{{Quote|Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-|[[Harry Potter]] as [[Lord Voldemort]] casts the Cruciatus on him.|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
{{Quote|Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-|[[Harry Potter]] as [[Lord Voldemort]] casts the Cruciatus on him.|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
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The '''Cruciatus Curse''' (also known as the '''Torture Curse'''<ref>{{GOFF}}</ref>) is one of the three [[Unforgivable Curses]] of the [[wizarding world]]. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the [[Death Eaters]] for use on both fellow wizards and [[Muggle]]s. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. Whenever a person explainshe/she wants to use it, they say they will Cruciate.
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The '''Cruciatus Curse''' (also known as the '''Torture Curse'''<ref>{{GOFF}}</ref>) is one of the three [[Unforgivable Curses]] of the [[wizarding world]]. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the [[Death Eaters]] for use on both fellow wizards and [[Muggle]]s. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. When casting the curse one incants "Crucio." Whenever a person simply'''refers''' to using it, however, they instead say that they ''will''"Cruciate" someone, or that they have "Cruciated" someone.<!-- DO NOT CHANGE TO CRUCIO! This refers to the action, NOT the incantation. -->
The two most well-known victims of this curse are the former [[Auror]]s [[Alice and Frank Longbottom]], who were [[Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom|tortured]] into insanity with it by Death Eaters [[Bellatrix Lestrange|Bellatrix]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange|Rodolphus]], [[Rabastan Lestrange]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr]].
The two most well-known victims of this curse are the former [[Auror]]s [[Alice and Frank Longbottom]], who were [[Attack on Frank and Alice Longbottom|tortured]] into insanity with it by Death Eaters [[Bellatrix Lestrange|Bellatrix]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange|Rodolphus]], [[Rabastan Lestrange]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr]].
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Harry Potter attempted to use this curse on both Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape after people he cared about were killed. He later used this curse on [[Amycus Carrow]], with a certain degree of success.
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Harry Potter attempted to use this curse on both Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape after people he cared about were killed. He later used this curse on [[Amycus Carrow]], with a certain degree of success.
==Nature==
==Nature==
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===Effects===
===Effects===
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[[File:UmbridgeCrucio.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Dolores Umbridge]] poised to perform the Cruciatus Curse on [[Harry Potter]] in [[1996]].]]
{{quote|At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently...|Description of a spider under the Cruciatus Curse|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
{{quote|At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently...|Description of a spider under the Cruciatus Curse|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire}}
The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse is described as worse than "one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin."<ref name="GOF">{{GOF}}</ref> This pain can cause permanent mental injury, as in the case of the aforementioned Longbottoms, who spent the rest of their lives in [[St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries]] because of the trauma the curse caused.<ref name="OTP">{{OOTP}}</ref> Presumably, such permanent effects occur if the victim is exposed to a particularly intense curse for a long period of time.
The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse is described as worse than "one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin."<ref name="GOF">{{GOF}}</ref> This pain can cause permanent mental injury, as in the case of the aforementioned Longbottoms, who spent the rest of their lives in [[St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries]] because of the trauma the curse caused.<ref name="OTP">{{OOTP}}</ref> Presumably, such permanent effects occur if the victim is exposed to a particularly intense curse for a long period of time.
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As [[Memory Charm]]s can be broken through torture, the Cruciatus Curse is capable of such a feat, though it requires a certain level of exposure in time and intensity to break through it. [[Bertha Jorkins]] suffered such a trial, and the end results was that both her body and mind was damaged beyond repair.<ref name="GOF"/>
If the curse hits an inanimate object, it may cause it to shatter instead.<ref name="DH"/>
If the curse hits an inanimate object, it may cause it to shatter instead.<ref name="DH"/>
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===Defence===
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Once cast, there is no spell that can defend against the Cruciatus Curse.<ref>[[Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test]], Grade 3, Question 14. This fact is confirmed as true when corroborated with evidence from ''[[Wonderbook: Book of Spells]]''.</ref> However, there are still defensive options available against it. The spell can be dodged by hiding behind a solid object, and a particularly strong-willed wizard can merely resist the pain until the spell is lifted (though, as noted above, prolonged exposure can cause permanent mental damage). Another option is to interrupt the caster before they can finish speaking the incantation, as [[Severus Snape]] did to great effect against [[Harry Potter]] in [[1997]] by using [[Legilimency]] to anticipate the spells he would use.
==History==
==History==
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===Legal Status===
===Legal Status===
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The Cruciatus curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, which means it is completely illegal.However,itwasprobablylegalisedwhenVoldemorthadpossesionoftheMinistryofMagic.ItispossiblethatAurorshadarighttouse itinextremecases.
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The Cruciatus curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, which means it is illegal toperformonafellowhumanbeing,unlessonecanprovetheyareundertheeffectsofthe[[ImperiusCurse]]whenperformingit,as[[ViktorKrum]]did.
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====History of Use====
====History of Use====
{{Quote|The Cruciatus, Imperius and Avada Kedavra Curses were not made "unforgivable" until [[1717]].|[[Albus Dumbledore]].|The Tales of Beedle the Bard}}
{{Quote|The Cruciatus, Imperius and Avada Kedavra Curses were not made "unforgivable" until [[1717]].|[[Albus Dumbledore]].|The Tales of Beedle the Bard}}
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After the [[Wizards' Council]] was reformed into the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] tighter restrictions were placed on the use of certain kinds of magic. The Cruciatus Curse was deemed by the Ministry to be [[Dark Arts|dark magic]], and, along with the [[Imperius Curse|Imperius]] and [[Killing Curse|Killing]] curses, were declared "unforgivable" in [[1710s|1717]]. The use of any of these three curses on a fellow human being would result in a life sentence in [[Azkaban]] (unless there was sufficient evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the [[Imperius Curse]] or for other defensible reasons).
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After the [[Wizards' Council]] was reformed into the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] tighter restrictions were placed on the use of certain kinds of magic. The Cruciatus Curse was deemed by the Ministry to be [[Dark Arts|dark magic]], and, along with the [[Imperius Curse|Imperius]] and [[Killing Curse|Killing]] curses, were declared "unforgivable" in [[1710s|1717]]. The use of any of these three curses on a fellow human being would result in a life sentence in [[Azkaban]] (unless there was sufficient evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the [[Imperius Curse]] or for other defensible reasons)
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[[File:UmbridgeCrucio.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Dolores Umbridge]] poised to perform the Cruciatus Curse on [[Harry Potter]] in [[1996]].]]
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During the [[First Wizarding War]], when [[Bartemius Crouch Sr.|Barty Crouch Sr.]] was in charge of the [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]], he fought violence with violence, and legalised the three Unforgivable Curses for [[Auror]]s against the [[Death Eaters]] in order to win the war. This was repealed once the war was over, as it was no longer necessary.
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Shortly after Voldemort's defeat, four Death Eaters — three [[Lestrange family|Lestranges]] [[Bellatrix Lestrange|Bellatrix]], [[Rodolphus Lestrange|Rodolphus]] and [[Rabastan Lestrange|Rabastan]], along with [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]] — captured the Auror [[Frank Longbottom]] and his wife [[Alice Longbottom|Alice]] and tortured the two with the Cruciatus Curse for information for Voldemort's whereabouts. This usage of the curse caused the couple to become insane, and was considered to be the most atrocious and infamous act within history.
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During the [[First Wizarding War]], when [[Bartemius Crouch Sr.|Barty Crouch Sr.]] was in charge of the [[Department of Magical Law Enforcement]], he fought violence with violence, and legalised the three Unforgivable Curses for [[Auror]]s againstthe [[Death Eaters]] in order to win the war. This was repealed once the war was over, as it was no longer necessary. However, in the [[1994–1995 school year]], [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]], under the [[Polyjuice Potion|disguise]] of [[Alastor Moody]], showed these three curses to his [[fourth year]] classes on [[Alastor Moody's spiders|spiders]] despite the Ministry's disapproval. However, since the use of the curse was illegal only on a fellow human being, the demonstration of the curses on the spider may have been within legal boundaries.
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Despite the repeal of the curse's legalusage, in the [[1994–1995 school year]], [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]], under the [[Polyjuice Potion|disguise]] of [[Alastor Moody]], showed these three curses to his [[fourth year]] classes on [[Alastor Moody's spiders|spiders]] despite the Ministry's disapproval. However, since the use of the curse was illegal only on a fellow human being, the demonstration of the curses on the spider may have been within legal boundaries. [[Dolores Umbridge]], in a last-ditch efforts to draw information from [[Harry Potter]], almost used the curse on the boy, under the presumptions of that as long as the Minister is not notified, and that he would understand even if he did due to what they would deem as circumstantial reasons.
When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] [[Fall of the Ministry of Magic|took over]] the Ministry, the three curses were once again legalised: this time every wizard and witch had the right to use them as they please. In fact, they were practiced in [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]] as part of the curriculum of [[Defence Against the Dark Arts|Dark Arts class]] under the tutelage of [[Professor]] [[Amycus Carrow]]: students were required to practice the Cruciatus Curse on other students who earned detention, and the [[Alecto and Amycus Carrow|Carrow siblings]] used it to punish students as they see fit. [[Harry Potter]] managed to succesfully use it on Amycus Carrow without legal consequences as well as a result of this legalisation. After Voldemort's death and the revolutionising of the Ministry under new [[Minister for Magic]] [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]], the three curses were once again forbidden.
When [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] [[Fall of the Ministry of Magic|took over]] the Ministry, the three curses were once again legalised: this time every wizard and witch had the right to use them as they please. In fact, they were practiced in [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]] as part of the curriculum of [[Defence Against the Dark Arts|Dark Arts class]] under the tutelage of [[Professor]] [[Amycus Carrow]]: students were required to practice the Cruciatus Curse on other students who earned detention, and the [[Alecto and Amycus Carrow|Carrow siblings]] used it to punish students as they see fit. [[Harry Potter]] managed to succesfully use it on Amycus Carrow without legal consequences as well as a result of this legalisation. After Voldemort's death and the revolutionising of the Ministry under new [[Minister for Magic]] [[Kingsley Shacklebolt]], the three curses were once again forbidden.
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*As [[Harry Potter]] chases [[Severus Snape]] away from Hogwarts at the end of the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]], he is hit from behind by a curse cast by one of the [[Carrow]] siblings. Although we never hear the incantation, he falls to the ground, screaming, and momentarily loses track of what's going on. This description, coupled with the fact that the Carrows had been trying to curse him all the way down from the [[Astronomy Tower]], makes it likely that he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse.
*As [[Harry Potter]] chases [[Severus Snape]] away from Hogwarts at the end of the [[Battle of the Astronomy Tower]], he is hit from behind by a curse cast by one of the [[Carrow]] siblings. Although we never hear the incantation, he falls to the ground, screaming, and momentarily loses track of what's going on. This description, coupled with the fact that the Carrows had been trying to curse him all the way down from the [[Astronomy Tower]], makes it likely that he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse.
*Since Luna was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor for months, it is likely she was also tortured with it.
*Since Luna was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor for months, it is likely she was also tortured with it.
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*After Harry, [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]], [[Hermione Granger|Hermione]], and the other prisoners [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor|escaped]] from [[Malfoy Manor]], Harry had a vision of Voldemort punishing [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] and the [[Malfoy family|Malfoys]], but whether he used the Cruciatus Curse was not mentioned.<ref name="DH24">{{DH}} - Chapter 24 (''The Wandmaker'')</ref>
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*After Harry, [[Ronald Weasley|Ron]], [[Hermione Granger|Hermione]], and the other prisoners [[Skirmish at Malfoy Manor|escaped]] from [[Malfoy Manor]], Harry had a vision of Voldemort punishing the [[Malfoy family|Malfoys]], but whether he used the Cruciatus Curse was not mentioned.<ref name="DH24">{{DH}} - Chapter 24 (''The Wandmaker'')</ref>
====Known attempts====
====Known attempts====
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|Punishment for freeing a first-year student from detention.
|Punishment for freeing a first-year student from detention.
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|-
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|[[Neville Longbottom]] and other [[Dumbledore's Army|D.A.]] members<ref name="DH"/>
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|[[Neville Longbottom]], [[Seamus Finnigan]] , and other [[Dumbledore's Army|D.A.]] members<ref name="DH"/>
|[[Alecto and Amycus Carrow]]; [[Vincent Crabbe]] and [[Gregory Goyle]]
|[[Alecto and Amycus Carrow]]; [[Vincent Crabbe]] and [[Gregory Goyle]]
|Punishment for disobedience.
|Punishment for disobedience.
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|Attacking Amycus after he spat in [[Minerva McGonagall|McGonagall]]'s face, completely incapacitating him.
|Attacking Amycus after he spat in [[Minerva McGonagall|McGonagall]]'s face, completely incapacitating him.
|}
|}
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{|width="100%" border="1" class="wikitable"
{|width="100%" border="1" class="wikitable"
|-bgcolor="#cccccc"
|-bgcolor="#cccccc"
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|[[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]
|[[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]]
|During the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on what he believed to be Harry Potter's dead body as a way of dishonouring it and to show he had won. Harry felt no pain because the wand Voldemort used, the [[Elder Wand]], refused to harm its true master. However, Harry's body was tossed around by the force of the spell.<ref name="DH"/>
|During the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on what he believed to be Harry Potter's dead body as a way of dishonouring it and to show he had won. Harry felt no pain because the wand Voldemort used, the [[Elder Wand]], refused to harm its true master. However, Harry's body was tossed around by the force of the spell.<ref name="DH"/>
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|-
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|[[Sirius Black]]
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|[[Tom Riddle| Lord Voldemort]]
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|To make [[Harry Potter]] get the prophecy for him.
|}
|}
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*In the original script of the [[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Harry Potter said "Cruciatus" while battling Severus Snape in Hogwarts grounds instead of using the real incantation which is "Crucio".
*In the original script of the [[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', Harry Potter said "Cruciatus" while battling Severus Snape in Hogwarts grounds instead of using the real incantation which is "Crucio".
*In ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', only [[Dark Wizard]]s, including [[Peter Pettigrew]], [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]] can use [[Dark Arts|Dark Magic]], which consists of the [[Killing Curse]] (Peter Pettigrew is the only LEGO Dark Wizard who can't use ''Avada Kedavra'') and the Cruciatus Curse. Whenever a Dark Wizard uses the [[Levitation Charm]] on a person, it instead changes to the Cruciatus Curse. When this is used, the pink light of the Levitation Charm is missing when targetting a person, but replaced by a blood red. the victim hovers several feet off the ground, and purple lights emits from their joints. After a few seconds, they [[Death|die]].
*In ''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4]]'', only [[Dark Wizard]]s, including [[Peter Pettigrew]], [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]], and [[Bartemius Crouch Jr.|Barty Crouch Jr.]] can use [[Dark Arts|Dark Magic]], which consists of the [[Killing Curse]] (Peter Pettigrew is the only LEGO Dark Wizard who can't use ''Avada Kedavra'') and the Cruciatus Curse. Whenever a Dark Wizard uses the [[Levitation Charm]] on a person, it instead changes to the Cruciatus Curse. When this is used, the pink light of the Levitation Charm is missing when targetting a person, but replaced by a blood red. the victim hovers several feet off the ground, and purple lights emits from their joints. After a few seconds, they [[Death|die]].
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*According to the [[W.O.M.B.A.T.]], it is unknown if there is a defensive charm for the Cruciatus Curse, however Snape is able to parry it in ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''.
==Appearances==
==Appearances==
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[[es:Maldición Cruciatus]]
[[es:Maldición Cruciatus]]
[[fr:Sortilège Doloris]]
[[fr:Sortilège Doloris]]
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[[Category:Unforgivable Curses]]
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[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
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[[Category:Mental spells]]
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[[Category:Unforgivable Curses]]
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[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
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[[Category:Mental spells]]
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[[Category:Unforgivable Curses]]
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[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
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[[Category:Mental spells]]
[[Category:Unforgivable Curses]]
[[Category:Unforgivable Curses]]
[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
[[Category:Spells with Incantations of Latin Origin]]
"Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life-"
The Cruciatus Curse (also known as the Torture Curse[1]) is one of the three Unforgivable Curses of the wizarding world. It is a curse of torture, inflicting excruciating pain on a victim. This makes it popular among the Death Eaters for use on both fellow wizards and Muggles. Considering the fact that this curse doesn't physically harm the victim, it is possible that it only stimulates pain receptors. When casting the curse one incants "Crucio." Whenever a person simply refers to using it, however, they instead say that they will "Cruciate" someone, or that they have "Cruciated" someone.
Harry Potter attempted to use this curse on both Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape after people he cared about were killed. He later used this curse on Amycus Carrow, with a certain degree of success.
"You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain ... to enjoy it ... righteous anger won't hurt me for long ... I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson -"
To successfully perform this curse, the wizard or witch must possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain. For example, despite being furious with Bellatrix Lestrange for her murder of his godfather in 1996, Harry Potter was only able to cause her a brief moment of pain with the Cruciatus Curse because he used it in "righteous anger," though he was still able to knock her off of her feet with it. [2] He performed it more powerfully in 1998 on Amycus Carrow, who spat in Minerva McGonagall's face. Amycus was thrown into the air and knocked unconscious[3]. This suggests that although Harry's curse was intense, he still lacked the fundamental sadism to inflict prolonged, excruciating pain with it. On the other hand, due to Bellatrix being a witch with great sadistic intents and no conscience, she was able to cast the curse with great potency, and seemingly had an affinity to it.
"At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side. No sound came from it, but Harry was sure that if it could have given voice, it would have been screaming. Moody did not remove his wand, and the spider started to shudder and jerk more violently..."
—Description of a spider under the Cruciatus Curse[src]
The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse is described as worse than "one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin."[4] This pain can cause permanent mental injury, as in the case of the aforementioned Longbottoms, who spent the rest of their lives in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries because of the trauma the curse caused.[2] Presumably, such permanent effects occur if the victim is exposed to a particularly intense curse for a long period of time.
As Memory Charms can be broken through torture, the Cruciatus Curse is capable of such a feat, though it requires a certain level of exposure in time and intensity to break through it. Bertha Jorkins suffered such a trial, and the end results was that both her body and mind was damaged beyond repair.[4]
If the curse hits an inanimate object, it may cause it to shatter instead.[3]
Once cast, there is no spell that can defend against the Cruciatus Curse.[5] However, there are still defensive options available against it. The spell can be dodged by hiding behind a solid object, and a particularly strong-willed wizard can merely resist the pain until the spell is lifted (though, as noted above, prolonged exposure can cause permanent mental damage). Another option is to interrupt the caster before they can finish speaking the incantation, as Severus Snape did to great effect against Harry Potter in 1997 by using Legilimency to anticipate the spells he would use.
The Cruciatus Curse was invented during the early middle ages, by dark witches or wizards. The curse was created for torture purposes, but has also been used effectively in duels. According to Barty Crouch Jr., the curse was once very popular.
The Cruciatus curse is one of the three Unforgivable Curses, which means it is illegal to perform on a fellow human being, unless one can prove they are under the effects of the Imperius Curse when performing it, as Viktor Krum did.
After the Wizards' Council was reformed into the Ministry of Magic tighter restrictions were placed on the use of certain kinds of magic. The Cruciatus Curse was deemed by the Ministry to be dark magic, and, along with the Imperius and Killing curses, were declared "unforgivable" in 1717. The use of any of these three curses on a fellow human being would result in a life sentence in Azkaban (unless there was sufficient evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the Imperius Curse or for other defensible reasons)
Shortly after Voldemort's defeat, four Death Eaters — three LestrangesBellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan, along with Barty Crouch Jr. — captured the Auror Frank Longbottom and his wife Alice and tortured the two with the Cruciatus Curse for information for Voldemort's whereabouts. This usage of the curse caused the couple to become insane, and was considered to be the most atrocious and infamous act within history.
Despite the repeal of the curse's legal usage, in the 1994–1995 school year, Barty Crouch Jr., under the disguise of Alastor Moody, showed these three curses to his fourth year classes on spiders despite the Ministry's disapproval. However, since the use of the curse was illegal only on a fellow human being, the demonstration of the curses on the spider may have been within legal boundaries. Dolores Umbridge, in a last-ditch efforts to draw information from Harry Potter, almost used the curse on the boy, under the presumptions of that as long as the Minister is not notified, and that he would understand even if he did due to what they would deem as circumstantial reasons.
When Lord Voldemorttook over the Ministry, the three curses were once again legalised: this time every wizard and witch had the right to use them as they please. In fact, they were practiced in Hogwarts as part of the curriculum of Dark Arts class under the tutelage of ProfessorAmycus Carrow: students were required to practice the Cruciatus Curse on other students who earned detention, and the Carrow siblings used it to punish students as they see fit. Harry Potter managed to succesfully use it on Amycus Carrow without legal consequences as well as a result of this legalisation. After Voldemort's death and the revolutionising of the Ministry under new Minister for MagicKingsley Shacklebolt, the three curses were once again forbidden.
As Harry Potter chases Severus Snape away from Hogwarts at the end of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, he is hit from behind by a curse cast by one of the Carrow siblings. Although we never hear the incantation, he falls to the ground, screaming, and momentarily loses track of what's going on. This description, coupled with the fact that the Carrows had been trying to curse him all the way down from the Astronomy Tower, makes it likely that he was hit by the Cruciatus Curse.
Since Luna was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor for months, it is likely she was also tortured with it.
After Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other prisoners escaped from Malfoy Manor, Harry had a vision of Voldemort punishing the Malfoys, but whether he used the Cruciatus Curse was not mentioned.[7]
To break the memory charm cast on her by Barty Crouch Sr. so as to gain information about the Triwizard Tournament and the Quidditch World Cup; Bertha was damaged beyond repair as a result.
In 1996, Headmistress Dolores Umbridge attempted to use the curse against Harry as an interrogation tactic, but Hermione Granger interrupted her incantation.[2]
As mentioned above, Harry attempted to use this curse against Bellatrix after she murdered his godfather, Sirius Black. Though the curse gave her a brief moment of terrible pain, it did not cause the excruciating, drawn-out pain it is meant to give.[2]
Following Professor Snape killing Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Harry pursued him and tried to curse him, but Snape blocked it, citing Harry's inferior skills in Occlumency. All Harry had managed to get out was the first syllable of the incantation.[8]
During the Battle of Hogwarts, Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on what he believed to be Harry Potter's dead body as a way of dishonouring it and to show he had won. Harry felt no pain because the wand Voldemort used, the Elder Wand, refused to harm its true master. However, Harry's body was tossed around by the force of the spell.[3]
Crucio means 'I torture'. Cruciatus takes its name from the Latin word for "pain" or "torture," the root of which can be seen in other words such as "excruciating" and "crucifixion."
When Harry Potter attempts to cast this spell on Bellatrix Lestrange, a ball of red light is fired from the tip of his wand, most likely because his spell was cast with "righteous anger". not outright sadism. The spell still had enough force to knock Lestrange off her feet.
Severus Snape once asserted Harry Potter had neither the nerves nor the skill to perform Unforgivable Curses.[8] However, less than a year later, Harry succeeded in cursing Amycus Carrow. - This move was met with criticism by some fans, who felt that Harry had sunk to the same level as his enemies in using it in such a manner. J.K. Rowling countered such criticism by asserting that "Harry is not, and never has been, a saint", and that he has flaws of character like everybody else.[10]
In the original script of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter said "Cruciatus" while battling Severus Snape in Hogwarts grounds instead of using the real incantation which is "Crucio".
In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, only Dark Wizards, including Peter Pettigrew, Lord Voldemort, and Barty Crouch Jr. can use Dark Magic, which consists of the Killing Curse (Peter Pettigrew is the only LEGO Dark Wizard who can't use Avada Kedavra) and the Cruciatus Curse. Whenever a Dark Wizard uses the Levitation Charm on a person, it instead changes to the Cruciatus Curse. When this is used, the pink light of the Levitation Charm is missing when targetting a person, but replaced by a blood red. the victim hovers several feet off the ground, and purple lights emits from their joints. After a few seconds, they die.
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