Voldemort’s most faithful and loyal companion was Nagini, his pet snake. But was she your everyday regular snake or a magical one in the Wizarding World?
When we were first introduced to Nagini in Harry Potter, she was nothing more than Lord Voldemort’s pet snake turned Horcrux, who inevitably died at the hands of Neville Longbottom.
However, ever since the introduction of the Fantastic Beasts series, and more importantly, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwad, questions have been raised over if Nagini was just your everyday normal snake, or if there was much more too her than that.
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This is because theories have risen explaining Nagini the snake, was once Nagini the person, and we will learn this in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
So let’s take a quick look at the evidence on both sides.
Nagini is a normal snake
Going off our knowledge of Harry Potter, the only thing we can say for certain about Nagini being a normal snake is that she looks like one.
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The rest of the knowledge we have about her points in the direction that Nagini is magical, it just depends on your view whether you take the magic as coming from her or someone else.
Image courtesy of Warner Brothers
Nagini is a magical snake
Nagini did a lot of things in Harry Potter that is not possible for a normal snake.
Voldemort first of all, had an unusual amount of control over her compared with other snakes. Is this because she was more intelligent and magical or because she was transformed into a Horcrux? You decide.
Her venom was used in the unicorn potion to keep Voldemort stay alive while in his gross baby form in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Wormtail would milk the venom and create the potion. Did the venom contain magical properties because she was magical? Or would any old snake venom have worked?
Nagini appeared inside Bathilda Bagshot in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Did she magically do this or did someone perform the magic, a.k.a Voldemort, for her?
There are a lot of acts that can point to the snake being magical but can easily be explained away as well.
Nagini origin
The main issue is the origin of Nagini is unknown. It has never been said how she met Voldemort or when, she just appeared. J.K. Rowling is usually very good at connecting all the dots and flushing out our characters, so to have so little detail seems fishy. As if she is holding onto the information to use at a later date.
This is why the theory about her origins being be introduced in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is so strong. There is much evidence to say Nagini could be this magical snake with a back-story, but equally, just a normal snake.
We will just have to wait and see what happens in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Where do you stand on this one? Do you think Nagini is a magical creature? Or an everyday random snake that can be found in the Albanian forest? Share what you think by leaving a comment below.