The Cruciatus Curse is one of the Unforgivable Curses in the Harry Potter book series. It is a severe tool of the Dark Arts designed to inflict intense, excuriating and unbearable pain upon the victim. The penalty for its use is life in Azkaban, with the exception of those forced to use it under the Imperius Curse or are permitted to do so by the Ministry of Magic. If the victim is subjected to it for a long period of time, they can be driven to an insanity which is irreversible.
About[]
History[]
In the fifteenth century, it is possible that a character in The Tales of Beedle the Bard threatens to use the Cruciatus Curse. Written at a time when use of the Cruciatus Curse was yet to be outlawed, Babbitty Rabbitty describes the sensation of the Unforgivable Curse when she threatens the King.[1]
In 1717, the Cruciatus Curse was classified as one of the Unforgivable Curses with the strictest of penalities for its use.[2]