Unforgivable Curses

Three "Unforgivable Curses" are introduced in Harry Potter, which are punishable by a life sentence in Azkaban prison. These are the "Killing Curse" (avada kedavra) causing immediate death, the "Cruciatus Curse" (crucio) causing intense pain, and the "Imperius Curse" (imperio) used for mind control or hypnosis. The Dark Arts are magical spells and practices that are usually used for malicious purposes. Practitioners of the Dark Arts are referred to as Dark wizards such as Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters. The type of spells characteristic of the Dark Arts are known as curses, which usually cause harm to the target. In the wizarding world, use of the Dark Arts is strongly stigmatised and certain spells are illegal.