- "Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed."
- — Barty Crouch, Jr. as Alastor Moody[src]
The Killing Curse is a spell that causes instantaneous death and is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. There is no known counter-curse or cure for it; however, one may dodge the green bolt or use a physical barrier to block it. An explosion or green fire may result if the spell hits something other than a living target. Lord Voldemort was famous for using this curse regularly and indiscriminately. Its incantation is Avada Kedavra.
Appearance and Effect
Avada Kedavra cast by Severus Snape on Albus Dumbledore.
The Killing Curse is described as a jet of blinding green light, which causes the victim instant death. There are no secondary effects; the victim simply "drops dead" for no biological reason. It is possible that the victim's internal organs cease function, or that once the spell hits a persons body, it completely turns the body functions "off". A death caused by this curse may be physically painless; "echoes" of previous victims have asserted the death felt "quicker and easier than falling asleep"[1]. However, upon waking up from his near-death experience, Harry Potter felt the curse's afterfeel and described it in a similar manner to that of a sledgehammer shot to the chest[1].
Victims of the Killing Curse that have been examined with Muggle methods are known to show no visible signs of trauma. Though Muggle methods are unable to identify the means of death, Ministry of Magic specialists are familiar with the markings, or lack of them. The killing curse is known to leave no identifiable marks or any signs of the reason for death. Victims appear to "drop dead".
Fatality
Avada Kedavra resulting in an inundating effect of Priori Incantatem.
Only one person is known to have survived a direct application of the curse: Harry Potter, who was saved when his mother, Lily Evans, lovingly sacrificed herself by blocking the spell with her body[2]. Over a decade later, Harry would survive the curse another three times: once during Priori Incantatem in his battle against Lord Voldemort in the graveyard in his fourth year[3]. Again, in 1998 when the curse killed only the Horcrux inside him, and once more when the wand being used to curse him, the Elder Wand, refused to destroy him because Harry was its true master[1].
Phoenixes are also immune to the Killing Curse. In 1996, Fawkes swallowed one intended for Albus Dumbledore. He burst into flames, and was reborn from his ashes.[4]
The Killing Curse can be survived if it is dodged or physically blocked by an object, such as the statues Dumbledore animated to protect Harry Potter during his duel with Voldemort after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.[4]
The Killing Curse is not the only spell that will cause death to a living creature. Other spells may cause injury or bleeding, such as Fiendfyre, Sectumsempra, or the Stunning Spell.
Known Uses
Known Victims
| Victim | Caster | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Riddle Sr[3] | Tom Marvolo Riddle | Slain in vengeance; death was used to make Gaunt's Ring into a Horcrux. |
| Mary Riddle[3] | Tom Marvolo Riddle | Slain in hatred. |
| Thomas Riddle[3] | Tom Marvolo Riddle | Slain in hatred. |
| James Potter[2] | Lord Voldemort | Killed as he attempted to prevent Voldemort's entry into his home. |
| Lily Evans[2] | Lord Voldemort | Killed while protecting her infant son. |
| Lord Voldemort[2][1] | Himself | Rebounded from Harry Potter three seperate times. |
| Bertha Jorkins[3] | Lord Voldemort | Interrogated, then murdered. |
| Frank Bryce[3] | Lord Voldemort | Killed for perceived trespassing at the Riddle mansion. |
| A spider[3] | Barty Crouch Jr (as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody) | Demonstration in Defence Against the Dark Arts class, while impersonating Alastor Moody. |
| Cedric Diggory[3] | Peter Pettigrew | On orders from Voldemort, using the Dark Lord's wand. |
| Gibbon[5] | Thorfinn Rowle | Accidentally killed during First Battle of Hogwarts. |
| Albus Dumbledore[5] | Severus Snape | Killed by Dumbledore's request. |
| Charity Burbage[1] | Lord Voldemort | Slain for defending Muggles and Muggle-borns. |
| Hedwig[1] | Unknown Death Eater | Slain during the Battle Over Little Whinging. |
| German Family[1] | Lord Voldemort | Slain for having no information on the whereabouts of Gregorovitch. |
| Gregorovitch[1] | Lord Voldemort | Killed after questioning regarding the Elder Wand. |
| Gellert Grindelwald [HP7] | Lord Voldemort | Killed in Nurmengard prison, after questioning regarding the Elder Wand. |
| Unknown Muggle Family[1] | Unknown Death Eaters | Five in total, part of a savage round of Muggle killings. |
| An unknown Goblin[1] | Lord Voldemort | Killed after giving information about the theft of one of Voldemort's horcruxes. |
Known Attempts
| Intended Victim(s) | Caster | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | Lord Voldemort | In 1981, Voldemort attempted to kill the infant, but the curse backfired due to the protection provided by Lily Evans's loving sacrifice. Voldemort survived because he had created Horcruxes, but lost physical form for years, while Harry was left with a scar on his forehead.[2] |
| Harry Potter | Lord Voldemort | Attempted during their duel in the Little Hangleton graveyard in 1995. Harry's simultaneous Expelliarmus charm produced the Priori Incantatem effect between their two twin-core wands.[3] |
| Hermione Granger | Unknown Death Eater | During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Harry Potter tackled the Death Eater before he could complete the incantation.[4] |
| Harry Potter | Lord Voldemort | During the Battle of the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry Atrium. The curse was blocked by Albus Dumbledore, who transfigured a golden statue from the Fountain of Magical Brethren to protect Harry.[4] |
| Albus Dumbledore | Lord Voldemort | Several attempts during their duel in the Ministry Atrium, all of which Dumbledore blocked successfully. In one case, Fawkes swallowed a Killing Curse, dying and being instantly reborn.[4] |
| Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley | Vincent Crabbe | In 1998 in the Room of Requirement. Both managed to dodge the curses.[1] |
| Ginny Weasley | Bellatrix Lestrange | During the Battle of Hogwarts; the curse missed Ginny by an inch, and Molly Weasley then interceded in the duel.[1] |
| Harry Potter | Lord Voldemort | Twice during the Battle of Hogwarts; Harry survived both curses, as is explained above. The second curse backfired on Voldemort and killed him.[1] |
Disputed Uses
Bellatrix Lestrange casting the Killing Curse.
- Barty Crouch Jr admitted to the murder of his father, Barty Crouch Sr, but never identified his method of killing as the Killing Curse.[3]
- In 1996, Bellatrix Lestrange cursed Sirius Black with something that sent him through the Veiled Arch in the Department of Mysteries, but it has never been proven this was in fact the Killing Curse. In the books, a jet of light hits him "squarely on the chest", however exactly what spell was used is unclear[4]. In the film, she uses the Killing Curse.
- Bellatrix Lestrange slew a fox with a nonverbal spell producing a "flash of green light" in 1996. However, it is not explicitly clear that she used the Killing Curse.[5]
- Alastor Moody was killed in 1997 by a curse that resulted in his death during the Battle over Little Whinging. Again, it is not explicitly clear that the Killing Curse was used.[1]
- Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were both killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, by Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange, respectively. Their bodies were described as peaceful-looking; the Killing Curse is known to not cause any external marks, though it is possible that they were killed with different spells.[1]
- Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange with a spell that struck her in the heart, but it cannot be proven that she used the Killing Curse. Not only that, but Lestrange realized she was about to die; she did not die instantly, which is what the Curse does.[1]
Lucius Malfoy say the Killing Curse at Harry after he unwittingly frees Dobby.
Etymology
Avada Kedavra is based on the Aramaic אבדא כדברא avada kedavra, meaning "I destroy as I speak". It is also a pun with "abracadabra", wich is a famous word used as an incantation.
Behind the scenes
- In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film), Lucius Malfoy says "Avada" at Harry after he unwittingly frees Dobby. Dobby knocks Lucius backwards with magic to protect Harry, and he doesn't finish the incantation. The part of the incantation shown, for plot reasons, was not represented in the subtitles.
- In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), Bellatrix Lestrange is shown using the curse and the incantation to kill Sirius Black, which was fundamentally different from the same scene in the book.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First identified as Killing Curse)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "DH" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince