The Cruciatus Curse

• Incantation: Crucio
• Pronunciation: KROO-see-oh
• Wand Movement: None described in the novels.
• Light: Can produce a jet or flash of red light, though it is sometimes cast without a visible effect.
• Effect: Inflicts unbearable, excruciating physical pain upon the victim. It does not cause any visible physical injury but attacks the victim's nervous system directly. Prolonged exposure leads to irreversible mental damage and insanity.
• Type: Curse, Dark Magic, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.

The Cruciatus Curse is one of the most powerful and sinister spells known to Wizarding society. Its use against another human being was classified as illegal by the Ministry of Magic in 1717 and is punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban.

• First Wizarding War: The curse was used extensively by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters to torture their enemies and extract information. Its most infamous use was by the Death Eaters Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr. on the Aurors Frank Longbottom and Alice Longbottom. They were tortured into insanity and committed to the Janus Thickey Ward for incurable magical maladies at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
• 1994-1995: Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Professor Alastor Moody, demonstrated the curse on a spider during a Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts. The demonstration deeply horrified the students, particularly Neville Longbottom. Later that year, Lord Voldemort used the curse to torture Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard and to punish his Death Eater, Avery.
• 1995-1996: After Bellatrix Lestrange murdered Sirius Black in the Department of Mysteries, an enraged Harry Potter attempted to cast the curse on her. It only knocked her off her feet and caused her a moment of pain, as Harry's righteous fury lacked the truly sadistic intent required to sustain the curse's full power. Lord Voldemort later used the curse on Harry during their duel in the Atrium.
• 1996-1997: During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Harry Potter again attempted to use the curse, this time against Severus Snape, who effortlessly repelled it. It is also mentioned that Draco Malfoy used the curse on Thorfinn Rowle on Voldemort's orders.
• 1997-1998: During the Second Wizarding War, the curse saw widespread use. Hermione Granger was brutally tortured with it by Bellatrix Lestrange at Malfoy Manor. In Ravenclaw Tower, Harry Potter successfully cast a powerful Cruciatus Curse on Amycus Carrow after he spat in Professor Minerva McGonagall's face, demonstrating that profound, righteous anger could fuel the spell. Lord Voldemort used the curse on many during the Battle of Hogwarts, including Harry in the Forbidden Forest and Neville Longbottom in the school courtyard.

Learning to cast the Cruciatus Curse effectively is notoriously difficult. As Bellatrix Lestrange explained to Harry Potter, the caster must possess a genuine and deep-seated desire to cause pain for its own sake—they must mean it. Righteous anger, while capable of producing the curse as shown by Harry, is different from the sadistic pleasure that fuels the most powerful uses of it. During the 1997-1998 school year, Death Eater professors Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow made the Cruciatus Curse part of the Dark Arts curriculum, forcing students to practice it on those who had earned detention. There is no known direct counter-curse. The primary methods of defence are:

• Dodging the jet of light.
• Hiding behind a solid physical object.
• Using a very powerful Shield Charm (`Protego`), although this is generally not effective against an Unforgivable Curse.
• Interrupting the caster before the spell is completed.
• A sufficiently strong-willed wizard can mentally fight the effects of the curse to some degree, as Harry did in the graveyard.

The incantation `Crucio` is a Latin word meaning “I torture” or “I torment.” It is derived from the noun crux, meaning “cross,” in reference to the Roman method of execution by crucifixion, a symbol of extreme pain and suffering. The English word “excruciating” shares this root.

• In the film adaptations, the light produced by the Cruciatus Curse is often depicted as white or blue, rather than the red mentioned in the books. The effect is shown as violent convulsions and seizures. (film)
• The scene of Hermione Granger's torture in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was altered significantly for the film. In addition to the curse, Bellatrix Lestrange physically carves the word “Mudblood” into Hermione's arm with her knife, which does not happen in the novel. (film)