Curse (Harry Potter)

A curse was a type of Dark charm - The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 which was used for the worst kinds of Dark Magic.J. K. Rowling's official site - Extra Stuff The most heinous of the three Dark charms, curses came in many strengths and forms, but were usually reserved for causing immense suffering to the victim, such as excruciating pain, total control, or even death.
==Nature==
A curse was classified as a Dark charm, which was primarily defined as any spell that affected the object in a negative manner, typically associated with varying levels of discomfort. A curse was the worst kind of Dark Magic, affecting the target in a severely negative manner.
While curses came in many strengths and forms, they were generally the most wicked, strongest, longest-lasting, and least reversible of the Dark charms. The Unforgivable Curses were the strongest known Dark charms in existence, as their effects were very powerful and their use required skill.
Blood maledictions were a specific type of curse that might not kill the target but could remain within the victim's body, and be passed down as a genetic defect that could resurface generations later. Astoria Malfoy suffered from such as curse, as her ancestor passed down a malediction that showed up in her, causing Astoria's body to be frail, and childbirth was what weakened her to the point of death a few years later.
Drinking unicorn blood extended one's lifespan even if at the brink of death, but it cursed the drinker's life, for they had slain an innocent animal to selfishly extend their own life. It was said to be an act that only those who had nothing to lose and everything to gain would commit.
Curses were said to be rather difficult spells to master, as first-year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were not considered by adult wizards and witches to be experienced or knowledgeable enough to cast such powerful Dark spells.
==Usage==
Like jinxes, Hogwarts students studying Defence Against the Dark Arts only learnt a few minor curses in a defensive manner, such as for duelling and defence against Dark creatures, but especially learnt how to deal with them using defensive magic. Curses might be blocked or deflected with a Shield Charm, and be removed with a counter-curse. The two most notable exceptions to this were the Killing Curse and the Cruciatus Curse, two of the Unforgivable Curses, which could only be dodged, intercepted or blocked with physical objects.
Curses could have also been spread by touching cursed objects. The Opal Necklace had a deadly curse placed on it that would kill upon touch. A cursed CD case that had the laughing curse placed on it would affect anyone who touched it with uncontrollable laughter.
Wizards and witches appeared to have had the ability to send curses in the post, as a piece of Hermione Granger's hate mail in 1995 claimed that it was possible.
Dark wizards used curses to reanimate human corpses as Inferi.
Objects could be cursed by wizards in a number of ways. For example, items could be unintentionally cursed by wizards with intense negative emotions and traumatic experiences, as demonstrated with Dai Ryusaki's amulet.
==List of curses==
 	Name 	Incantation 	Effect
A	Antonin Dolohov's curse 	 	The curse was cast using "a sudden slashing movement with the wand", causing a streak of purple flame to strike the target. This curse could inflict severe injuries on the victim, even death.
B	Babbling Curse 	 	This curse caused a person to uncontrollably babble whenever they tried to speak.
B	Blasting Curse 	Confringo 	This curse was a spell that caused anything that the spell came into contact with to explode. It was possibly used in the murder of twelve Muggles.
B	Blood malediction 	 	A curse that resurfaced after many generations to affect descendants of the one who had originally been cursed.
C	Conjunctivitis Curse 	 	A curse that caused irritation in the target's eyes, causing them to swell shut like the infection conjunctivitis. The Oculus Potion ended the effects of this curse.
C	Cruciatus Curse 	Crucio 	A tool of the Dark Arts and was one of the three Unforgivable Curses. It was one of the most powerful and sinister spells known to wizardkind. When cast successfully on a fellow human being or living creature, the curse inflicted intense, excruciating physical pain on the victim. Prolonged exposure would cause extreme, irreversible brain damage.
C	Curse on Marvolo Gaunt's ring	 	A powerful curse was placed upon Marvolo Gaunt's ring, around the time that Lord Voldemort turned it into a Horcrux, as a defence against anyone who might try to destroy it. This curse was designed to quickly kill anyone who dared to wear the ring.
C	Cursed ice 	 	This was ice that was cursed to spread throughout Hogwarts Castle between 1984 to 1986, encasing everything in its path.
E	Expulso Curse 	Expulso 	A curse used to produce immense explosions, blasting the target apart with a burst of blue light; it had enough force to throw people into walls.
F	Fiendfyre 	Pestis IncendiumHarry Potter: Magic Caster Wand	A bewitched flame of abnormal size and heat, infused with Dark Magic, capable of seeking out living targets despite being non-sentient.
F	Flagrante Curse 	Flagrante 	A curse that caused objects to emit searing heat when touched.
F	Full Body-Bind Curse 	Petrificus Totalus 	A curse that instantly paralysed the opponent., Chapter 26 (Entirely Up-To Something)
F	Gormlaith Gaunt's curse 	 	A powerful curse that put people into an enchanted slumber and pretty much nothing was able to wake up.
H	Hair Loss Curse 	Calvorio 	A curse that removed the victim's hair or headdress.
I	Imperius Curse 	Imperio 	A tool of the Dark Arts, and was one of the three Unforgivable Curses. It was one of the most powerful and sinister spells known to wizardkind. When cast successfully, the curse placed the victim completely under the caster's control, though a person with exceptional strength of will was capable of resisting it.
J	Jelly-Fingers Curse 	 	A curse that caused the victim's fingers to take on an almost jelly-like consistency.
J	Jelly-Legs Curse 	Locomotor Wibbly 	A spell that caused the victim's legs to collapse.Pottemore - Curses and Counter-Curses
K	Killing Curse 	Avada Kedavra 	A tool of the Dark Arts and was one of the three Unforgivable Curses. It was one of the most powerful and sinister spells known to wizardkind. When cast successfully on a living person or creature, the curse caused instantaneous, painless death.
L	Leg-Locker Curse 	Locomotor Mortis 	A curse that was used to bind the legs of the victim together.
L	Laughing curse 	 	A curse that caused uncontrollable laughter in the victim, could be used on objects to spread the curse via touch.
R	Reductor Curse 	Reducto 	A curse that could be used to blast solid objects into pieces. It was rather easy to reduce a target to a fine mist or a pile of ashes.
R	Ragnuk's curse 	 	Deprives the victim of their sight, completely blinding them. Only Ragnuk could lift it.
S	Sleepwalking curse 	 	A curse that was used to put an individual into a deep sleep from which they might never wake, inducing a condition similar to that of somnambulism.
S	Slug-Vomiting Charm 	Slugulus Eructo 	A curse that caused the victim to burp up slugs and slime., Chapter 12 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
S	Statue curse 	 	A curse which petrified the victim, transforming them into stone.
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==Behind the scenes==
*According to W.O.M.B.A.T., it may not be possible to cure a curse victim without the correct counter-curse.
*J. K. Rowling defined curses as "the worst kinds of Dark Magic".
*Even though Rowling herself specified the differences between curses, hexes, and jinxes, she states that "Within the Potter world, the boundaries are flexible and I imagine that wizards may have their own ideas."J. K. Rowling's official site - Extra Stuff This shows that the categorisation of Dark charms is not set and stone, and may sometimes be used interchangeably. This explains why some spells are known by multiple names, like why the Slug-vomiting Charm is a curse, and why the Jelly-Legs Curse is also sometimes known as the Jelly-Legs Jinx. This also explains why some curses, such as the Leg-Locker Curse, Jelly-Legs Curse and Full Body-Bind Curse, which don't cause any lasting injury, seem to fall more under the definition of a jinx or hex, while Voldemort's Jinx on the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher has had serious, lasting consequences for several of those affected, which would seem more like a curse.
==Appearances==
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*Harry Potter: The Wand Collection 
*Harry Potter Official Site
==Notes and references==
Category:Curses
Category:Spell By Types