Snake

A snake (also called a serpent) is a long, thin, legless reptile. The symbol of Slytherin house is the serpent, and the dark wizard Lord Voldemort had a pet snake named Nagini. There are many types of snakes in the magical world, but the biggest and most dangerous of them all is the Basilisk also known as the King of Serpents. The spell Serpensortia creates a snake from the caster’s wand, while the spell Vipera Evanesca gets rid of it. The spell for Fiendfyre creates fiery serpents and dragons. The skin of boomslang, a species of a snake known only by wizards is an ingredient of Polyjuice Potion. Voldemort's mark, the Dark Mark, is a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. In 1991 during a trip to a zoo, Harry Potter accidentally set loose a Boa constrictor on his cousin Dudley Dursley. In 1995, Harry Potter witnessed, in dream, the snake Nagini's attack on Arthur Weasley.

Language
Snakes speak a language called Parseltongue. Only a select few wizards can speak this language, most of whom were Dark wizards. They are called Parselmouths. Some known Parselmouths are Salazar Slytherin, Marvolo Gaunt, Morfin Gaunt, Merope Gaunt, Lord Voldemort, Ginny Weasley (while under the influence of Tom Riddle's Diary), and Harry Potter (although he lost the ability later).

Species of snake

 * Ashwinder
 * Basilisk
 * Boa constrictor
 * Boomslang
 * Python
 * Runespoor
 * Cobra
 * Common adder
 * Rattlesnake

Notable snakes

 * Nagini
 * Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk
 * Herpo the Foul's Basilisk
 * Boa constrictor at the Zoo
 * Draco Malfoy's Serpensortia snake
 * Morfin's first snake

Behind the scenes

 * Snakes are easier to conjure from nothing than any other animal, apart from birds.
 * Snakes are an enemy in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 and also an ingredient for the Ageing Potion.
 * In the same game Snake Marks are used as keys to open or move something. These can only be used by Harry Potter and Tom Riddle because they are Parseltongues.
 * One of the forms that the Fiendfyre took was a snake.
 * Snakes are usually attributed to the Dark Arts simply due to them being affiliated with Dark Wizards such as Salazar Slytherin, Herpo the Foul and Lord Voldemort.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * Pottermore
 * Wonderbook: Book of Spells