Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Crucio
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| Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Magic | |
| Crucio | |
|---|---|
| Type | Spell (Curse) |
| Features | Causes great pain |
| First Appearance | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The Cruciatus Curse causes extreme amounts of pain on the victim. Along with the Imperius Curse and the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse is considered to be one of the most terrible curses in the magical world, called the Unforgivable Curses; the use of any of the three on another witch or wizard is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban.
[edit] Extended Description
Bellatrix Lestrange and three other of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters used this curse on Neville Longbottom's parents, torturing them into a state of irreversible madness. Since that time, they have resided in a special ward at St. Mungo's Hospital.
Harry Potter attempts this curse on Bellatrix Lestrange after she kills Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black. However, when Harry casts this curse it does not have the same effect as Lestrange's or other Dark Wizards'. As Lestrange explains to Harry, the caster must really intend harm on the victim for the curse to have its desired effect. In Harry's case, he is consumed with a righteous anger rather than a malicious intent.
[edit] Analysis
[edit] Questions
- Why was Voldemort's Cruciatus Curse ineffective against Harry in the Forbidden Forest after Harry's "near-death" experience?
- Does the wand in any way define the power of the Cruciatus curse?
[edit] Greater Picture
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry attempts to use the Cruciatus Curse against Bellatrix Lestrange, in self-defense, but fails. Bellatrix taunts him for this failure, saying he has to "really mean it", that he has to really hate someone for that curse to be effective. Just as the Patronus charm depends upon having a mind filled with happy thoughts, so must the Unforgivable Curses depend on having the mind filled with hate or anger. Harry truly realizes this when he casts the Cruciatus Curse on Amycus Carrow after Carrow spits in the face of Professor McGonagall in the Ravenclaw dormitory, stating his understanding of the anger one must feel to make such a curse be effective.
