Summary

  • Fans of Harry Potter know Nagini as Lord Voldemort's closest ally and the only creature he loves. She was also one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
  • While people assumed that Nagini was a regular snake or even a magical snake, she was in reality a Maledictus, a woman cursed to become an animal. In her case, a snake. This was revealed in The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise and has ignited many questions about Nagini and Voldemort's relationship.
  • People believe Voldemort might have met Nagini during his time without a body in Albany many years after she turned into a snake, which led to their unusual bond.

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR's continuing coverage on Rowling here.

Nagini, Voldemort's beloved snake, is an important part of Harry Potter's terrifying villain. As Voldemort's closest ally, Nagini is also a Horcrux, one of eight pieces into which Voldemort divided his soul. However, the question arises of how the Dark Lord came across such a creature and decided it would be the contender for the most important of his Horcruxes, especially taking into account how risky it was for Voldemort to choose another living thing to store a piece of his soul. How Voldemort and Nagini met becomes increasingly intriguing, taking into account the events of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, where Nagini is depicted as a Maledictus, a human woman cursed to eventually become a snake. This means that Nagini isn't a regular snake, but an actual person turned into this creature, who Voldemort eventually chose as his loyal companion.

When Voldemort first appears in full form in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, his figure is menacing, and his noseless face resembles that of a snake. Throughout the previous Harry Potter entries, the story pointed to how the evil character was connected to snakes. The house of Slytherin, to which he belonged at Hogwarts, is represented by a snake symbol. Voldemort could also speak to snakes, and thanks to this ability, he was the only one who could control the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Therefore, it wasn't that surprising when Voldemort showed up accompanied by a larger-than-usual snake, but people still wonder how Voldemort got Nagini.

Updated on January 21, 2024, by Andrea Sandoval: Nagini is one of the most important characters in the Harry Potter series. As Voldemort's companion, she's as deathly and ruthless as the villain himself. She has attacked several characters in the franchise, including Harry Potter, Arthur Weasley, and Severus Snape, the latter of whom died from her wounds. Voldemort also often fed her with the bodies of the people he killed. Because of this, it's hard to believe that the Nagini introduced in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the same one that acts as Voldemort's loyal ally. How Nagini changed her moral alignment and how she met Voldemort are some of the biggest questions the fandom has. We updated this article to include more information about Nagini and how she met Voldemort.

When Did Voldemort Meet Nagini?

Nagini hissing in the Harry Potter series

Full Name:

Nagini

Status:

Maledictus turned into a snake

Birthday:

Before 1927

Death:

May 2, 1998

Related
Fantastic Beasts 2’s Deleted Scenes Fleshed Out Nagini & Credence’s Relationship
Nagini's inclusion in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald felt unnecessary, but deleted scenes showed the depth of her connection to Credence.

In Harry Potter, Nagini is one of Voldemort's closest allies, if not the closest. He turns her into a Horcrux, which attests to how close they are and how much Voldemort trusts his snake companion. In fact, Voldemort turned Nagini into one of his Horcruxes partly because that would also give Nagini an immortal life, which speaks of the kind of love that Voldemort had for this creature. Dumbledore eventually refers to Voldemort as being as fond of Nagini "as he could be of anything." However, the story of how they met is difficult to piece together.

There's been speculation he may have found her while in exile in Albania between 1981 and 1994, where he assumed a phantom-like form and possessed many animals (however, only snakes could bear him inhabiting their bodies). During this time, Voldemort killed a witch called Bertha Jorkins, and J. K. Rowling confirmed it was through her murder that he turned Nagini into a Horcrux (via Wizarding World), so it makes sense that Voldemort met Nagini during this time. This could have something to do with Voldemort's ability to speak Parseltongue, which was explored during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and which also allowed Tom Riddle to control the Basilisk living in Hogwarts.

However, Nagini was reintroduced in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which complicated the previous assumption that he'd met her in Albania, although it doesn't make it invalid. The film is set in 1927 and reveals that Nagini wasn't a regular snake but instead a Maledictus, a human woman cursed to transform into a snake. In The Crimes of Grindelwald, she is a young woman who befriends Credence Barebone while at Circus Arcanus, and the two become close due to their similarly tragic pasts. They plan an escape, and she helps Credence on his path to discover his true identity. Still, Grindelwald lures Credence into joining him, and he can't see the dark wizard's true nature as she does.

How Did Nagini End Up With Voldemort?

Voldemort's Most Loyal Allies:

Most Terrible Things They Did:

Nagini

Brutally attacked Severus Snape, who bled to death, even though Lord Voldemort considered him his most loyal servant.

Bellatrix Lestrange

Used the Cruciatus Curse to torture Neville's parents, Alice and Frank Longbottom, to the point where they lost awareness of themselves and their surroundings, and have to live in St Mungo's Hospital.

Barty Crouch Jr.

Murdered his father, Barty Crouch.

Peter Pettigrew

Revealed the location of the Potter's house, which led to their death.

Antonin Dolohov

Killed Remus Lupin.

Related
10 Most Loyal Creatures in Harry Potter
The Harry Potter movies featured many magical creatures, but only a few of them were truly loyal companions throughout the franchise.

Nagini implores Credence to stay with her, but his nature as an Obscurial, a wizard who develops a parasitical dark force due to his magic abilities being suppressed with abuse, is difficult to overcome. Credence joins forces with Grindelwald while Nagini joins Newt Scamander and Dumbledore in a Global Wizarding War, an event that was further developed in the next chapter of the series: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In short, no one knows exactly how Nagini ends up as Voldemort's closest ally. Evidently, something happened between the time of her joining Newt and the events of Harry Potter that pushed her to the dark side. It's likely that Nagini spent a considerable amount of time as a snake without knowing other people, so it makes sense that she eventually created a strong bond with Lord Voldemort, who was able to talk to snakes.

She might even have met Voldemort while still human, and he was still Tom Riddle. However, given how difficult it was becoming for her to maintain her transformations during the Fantastic Beasts arc, it seems unlikely. If that were the case, however, perhaps a romance between the two ends up in the strongest of bonds. There might be something in the young Tom Riddle that resembles Nagini's previous relationship with Credence, who is very similar to Lord Voldemort. Nagini did not appear in Secrets of Dumbledore, but there's definitely room for continued curiosity about how she became Voldemort's closest and most trusted ally. Many fans speculated that by the time Voldemort and Nagini came in contact with one another, she had likely been trapped in her snake form for several years without anyone to communicate with.

Alone, and perhaps even feeling desperate, she encounters Lord Voldemort. Connecting with someone who could see into her thoughts and speak with her, there is a strong possibility that in their communications they developed a real relationship. Whatever the origin of their relationship, there's no denying the closeness of their bond; after all, Nagini did allow Voldemort to turn her into a Horcrux. A story as intriguing and tragic as Nagini's has a lot of potential for exploration. Hopefully, audiences will see more of her character in the future on the Wizarding World website or even in another Harry Potter adaptation. At this time, however, fans can only imagine the origins of Voldemort and Nagini's dark and strange relationship.

Harry Potter 8 Movie Collector's Edition featuring all movie art
Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by
J.K. Rowling
First Film
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Latest Film
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Upcoming TV Shows
Harry Potter
Cast
Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Emma Watson , Maggie Smith , Alan Rickman , Helena Bonham Carter , Ralph Fiennes , Michael Gambon
Where to watch
HBO Max
Spin-offs (Movies)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald , Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Character(s)
Harry Potter , Voldemort
Video Game(s)
Hogwarts Legacy , LEGO Harry Potter Collection , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells , Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets , Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2