The Unforgivables Curses

[corinthum]

No: HPFGUIDX 95002

Siriusly Snapey Susan wrote:
 
> I'm wondering, too, about what Bella told Harry about really having 
> to MEAN it for [the Cruciatus Curse] to work.  Maybe that was true; 
> maybe it wasn't & 
> she was toying w/ his confidence.  But maybe it's that it's true 
>*for 
> that particular unforgivable*--Crucio!--and not necessarily for all 
> three.  It seems pretty likely you'd need to MEAN it for AK as 
>well.  
> But maybe Imperio! is easier to cast?  Maybe that's why Crouch!
>Moody 
> [presumably w/ DD's approval] allowed the students to practice 
> Imperio! without getting into trouble?  I mean, if it's the one of 
> the three curses which we know you can shake OFF w/ practice, maybe 
> it's also simpler to cast?


I beleive that one has to "really mean it" to cast any spell.  
However, I think this refers to the process of casting the spell 
rather than the outcome.  For a difficult charm, this means that one 
has to be concentrating entirely on casting the spell, without being 
distracted by thoughts of the outcome.

When Harry tried to cast the Cruciatus Curse, he wasn't thinking 
about the spell itself.  He was thinking about Sirius and Bellatrix 
and his guilt and hurt and anger.  I'm certain that at that moment, 
he really, truly meant to hurt Bellatrix.  But he was concentrating 
too much on the outcome to concentrate on the process, and therefore 
was unsuccessful in sustaining the charm.

We seem a similar thing take place when Harry casts the Patronus 
Charm at the beginning of OoP.  During his first two attempts, he 
truly wanted the charm to work.  However, his mind was wandering all 
over the place (How did the dementors get there?  How many are 
there?  Where's Dudley?  How can this be happening? etc.)  It was 
only when he had almost given up hope, and let himself concentrate 
completely on the single thought of his friends, that he was able to 
properly create a patronus.

With regards to the Cruciatus Curse, this would imply that the ones 
who are best at it are those who aren't intent on causing their 
victims pain.  Makes sense, doesn't it?  No? :)

Actually, it does to me.  Many people have commented that they can 
think of no circumstances where a person would cast the Cruciatus 
curse without truly meaning harm.  But take, for example, a normal, 
good witch or wizard who experiences some trauma, and for a short 
time, maybe just a moment, feels the need to hurt someone terribly.  
It certainly happens in the real world; why not the wizarding world?  
However, said average witch or wizard would be concentrating on his 
or her own pain and the pain he or she would like at the moment to 
inflict on the victim.  As a result, he or she would probably not be 
successful.

On the other hand, we have DEs like Bellatrix, who think nothing of 
casting the curse.  To them, causing great pain to another is no 
cause for concern.  They cast the curse without the connected 
emotions that most people would feel.  No guilt, no anger, just 
indifference, and as a result, they are very good at it.

-Corinth