#unforgivables

[us3rnam3s-give-me-anxiety]

[hailmika]

Don't stare too long.

Oh cool this is my 100th post :D

Oh wooooow I have an insanely long to do list (including finishing things I started, collaborations, possible freelance projects, redesigning my website) but at least I know I'll never run out of ideas for my Project 365 :)

I just got some exciting news today! I hope you guys did too XD

[thecloudsthatglow]

The Unforgivables - Killing Curse, Imperius Curse, Cruciatus Curse. 

Based on the amazing descriptions by @vivypotter in her fic ‘Wear Me Like A Locket Around Your Throat’ 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7189349/chapters/16316573

[deadlydazzling]

3 common spells, 3 battle spells, and the 3 unforgivables.

[annerb-fic]

Harry-Potter-asks:6,8,13?(my-spacebar-died-sorry)

6. Avada Kedavra, Crucio, or Imperio?

This is a weird and menacing ask. Like...which would I use? Which spell do I find most interesting? Which do I find most horrible? I mean, they are all about removing control from someone, taking their life, forcing pain on them, forcing your will on them. I wonder how we all feel about the juxtaposition that Harry, our hero, our obsessed-with-being-good, angsted to hell over killing Voldemort, in the end didn’t even try to kill him, but used the other two rather cavalierly? I think that was a rather interesting choice by JKR that I am not sure how to feel about. Anyway. That doesn’t really answer the ask, but that’s what I have to say.

8. I answered here.

13. Who was the bravest character in Harry Potter and why?

I know Harry is our archetype brave guy, and hell yes walking into that Forest knowing what was going to happen... Damn. And Lily refusing to move from in front of Harry. And James going wandless against Voldemort to buy his wife and kid any moment he could. But I’m thinking right now of the bravery it takes to keep living. Harry coming back from that soft, safe place and choosing to keep on living. For people like Ginny to get destroyed but get back up and keep on even when it feels impossible. Or Remus, losing EVERYTHING, and feeling like he had no place in the entire world, and yet still walking back into Hogwarts and showing kindness and generosity. That is spectacular bravery.

But one of the bravest people I will never get over is Ron. For sticking by Harry even though he had every ability to walk away from all of the danger, a pureblood who probably could have ran out the war safely somehow, and because he CAME BACK. He admits his mistakes and faces them and tries to DO BETTER and that is the bravest thing anyone can ever do. He came back probably prepared to put that fucking necklace back on and deal with the score or even hatred of his friends, but he would do it.

[fuckyeahunforgiveables]

[thealyx]

"Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will...."

 "Earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

[honeybadgerdontcare394]

Unforgivables AU Allbert, anyone??

@a-usernamelol @heyitszev @the-chaotic-scilla-aster @theladyofshalott1989

[s-novyd]

Do we know why the killing curse is unforgivable?

I mean, the killing curse, practically, is the most merciful death there be.. just Avaeedeeh keehdaahveeraah and *puff* you're dead. No, known, pain. The body doesn't get destroyed. So why is it unforgivable?

For a long time I thought it is so because... nope. I never accepted any reason, like the mass killing thing or because it kills instantly and doesn't leave a chance at surviving. Because surely, surely, there are other horrendous curses much more damaging and painful.. why, then, does the killing curse take so much of the caster? It harms the caster fundamentally? Needs blind hate and a deep desire to kill, I mean people killed death eaters but wouldn't be able or resort to use the avada kedavra..

And while I wasn't even thinking about Harry Potter world, an idea popped up :\

Remember when Harry and MoldyVoldy were trapped in their duel due to Priori Incantatem? Remember when “echoes” of people murdered by MoldyVoldy were brought out?

In the book it says they were echoes, but weren't they more than mere projections or echoes? they were conscious enough for the old man to say “yes, I knew you're a wizard” or something like that, conscious enough for Cedric to request Harry, and so and so...

Soooooo, what if the fundamental reason the killing curse is unforgivable and an abomination because it traps the soul of the murdered in the caster's wand? Could it be that because of trapping them they can't pass to the other side?

Do you know about a ghost that was murdered by the killing curse? Because if there is, then this hypothesis will be proved to be not correct.

[calleo-bricriu]

The Teratius Curse

Generally accepted knowledge tells us that there are three curses deemed “unforgivable”; first and foremost, unforgivable is a misnomer as there are dozens of curses under various classifications that have been labeled as having “no justification” for reasons that vary from slow acting to lethal. By the Ministry’s own logic, there are quite a few “unforgivable” curses, gray, direct, indirect or otherwise.

But, I digress--apologies.

We, of course, hear mainly of what could be termed the 'big three', of which I’d imagine everyone is quite familiar (not, of course, through practice, but simply via word of mouth and mention in passing).

There are, however, others, three more of which could have extremely effective and practical applications in the hands of those willing to resort to such methods. For the purposes of this writing, I will focus on “The Monstrous Curse”.

Related to the Cruciatus, the Teratius is cast in a similar fashion, its incantation being simply teratio. 

The wand-work involved is a bit more complicated, but nothing a sufficiently skilled Wizard (or Witch) should have any difficulty in mastering.

Unlike the more well known crucio, teratio does more than simply cause a generalized (albeit agonizing) overall pain in the victim. Keeping that in consideration, it is worth noting that teratio requires an equal level of concentration to keep itself active and project the caster’s will onto the intended target.

This is not an unknown curse by any means, though it fell out of favor for as an interrogation technique just prior to the turn of the twentieth century; fortunately for the scholarly sorts among us, it is not possible to entirely eradicate knowledge. It is through research of Ministry archives, obscure reference books, and the like that spells of this nature, at least in theory, remain ‘alive’.

From a practical standpoint, the curse draws upon the creativity of the caster. That is where the inherent requirement for higher, more focused concentration comes into play over the Cruciatus. Whereas the Cruciatus applies overall, generalized pain (to put it lightly), the Teratius will, without direction from the caster, do nothing. Once engaged, the spell will draw on the caster’s thoughts and images to determine its results. It, in effect, turns its victim into a living, conscious canvas for the caster; the body, bones, organs, the entire being can be shaped, twisted, split, and wound into whatever shape the caster so desires, so long as their concentration holds. 

At the risk of sounding a bit like a child’s fairy-tale, the only limit is one’s imagination.

One of the downfalls of other, similar spells, is that the victim frequently ends up dead. As I’m sure the reader is well aware, a dead captive offers no information. This is where one of the benefits of the Teratius enters: So long as the caster wills it and maintains the spell, the victim will not die. They will remain conscious, feeling and aware throughout, thus adding a level of terror and agony that the Cruciatus is unable to muster even in the hands of the most skilled caster.

A silencing charm is effective in muting that aspect, should silence be required.

As previously mentioned, the incantation, teratio, is very simple; as with its more well known cousin, the spell requires a line of sight and a very clear intent behind it. 

It is not a curse that one could accidentally cast, whereas the Cruciatus can be, in a sense ‘accidentally’ cast in the wake of a surge of powerful emotion, though it cannot be maintained without the intent behind it; an accidental cast of the Teratius simply does nothing.

This is not a curse to be used in cases of imminent danger or mid-fight, as the caster would render themselves near helpless due to the amount of concentration required. While it could be effective for something as simple as twisting a limb to cripple an opponent, there are much easier spells that are just as effective. To that end, it should be noted that the Teratius was and is still designed to be an implement of interrogation, at least, it was from an official standpoint.

Use of this curse upon a sentient being, if suspected or discovered, would result in incarceration in Azkaban, though that should go without saying considering the known and detailed purpose(s) for the spell itself.

The mere fact that the Teratius has fallen out of favor puts it in a good light to be brought back, by more unsavoury sorts of course, as a method of persuasion; it is no longer actively looked for, no longer officially recognized, and those in the Ministry would find it difficult to pinpoint exactly what had happened; to that end, I, both respectfully and highly, recommend the destruction of this document once it has been committed to memory, though even that is not a fail-safe if one takes into consideration the effects of veritaserum or, as unlikely as it may be, use of mensrapere.

(The word mensrapere is circled several times, to the point of the parchment nearly being worn through and, in markedly different handwriting, has the word “Elaborate.” scrawled underneath.

At the end of the parchment, written in sharp, angular script that appears to be an evolution of the essay’s original penmanship, is the following:) 

This spell appears to function on inanimate objects, including objects warded or shielded to be resistant to magical 'attack'. The latter is not surprising as all the spell requires, aside from intent, is line of sight and an inanimate object would be unable to move.  The former bears additional research, as it may have been the original intent of the spell itself, and not what I had previously theorized. It is possible that this curse originated as a more benign creature, so to speak, and was, not-so-ironically, twisted into its current use and meaning to history.

Proper, non-fraudulent documentation is next to non-existent, and what does exist only indicates how it was used, not what its creator may have intended.

As it stands now, I've turned several paperweights into more interesting sculptures. 

[siriuslystarbucks]

I feel like the Cruciatus Curse is so unimaginative? Like the two most evil people in the series (Bellatrix and Voldemort) only use it and nothing else for torture. Have some originality Bella, god.

[fuckyeahunforgiveables]

[jacarandabanyan]

Does anyone else ever think about how Harry used two of the three Unforgivable curses? Does anyone else think about how the war and hatred began to eat at his soul, to make him into the kind of person who would use them? About how when Barty Crouch Jr/Moody demonstrated them in class he was horrified and disgusted, but eventually the idea of using curses so horrible they constitute a one-way trip to Azkaban was no longer unthinkable? About how the War left scars on his soul, not only in terms of loss and grief, but of hatred and anger? 

[hottunasandwiches]

Could, totally theoretically, a Hogwarts student cast an Unforgivable while at Hogwarts without being caught? Malfoy was going to do it and I don’t think he was 17 so?

[calleo-bricriu]

How is it you're not locked up when I know you've publicly said you've used the killing curse before??

See, the thing about the Unforgivables is that they're only illegal when used against creatures classified as sentient.

It's why I wasn't brought up on roughly 5,000 murder charges for obliterating an entire ant colony with the killing curse.

Officially, that's the case across the board. Unofficially, Aurors and Hit Wizards are often given significant leeway where their use against sentient creatures is concerned.

For the non-lethal ones there are a number of oddly specific loopholes, but those tend to require binding contracts between the parties involved.

Don't ask how I know that, just think for a few seconds and you'll probably figure it out.

[mooseman13579]

The Unforgivable Curses

I have had strange cause to think of this recently, but I have come to a conclusion about the nature of the three Unforgivable Curses in Harry Potter. Now, if any reader disagrees with my hypothesis, let them speak and create discourse. Knowledge should be shared, fan theories especially so.

So now, my assertions about exactly what the Unforgivable Curses do.

The Unforgivables

I'm going to tell you something you already know; the use of any of the three curses is punishable by a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, at least in the United Kingdom. We are told they are 'the three worst things you could do to a person'; control them, torture them, kill them. I argue that the problem is worse than that, these curses do only one thing to you, they take away your control. In the same way that Samuel Vimes holds that theft is the only crime, whether it is money, land or life, the Unforgivables only rob you of your self-control, making them all branches of one spell.

It is, in essence, your willpower against the caster's. The curse itself doesn't matter.

The Imperius Curse

This curse is the most obvious when it comes to my hypothesis. A caster must be willing to exert their will on the victim, to dominate without mercy. The Imperius Curse robs the victim of their agency and leaves them a slave to your will. The other curses pale in comparison to this, being forced to commit acts against your will, with no ability to resist, is far worse than torture, far worse than death.

And yet it is regarded as one of the lesser curses, if no less insidious. Why is this? Because this is the one curse that wizards know can be resisted. "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded" after all. Just because the quote relates to a science fiction brand of magic doesn't make it any less relevant. The Imperius Curse can be resisted if your willpower is strong enough.

The curse is a direct attack on willpower, and anyone with a strong enough mind can throw it off or be totally immune.

The Cruciatus Curse

This curse simply causes pain, pain intense enough that it can drive a victim insane. In order to cast it, you have to mean it, you have to want your victim to suffer pain unimaginable. Notice that, you have have the willpower to impart pain on another, to exert your will over another's. You are forcing another to feel pain, yet we are never told that the spell specifically does anything to cause pain, it just makes you feel pain.

How would it do that then? By making the mind of the victim cause itself to feel pain. It is simply another form of an attack on willpower, except no one has learned how to resist. In essence, to quote the Matrix, your mind makes it real. Stop believing in it, and it can't hurt you anymore. Obviously, it's very hard to actually put this into practice, especially when you are always told that the Cruciatus Curse causes pain, in the same way that lucid dreaming is difficult to achieve. But it is possible, and I believe that resisting the Cruciatus Curse is possible.

The Killing Curse

And now we come to the 'worst' (grrr) of the curses; the curse that lets you kill another. But, as noted in the series itself, there are things worse than death. The Imperius Curse, for one. But that's an argument for another time, for now let's get back to our current argument. The Killing Curse is an unblockable spell, something that only the deepest oldest magic can save you from (which means that's it is blockable, but whatever). Another problem, to continue with tangents, is that why is this spell the only killing spell that is unforgivable? Do you expect me to believe that this is the only curse that you can kill someone with? What about that Reducto spell? Or the Blasting Curse? Or that curse that Dolohov hit Hermione with? Or lighting someone on fire? And how exactly is the Killing Curse so bad when it doesn't actually cause pain? So you just stop living and that's it? Aside from the actual murder and the effect it has on their social connections, it's not even that bad!

Moving on

The hallmark of this spell is that it will, without fuss, reach into you and turn off your lifeswitch (to paraphrase World War Z) in a blast of green life. When the spell is first named, we are told that, like the other three, you have to mean it. You have to want your victim to die. Again, it's a matter of willpower, exerting your will to kill over another's will to live. In essence, the Killing Curse kills because you believe it does. The Killing Curse kills makes you believe you are dead, and Lo! You are.

Of course, you will ask about the groundskeeper and family that Voldenburg kills. They've never heard of the Killing Curse after all, and yet they die just the same. I'd argue that it still applies, because Voldamurk is still exerting his will over them, and they cannot resist because their belief that magic doesn't exist and that they're not dead is no match for his belief that they should die. So, again we must come back to the Matrix. Neo is killed by the bullets fired into his body because he believes they can hurt him and once he ceases to believe that the dream of the Matrix is real, they hold no power over him.

So the Killing Curse is also an attack on willpower and nobody has yet gotten to the point where they can resist it.

Conclusion-y thing

Each spell is an attack on willpower and, since spells can be cast non-verbally, the only difference between them is intent, they can all be classified as a single spell: a spell of complete control over another. To control their minds in any way you please, even to stop it completely.

That then is why they are known as the Unforgivables, because they represent a three-who-are-one idea of absolute control. As I already noted, there are other spells to kill someone with, and probably also to cause pain, and love potions are another form of mind control. However, none of these are absolute and are even easily counterable.

But if the Unforgivables are all attacks on willpower and are unrepentant dark magic, that casts Moldyshorts' curse on the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts in a far more sinister light. After all, what better way to start your absolute domination of the magical world than to ensure that no one is taught how to resist?