Crouch!Moody and the Unforgiveable Curses

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 96496

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister"
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Steve" <bboy_mn at y...> wrote:
> 
> bboy_mn:
>  
> > The Curciatus Curse is a SUSTAINED curse, not a 'curse and duck' 
> curse.
> > 
> > In all cases of the Pain curse, the wizard has to cast the spell and
> > continue to sustain the spell by intent. Only when a wizard or witch
> > withdraws their wand and their intent does the curse cease.
> > 

> 
> Geoff:
> This raises an interesting point.
> 
> ... taking what we are told at face value, it has been indicated on 
> more than one occasion in canon that the Longbottoms were tortured 
> into insanity using the Cruciatus curse. If the spell can only be 
> maintained by the wizard keeping their wand trained on the victim, 
> then for how long did someone lke Bellatrix have to stand over Frank 
> and his wife before they cracked? ...edited... Just a thought.

bboy_mn:

Not 100% sure what you main point is. Are you questioning the total
amount of time before they 'cracked', or are you questioning whether
in RL a person would actually stand in one spot for that amount of
time sustaining a single curse?

First, I don't think the Longbottoms were tortured for the sole
purpose of making them insane. The torturers wanted answers as to
Voldemort's were abouts. To get answers from a tortured victim, you
have to periodically stop the torture and ask them a question. If you
don't get the answer you want, then you start the torture again.

Given that, I doubt that they used one continuous sustained curse
unbroken during the entier period of time. For many practical reason,
you must pause the torture periodically, and that holds true even if
the only point of the torture is just good clean fun (DE style).

Just a thought.

bboy_mn