Can the Cruciatus Curse kill?

[ellejir]

No: HPFGUIDX 78331

Wanda wrote:
> We know that if it's used enough, the Cruciatus Curse can drive 
> someone insane (the Longbottoms).  Can it possibly kill someone, or 
> can that only be done by the AK?

Me:
Good question.  While it is not explicitly stated in canon, my 
initial response was *No* as we have an example (actually two 
examples), in the Longbottoms, of what happens when the curse is used 
in the extreme. 

But....on further reflection, it is *not* unreasonable to assume that 
someone can be tortured to death.  Harry is certainly worried that LV 
is going to *kill* Sirius after he sees the vision of Voldemort 
torturing Sirius with the Cruciatus curse.  Sirius's death could 
occur in one of two ways:

1.  Sirius dies due to the repetitive use of the Cruciatus curse 
(assuming that this is a possibility) or

2.  LV gets tired of Sirius's defiance and finishes him off with a 
well-placed AK curse (less likely, I think.  Voldemort is a patient 
guy.)

It appears that torture by the Cruciatus curse differs from RW 
torture in that the victim is not left with any physical 
marks/injuries.  It is possible that the Cruciatus curse causes the 
neurologic perception of pain rather than actual physical injury to 
the end organ (i.e. like an electrode stimulating a pain fiber versus 
actual sharp or blunt trauma to the body part served by that pain 
fiber.)  Even if that is the case, it would be possible for the 
Cruciatus curse to kill by causing a fatal cardiac event (such as an 
arrhythmia or heart attack.) 

Elle (apologizing for the "double post" of earlier this afternoon and 
assuring all that she has already ironed her own hands)