A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
1.Canonical Spells
2. Incantationless Spells and Spells With No Known Incantation
3. Noncanonical Spells (the spells that occur in the movies, video games etc.)
4. The Unforgivable Curses
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Use of these curses on a fellow human is enough land any witch or wizard in Azkaban for life. The magic behind each is very powerful, and typically requires a very strong will and desire. For example, to cast the Cruciatus Curse with efficiency, it has been suggested that one must be filled with hatred and the joy to inflict pain, as shown by Harry Potter's attempt to fire it off at Bellatrix Lestrange at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in the Ministry of Magic.
The Imperius Curse starts with the incantation Imperio and gives the wizard complete control over his victim. The experience of being controlled by this curse is described as a complete, wonderful release from any sense of responsibility or worry over one's actions, at the price of one's free will. However, it is possible for the victim to fight the curse: Harry Potter has shown some proficiency in resisting the curse, and both Barty Crouch Jr. and Barty Crouch Sr. learned to resist the curse after being subjected to its effects on a regular basis. Bode fought against Lucius Malfoy's Imperius Curse, and Hermione speculated that Sturgis Podmore was under the Imperius Curse when he was arrested for trying to force his way through the door to the Department of Mysteries in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Madam Rosmerta, the barmaid at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade, was placed under the Imperius Curse by Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and she in turn placed Katie Bell under the curse for a short time during the course of the book, in order to smuggle a necklace into the school, which was intended for use in Dumbledore's murder. "Imperare" is Latin for "order" or "command".
Associated with the incantation Crucio, the Cruciatus Curse inflicts intense physical pain upon the victim. "Crucio" (Latin) means "I torture/crucify", originating from "crux" (genitive "crucis"), which means "cross". (In medical Latin in the names of the cruciate ligaments in the knee, "cruciatus" means "arranged in cross shape".)
Several Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange (and presumably Barty Crouch Jr.), used this curse on Neville Longbottom's parents in an attempt to get information on Voldemort's whereabouts after his killing curse rebounded on him. They received no such information and were sent to Azkaban for their crimes, but the extensive torture drove Neville's parents insane.
Harry Potter himself attempted to use the curse on Bellatrix Lestrange during a climactic fight at the Ministry of Magic, but it did not have much effect — Lestrange revealed that the person performing the curse must enjoy inflicting pain, and that the "righteous anger" Harry was feeling at the time was insufficient. This may or may not actually be true, seeing that Lestrange had nothing to gain from informing Harry and that Harry hadn't had any opportunity to practice the curse (so he may not have applied it to maximum effectiveness). In any case, no one but Lestrange saw him attempt to use it, so he has not suffered consequences as a result.
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, an enraged Dolores Umbridge attempts to use the incantation on Harry, but Hermione Granger stops her just in time.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Draco Malfoy tries to use the Cruciatus Curse during a duel with Harry, but was interrupted after Harry used the Sectumsempra spell against him. Later in the book, Harry tries to use it against Snape, but his attempts are blocked.
(ah-VAH-dah keh-DAHV-rah)
The killing curse, incanted Avada Kedavra, causes the caster's wand to shoot green light, which, on contact with the victim, results in instant death. The curse has no known counter-curse: the only defense seems to be dodging out of the way or blocking it with a physical barrier, which is destroyed in the process. The spell does "nothing more" than kill the victim - it forces the life from their bodies in an instant. In other words, there are no side effects aside from collapsing dead.
"Avada Kedavra", unlike most of the spells in Harry Potter, may be derived from Aramaic, meaning "I will destroy as I speak". If this derivation is accurate, it is opposite to the famous Aramaic spell abracadabra (אברא כדברא, or "a-vra keh-dabra") which means "I will create as I speak", and differs from it in just one letter. It may alternatively be Sanskrit, with the 'Kedavra' part recalling the Sanskrit word for 'corpse' (cf. Latin: "cadaver"). In either case, this curse's incantation clearly marks it as a Dark corruption of the cosy conjurer's catchphrase.
Certain specific spells or conditions have deflected the effects of this curse: if someone else died unnecessarily to save the target's life (which has to be dispelled by other means); if the conditions exist for the Priori Incantatem effect; or if the target has a horcrux. Only two people have survived the curse: Harry Potter (his mother died to save his life) and Lord Voldemort (he has horcruxes, speculated by Dumbledore to number six, the seventh part of his soul residing in his body). The curse is regularly used by Lord Voldemort to kill his victims.
Used by Lord Voldemort to kill Lily and James Potter and attempt to kill Harry, by Wormtail to kill Cedric Diggory, and by the Half-Blood Prince to kill Albus Dumbledore. (See the article on Dumbledore for more information regarding his death.) This curse was first seen in GoF when the impostor Moody (i.e. Barty Crouch Jr. in diguise) showed it to Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts class by killing a spider.
Although this spell has never definitely been observed to have been performed non-verbally, Avada Kedavra is quite probably the spell Bellatrix Lestrange used to kill a fox (thinking that the sound it made might be a lurking Auror) while chasing Narcissa Malfoy near Spinner's End. Avada Kedavra is associated with a jet of green light and the fox seemed to be killed by the same.
Because the spell is very sophisticated and advanced Dark Magic, it could be performed non-verbally only by the most powerful Dark Wizards, Lord Voldemort (during his fight against Dumbledore) and Bellatrix Lestrange (killing the fox).
