Could you use the Imperius Curse to control a basilisk?

Question

Sorry if this is mentioned somewhere (I am by no definition a Harry Potter nerd), but can you use the Imperius Curse on magical creatures and by default a basilisk? If not, why?

Answer 1

Well, the legend says that Slytherin's Basilisk can only be controlled by the Heir of Slytherin:

'Sir - what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?'

That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the heir of Slytherin alone can control,' said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - p.115 - Bloomsbury - chapter 9, The Writing on the Wall

In addition to this, I find no reason to suspect that a mind-control spell should work on the King of Serpents, it is clearly an immensely powerful creature. The original Comic Relief Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them states:

Basilisks are uncontrollable except by Parselmouths

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them - p.4 - Bloomsbury

Which suggests to me that Basilisks are generally very difficult to dominate, because of their magic. Slytherin's Basilisk, according to the legend, is - on top of this - not merely uncontrollable except by Parselmouths, it's uncontrollable except by Slytherin (although that may be because the legend presumes that there aren't (m)any Parselmouths except Slytherin).

Answer 2

Probably not - most XXXXX creatures are resistant to spells.

The basilisk is very likely to be resistant to spells - it’s a highly dangerous creature, given an XXXXX danger rating by the Ministry of Magic. Basilisks specifically are stated to be only controllable by Parselmouths, making them still dangerous to most Dark wizards. Dark wizards are the most likely group to attempt using the Imperius Curse, so if they could possibly use it to make a basilisk do their bidding, they’re more likely to have tried it since they’d be much more willing to use Unforgivable Curses than average wizards. However, they’re apparently still unable to control them.

“However, since Basilisks are uncontrollable except by Parselmouths, they are as dangerous to most Dark wizards as to anybody else, and there have been no recorded sightings of Basilisks in Britain for at least four hundred years.”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

Many of the largest magical creatures, and the creatures classified as XXXXX, are either explicitly stated to be resistant to spells, or are considered so dangerous to wizards that it seems unlikely that magic would work on them, since if it did they should be easier to defeat. The Ministry of Magic classification XXXXX in fact means “impossible to train or domesticate”.

“Ministry of Magic (M.O.M.) Classification

XXXXX     Known wizard killer / impossible/ to train or domesticate”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

The Erumpent’s hide repels charms, and even more relevant, is said to repel curses specifically.

“Weighing up to a tonne, the Erumpent may be mistaken for a rhinoceros at a distance. It has a thick hide that repels most charms and curses, a large, sharp horn upon its nose and a long, rope-like tail.”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

Dragons are very strong and powerfully magical, and it takes a lot to subdue them.

“There’s a way, Harry. Don’t be tempted to try a Stunning Spell – dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner. You need about half-a-dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon –”
_{^{- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 19 (The Hungarian Horntail)}}

Graphorn hide also repels most spells.

“Graphorn hide is even tougher than a dragon’s and repels most spells.”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

The Manticore also has charm-repelling skin.

“Manticore skin repels almost all known charms and the sting causes instant death.”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

The Nundu isn’t explicitly mentioned as being resistant to magic, but as it’s stated to need a hundred skilled wizards to subdue it, it’s very likely it is.

“A gigantic leopard that moves silently despite its size and whose breath causes disease virulent enough to eliminate entire villages, it has never yet been subdued by fewer than a hundred skilled wizards working together.”
_{^{- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them}}

The other XXXXX creatures fall into this category as well - they’re not specifically stated as being immune to spells or magically powerful enough to resist them, but they likely are due to their difficulty to beat - if they were susceptible to spells, it would most likely be easier for them to be subdued, and they wouldn’t have such high danger ratings.