Cruciatus Curse

: "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 effects of the Cruciatus Curse[src]
:
The Cruciatus Curse (Crucio), also known as the Torture Curse, was a tool of the Dark Arts and one of the three Unforgivable Curses. When cast successfully on a fellow human being or living creature, the curse inflicted intense, excruciating physical pain on the victim, and would result in insanity if the victim was subjected to it for a prolonged time. The penalty for the use of this curse on another human being was a life sentence in Azkaban, unless there was sufficient enough evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the Imperius Curse.
Two well-known victims of this curse were former Aurors Alice and Frank Longbottom: the Longbottoms were tortured into insanity with it by Death Eaters Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jnr.
== Contents ==
* 1History
** 1.1Middle Ages
** 1.2First Wizarding War
** 1.3Between the wars
** 1.4Second Wizarding War
* 2Nature
** 2.1Performance
** 2.2Defence
** 2.3Applications
* 3Known uses
** 3.1Successful uses
** 3.2Failed uses
** 3.3Possible uses
* 4Etymology
* 5Behind the scenes
* 6Appearances
* 7Notes and references
== History ==
=== Middle Ages ===
: "The Cruciatus, Imperius and Avada Kedavra Curses were not made unforgivable until 1717, with the strictest penalties attached to their use."
: — Albus Dumbledore's notes in The Tales of Beedle the Bard[src]
:
The Cruciatus Curse was invented during the early Middle Ages. According to Barty Crouch Jnr, the curse was once very popular.
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 without parole (unless there was sufficient evidence that the caster did so under the influence of the Imperius Curse or for other defensible reasons).
Many Secret Keepers in the past had been subjected to the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses in an attempt to learn the secrets they kept, but to no avail, as the Keeper had to reveal it willingly.
=== First Wizarding War ===
: Albus Dumbledore: "His father, Frank, was an Auror just like Professor Moody. He and his wife were tortured for information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he lost his powers, as you heard."
: Harry Potter: "So they're dead?"
: Albus Dumbledore: "No. They are insane. They are both in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I believe Neville visits them, with his grandmother, during the holidays. They do not recognise him."
: — Frank and Alice's unfortunate fate[src]
During the First Wizarding War, when Barty Crouch Snr was in charge of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he fought violence with violence and legalised the three Unforgivable Curses for Aurors against the Death Eaters in order to win the war. This was repealed once the war was over, as it was no longer necessary.
Shortly after Voldemort's defeat, four Death Eaters — three Lestranges: Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan; along with Barty Crouch Jnr — captured the Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom and tortured the two with the Cruciatus Curse for information on Voldemort's whereabouts. The repeated and prolonged usage of the curse caused the couple to become insane and the four to be captured and tried in front of the Council of Magical Law. All four of them were found guilty and sentenced to life in Azkaban. This act was considered to be one of the most heinous and infuriating attacks in modern history.
=== Between the wars ===
: "The Cruciatus Curse might loosen your tongue."
: — Umbridge threatening Harry Potter with the curse[src]
:
Despite the repeal of the curse's legal usage, in the 1994–1995 school year, Barty Crouch Jnr, under the disguise of Alastor Moody, showed these three curses to his fourth year classes on spiders, despite the Ministry's strong 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 effort to draw information from Harry Potter, almost used the curse on him. She was certain in the belief that she would not be called upon to answer for it due to the only witnesses to the act being Harry and his closest friends (and the present Slytherin students would not support Harry in any way), and that she would be able to avoid punishment for the curse due to the political climate either way. However, she was dissuaded from using the curse by Hermione Granger, who gave Umbridge a false story in order to save Harry.
When Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange killed Harry's godfather Sirius Black, Harry chased down Bellatrix and performed the curse on her out of rage. However, it was performed unsuccessfully as Harry was doing it with "righteous anger" and couldn't muster the will to actually cause her harm.
=== Second Wizarding War ===
: "Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"
: — Bellatrix Lestrange using this curse as an interrogation method[src]
:
In 1997, Draco Malfoy, in a fit of rage and recklessness, attempted it on an eavesdropping Harry and later in the same year. Harry attempted to use it on Severus Snape during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower but was prevented from uttering the whole incantation due to Snape's use of Legilimency.
When Lord Voldemort 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 pleased. In fact, they were practised in Hogwarts as part of the curriculum of Dark Arts class under the cruel tutelage of Professor Amycus Carrow: students were required to practise the Cruciatus Curse on other students who received detention, and the Carrow siblings used it to punish students as they see fit; the likes of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle greatly enjoyed practising the Curse on fellow students, earning themselves top grades in the class.
Hermione Granger had this curse used on her by Bellatrix Lestrange during her interrogation at Malfoy Manor in March of 1998. Harry Potter managed to successfully use it on Amycus Carrow without legal consequences as well as a result of this legalisation, shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts on 1 May 1998. After Voldemort's death and the revolutionising of the Ministry under new Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, the three curses were once again forbidden and their original penalties were restored.
Harry Potter had a vision of Lord Voldemort ordering Draco Malfoy to use the curse on Thorfinn Rowle after he and Antonin Dolohov failed to capture Harry at Tottenham Court Road. Although he saw nothing of Dolohov's punishment, Narcissa Malfoy later mentioned "what he did to Rowle and Dolohov" when she was afraid to contact Voldemort.
== Nature ==
: "It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced; his very bones were on fire; his head was surely splitting along his scar... he wanted it to end... to black out... to die."
: — Description of the pain one feels while under the Curse[src]
:
The pain caused by the Cruciatus Curse was described by Harry Potter as being worse than "one thousand white-hot knives, boring into the skin" and beyond what most people would ever experience. The sensation of the curse was so intense that the person under the effects wished for unconsciousness and even death, as a means of escaping the searing pain.
The pain from this curse would cause permanent physical and mental injury if exposed to for a prolonged time, 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 terrible trauma the curse caused. This incident was considered one of the most horrific fates for the victim, even worse than death. Presumably, such permanent effects were not uncommon if the victim was exposed to a particularly intense curse for a long period of time.
As Memory Charms could be broken through torture, the Cruciatus Curse was capable of such a feat, though it required 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.
Although it was possible to use the curse on Secret Keepers to inflict pain on them, it was impossible to use it to force the secret out of them, as it must be done on the Keeper's free will. If the curse hit an inanimate object, it might have caused it to shatter instead.
=== Performance ===
: "Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? 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?"
: — Instructions on how to use an Unforgivable Curse[src]
:
To successfully perform this curse, simply uttering the incantation was not enough; the wizard or witch had to possess a deep desire to cause the victim pain and to take great pleasure in their suffering. 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 out of "righteous anger", though he was still able to knock her off of her feet with it. Harry performed it more effectively in 1998 on Amycus Carrow, who spat in Minerva McGonagall's face. Amycus was thrown into the air, thrashing and screaming in pain, and then knocked unconscious. This suggests that although Harry's curse was intense, he still lacked the fundamental sadism to make it last for a prolonged time.
Bellatrix, on the other hand, due to being a witch with profound sadistic intents and an utter lack of conscience, was able to cast the curse with an almost daunting potency, and seemingly had an affinity to it.
When Lord Voldemort used it against Harry Potter at his rebirth in Little Hangleton graveyard, he would consistently maintain its effect by keeping his wand fixed on Harry, which left him momentarily writhing on the ground whilst feeling like "his very bones were on fire", screaming, until Voldemort raised his wand and thus broke it off. When Gellert Grindelwald used it against Jacob Kowalski in 1932, he cast it once and Jacob remained under its effects, until Vicência Santos lifted the curse.
=== Defence ===
Once cast, there was no spell that could defend against the Cruciatus Curse. However, there were still evasive options available against it. The spell could be dodged by hiding behind a solid object, and a particularly strong-willed wizard could merely resist the pain until the spell was lifted, as Harry Potter refused to plea to Voldemort when being tortured by this curse, and Hermione Granger managed to lie to Bellatrix Lestrange through the curse (though, as noted above, prolonged exposure of the pain from this curse would cause permanent physical and mental damage).
Another option was to interrupt the caster before they could 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. Furthermore, like with the Killing Curse, it could also be intercepted with a few other powerful fast spells.
Should the caster have used the Elder Wand, or actually any wand, without winning its allegiance, to cast the curse onto its true master, the wand would refuse to inflict any pain onto its master. However, there would still be a certain level of impact that could send the body flying.
Although the main purpose of the Cruciatus Curse was to torture, it could not be used to break through the defences set by the Fidelius Charm, as the secret had to be revealed willingly and voluntarily. Also, if the victim did not possess the desired information (such as Alice and Frank Longbottom), then the usage of the curse served little to no purpose in information gathering.
Despite there being no spell defence against it, Vicência Santos was somehow able to lift the effects of pain that Jacob Kowalski was feeling from the curse in 1932, by pointing her wand at him and using a nonverbal spell, which lifted the curse's effects on him.
=== Applications ===
: "Pain. You don't need thumbscrews or knives to torture someone if you can perform the Cruciatus Curse.... That one was very popular once too."
: — Bartemius Crouch Junior regarding the Cruciatus Curse's applications[src]
:
As its title of an "unforgivable curse" suggests, the Cruciatus Curse had only very limited practical uses.
Besides its basic use to sadistically inflicting pain, the curse was most popularly applied as a method of punishment and a method of interrogation. The advent of truth serums rendered the Cruciatus Curse as obsolete and a generally impractical method for this specific purpose. However, should truth serums not be available, the interrogator might opt to use this curse instead.
Compared with the use of truth serums and even the Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse was much less efficient, as the person being interrogated had a high risk of falsely confessing in order to relieve their suffering under the spell, regardless whether they actually held the information the interrogator wished to seek and extract. As the curse couldn't force a Secret Keeper to divulge the hidden information, it was essentially useless in that regard, despite many in the past had been subjected to such an attempt to extract the knowledge.
The curse could be used effectively in a duel, inflicting tremendous pain onto the opponent, disabling them from countering so long as they maintained the curse's effects.
== Known uses ==
: "Harry shouted, "Crucio!". The Death Eater was lifted off his feet. He writhed through the air like a drowning man, thrashing and howling in pain, and then, with a crunch and a shattering of glass, he smashed into the front of a bookcase and crumpled, insensible, to the floor."
: — Harry Potter casting the curse successfully for the first time[src]
:
=== Successful uses ===
Caster(s) 	Victim(s) 	Date 	Notes
Gellert Grindelwald 	Aberforth Dumbledore 	1899 	Retaliation for criticising his plans.
Gellert Grindelwald 	Jacob Kowalski 	1932 	For being a Muggle who wished to marry a witch, and for having alledgedly "tried to take his life" at the Candidates' Dinner in the German Ministry of Magic in Berlin.
Bartemius Crouch Jnr 	Frank and Alice Longbottom	1981 	Used to gain information about Lord Voldemort's whereabouts. Tortured into insanity. Permanent residents at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Rabastan Lestrange 	Frank and Alice Longbottom	1981 	Used to gain information about Lord Voldemort's whereabouts. Tortured into insanity. Permanent residents at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Rodolphus Lestrange 	Frank and Alice Longbottom	1981 	Used to gain information about Lord Voldemort's whereabouts. Tortured into insanity. Permanent residents at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Bellatrix Lestrange 	Frank and Alice Longbottom	1981 	Used to gain information about Lord Voldemort's whereabouts. Tortured into insanity. Permanent residents at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Patricia Rakepick 	A Dark Wizard 	1988/1989 	To demonstrate Jacob's sibling the curse's effects in the Knockturn Alley.
Patricia Rakepick 	Merula Snyde 	1989 	To accomplish The Cabal's orders of killing one of Jacob's sibling's friends before the end of the year; however, she was stopped by Jacob' sibling and other students before she accomplished the task.
Lord Voldemort 	Bertha Jorkins 	Summer 1994 	To break the memory charm cast on her by Barty Crouch Snr so as to gain information about the Triwizard Tournament and the Quidditch World Cup; Bertha was damaged beyond repair as a result.
Lord Voldemort 	Harry Potter 	24 June, 1995 	Used it to torture Harry in the Little Hangleton graveyard.
Lord Voldemort 	Avery II 	24 June, 1995 	Punishment for his disloyalty as a Death Eater, following his rebirth in the Little Hangleton Graveyard.
Lord Voldemort 	Peter Pettigrew 	Late May 1995 	As punishment for allowing Barty Crouch Snr to escape.
Lord Voldemort 	Garrick Ollivander 	27 July, 1997 	Forced to give information about Voldemort's wand, and the effects Harry's wand had on Lucius Malfoy's wand.
Bartemius Crouch Jnr 	A spider 	5 September, 1994	Demonstrated the curse's effects during Defence Against the Dark Arts class, while impersonating Alastor Moody.
Viktor Krum 	Cedric Diggory 	24 June, 1995 	During the Triwizard Tournament, Third Task, while under the Imperius Curse by Barty Crouch Jnr disguised as Alastor Moody.
Bellatrix Lestrange 	Neville Longbottom 	18 June, 1996 	Battle of the Department of Mysteries presumably to injure/kill/ insult Neville to join his parents' fate.
Bellatrix Lestrange 	Hermione Granger 	March, 1998 	Torture tactic concerning the Sword of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff's Cup.
Death Eaters 	Rufus Scrimgeour 	1 August, 1997 	To try to obtain information about Harry Potter whereabouts.
Death Eaters 	Ted Tonks 	1 August, 1997 	To try to obtain information about Harry Potter whereabouts.
Death Eaters 	Andromeda Tonks 	1 August, 1997 	To try to obtain information about Harry Potter whereabouts.
Draco Malfoy 	Thorfinn Rowle 	1 August, 1997 	Under Voldemort's orders, as punishment for letting Harry Potter escape from Tottenham Court Road.
Draco Malfoy 	Antonin Dolohov 	1 August, 1997 	Under Voldemort's orders, as punishment for letting Harry Potter escape from Tottenham Court Road.
Alecto Carrow 	Michael Corner (possibly) 	1997/1998 	Possibly the punishment for freeing a first year student from being chained up for detention, as Michael was said to have been brutally tortured by the siblings as punishment.
Amycus Carrow 	Michael Corner (possibly) 	1997/1998 	Possibly the punishment for freeing a first year student from being chained up for detention, as Michael was said to have been brutally tortured by the siblings as punishment.
Carrows, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle	Neville Longbottom 	1997/1998 	Punishment for disobedience.
Carrows, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle	Seamus Finnigan (possibly)	1997/1998 	Punishment for disobedience.
Carrows, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle	D.A. members (possibly) 	1997/1998 	Punishment for disobedience.
Carrows, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle	Hogwarts students 	1997/1998 	Punishment for disobedience.
Harry Potter 	Amycus Carrow 	1 May, 1998 	Used it to torture after he spat in McGonagall's face, completely incapacitating him.
Delphini 	Scorpius Malfoy 	2020 	Delphini used this spell three times on Scorpius in 2020, in an attempt to make him do what she wanted.
=== Failed uses ===
: "Crucio — Crucio — you can't dance forever, pretty —"
: — Amycus Carrow attempting to use this curse on Ginny Weasley[src]
:
Caster(s) 	Victim(s) 	Date 	Notes
Dolores Umbridge 	Harry Potter 	18 June, 1996 	Headmistress Dolores Umbridge attempted to use the curse against Harry as an interrogation tactic, but Hermione Granger interrupted her incantation.
Bellatrix Lestrange	Harry Potter 	18 June, 1996 	After failing to successfully curse Bellatrix with the Cruciatus curse out of righteous anger for murdering Sirius Black, she then decided to teach Harry a lesson of actually meaning to cause harm by her attempting the same curse on him, only for him to dodge it.
Draco Malfoy 	Harry Potter 	Early May, 1997 	Draco attempted the curse when Harry stumbled upon him in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, but was interrupted when Harry attacked him with Sectumsempra.
Vincent Crabbe 	Harry Potter 	2 May, 1998 	During a skirmish in the Room of Requirement. Harry dodged the curse, and its force hit a stone bust of a warlock instead.
Lord Voldemort 	Harry Potter 	2 May, 1998 	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 that he had won. However, Harry felt no pain because the wand Voldemort used, the Elder Wand, refused to harm its true master, though Harry's body was still tossed around by the force of the spell.
Merula Snyde 	Patricia Rakepick 	1989–1990 school year	While in the the Sunken Vault, Merula attempted to use this curse against Patricia Rakepick, however Rakepick used Mobilicorpus on her before she could finish the incantation.
Harry Potter 	Bellatrix Lestrange	18 June, 1996 	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 (though it did still knock her off her feet).
Harry Potter 	Severus Snape 	30 June, 1997 	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.
Amycus Carrow 	Ginny Weasley 	30 June, 1997 	During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower; through the assistance of Felix Felicis, Ginny dodged multiple attempts.
=== Possible uses ===
Caster(s) 	Victim(s) 	Date 	Notes
Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, or Thorfinn Rowle	Harry Potter 	30 June, 1997 	As Harry Potter chased Severus Snape away from Hogwarts at the end of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, he was hit from behind by a curse cast by one of the Death Eaters who escaped the battle, which caused him sharp pain. Although no incantation was heard, he fell to the ground, screaming, and momentarily lost track of what was going on. These harmful effects make it likely that he was attacked with the Cruciatus Curse.
Death Eaters 	Luna Lovegood 	1997-1998 	Since Luna was held prisoner at Malfoy Manor for months, it is possible she was also tortured with it.
Selwyn 	Xenophilius Lovegood 	30 December, 1997	When Harry, Ron and Hermione visited Xenophilius at his home in order to know the legend of the Deathly Hallows, Xenophilius alerted Death Eaters about Harry's presence. Selwyn, suspicious that the wizard had been lying, beat up Lovegood and tortured him, possibly with this curse.
Lord Voldemort 	Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange	March, 1998 	After Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other prisoners escaped from Malfoy Manor, Harry had a vision of Voldemort punishing Bellatrix and the Malfoys, but whether he used the Cruciatus Curse was not mentioned.
== Etymology ==
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'.
== Behind the scenes ==
* Considering that the curse did not appear to cause any injury to the victim, it was possible that it only triggered pain receptors.
* In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Harry Potter casts 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, cruelty or pure malice. The spell still had enough force to knock Lestrange off her feet.
* In the console versions of the Order of the Phoenix video game, the cutscene where Umbridge is taken into the Forbidden Forest, she uses this curse instead of the Incarcerous Spell on a Centaur, and it looks like a flash of green light that strikes the Centaur. However, in the scene where Harry chases Bellatrix through the Ministry, he casts it and it looks like the Disarming Charm (which was a yellowish-white in colour) and it blasted her off her feet.
* Severus Snape once asserted Harry Potter had neither the nerves nor the skill to perform Unforgivable Curses. 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.
* In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, instead of using three spiders to demonstrate the Unforgivable Curses, Barty Crouch Jnr uses one Amblypygi.
* Also in the film adaption of Goblet of Fire, when Voldemort casts the curse on Harry Potter, a sound resembling electricity or lightning can be heard in the background. It is possible that one of the feelings of pain caused by the curse could be similar to that of electrocution.
* 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 Jnr 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 targeting a person, but replaced by a blood red. the victim hovers several feet off the ground, and purple lights emit from their joints. After a few seconds, they die.
* In Harry Potter for Kinect, Voldemort can use this spell against Harry in the final battle during Voldemort's Last Stand as they engage in a normal duel.
* As the Cruciatus Curse leaves no visible mark on the body of the victim, it is reasonable to assume that the curse, rather than inflicting pain through injury, instead somehow magically triggers a stimulus in the pain centre of the brain of the victim. The fact that the minds of Frank and Alice Longbottom 'cracked' after enduring it a long time and they were rendered insane, support this theory.
* In an early draft of the fifth film, Professor Umbridge actually uses the Cruciatus Curse on Harry Potter, rather than making as if to do so before being cut off by Hermione Granger.