Curse

"An' anyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."

- Rubeus Hagrid to first year Harry Potter

A curse is a tool of the Dark Arts and one of the seven known spell types and the worst kind of Dark Magic. Curses are used with the intention of causing harm, control, or even death to the victim.

Nature
A curse is classified as a Dark spell, which is primarily defined as any spell that consistently affects the object in a negative manner, usually associated with varying levels of discomfort. A curse is the worst kind of dark magic intended to affect the target in a severely negative manner.

Curses are the most wicked, strongest, longest-lasting, and are less reversible of the Dark spell types. The Unforgivable Curses are the strongest known Dark spells in existence, as their effects are very powerful and their use requires skill.

Curses that do not kill the target may remain within the victim's body, and be passed down as a genetic defect that can resurface generations later. Astoria Malfoy was such a person, as her ancestor passed down a curse that showed up in her, causing Astoria's body to be frail, and childbirth was what weakened her to the point of death a few years later.

Usage
Like hexes, Hogwarts students learn only a few of them in school. However, students studying Defence Against the Dark Arts learn how to deal with them using defensive magic. Most curses can be blocked or lifted by a counter-curse, with the most notable exceptions being the Killing curse and the Cruciatus Curse, two of the Unforgivable Curses.

Behind the scenes

 * Wizards may have the ability to send curses in the post. This is unconfirmed, but in a piece of Hermione Granger's hate mail claimed that it is possible.
 * According to W.O.M.B.A.T., it may not be possible to cure a curse victim without the correct counter-curse.
 * J. K. Rowling defined curses as "the worst kinds of dark magic".

Appearances

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Notes and references
Maldición Malédiction (définition) Maledizione pt-br:Maldição