Imperio

Classification

Curse

Description

Also known as the Imperius Curse, this is one of the places where Mrs. Rowling has left us a bit of a conundrum. How exactly does this curse work? Fan fiction author Old Crow has perhaps the most thoughtful explanation.

The Imperius curse was fairly easy to administer on a short-term basis. It was no particular feat for a competent wizard to cast the curse on an unsuspecting victim, and force him to torture his own family while the Death Eater was in the man's presence, then wake him up so that the victim could see the results of his own hand. At each juncture, the victim could be told what to do.

Long-term casting was an entirely different matter. It had been simple enough for Senior to place his son under the curse with the ongoing instruction, Sit in your room and stare at the wall . It would be completely different to hold a victim under the curse for months on end and tell them to Act normally and tell no one about what was going on. Twelve years ago, Riddle could have accomplished the task with some effort and with weekly reinforcement.¹

This explanation fits with both all sorts of Death Eaters many of which are described as having low intelligence casting this, along with the other unforgivables, with people in the Ministry having been mind controlled long term, and the various descriptions of fighting off the curse.

Found in

Primary Cannon : Mrs. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Kindle Location 3217. Pottermore Limited. American Kindle Edition.

Secondary Cannon : Old Crow. An Inconvenient Truth Chapter 8 Updated 2016-06-22. Published: 2009-05-24.