Now, I'm not a herpetologist, *but*...

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 115348


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "nkafkafi" <nkafkafi at y...> wrote:

> > 
> > bboyminn:
> > 
> > Not quite, you missed one very important part. 
> > 
> > -Ootp AM ed, HB, pg 462-
> > "...It was dark, yet he could see objects around him shimmering in
> > strange, vibrant colors. ..."
> > 
> > That implies Infra-red seeing to me.
> > 


> Neri again:
> Just to clarify my meaning, I didn't say Nagini doesn't see in infra
> red. It certainly seems likely from the description .... We also 
> don't know if invisibility cloaks block IR frequencies or not. All I
> say is that we don't have canon here that Nagini sees through 
> Invisibility cloaks. Had JKR wanted to imply it she would have 
> written the cloak falling from Arthur's body, not his legs.


bboyminn:

OK, vaild point about seeing through the invisibility cloak. In the
strictest sense I don't think the snake can see through the cloak but
because it has infrared/heat sensing capability, it can still 'see'
Arthur Weasley, but not necessarily /see/ in the most common visual sense.

It seems the room is dark and the torches are out, but the snake can
finds it's way and can see what is happening to Mr. Weasley. So, I
suspect it can detect heat throught the cloak; I don't see any reason
why it couldn't. The cloak is gossamer thin which logically wouldn't
block much heat. Of course, it not always easy to apply common logic
to the world of magic. 

For the record nightvision goggles are typically in gradients of black
and white or black and green. However, scientific heat sensing
equipment usually shows a gradient of heat as a range of colors. I
think it gets down to how much you want to spend on the equipment. 

How a biological entity like a snake uses heat sensing is probably
something we can never know, but the color gradient is a common image
associated with visual heat detection, and I think as an author JKR
was playing off of that common image.

So, in the common normal visual sense, I don't think the snake could
see through the cloak, but from the perspective of heat detect, I'm
sure the snake can detect heat gradients under the cloak.

Can't prove it, but none the less, that's were I stand.

Steve/bboyminn (was bboy_mn)