Killing Curse

"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it - you could all get your wands out and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed."

- Barty Crouch, Jr. as Alastor Moody

The Killing Curse is a spell that causes instantaneous death and is one of the three Unforgivable Curses. There is no known counter-curse or cure for it; however, one may dodge the green bolt or use a physical barrier to block it. An explosion or green fire may result if the spell hits something other than a living target. Lord Voldemort was famous for using this curse regularly and indiscriminately. Its incantation is Avada Kedavra.

Appearance and Effect
The Killing Curse is described as a jet of blinding green light, which causes the victim instant death. A death caused by this curse may be physically painless; "echoes" of previous victims have asserted the death felt "quicker and easier than falling asleep". However, upon waking up from his near-death experience, Harry Potter felt the curse's afterfeel and described it in a similar manner to that of a sledgehammer shot to the chest.

Victims of the Killing Curse that have been examined with Muggle methods are known to show no visible signs of trauma.

Fatality
Only one person is known to have survived a direct application of the curse: Harry Potter, who was saved when his mother, Lily Evans, lovingly sacrificed herself by blocking the spell with her body. Over a decade later, Harry would survive the curse another three times: once during Priori Incantatem in his battle against Lord Voldemort in the graveyard in his fourth year. Again, in 1998 when the curse killed only the Horcrux inside him, and once more when the wand being used to curse him, the Elder Wand, refused to destroy him because Harry was its true master.

Phoenixes are also immune to the Killing Curse. In 1996, Fawkes swallowed one intended for Albus Dumbledore. He burst into flames, and was reborn from his ashes.

The Killing Curse can be survived if it is dodged or physically blocked by an object, such as the statues Dumbledore animated to protect Harry Potter during his duel with Voldemort after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

The Killing Curse is not the only spell that will cause death to a living creature. Other spells may cause injury or bleeding, such as Fiendfyre, Sectumsempra, or the Stunning Spell.

Disputed Uses

 * Barty Crouch Jr admitted to the murder of his father, Barty Crouch Sr, but never identified his method of killing as the Killing Curse.
 * In 1996, Bellatrix Lestrange cursed Sirius Black with something that sent him through the Veiled Arch in the Department of Mysteries, but it has never been proven this was in fact the Killing Curse. In the books, a jet of light hits him "squarely on the chest", however exactly what spell was used is unclear . In the film, she uses the Killing Curse.
 * Bellatrix Lestrange slew a fox with a nonverbal spell producing a "flash of green light" in 1996. However, it is not explicitly clear that she used the Killing Curse.
 * Alastor Moody was killed in 1997 by a curse that resulted in his death during the Battle over Little Whinging. Again, it is not explicitly clear that the Killing Curse was used.
 * Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were both killed during the Battle of Hogwarts, by Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange, respectively. Their bodies were described as peaceful-looking; the Killing Curse is known to not cause any external marks, though it is possible that they were killed with different spells.
 * Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix Lestrange with a spell that struck her in the heart, but it cannot be proven that she used the Killing Curse. Not only that, but Lestrange realized she was about to die; she did not die instantly, which is what the Curse does.

Etymology
Avada Kedavra is based on the Aramaic אבדא כדברא avada kedavra, meaning "I destroy as I speak".

Behind the scenes

 * In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film), Lucius Malfoy says "Avada" at Harry after he unwittingly frees Dobby. Dobby knocks Lucius backwards with magic to protect Harry, and he doesn't finish the incantation. The part of the incantation shown, for plot reasons, was not represented in the subtitles.
 * In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), Bellatrix Lestrange is shown using the curse and the incantation to kill Sirius Black, which was fundamentally different from the same scene in the book.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Avada Kedavra Avada Kedavra Авада Кедавра