Unforgivable Curses

From Hpwiki

The three Unforgivable Curses are --

1. The Imperius Curse - the victim of this curse surrenders all control over himself to the caster. However it is possible to overcome this curse by will power. After the fall of Lord Voldemort, many of his Death Eaters claimed to have been under the power of the Imperius. The spell used to cast this spell is Imperio.

2. The Cruciatus Curse - the victim of this curse feels unbearable pain. Lengthy exposure to this spell results in madness, as happened with Frank and Alice Longbottom.

3. Avada Kedavra, or the Killing curse - characterised by a flash of green light -, the victim of this curse dies. The only person to have escaped this curse is Harry Potter, which makes him 'The Boy Who Lived'.

All three spells were introduced in the first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson in Harry's fourth year. (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, chapter 14, The Unforgivable Curses)

In this both fascinating and disturbing lesson, Professor Moody demonstrated the effects of each of these curses on a spider. Later, readers and characters alike encountered each of the Unforgivables in earnest.