Killing Curse
From Hpwiki
Avada Kedavra is the incantation of the Killing Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses, perhaps the most infamous of the three. It causes instantaneous death in the victim, but leaves no physical marks (confounding Muggle coroners), and is known to take form as a beam of green light and the sound of something swooping down on the victim.
Harry Potter is the only known person to have survived this spell, which led to his moniker, "The-Boy-Who-Lived".
Use of this on another human being is worth a life sentence in Azkaban.
Name Origin: Aramaic phrase that means "may it be destroyed." Also similar to "Abracadabra", which is an ancient spell (dates from the second century) used by conjurers to invoke spirits or supernatural powers for protection against disease or aid. "Kedavra" sounds like "cadaver," which means "corpse."
It was used:
- At the Riddle's Household, c. 1950s (?). Killed Tom Riddle Sr. and his parents by Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic convicted Morfin Gaunt, Voldemort's uncle, and the Muggle authorities convicted Frank Bryce.
- At Godric's Hollow, 1981. Killed Lily and James Potter, and left Harry Potter with a lightning bolt scar, the only physical mark known caused by Avada Kedavra.
- Used against Bertha Jorkins c. 1994 by Voldemort.
- Used against Frank Bryce, 1994 in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by Voldemort.
- In a Muggle graveyard, 1995 in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Wormtail uses Voldemort's wand to kill Cedric Diggory.
- In the Department of Mysteries, 1996 in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. A Death Eater attempts to murder Hermione Granger via the curse.
- In the Atrium in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 1996. No casualties, but the gold fountain in the middle of the Atrium.
- In the Atrium in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 1996. Fawkes swallows a bolt cast by Voldemort.
- Near Spinner's End, 1996 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Bellatrix Lestrange uses the curse on a nearby fox.
