the idea.
"So, we need to find a way to remove or destroy the soul fragment in your scar without harming you," Dudley said soothingly. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll figure it out!"
"Cousin, I believe you! And I'm not afraid!"
Harry's fear vanished, replaced by determination.
Outside the train window, the scenery rolled by steadily. The brothers' conversation, shielded by a Muffliato Charm, went unnoticed by any Muggles.
As the train whistle blew, signaling their arrival, Dudley and Harry returned to Little Whinging and hailed a taxi home.