Today, we’ll be discussing one of the three Unforgivable Curses: Avada Kedavra, and why it’s considered a worse form of killing than any other spell within the wizarding world.
The Unforgivable Curses
Avada Kedavra, otherwise known as the Killing Curse, alongside the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses, was first classified as an Unforgivable Curse in 1717.
While it’s quite obvious why it was banned from use, many have wondered why only these three curses were labeled as unforgivable.
The Killing Curse and Its Controversy
This question has been posed specifically in reference to Avada Kedavra, as it’s clearly not the only spell that has the ability to kill someone.
In fact, the Killing Curse is believed to be quite a painless curse, producing an intense flash of green light that causes instant death upon striking its victim. The body of the person who has been hit by the curse simply ceases to be alive.
Of course, no one knows this to be true for sure, especially since there is only one person known to have survived the curse: Voldemort.
The Dark Lord’s testimony seems to contradict the idea that being hit with the Killing Curse is painless, which he expressed to a group of Death Eaters upon his return to his mortal form.
He said:
While the Dark Lord’s experience suggests that the Killing Curse may cause incredible pain, it’s important to remember that Voldemort’s multiple Horcruxes are what kept him alive.
So, the pain that he felt was likely symptomatic of him not being able to instantly die from the curse. Instead, it suggests that if a person were able to live long enough to experience the effects of the curse, it may be excruciatingly painful. But no one, with the exception of Voldemort, has ever been able to do so.
The Soul and Avada Kedavra
That said, what we can take away from Voldemort’s confession is how the Killing Curse may indeed kill its victims. His words suggest that perhaps the curse causes the soul of a person struck by Avada Kedavra to be ripped from their body, effectively ending their mortal life.
As with the other Unforgivable Curses, there is no known counter-curse for this spell, and the only defense against Avada Kedavra is to dodge out of the way or hide behind something incredibly solid, like stone.
The Intent Behind Avada Kedavra
Which brings us to the main question of today’s blog: If Avada Kedavra doesn’t cause a particularly painful death and requires the caster to use great precision to successfully strike down their victim, why is the Killing Curse considered so much worse than the many other spells out there that can kill a person?
For example:
- Fiendfyre is a deadly curse that burns its victims alive and can take out multiple witches and wizards at once.
- Sectumsempra, created by Snape, allows the caster to slash its victims with an invisible sword that results in profound wounds and extensive bleeding that could be fatal.
The Significance of Intent
So, why is it that casting Avada Kedavra would get you a life sentence at the Wizarding Prison of Azkaban, but using Sectumsempra against two enemies gets you no more than a stern look from Professor Snape?
Bellatrix Lestrange explains this during her battle with Harry in the Department of Mysteries in The Order of the Phoenix.
Bellatrix screamed
The spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had. She was already back on her feet, breathless, no longer laughing. ‘Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?’ she yelled.
She had abandoned her baby voice now. ‘You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain, to enjoy it. Righteous anger won’t hurt me for long. I’ll show you how it’s done, shall I? I’ll give you a lesson.’
So, as Bellatrix explains, it’s all about the anger and desire that motivates the use of this curse. This is exactly why Avada Kedavra, alongside the Cruciatus and Imperius Curses, was classified as unforgivable.
Because the spell’s only use is to murder someone and to like it, whereas curses like Fiendfyre and Sectumsempra can be used for other things without a thirst for causing pain and suffering, and they don’t necessarily result in death.
So while Avada Kedavra may not be a fatal spell that causes intense agony or the only illegal deadly spell out there, it’s considered worse because of the immoral and evil intentions that fuel its magic.
And with that, we’ve come to the end of this theory. What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
