Pelo que entendi, Crucio estimula todos os receptores de dor no corpo, causando uma dor incrível. Então, teoricamente, não deveria haver nada no mundo mais doloroso do que a Maldição Cruciatus. É correto dizer que a maldição é a coisa mais dolorosa do mundo, desde que tenha uma forte intenção?
Parece que Crucio pode causar a quantidade máxima de dor que pode ser sentida, se for conjurada corretamente e o lançador realmente quiser causar dor. Quando o Lorde das Trevas lança Crucio em Harry, ele causa mais dor do que nunca - e ele sofreu vários acidentes de quadribol e teve seus ossos recuperados.
“Voldemort moved slowly forward, and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand. ‘Crucio!’
It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced; his very bones were on fire; his head was surely splitting along his scar; his eyes were rolling madly in his head; he wanted it to end … to black out … to die …”
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters)
Também não é possível "acostumar-se" aos efeitos de uma Maldição Cruciatus lançada corretamente. A segunda vez que o Lorde das Trevas lança Crucio em Harry, Harry não se sai melhor contra ele.
“Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was … white-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surelyl going to burst with pain; he was screaming more loudly than he’d ever screamed in his life –”
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 34 (Priori Incantatem)
No entanto, a Maldição Cruciatus causaria apenas a quantidade máxima de dor que pode ser sentida if é lançada corretamente e o lançador realmente gosta de causar dor. Uma Maldição Cruciatus fracamente lançada não causaria nem de longe essa quantidade de dor. Quando Harry tenta lançar Crucio em Bellatrix, ela não se contorce ou grita de dor, e se levanta e retoma o duelo logo após a tentativa de Crucio de Harry.
“Hatred rose in Harry such as he had never known before; he flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed, ‘Crucio!’
Bellatrix screamed: the spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had – she was already back on her feet, breathless, no longer laughing. Harry dodged behind the golden fountain again. Her counter-spell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet away, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36 (The Only One He Ever Feared)
Quando Bellatrix lança Crucio em Neville, ele se contorce gritando, e mesmo depois que acaba, ele fica lá chorando aos pés dela.
“Bellatrix raised her wand. ‘Crucio!’
Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.
‘That was just a taster!’ said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville’s screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet.”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
A diferença entre uma Maldição Cruciatus lançada corretamente e uma fraca é tanto na habilidade quanto nas intenções do lançador. Como Bellatrix diz a Harry, você precisa causar dor e gostar de causar dor para lançar Crucio de maneira eficaz.
“Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?’ she yelled. She had abandoned her baby voice now. ‘You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain – to enjoy it – righteous anger won’t hurt me for long – I’ll show you how it is done, shall I? I’ll give you a lesson –”
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 36 (The Only One He Ever Feared)
Há também uma certa quantidade de habilidade mágica necessária para ser capaz de lançar Crucio, já que Snape diz a Harry que ele não tem coragem ou capacidade de lançar Maldições Imperdoáveis.
“Cruc—’ yelled Harry for the second time, aiming for the figure ahead illuminated in the dancing firelight, but Snape blocked the spell again; Harry could see him sneering.
‘No Unforgivable Curses from you, Potter!’ he shouted over the rushing of the flames, Hagrid’s yells and the wild yelping of the trapped Fang. ‘You haven’t got the nerve or the ability –”
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
Portanto, embora pareça que a Maldição Cruciatus possa causar a quantidade máxima de dor que pode ser sentida, ela nem sempre causa esse nível de dor - só ocorre se lançada por um mago que é habilidoso o suficiente para lançá-la e também gosta de causar dor.