Nagini: If she's not a Horcrux, what the heck is she?

[julie]

No: HPFGUIDX 171967

"sdeepthi" <sdeepthi@> wrote:
> > Where in canon is it stated that Nagini is a python? 
> ==========================
> 
> Lisa:
> 
> Good question -- I thought I remembered it, and just googled it.  
> According to Wikipedia:
> "Nagini is a fictional animal from the Harry Potter series created 
by 
> JK Rowling. She is a large serpent, specifically a Brazilian Python 
who 
> is the loyal pet of the main antagonist of the series named Lord 
> Voldemort. Lord Voldemort is able to communicate with her due to an 
> unusual genetic trait that he recieved from his ancestor named 
Salazar 
> Slytherin. Both Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter are able to speak 
> Parselmouth, the language of snakes."
> Wikipedia, of course, is far from canon.  Perhaps the movie 
portrayed 
> Nagini as a python, and that's why it's sticking in my mind?
>

Julie:
I believe JKR also mentioned that when she wrote the first
book she thought pythons were poisonous. It was only later
that she realized they are not poisonous (they constrict
their prey). So Nagini is something that doesn't exist in
nature, a poisonous python. I don't really have a problem 
with this myself, given that the WW is full of creatures,
both real (owls) and mythological or invented (Hippogriffs),
who have certain magical abilities. So there's no reason 
Nagini couldn't have some sort of magically produced poison
(either as part of her own nature magical, or as something 
Voldemort's magic gave her).

Julie