Harry Potter: Sectumsempra Should Be An Unforgivable Curse
The Harry Potter books and movies feature plenty of dark charms, including curses--and Snape's "Sectumsempra" should be on the list of "unforgivable" ones. According to Dumbledore, there's been an official list of off-limits, malicious curses since 1717. They include "Avada Kedavra" (the Killing Curse, which causes instant and painless death), "Crucio" (the Cruciatus Curse, which causes the recipient to be tortured with excruciating pain), and "Imperio" (the Imperius Curse, which makes the recipient blindly follow the caster's command). Whether performed by a wizard or a Muggle, using any of these is considered illicit and sinister--earning the caster a life sentence in the infamous Harry Potter prison Azkaban.
While he himself was a student at Hogwart's, Professor Severus Snape created Sectumsempra (in Latin, sectum means "to cut" and semper means "always" or "ever"), which causes brutal lacerations on the target's body, as if they've been slashed with an invisible blade. He invented the curse for the use of retaliation against his bullies at school (one of whom was Harry's father, James). The bitter young wizard recorded this dark magic in one of his textbooks while he still went by the name "The Half-Blood Prince." And in the eponymous film, the book finds its way into Harry's possession while he's receiving his own wizardry education.
One potently memorable moment from the movie is when Harry uses Sectumsempra on Draco during a fight, still unaware of its exact ramifications. Naturally, he's horrified when he realizes that he's inflicted nearly fatal wounds on his enemy. Snape is able to save Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter's inadvertent cruelty, but if the curse's inventor wasn't there to save him, he surely would succumb to his wounds. Between this instance and other scenes where the malicious curse is used (like Snape accidentally severing George Weasely's ear during the Battle of the Seven Potters), it doesn't make sense as to why Sectumsempra doesn't make the "Unforgivable Curse" cut.
After all, curses that involve murder, torture, and mind control (which can also be used for such violence) are barred as off-limits from the world of magic. Surely, life-threatening lacerations are torturous - and possibly even murderous - in their own right. Granted, since Snape invented this curse, it's likely that it hasn't been used much - probably flying under the radar for the most part during the Harry Potter series.
Still, it's such a worrisome curse - especially when Snape is so proficient at casting it. Clearly, he's at least been putting effort into honing his ability with it. And especially after Harry unleashed Sectumsempra's ferocity on Draco, this violent curse should have made its way onto the list. With the right amount of ill will in someone's heart, this malicious, Snape-contrived dark charm can easily do enough damage to qualify someone for a life sentence in Azkaban.
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