Nagini

"Nagini tells me that the old Muggle caretaker is standing just outside the door. Step aside, Wormtail, so I can give our guest a proper greeting. Avada Kedavra!"

- Voldemort after Nagini speaks to him in Parseltongue

Nagini was a long, green female serpent belonging to Lord Voldemort. She can be compared to Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk, both of the snakes sharing an important role as a creature loyal to the Dark Lord. She can also be seen as a countpart to Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's Phoenix, or Hedwig, Harry Potter's pet owl, both sharing spiritual bonds with their owners.

Species
Nagini possesses highly poisonous venom that is capable of keeping wounds open and melting stitches. It is unknown what true species of snake Nagini was, though it was said she has a hood which may place her as a cobra. Although in the films she was portrayed as some species of python, this contradicts the book's description of her as a venomous snake. However, it is possible she is a fictional species of venomous python within the movie continuity.

Bond with Voldemort
Voldemort was able to communicate to Nagini due to the fact that he was a Parselmouth, which gave him a lot of command over Nagini. He also turned Nagini into one of his Horcruxes, which may have given him additional control over her, and an ability to communicate with her silently and across great distances, as she is able to signal to him when Harry Potter arrived at Godric's Hollow.

"Then she closed her eyes and several things happened at once: Harry's scar prickled painfully; the Horcrux twitched so that the front of his sweater actually moved; the dark, fetid room dissolved momentarily. He felt a leap of joy and spoke in a high, cold voice: Hold him!"

- Nagini, in Bathilda Bagshot's body, communicates with Voldemort According to Dumbledore, she is one of the few things Voldemort cares about, although partly due to her being a Horcrux.

Lord Voldemort was able to possess Nagini, which he did in December 1995, when he possessed her, entered the Ministry of Magic, and attacked Arthur Weasley, who was on watch duty for the Order of the Phoenix. Arthur barely survived this attack.

Use by Voldemort
Voldemort used Nagini to help him regain strength after he lived in a non-corporeal state after being struck by a Killing Curse that rebounded off an infant Harry Potter. With the help of Peter Pettigrew, he milked her venom, which helped him stay alive until he could regain a body. Nagini further kept Voldemort alive by serving as one of his Horcruxes; his habit of keeping her unusually close to him is what led to Albus Dumbledore suspecting that she had become a Horcrux.

Nagini was frequently used by Voldemort to kill others, or to dispose of their dead bodies. In 1995, he promised Nagini that she could devour Harry Potter after he had killed him. However, she was denied this when Harry escaped from the graveyard a bit after the promise was made. He also used Nagini in the aforementioned attempt to kill Arthur Weasley. In 1997, Voldemort's prisoner, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry' Muggle Studies teacher Charity Burbage, was fed to Nagini.

At Christmas in the same year, Nagini was stationed at Godric's Hollow, posing as Bathilda Bagshot using extremely powerful Dark Magic. When Harry and Hermione Granger arrived there, she lured them into the late witch's home, signaled Voldemort, and attacked Harry. Hermione came to his assistance, using a Blasting Curse against the snake, and the two escaped just before Voldemort arrived.

Later, on Potterwatch, Lee Jordan revealed that the remains of her body had been found after being informed by the Order of the Phoenix.



In 1998, Nagini was placed in a protection orb by the Dark Lord, who told her it was for her own good, while in reality he was only trying to ensure his own immortality. Later on, while in the Shrieking Shack she killed Severus Snape, under the orders of Voldemort, by biting his neck and injecting him with her deadly poison. After Voldemort tried to kill Harry Potter in the Forbidden Forest, she was released from the orb, as Voldemort believed there to be no more threat of her being killed. She was beheaded by Neville Longbottom during the Battle of Hogwarts, who cut off her head with the Godric Gryffindor's Sword.

Since she was Voldemort's last remaining Horcrux, her death set up the climatic duel between him and Harry Potter. With no Horcruxes remaining and thus mortal again, Voldemort's death in that duel was final.

Behind the scenes

 * "Nagini" comes from the Hindi word "Nagin" meaning, "Female snake". There is also a mythological snakelike creature of a similar name, Naga.
 * It was officially stated that the murder Voldemort used to make Nagini a Horcrux was Bertha Jorkins. However, she never appeared in the films alongside the other dead characters (as Harry's parents appeared right after Frank Bryce) so in the film timeline, he could have used the murder of Frank Bryce instead.
 * Nagini is killed by Neville using Gryffindor's Sword, which is an object that can destroy Horcruxes. It is unknown if living Horcruxes can be destroyed by anything that can't destroy an inanimate Horcrux, however it is likely, because the Horcrux inside Harry was destroyed by Voldemort using Avada Kedavra.
 * Nagini and the Basilisk are both giant snakes who serve Voldemort, and both are killed with Gryffindor's Sword, when someone pulls the sword out of the hat. Also both their deaths contributed to Voldemort becoming mortal (as the Basilisk fangs were used to destroy two Horcruxes).

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Nagini