Resisting The Imperious Curse

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 27934

Scott wrote:
> what i amd wondering in concern to the whole ordeal is
> not only why you young Mr. Crouch gave the practice to
> Harry but also why is it that he didn't let
> he-who-must-not-be-named know of the threat? 

Lucy wrote:> 

> > The thing that really gets me, is WHY does
> > Crouch/Moody teach Harry how to throw off the
> > Imperious Curse? He already knows Harry is very
> > unusual, and plans to give him to Voldemort to kill,
> > so why on earth does he give him all that extra
> > practice in that class to give Harry another weapon
> > to use???
> > 

Hi Scott and Lucy,

At the very real risk that this has been discussed before, I had a 
thought.  I have always thought the reason Crouch/Moody teaches Harry 
how to resist the Imperio curse is because Dumbledore asked him to, 
or he thinks he needs to do it to stay "in character."  I also 
figured that Crouch/Moody wouldn't bother to tell Voldemort because 
Imperio isn't a crucial component of Voldemort's plan to kill Harry.

But how about this theory instead?  Maybe the Imperio Curse is only 
as strong as the wizard casting it.  If so, then Crouch/Moody 
wouldn't need to worry about teaching Harry how to throw it off or 
worry about telling Voldemort.  Voldemort is much more powerful than 
Crouch/Moody, so even if Harry can resist Crouch/Moody's Imperio, 
Harry won't necessarily stand a chance of resisting Voldemort's 
Imperio.  Should the day ever come (as it did) that Voldemort would 
need to put Harry under the Imperio Curse, then the training Harry 
received from Crouch/Moody still wouldn't be a threat to Voldemort.  
So there'd be no reason for Crouch/Moody even to tell Voldemort about 
the training, as it is unimportant.

There is a teaspoon of canon to support this idea that the Imperio 
curse is only as strong as the wizard casting it.  Presumably, 
Wormtail places Crouch Sr. under the Imperius Curse, and Crouch Sr. 
is able to throw it off, and we know Wormtail is a "talentless thing" 
(according to Sirius).  Also, we are told by Karkarov that 
Mulciber "specializes" in the Imperius Curse, which suggests that 
there is some benefit from having your Imperius specialist place the 
curse on someone rather than having someone less skilled or powerful 
do it.  

Also, consider how long it takes various wizards to cast off the 
Imperius curse cast by various wizards.  Crouch Sr. (powerful wizard) 
is able to cast off Wormtail's (talentless wizard) Imperius Curse in 
a few months.  Crouch Jr. (competent wizard) takes years to throw off 
Crouch Sr.'s (powerful wizard) Imperius curse.  Crouch Jr. (competent 
wizard) doesn't take chances and rely only on the Imperius curse to 
control the real Moody (powerful wizard); he stuns him too.

Of course, if this theory holds, then it is proof positive that Harry 
is stronger than Voldemort, because he threw off Voldemort's Imperius 
curse in seconds.  

Does this theory add up?

Cindy (as Bagman would say, "this should shorten the odds on Mr. 
Potter")