Cruciatus Curse

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The Cruciatus Curse is a spell that causes its victim extreme pain, its effect being akin to that of elaborate torture. It is one of the one of the three Unforgivable Curses, and its use can result in life imprisonment in Azkaban (GF14). In order to cast the Cruciatus Curse, one must really mean to cause pain, otherwise its effect is merely feeble (OP36). Its incantation is Crucio (GF14).

The Cruciatus Curse is often employed by Lord Voldemort and his followers in order to obtain information from someone (DH23). It also appears to be a common method of punishing Death Eaters when they fail the Dark Lord (GF33).

After Voldemort's disappearance in October 31, 1981, Frank and Alice Longbottom are driven to insanity after their prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse, cast on them by Barty Crouch, Jr., Rabastan, Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange. The torturers are later brought to trial before the Council of Magical Law, led by Barty Crouch, Sr., and accused of subjecting the Longbottoms to the Cruciatus Curse believing Frank had information on Voldemort's location. Frank and Alice end up in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and are unable to recognise their son, Neville (GF30).

Other mentions of the Cruciatus Curse in the series include:

• Gellert Grindelwald uses the Cruciatus Curse on Aberforth Dumbledore during a major argument between himself, Aberforth and Albus Dumbledore, that ends up resulting in a duel, and Ariana Dumbledore's death (DH28).
• Professor Moody uses Crucio on an Engorged spider in order to better demonstrate to his pupils the effects of the curse (GF14).
• Harry is so enraged after Severus Snape is rude to Hermione Granger, takes fifty points from Gryffindor House, and gives detentions both to him and Ron Weasley, that he secretly wishes he knew how to perform the Cruciatus Curse in order to cast it on his Potions Master (GF18).
• After Harry opens his golden egg and hears the incomprehensible screechy wailing, Neville suggests that the next task of the Triwizard Tournament would be to fight the Cruciatus Curse. George Weasley dismisses Neville's opinion, stating the spell is illegal (GF21).
• Voldemort uses Crucio on Peter Pettigrew, after the Death Eater had allowed Barty Crouch, Sr. to escape his watch (GF29, GF35).
• An Imperiused Viktor Krum uses the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric Diggory during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament (GF31).
• In the Little Hangleton graveyard, Voldemort casts Crucio on Avery, after the Death Eater asks for forgiveness for not having looked for his master after the Dark Lord's fall. Sometime later Voldemort uses the Cruciatus Curse on Harry, who had been bound to the headstone of Tom Riddle, Sr. (GF33). While still in the graveyard, Voldemort uses the Cruciatus Curse again, this time during his duel against Harry (GF34).
• In his last dream about the Department of Mysteries, Harry sees Voldermort using Crucio to torture Sirius Black inside the Hall of Prophecy (OP31).
• Dolores Umbridge almost casts the Cruciatus Curse on Harry in order to find out what the boy had been doing at her office. Hermione, however, stops the headmaster just in time by making up a lie (OP32).
• Harry attempts to use the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix Lestrange after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, after the witch had murdered Sirius. She notes that righteous anger will not hurt her for long, and says that Harry should mean the curse for it to cause great pain. Bellatrix then tries to cast the curse on Harry, but the boy ducks the spell, and it hits the centaur's arm of the Fountain of Magical Brethren instead (OP36).
• Severus Snape shows his Defense Against the Dark Arts class the picture of a witch shrieking in agony, pointing out that that was the effect of the Cruciatus Curse (HBP9). During another lesson, Snape instructs the class to read the first two paragraphs of their books on the Cruciatus Curse (HBP21).
• During his confrontation with Harry inside the bathroom, Draco Malfoy attempts to use Crucio against him, but is impeded by the former's Sectumsempra (HBP24).
• Amycus Carrow attempts to cast the Cruciatus Curse on Ginny Weasley during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, but she dodges the spell several times. The Death Eater is finally stopped by Harry, who uses an Impediment Jinx on him (HBP28).
• Harry tries to use Crucio against Severus Snape after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, but Snape blocks the spell, stating that Harry has neither the nerve nor the ability to use the Unforgivable Curses. It is highly likely Snape later used the Cruciatus Curse against Harry before he managed to escape Hogwarts' grounds (HBP28).
• Voldemort tortures Ollivander in order to obtain information about the connection between his wand and Harry's. The wandmaker recommends that Voldemort uses a borrowed wand when confronting Harry (DH24). It is highly likely the Dark Lord uses the Cruciatus Curse again on the wandmaker after Lucius Malfoy's wand is broken after the Battle of the Seven Potters (DH5).
• After the Fall of the Ministry, on August 1, 1997, Death Eaters torture Andromeda and Ted Tonks to try to obtain information on Harry Potter's whereabouts (DH11).
• After Amycus Carrow becomes the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts he has his pupils practice the Cruciatus Curse on the students who earned detentions. Neville refuses to do it, for which he is punished. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, however, rejoice at the possibility (DH29).
• It is highly likely that, on Voldemort's orders, Draco uses the Cruciatus Curse on Thorfinn Rowle after the latter fails to defeat the Trio in Tottenham Court Road (DH9). Antonin Dolohov is punished as well, presumably with the same curse (DH23).
• Bellatrix uses the Cruciatus Curse several times to torture Hermione Granger in order to find out how the Trio obtained Gryffindor's sword, and what else they had taken (DH23).
• Shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Cruciates Amycus Carrow after the Death Eater spits on Minerva McGonagall, and finally achieves the full effects of the spell. Amycus is lifted off his feet, howling in pain, and smashes into a bookcase (DH30).
• During the Battle of Hogwarts, Crabbe attempts to use Crucio on Harry, but he misses his target, hitting the stone bust on which is Ravenclaw's diadem, making it fly into the air and out of sight inside the Room of Hidden Things (DH31).
• Voldemort uses the Cruciatus Curse on what he believes to be Harry's corpse. However, despite the boy being alive, he does not feel any pain (DH36).