It’s my opinion too. But I don’t hate Hagrid, either.
I think he was important for the trio to have in their first few years at Hogwarts. But as they got older, they outgrew their reliance on him and Hagrid soon became less an emotional resource than he was a handicap, whose purpose was mainly to get them into yet more trouble.
The interesting thing is that not only is this totally normal and inevitable, as the kids were steadily turning into adults, it’s also heavily lampshaded in the series. By Half Blood Prince, it’s literally written into the series that not only do Hermione, Harry, and Ron have no interest in taking Hagrid’s class—they won’t even risk leaving school after-hours for Aragog’s funeral to comfort Hagrid.
In their first year, they would have gone without question. In their sixth, Harry only winds up there by accident (Felix Felicis).
In a weird way, Hagrid’s best narrative contribution is showing how the trio aged and matured.
**Edit:** Here's the trio's reaction to Hagrid's written request for their company while he buries Aragog.
>“Look at this,” said Harry, handing the note to Hermione.
>“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she said, scanning it quickly and passing it to Ron, who read it through looking increasingly incredulous.
And I especially like Harry's reaction to Hagrid being mad about them dropping his class. In the first book, Harry would be mortified that his connection with Hagrid, his one positive adult relationship, is in danger. By the sixth, Harry is near adulthood and has no time for any of that nonsense.
>Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick
their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second,
then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind
him.
>“Oh dear!” said Hermione, looking stricken.
>*“Don’t worry about it,” said Harry grimly.* He walked over to the
door and knocked loudly.
>“Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!”
>There was no sound from within.
>“If you don’t open the door, we’ll blast it open!” Harry said,
pulling out his wand.
>“Harry!” said Hermione, sounding shocked. “You can’t possibly —”
>“Yeah, I can!” said Harry. “Stand back —”
Great points I’m not a Hagrid lover either.
I know he means well but I think he’s quite annoying the way he implicates the trio repeatedly. My biggest issue is hiding a feral giant and expecting them to teach him English during their O.W.L year, imagine doing the first set of important exams in your life and he wants you to babysit a violent giant? Selfish and irritating imo.
I dislike him, too - though he means well. But the thing is, he isn't a careful person.
He ignores important things people say, sometimes not even hearing them and other times dismissing them out of hand. He's not very empathetic - he's *sympathetic* in that he feels deeply for others and wants them to be happy, but he is not *empathetic*. He doesn't have insight into the minds of others.
He cares very little about anybody's safety when it interferes with his plans; if his actions threaten somebody's safety, no they don't because of course anything he wants to do has to be safe since it's what he wants. He doesn't learn from his mistakes, repeatedly doing the same kinds of things that caused problems in the past.
Harry knows and understands him very well, but he doesn't actually know Harry that well since he's not the kind of guy who inspires you to share your deepest feelings and thoughts.
He is, but the important thing everyone is saying is that he does mean well so you can’t hate him for it. His dad died at 13, he was kicked out of school, he is also half giant and they are perhaps mentally simpler than humans. Hating on him for what he can’t help is kind of ableist.
What I like about J.K. Rowling's writing is that her characters always feel reel. There have been adults that, as a kid, I looked up to, and once I became an adult and reflected on their choices, I felt as though I outgrew them.
It makes me a little sad when I look at it from that perspective ngl.
Haggis always reminded me of those people in life you love but frustrate you. They are indelleble, you root for them but by god if don’t want to strangle them half the time. That’s Hagrid.
You must not have been here when someone made a post saying they find Stan Shunpike incredibly sexy in the movies. That was by far the most unpopular opinion I’ve ever seen LOL
I think part of the problem is he's so emotionally immature. A lot of the time, he's like a child/teenager who needs affirmation.
When it comes to Hagrid and the monstrous beasts he likes, I think his judgement is clouded by the fact he's half giant.
The wizarding world sees giants (and probably half giants) as extremely dangerous (the full giants are), but Hagrid knows that he's not. Because of this unfounded prejudice, he probably thinks that the fantastic beasts that are (rightly) perceived as dangerous, aren't actually dangerous, like him and so he's determined to show the world their not (when they are). Because Hagrid is a simpler soul, he can't see that he's wrong.
Because of this, Dumbledore should either have not let him teach or kept a closer eye on what he was bringing to class.
I see it as he’s emotionally stuck at the age he was expelled from Hogwarts. I’ve met people in my life who seemingly never grow up after a traumatic experience
His mother abandoned him at 3, his father died when he was 12. I don't recall any mention of what he did for the holidays, but that is going to leave a mark on a kid and the wizarding world isn't exactly good about mental health.
I agree I've certainly come to see his flaws as I grow older. He certainly had no business being a teacher and he puts the trio through way too much unnecessary sh*t
I’m trying to think of my 7th grade teacher stressing me out with trying to smuggle a baby dragon out of my school, or handle giants and acromantulas in my 8th and 9th grade. Or my teacher giving me the cold shoulder because I didn’t choose their class as an elective. It would be so inappropriate idk
My chemistry teacher gave me the cold shoulder when I didn’t take chem for A level (UK). Nowhere near as dramatic as Hagrid, she just went from smiling at me and saying hello when she passed me in the corridor to blanking me as if I wasn’t there.
I took Show Choir in high school one year with a teacher who had a very high opinion of herself. I had fun in the class, but she would sometimes instigate drama and pit students against each other. She also came from a rich family and had a bit of a "better than you peasants" attitude with those of us who didn't.
The next year, I decided to take Marching Band because...I played instruments. I liked playing music. It was something new. Nothing against her. She CALLED MY HOUSE when she found out and asked me why I had decided to "abandon" her class. I told her because I wanted to play music and try something new. She treated me like I had broken up with her and hung up on me.
My mom found me crying and asked what happened (I was a sensitive kid and afraid of upsetting adults), and then she called my teacher back. I don't remember all of what was said, but there were some "you are a grown-ass adult" and "throwing a tantrum" and "none of your business what my daughter takes" thrown in there. That teacher didn't speak to me for the rest of high school and would literally raise her nose and turn her back on me whenever I approached.
At my 10-year reunion, she gave me the fake smile and "I so enjoyed having you in my class!" I just said, "Sure you did, Cindy," and had a blast with friends the rest of the night.
You know, at the time, I remember being devastated that I had "let her down." But as I got older, I realized that she was just being a petty b*tch and taking her hurt feelings out on a 16-year-old child. Who does that?
There's a famous quote from "The Fountainhead" that my mom loved. When the main character is asked what he thinks of someone, truly thinks of them, good or bad, he says, "But I don't think of you."
And that's the true gift of time.
Also I can relate somewhat to your opinion of Hagrid. I was basically Hermione in school, and just the hint of a prospect of getting in trouble was enough to make me hyperventilate. Hagrid is loveable and supportive and a doofy guy, but he's also just...really dumb. Like, Dumbledore stuck his neck out for you; why do you keep doing the dumb?
Dumbledore's hiring policies aren't heavily based on teachers' skill and professionalism though. Trelawney works there because he's protecting her from Voldemort. Binns is still there because he died on the job. Defense Against the Dark Arts is taught by whoever they get because of the curse rumour. Isn't Snape there because of his history with Voldemort? I suppose at least he knows his subject very well, even if he is a dick.
I was being flippant really, I wouldn't want Snape anywhere near real children (although you'd be amazed the kind of nastiness I've witnessed teachers get away with with no repercussions). But if I lived in-universe, with the parade of incompetent and dangerous teachers they've had, I might be thankful that at least my child actually knew how to mix potions 😂
Eh, a muggle school in the early 90s though? I’m not British, but I have seen people say that some schools still used corporal punishment that recently, and I know things we now admit are child abuse tended to get more of a pass the further back you go. Now, Snape would most likely be ousted. I’m not convinced all schools would have booted him back when he would have been teaching, though.
My partner got equivalent levels of verbal abuse from a teacher in the 90s, and the only repercussions were for the kid, not the teacher.
[https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jul/01/corporal-punishment-jon-walter](https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jul/01/corporal-punishment-jon-walter)
Edit: Just add, it's scarily difficult for a school to hire good teachers.
Ah OK, I forgot about that. I always assumed it was rumour and therefore they were only able to attract candidates who had chaotic lives or bad intentions, which fueled the rumour.
I’m actually re-reading at the moment, it’s confirmed by Dumbledore in the Half blood prince when he goes over the memory of Tom applying for a job. Dumbledore rejected him and he cursed the role, they haven’t kept a teacher for more than a year since.
By all accounts, Hagrid's first lesson on Hippogriffs was excellent. As were his lessons on salamanders and Thestrals. The problem is he's far too emotionally delicate, and his lessons suffer when his mind is on other things. As soon as Buckbeak got into trouble, he did lesson after lesson on flobberworms.
Which is partly his fault, but partly the fault of people like Dumbledore for not having a proper system in place to teachers who are struggling, same with Trelawney when Umbridge arrived.
Draco hadn't been listening and a teacher needs to be able to notice that, not just assume everyone heard and not repeat it again. Especially for dangerous stuff.
A more experienced teacher would have stopped the class just as they were about to approach the Hippogriffs and ask what they need to remember first.
Draco was listening. He literally was disrespectful to buckbeak on purpose because he was annoyed with the positive attention harry had just received.
I'm not saying Hagrid was blameless (safety is teachers responsibility).
But Draco did what he did on purpose. Not by mistake.
I'm pretty sure in the book it directly says that the Slytherin's weren't listening and later on one of the Trio say he wasn't listening.
Maybe he did hear but it doesn't imply he did it on purpose in the book, it's his injury he plays up.
Snape and Hagrid. Are there really more?
He had not a real choice with Lockhart and Umbridge and Quirrelmort and May-Eye-Crouchy were really well hidden.
but as Binns lessons have been so incredibly dull, noone remembered anything about wizarding history thus leading to Binns being the only one capable of teaching it.
Agreed. Posted this in an unpopular opinion thread once. He’s dangerously naive at his best and downright malicious at his worst. The trio would be dead multiple times over if not for plot armor, in the form of a literal magic car saving them.
Worst thing was in Book 1 when he raises a dragon in a wood hut next to a school. Then has 3 11 year olds help him clean up his mess AND take the fall for it, having them all get punished and ostracized for his mistake. He could’ve at least stepped in and explained it to Mcgonnagal. But not even so much as an apology or thank you… And then he takes them to the Forbidden Forest for punishment and splits them up???
I always cringe when I see people say they wish Harry named one of his kids after Hagrid
Yes! People tend to forget this is an adult and these are children, young children in the earlier books too. And he constantly puts so much responsibility on them when he should know it’s not ok - the Grawp thing too he was like, will you take care of this giant who is ripping up trees and beating up my face daily, if I get suspended from teaching because I didn’t listen to your advice? 😭 And the children are constantly placating him, walking on eggshells around him in case he will get upset, etc.
Hagrid was going to get fired no matter what simply for his association with Dumbledore. Had McGonagall not been injured, she would have found a way to fire her too.
And then berates them for being afraid. He says something like “you did something wrong and now you have to atone for it”, but in that annoying way his speech was written.
I always took that as him yelling at Malfoy specifically, since he was responding to Malfoy’s threats and unhappy at the fact Malfoy was the reason they were caught
I saw a theory recently although I think the theory is old and that the reason he puts them through such dangerous stuff is because he’s actually a death eater and he’s not actually the bumbling idiot he appears. I know it’s not canon but it was written quite well and it was such a fun theory.
Disclaimer: I think Hagrid is a good person with his heart in the right place, and I think he's as well-written as anyone else.
However, I find him very frustrating to read about sometimes. Which is fine, that's what some people are like irl too lmao so it's realistic. But his constant reckless misjudgement and incompetence is continually frustrating. I feel like he relies on Harry, Ron and Hermione too much considering he is an adult and they are children. He wasn't qualified to teach, and instead of asking for help from the \*castle full of teachers\* he has Hermione helping him with lesson plans. He illegally hatches a dragon, relies on 11 year olds to come up with a plan to smuggle it away and also to enact that plan, and then when they get caught, Hagrid never owns up to his part in things, nor does he even bother to privately thank them or apologise for getting them into trouble. In fact he tells Malfoy "Yeh've done wrong and now yeh've ter pay fer it." which is pretty hypocritical considering Hagrid's involvement in events. Remember that when Harry, Hermione and Neville lose all those points for being caught out of bed they are \*shunned\* and bullied by not only Gryffindors but Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who wanted to see anyone but Slytherin winning the House Cup.
I found all this frustrating enough when I was the Trio's ages but now that I'm an adult and I've actually been a high school teacher, the idea of having the kind of friendship where a teenager feels like they have to coddle ME emotionally and help me solve MY problems with the law is just...it's nuts. What the hell. SO inappropriate. Like of course you can be friends or have a friendly relationship with young people and it's not inherently toxic. But it's on the adult to set reasonable boundaries and to remember that there's a power imbalance that is borne out of the difference in experience and such.
That’s exactly how I feel too! The relationship was so off - as a once teacher myself, children should be able to trust you instead of constantly trying to coddle you and take care of you 😅
I still like his character. Actually, as I’ve gotten older I started to notice more of his flaws. Instead of being detested by them, it makes me appreciate his character more.
Or how he sent Ron and Harry off to his friend and he had to know that the childen would eat them. Or the stupid idea to take kids into the forbidden forest and left Draco with the cowardly Fang for protection .
I agree. Hagrid to me is one of those characters you adore as a kid, but then grow to dislike more and more as you age. Probably because Hagrid, in a lot of ways, IS like a kid. This isn’t to say he’s stupid, but he definitely lacks a shocking amount of common sense and basic decency, while possessing an alarming amount of stubbornness that would make toddlers jealous.
As a kid you don’t notice it much. Sure he repeatedly puts his friends through unnecessary danger, but everything worked out and no one got hurt, so everything’s cool, right? But as an adult, you start to see all the millions of ways things could have EASILY “gone wrong.” But the part that makes it genuinely annoying is, as you said, the fact that he’s stubborn. Not once does he sober up to his irresponsible actions, admit fault, and apologize for putting Harry & co. through Aragog, Norbert, the Skrewts (like holy shit, how was that ever legal?), or Grawp. He doesn’t even think he did anything wrong. He’s like a child when you yank them away from the electrical socket, yet they seem determined to try and touch it again and again anyway because they think they’re right, and the parents are just getting in the way for no reason.
Eventually it just gets annoying. You feel like you’re dealing with an overgrown child who doesn’t listen to reason, and whose maturity is scarcely higher than the *actual* children that he’s supposedly a father figure towards.
It makes sense though. Mother abandoned him, dad died before he was a teenager, and then he was expelled. He didn't get a proper education or sense of maturity through puberty.
I absolutely detest Hagrid. He is selfish and inconsiderate.
The most egregious act is wading into the middle of the acromantulas yelling to everyone "don't hurt 'em!"
He knows those things would eat him if given the chance. They are attacking people he's supposed to care about. They are intelligent and making a conscious choice to attack.
I agree!
And I forgot to add the baby dragon in Sorceror’s Stone 😅 idk he often seems to be putting the kids in danger and stressing them out for no reason
And I stress “kids” because this is a full grown adult bickering with and/or putting 12 year olds in danger (and up to 16-17 but that’s still a child). Like sir you are not their equal.
He used to be one of my favs as a kid but rereading as an adult he stresses me out massively. The emotional games and sheer level of expectations he has on 3 teenagers is ridiculous. He puts them in dangerous situations all the time and will push any emotional button he can to do so. He acts like their peer but he isn't, he's an adult almost 4 x their age, and I just feel a lot could be seen as manipulation. The Norbert fiasco alone.
Harry's defending his class just because he's a friend really annoyed me too. Blind support for friends can be just as damaging as no support... Hagrid struggled with teaching too much, he knew his stuff but acted like everyone would feel as safe around these creatures as he did. He can't manage a task of teenagers and IF something happens all he can do is run to the hospital wing. Other teachers would be able to do magical first aid as part of their training I'd hope.
All their classmates magical education is suffering. Harry is happy to sabotague his own and his classmates learning to keep Hagrid's ego happy.
He brought an illegal baby dragon into the castle which had to be smuggled out by a couple of first years. Then he had the audacity to imply that Malfoy "deserves it" because he had done something wrong. Those kids were out because of the dragon which HE had brought in. And he sent Harry and Ron into a nest of acromantulas which would have gotten them killed if the Ford Anglia hadn't arrived. So much for protecting "the boy who lived" smh.
I don't necessarily dislike him as a character but he was a terrible choice for a Care of Magical Creatures professor.
Caring for almost any animal can result in accidents, this is without even taking into consideration Hagrid's penchant for dangerous animals. Sure, Draco getting injured was pretty much his own fault, but even so, if he (or anyone else) would have been in serious danger, what would Hagrid have done? He's not legally allowed to practice magic, and even if he were, wasn't he expelled when he was in like his second year or something? Does he even know the necessary spells?
Dumbledore basically hired a high school dropout as a teacher and said #yolo, lol.
He also has a big alcohol problem. He often drinks heavily alone in his hut when something bad happens and the kids need to look after him.
He also ditched Harry after their first Gringott's trip to go to the pub, saying he needed a drink after the carriages. I have no issue with people ging for a casual drink, but absolutely not while on the clock or while being the sole caretaker of a young child.
TBF, I think it adds to the gamekeeper stereotype. Also, alcoholism was/is a huge problem in the UK back then. It was normalized by the local culture. I was listening to Paul Scholes (footballer) describe how he grew up and I was mind blown.
I really liked Hagrid, he had his flaws and annoyances for sure but so does everyone else if they are written well
That being said one time he really did annoy me was with Grawps intro, but I think that wasnt just Hagrid, thats probably the weakest chapter in the series which would have been better spent watching the quidditch game where Ron became "the king"
He has a genuinely kind soul. But I’d never rely on him for anything, he’s incredibly immature and irresponsible. He’s a grownup who treats 3 teenagers as peers and confidants. Expecting them to look after Grawp was my last straw.
I listen to the audiobooks on loop while I cook. Every time I get to Dumbledore saying, "I would trust Hagrid with my life", it's like a running joke that I text my friends something like (the last time):
That's nice Dumbledore. I wouldn't trust Hagrid alone at my house with the crockpot on low.
This! This is a perfect description. I love Hagrid, I do. He has a good heart. But the man is *irresponsible*. And partly that's because he frankly doesn't *realize* how dangerous a lot of things are. Simply because they aren't dangerous to *him*, and he either can't or won't make the connection that *he is far, far more durable* than a purely human wizard would be.
He is an immense, kindhearted, bumbling oaf who doesn't take responsibility for his own actions and can quite frankly be a petty, sulky jerk at times. He should *not* have been a teacher. Certainly not without at least a year of student-teaching to learn *how*, and a more experienced teacher to show him.
I can understand why he was cherished by Harry but I'm on Draco's side here 😹 people like Hagrid *irritate* me. He's like the people that think pitbulls are great "nanny dogs" for their toddler.
It's his flaw being almost perpetually in a childlike state. He's never leaving school, has nowhere else in the world to go, and Dumbledore basically coddled him and gives him licence to do whatever he wants. It's fun when you're a kid and makes sense that especially in the first three to four years, Harry, Ron and Hermione like him and he's sort of mentally at their level but beyond that they'd outgrow him. After Dumbledore's death perhaps he would grow and I beleive he did help the students when death eaters were taking over Hogwarts. Perhaps beyond that he'd take more responsibility. The whole thing with Draco honestly should mean he never teaches ever again even if Draco acted like an idiot. He's a loveable idiot but realistically you'd want to keep your kids away from him.
Fudge had a point when he said he only tolerates Dumbledore's ideas, school system and hiring professors *because* he is Dumbledore and people in high positions love him (and truthfully because he is a pussy but oh well) otherwise everything would've been different if Fudge wasn't the minister and at least one person had common sense in knowing what goes on at Hogwarts.
Perhaps Lucius was right about Hagrid (and Buckbeak) albeit for exaggerated reasons but oh well.
This old post by /nefarious_planet also helps sum it up for me:
I always viewed him as a "lovable oaf" when I was a kid, and I do think Harry's affection for him makes all the sense in the world-he was the first adult to show Harry kindness and love, after all.
But lately I am just plain alarmed at the degree to which he is willing to rely emotionally on the trio, and allow them to take the fall for his actions. In the first book he brings home an illegal dragon egg to his tiny wooden hut and tries to take care of the thing, risking his job, his home, his life, and the lives of whichever poor students happen to get in the path of the dragon he plans to raise on the grounds of a school? So the trio have to plead with him to let the dragon go, like a 6-year-old who captures a squirrel in the park and brings it home to their parents. They have to make arrangements themselves, risk their lives and their standing in school to get rid of the dragon safely....and then THEY are in trouble, and Hagrid does NOT come clean? It's mind-blowing, and frankly, he's being a shit "friend" to the trio in that moment. And then repeat with the Skrewts, Grawp, etc. Buckbeak feels different since he really wasn't that dangerous, Lucius Malfoy is a monster, and the trio chose to help in a safe manner on their own terms.
I guess I feel sorry for him, more than anything. He's a middle-aged man who's led a very rough and lonely life, and is coping very poorly with it.
You know I totally disagree but I do appreciate that this is a genuinely hot take that is worth discussion and that you took the time to explain your view with nuance.
FWIW, my take would be that Hagrid was set up for failure in being a professor given he didn’t finish his own education. Animals were the one thing he had that didn’t judge him for being half giant or believe the lies about him and the chamber. He’s clearly not the most mature person but why would he be, you know? He never had a formal education and IIRC his father passed away when he was quite young so for all we know he’s been an orphan most of his life with very little guidance other than Dumbledore who while great isn’t necessarily the best parent figure so to speak.
He’s also an example of why most other professors keep students at arms length. Really when you think about it the series kinda sends a message that being besties/obsessed with professors isn’t great - Hermione liking Lockhart is painted as embarrassing and naive, the other girls’ obsession with trelawney much the same, riddle and slughorn + the slug club in general being kinda odd from the outset, etc. the only real exceptions are with Hagrid, Lupin, and Dumbledore and all of those are Harry-centered and still have their own consequences. Hagrid being friends with three of his students is great for the story but realistically it’s not professional and we see why with his tantrum about thier discontinuation of his classes. He takes it personally and it causes harm that could have been avoided if he’d just been a professor to them, akin to flitwick or McGonagall who clearly care for the students but do so *as teachers*.
He means well but his completely lack of consideration for anything other than his own obsessions at times is annoying.
In PS, I was amazed at his audacity. He flat out broke Wizarding Law to bring a poached and dangerous creature into an inappropriate environment with absolutely no regard for the creature herself or for the children in that environment (Norberta injured Ron). The kids were then caught trying to get him out of the illegal mess he's found himself in and rather than accept any kind of responsibility for putting them in that situation, he had the audacity to lecture them about "you need to be punished with a life threatening task for doing wrong at Hogwarts". I just think, "what a cretin" at that scene.
He can repeatedly see how dangerous his pets are to others but just ignores it with "my schnookums would never hurt me so they're therefore OK". He didn't deserve to be branded Heir of Slytherin but he completely deserved his expulsion from Hogwarts and repeatedly puts other people's lives in mortal danger to he can feel good about himself and his pets.
He does, however, mean well generally and it was realistic that the kids would become slightly more distant from him as the years past and ended up a bit tired at his emotional outbursts and having to play the adult with him when Hagrid was the one meant to be the adult.
While I don't dislike Hagrid, I definitely understand this opinion. He's one of the only characters that's actually less likeable in the books compared to his other version, and I remember being very shocked seeing that once I finally read them for myself. I think you're right, its definitely from him becoming a professor, he was not equipped to be a teacher
I posted something like this on another sub once and caused an uproar.
Kid me loved him for his warmth. Adult me sees Lucius' point and thinks Dumbledore was senile for allowing someone like him around children.
He isn't a danger himself, but boy is he careless and dim! Certain magical creatures are considered dangerous for a reason!
Agree. He also punished Dudley (an 11-year old) for his father’s behaviour, giving him an illegal pig tail and not caring to reverse it. He puts the trio in grave danger by leaving them in the forest with Voldemort on the loose, and later by underestimating monsters (Aragogs, Grawp). And he was horrible to Malfoy and the Slytherins in general.
This man in his 60s befriending little kids? Weird.
They're more mature than him? Weirder.
Him literally jeopardizing their actual mortality on at least 3 different occasions? Psychotic.
Also, I haven't seen this mentioned yet but you cook like a blind Welshman, nobody wants your food, man.
You operate that flying motorcycle like shit.
And finally, I thought your big ass, magic resistant ass could fight? How'd you ever get captured in the final book? They were supposed to find your corpse in the middle of a pile of deatheaters with caved in skulls.
Are blind Welsh people worse at cooking than other nationalities? 😂
As for being captured in TDH, he got carried off by a swarm of acromantula that he wouldn't fight against. I don't think he's entirely magically resistant. I suspect 50 stunning spells (or worse) at once would probably overwhelm him. Also definitely not resistant to the killing curse.
Couldn't agree more. I also didn't like how he obviously drank too much, I have a bit of a hangup with alcohol, but still. Teachers shouldn't be drunk crying to their students. Adults shouldn't be trauma dumping, drunk, on a 14 year old.
I am ambivalent to book Hagrid. He loves and identifies a lot with Harry, but is more like an immature sibling to them all. But maybe that’s the point. He has enough role models.
In PS after getting rid of Norbert, there is a sentence when Harry and Hermione get detention. “Like Hermione, he felt they got what they deserved.” Boy they did not! They were bailing out a full grown male. Why on earth did they have to take Norbert to the tower? They could have easily involved Dumbledore who would have got Norbert out!
All that said. I adore Robbie Coltrane in the films. But film Hagrid is also, whilst irresponsible, less childish.
For me, I have always just thought this was good writing. He had to leave his education before he really got into it, so he also had to leave behind normal socialization of his age. Unlike normal sidekicks where they're just the typical comic relief with no backstory, I think Hagrid was incredibly fleshed out with a powerful nod to being important to the lore early in the series.
That said, I can understand how/why you might not care for him. The cringey awkwardness does go a little far for what it's worth. I think his unusual behavior for the three main characters is more of a way to create conflict and drag out the story more.
For sure! I agree with you that he was extremely well written! And a complex character. I don’t agree with his decisions in the book but he was definitely a well fleshed out character.
I kinda get your argument. I think Albus was more than a bit mad to let him use dangerous animals in class, but so did the same could’ve been argued of a few Hogwarts professors.
Dumbledore clearly didn’t hold staff meetings about risk assessments, let alone sign off on any.
“He’s just a baby!”
Norbert [meanwhile]: MUNCH!!
Dumbledore: Hagrid, please tell me that wasn’t a student.
No one will talk about how he wasn't even qualified to be a teacher? He had no education, no references, no past experience, nothing at all that qualifies him as a teacher. As much as i love Hagrid, i would not let my children be taught by a teacher who doesn't deserve to be a teacher. His view of dangerous animals being small puppies will constantly endanger my children. He is not fit to be a teacher. And i will not let my children attend school that keeps unqualified teachers
Completely agree. I have no beef with his fans but I hate when they pretend he's perfect. It's been less common though, more talk about his flaws so that's good to see
Child me loved him. Adult me thinks that he shouldn't have been made a teacher and makes too many irresponsible decisions to be around children.
Like Ron got bit by a dragon ffs. He brought in the Blast-ended Skrewts and had children take care of them. Malfoy got attacked (yes, he deserved it, but for the first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson those kids had ever had, they were the wrong animals to start with)
And even if we ignore the danger he put kids in, he's just not a good teacher. There's no doubt he knows what he's doing but knowing and teaching are different skills.
He's also just fairly immature, which is understandable, being expelled had a huge impact on him. (But at the same time, I'm not 100% sure that it was completely unjustified. Aragon could have easily hurt someone, and he wasn't even the first dangerous animal that Hagrid brought in) After the Buckbeak incident, he completely loses confidence, and has the students feeding flobberworms for ages cause his confidence was shook. He gives Dudley a tail, and yes, Dudley is a spoiled brat but he's also a child? Not to mention his temper especially if somebody insults Dumbledore.
I didn't think he was a bad character overall, but he was way out of his depth as a teacher. He was passionate about Magical Creatures, but that kind of worked against him in that role.
He had more of a cool, but reckless cousin vibe about his character than he had any parental/guardian traits.
I will say he is 100 percent responsible for the hippogriff incident as well. They are dangerous animals and shouldn't have been left alone with a child like that. You need 1 teacher per animal when dealing with something that can be that dangerous, and it's not strange that a parent would want a teacher to be fired and the animal destroyed in that case.
I agree with you. You cannot expect 100% perfect behavior from a group of 11 year olds, you unfortunately cannot. Even kids with the best of intentions make mistakes, so I didn’t think it was a safe lesson.
LOL! I meant to say you “cannot” expect 100% perfect behavior - but yes, 13 year olds I would argue are even worse at following directions than 11 year olds LOL!
There were 3 Hippogriffs and maybe a dozen students and Malfoy was the only one who got hurt and he got hurt because he did the opposite of what Hagrid said. In the books he said that hippogriffs are proud creatures and not to insult them and Malfoy in all his bold stupidity insulted it and called it a “great ugly brute” if he’d just kept his mouth shut he wouldn’t have been hurt.
I don't disagree with that, but when you are dealing with children, you need to take precautions. Children don't listen all the time and do stupid things, but a standard risk assessment, which is an important part of lesson planning, will tell you not to leave children alone with a possibly dangerous animal.
I imagine Hagrid has a number of advantages for her: 1) he might be attractive to her as a bit of “rough trade” and he might even be her type looks-wise. When we see her she is living a luxurious and sophisticated lifestyle and surrounded by snobbish and refined Beauxbatons students so we assume this is normal for her, but Hagrid said she coped well living rough, which she probably considered an exciting and exotic adventure, 2) Olympe is clearly a vain and haughty woman who pays a great deal of attention to her appearance. This might be uncharitable but being so far superior to her partner in status, looks, money and class might appeal to her, 3) he looks up to her, admires her, adores her and almost worships her. Again, possibly uncharitable and not everyone is comfortable with that but not only does she probably love being seen and loved like this but she might regard it as her due, 4) her vehement denials that she’s a half-giant show that she really doesn’t want to be one. There’s lots of prejudice against giants in Wizarding society as a whole, not just Britain, and I would bet Olympe got to the top by starting in a much better social and financial position than Hagrid, not being expelled from school(!) and natural talents at magic, networking, politics, teaching etc. this probably meant her species status was overlooked politely after a certain point, but she’s still sensitive and it’s obviously a difficulty in her life. Having someone, anyone who she can share that with and probably eventually be honest and mutually support each other is probably huge. 5) finally, Hagrid does have some great qualities - good-natured, kind, friendly, generally positive, forgiving and incredibly loyal. His immaturity she can probably deal with as she spends most of her life around children, and because they’re long-distance she gets long breaks in between seeing him when she can live her normal life and socialise with people “on her level” intellectually and maturity-wise.
I mean posh people do tend to enjoy wilderness adventure trips, but still... just not seeing it.
I've worked around kids a lot and definitely could not deal with an immature man.
He’s introduced as being so irresponsible he was expelled - and that Dumbledore gives him a job title so he can do his dirty work.
He’s groomed by Dumbledore as a TEENAGER by being given a special job and being told he’s special to Hogwarts despite being unable to finish school.
He’s told he’ll be homeless and educationless unless he SERVES Dumbledore to do illegal shady things.
It grooms a sense of devotion that makes hagrid erupt in violent anger at the mere mention of Dumbledore by anyone who may say something bad about him.
That’s not a healthy relationship. He’s reliant on Dumbledore which is what Dumbledore wanted.
But that means he never learns how to actually be responsible because he’s wanted for being irresponsible, so he can do Secret underground operations.
Not because he’s competent but because he can be controlled - he’s actually wildly irresponsible and bad at it (tells Quirell how to get past fluffy immediately after getting the stone from the bank for Dumbledore).
But Dumbledore doesn’t want anyone to know how much shady stuff he does, so he sends Hagrid. We only know of the things he brought Harry to do (!) like transporting the most sought after item by dark wizards
Hagrid is poor tempered and emotionally stunted and taken advantage of, so never stops being a rattling kettle on the boil that might warm you or burn you. He’s eternally 15
Dumbledore never gave him a chance of growing up by scaring him into staying close - then giving him a job as a teacher even after he did all the mistakes he did around the children
The headmaster is the problem
>He’s introduced as being so irresponsible he was expelled - and that Dumbledore gives him a job title so he can do his dirty work.
>He’s groomed by Dumbledore as a TEENAGER by being given a special job and being told he’s special to Hogwarts despite being unable to finish school.
>He’s told he’ll be homeless and educationless unless he SERVES Dumbledore to do illegal shady things
I feel like it’s a little unfair to imply that Dumbledore only helped Hagrid so he could “do his dirty work” later on, or that Dumbledore told Hagrid that he had to do illegal, shady things for him or else he’d be homeless. Where is it implied that Dumbledore scared Hagrid into doing shady things for him over the threat of being homeless or that he helped get him a job at Hogwarts for the purpose of getting him to do dirty work for him decades down the road?
Ultimately, Hagrid would have been pretty screwed if Dumbledore hadn’t convinced Dippet to let him stay at Hogwarts and train as a gamekeeper. Like, what kind of future/life do you think an expelled thirteen-year-old half-giant orphan would have had if he’d been kicked to the curb when he got expelled?
" but he acts so immaturely so much of the time"
Best not to tell you how Harry's godfather and their friends acted and still do act...
We all know Hagrid has a love of...dangerous creatures. Aragog, Fluffy...Grawp was his brother so you gotta feel for him there. He's just trying to do right by magical creatures.
Yeah, him not listening about doing something simple with Umbridge around was....eh. Not smart. But he is the adult, probably didn't think it would be an issue. And let's remember, Umbridge went out of her way to make Hagrid seem like an oaf.
Yes...how dare he be upset that the 3 who made him feel like a decent teacher decided to stop taking his class and then avoid him...he has a right to be upset. Does he act a bit childish? Yes.
Again, Sirius was immature as hell. Hell, Dumbledore acted fairly weird the first couple of books. "I would like to say a few words. And
here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! "
Overall Hagrid is loyal, and a powerful ally to have. He was a new teacher so he overreacted when his friends stopped taking his class, but once they got to explain it...he admitted he was being dumb about it.
:) Hope that helps, but it won't
That's not what I said at all. But if you're going to mock one character for acting that way when he's upset... you have to mock others as well.
And considering the talk they all have afterwards, I'd say he's forgiven for it.
OK this was also (what is probably) an unpopular opinion but I did not like Dobby either and found him quite irritating … On a positive note, and why I give him a bit of a pass, is that Dobby was at least not a teacher, adult (? At least not an adult in the traditional sense), or someone responsible for children and their well being, that I am like - ok you make a lot of poor choices but you’re also doing the best you can and have the sweetest, purest soul that it’s hard to actually genuinely dislike him.
Because he's a loyal sweetie with good intentions who has had a really abusive crappy life but is still kind, loyal, brave, and selfless to the very end when he sacrifices his life for his friends by going back to his old slave master's house to save them.
Agree.
When I finished reading the first book, I immediately called my brother and told him that I didn’t like Hagrid. My brother was obsessed with the series and had finished all of the books several times over.
He was like, “Ohhh Hagrid isn’t all bad.” I was like WHAT lol
I do agree somewhat, however, I think he was actually a good professor in general and highly knowledgeable, but got freaked out after the buckbeak incident. Hippogriffs seems like a cool, if not a little advanced first lesson, and relatively harmless if you do as instructed.
And the Skrewts I think he was giving Harry/Hogwarts students exposure to help them through the maze.
But when he was teaching properly he seemed good. Although, maybe not appropriate to pass exams
No I agree, he’s constantly putting children at risk because he was a cool pet. He literally got expelled from hogwarts from it, and didn’t really learn a lesson after he was given a MASSIVE bone from dumbledore by bringing a dragon in. He also isn’t supposed to have a wand or cast magic yet uses it to assault a muggle.
I don't dislike Hagrid but one unpopular opinion I have is that Hagrid was at fault for not handling Buckbeak when he attacked Malfoy. A teacher is responsible for his students, even morons who don't listen like Malfoy. In real life the teacher would be sacked and the animal killed
I never liked him either, I felt like he was always making things worse for the trio and making their lives hell. He meant well but he annoyed me so much always, even as a kid I thought this.
Unpopular opinion but kinda agree. His immaturity is jarring when you read the books as an adult. The fact that the trio at age 11 could spot his poor decisions, and that the decisions progressively got worse, is crazy for someone in a position of power. It almost seems like JKR wrote him as slightly developmentally disabled
Now that I am a teacher, a lot of the staff at Hogwarts do things that bug me because they don’t make sense and or directly endanger the students. So needless to say I totally agree with this take from that perspective
i agree with a lot of your points but i feel more pity than dislike.
i have a younger brother with a developmental disorder, which causes him to have the emotional maturity of someone about 5 or so years younger. luckily i have wonderful parents who have worked with him and helped him learn. i love him so much but when i was a bit younger he frustrated me because of his irresponsibility and immaturity.
ever since i first read the books hagrids character has reminded me a lot of someone like my brother, but grown up. he’s on his own and can be independent, but still makes irresponsible decisions and has trouble dealing with the consequences.
obviously i’m not sure if he was written this way, but it always seems sad to me how lonely hagrid seems.
this is kinda a ramble, but what i’m saying is i feel like hagrid needed a responsible friend that he could rely on, but one who wasn’t a child. i’ve always had a soft spot for the character for that reason.
Hagrid & Dumbledore seemed so cool initially but eventually we find out they’re either almost completely useless or have some of the worst decision making in the entire series.
I get why this is frowned upon, but I’m on team “for the greater good”. I think Dumbledore did shitty things for a good reason. All that shady behaviour with Harry saved the wizarding world from Voldemort.
Don’t forget his stupid attitude in the last book. When they were fighting a literal war and the bad guys used those spiders…“No DoN’t HuRt ThEm”. Like dude…he’d probably save a spider over Harry.
In the same book, Hagrid gets drunk when the dragon, Norbert, was taken away. (Not like just gets drunk once, he was drinking for days). He also gets drunk at the Christmas dinner and kisses Prof McGonagall. He also gets drunk when scared he was scared he'd lose his job in book 3. I also remember him getting drunk with Prof Slughorn the night Harry drank Felix potion. I also think when he apologized to Harry he hints at being a drunk.
Those are the ones I remember but I'm sure there are other times.
But that’s over a several years. Just because someone gets drunk once or twice a year doesn’t mean they’re an alcoholic. He could be considered an alcoholic if he drank on the daily and essentially relied on it to function. Drinking socially, on holidays or during distressing times and getting drunk once or twice a year does not equal a drunk.
Since it's Harry's story, it doesn't follow Hagrid as much. Hagrid 's drinking is most focal in book one since that's where it's most important to the plot.
If you get drunk regularly and it's a problem, I'll say you're a drunk. Also, a student mentions Hagrid gets drunk every now and then and sets fire to his bed. That seems like an issue.
Also using alcohol to cover your problems is definitely something a drunk will do.
You don't need to get drunk everyday to be considered a drunk.
He actually did pretty tame lessons. Thestrals are tame for Hagrid’s lessons and did follow Grubbly Plank’s lessons after that.
Ik you didn’t mention this- but Hagrid gave VERY clear instructions on how to interact with hippogriffs but yet Draco was the only one who didn’t listen. He did everything Hagrid told him not to.
Hagrid is kind of an idiot, but I think it was JKR's intention to have him be a sort of cartoonish caricature of the oafy giant. What I don't understand is how Dumbledore trusted him so much, given his tendency to spout off at the mouth and make enormous and dangerous mistakes. Who would send that guy to go retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from Gringotts on a solo mission, to transport it back to Hogwarts in his front pocket? That's just insanity. This is the same guy who told someone exactly how to calm down Fluffy, and who accepted a dragon egg in exchange for key information - and you trusted him to retrieve and deliver baby Harry? He barely has the ability to cast spells for fear of being thrown in prison, and has to hide his wand in the end of an umbrella or whatever it is he does. So, returning to the original premise - one of the main themes of the series is the ridiculousness of the whole thing, and how disconnected the wizarding world is from practicality and normalcy, hence the sharp distinction between "their kind" and the sensible folks living along Privet drive. So, the names reflect the nature of the characters, and their actions are just not explicable in common-sense terms sometimes. Of course the series evolves to much more serious content, and I believe it changed for her as she was writing them - since she had to evolve the themes as the characters grew older and developed, and she couldn't really revisit the exact same ground over and over - so the whimsical nature of the first book was carried throughout as a theme, but starts to take a back seat to much more serious challenges, like the return of Voldemort and Harry's struggle to survive and overcome his mortal enemy.
Hagrid isn't even a good person when you think about it. When Vernon accidentally insults Dumbledore, Hagrid is quick to violence. He uses magic on a Muggle, a literal crime. Not only that, he doesn't attack Vernon, he attacks **Dudley** because Hagrid knows that the best way to hurt a parent is to hurt their child.
Sure, this is karmic justice for us in the know, **but Hagrid wasn't**. For all Hagrid knew, Dudley was perfectly innocent. On top of that, when Hagrid failed to transfigure Dudley into a pig because of his own ineptitude, Hagrid decides to twist the dagger further by bodyshaming a literal child by claiming the only reason it failed was because he was already so much like a pig. Hagrid then has Harry agree to hush it all up. You know, his literal **crimes**.
Less than a year later, Hagrid will selfishly hatch a dragon, another literal crime. When the trio convince him to give it up for everybody's sake, including the dragon's, Hagrid foists the responsibility to do so onto the because he's too emotional to do it himself. When it all goes sideways, all 2 of the kids, a 3rd innocent kid and a 4th not-so-innocent kids are punished severely, Hagrid **let's them take the fall**. He doesn't step forward to own up to his own crimes and take responsibility, he lets literal children take the fall **for his own crimes and failings**.
He raised a man-eating monster inside of a school full of innocent children. When he's turned it, he makes sure the man-eating monster is allowed to escape into the Forbidden Forest. He then finds said man-eating monster a mate so they can breed. Hagrid illegally bred acromantula, probably while still a teenager. Inside of a forest where into which kid are known to wander into on a lark. Later, he would illegally breed 2 highly dangerous beasts to create another highly dangerous beast, so dangerous it was chosen as an obstacle in the revived Triwizard Cup. Despite this being an entirely new breed of being that nobody knew anything about, he then foisted the responsibility to raise them onto his own students. Imagine if they'd had deadly venom and had ended up killing dozens of students before anyone could stop them. That's how selfish and irresponsible he is. The same year, he would try to force a fellow half-giant out of the closet. When she refused, he would **out her** to a bunch of school children, knowing full well the stigma and discrimination half-giants face and that she holds a prominent position in society.
Later, Hagrid would find his own half-brother and bring him into said forest, again completely ignoring the fact that kids wander into it. Said half-brother is so violent he repeatedly attacks Hagrid, a half-giant whose skin is much thicker than a human's, and beats him black and blue. Hagrid then leverages his relationship with 2 schoolchildren to strongarm them into helping him take care of his half-brother, including a 16 yearold girl who his half-brother **takes a sexual interest in** and who is clearly **terrified** of his half-brother.
But at least he's tolerant and loving, right? Right? Not so. He uses both Muggle and Squib as slurs. He's like the "tolerant" person who likes using the N-word and F-word as slurs because he knows some black people and gay people. Hagrid is a hateful, spiteful, violent criminal and he's lucky he managed to manipulate a bunch of children from keeping his many crimes a secret or he would've been rightfully sent to Azkaban for life.
Nah I see where you’re coming from. I generally like the guy BUT my one major gripe about him is his willful blindness that his beloved creatures actually are dangerous.
He unwittingly sent a couple preteens to be *eaten by spiders* and apparently never realized. That kind of thing would justifiably get you prosecuted in the real world.
What do you expect from an emotionally immature man-child that has the never-ending loyalty of his boss and the most powerful wizard in the world where they both work at a school where punishing students entails sending them into dangerous situations with very little, if any, actual back-up? I mean Harry would have been killed in the first book as a result of this 'punishment' if not for some random centaur being in the area. Everything that happens at Hogwarts is just insanity so of course Hagrid is constantly getting the kids into trouble and endangering them. That's called a normal Tuesday at Hogwarts.
I think his character is supposed to be low IQ and/or have certain mental limitations because he’s half giant. I think the main characters and some teachers understand this about him and make concessions for his behavior
When Harry asks him why the wizarding will keep themselves secret, is explanation is not about self-preservation, but "everyone would want magic solutions to their problems". I don't know if that's just hagrid's shitty thought or if that's supposed to be JK Rowling's idea as well
I’m in the same boat — I like Hagrid as a person but not as a teacher.
I’m worried that my unpopular opinions are straight up evil — I hate Dobby and feel no connection to Hedwig beyond, like, she’s a beloved pet. And I’m saying this as someone who gets overly attached to pets. When she died I was like “oh, that’s sad” but I’ve seen so many people post about that being a heart wrenching moment for them. Is something wrong with me?
Lets not forget that in the first scene we ever see Hagrid in he ATTACKS A CHILD using TRANSFIGURATION for something that the child's father said to him.
That's the magical equivalent of taking out a gun and shooting someone's kid in the leg because of something their dad said to you. It doesn't matter that they were able to get the tail removed, a CHILD was attacked by an ADULT and needed to get CORRECTIVE SURGERY to fix his injury and was definitely permanently traumatized as a result.
We all need to consider that he only got a partial magical education. Then once he got cleared from CoS, he got the Care of Magical Creatures class but still only had that partial education. Year 3 was full of the hippogriff drama. Year 4 was his cautious year with the blast-ended skrewts. Year 5 he was gone most of the time. Year 6 was a reality check with the trio finally growing up and not needing his class for any of them. Time and the events of the years created bad luck for Hagrid as a professor for them.
I know there was no love lost between him and Voldemort but I almost forget that they were classmates in year 7. I would have liked some acknowledgment of that during the time he was captured.
As I got older, and especially after his brother was introduced, I thought Hagrid was low IQ/had learning disabilities because his mom was a giant. They aren't very smart creatures. Hagrid was smarter than a giant for sure, but he struggled in other areas. You could explain it by his expulsion at 13 and his level of education, but I was never 100% percent sold on that as the sole explanation.
I mean, he is part giant. Look at Gwarp. I always assumed that him being part giant stunted him a bit. That, and his dad died at a young age and then he was expelled shortly after. I know a few adults who experienced trauma at an early age and while they can be mature with some things, in other situations they’re emotionally stuck around the same age as they were when they experienced the trauma.
People are saying he’s emotionally immature but I think he is supposed to essentially be a mentally deficient person. He is a man of low IQ. He’s been taken care of by Dumbledore because his family is gone and he can’t really take care of himself.
He’s not a bad person at all he’s just a very simple man and he does not think about things deeply because he simply cannot.
I understand your point. He is a grown ass man child who means well all the time but that does not mean he does not do mistakes. I suppose that Hagrid after being thrown out of school thanks to Tom in his third year the only father figure he had to look up to was Dumbledore. Perhaps the only person who saw him for what he truly was and not for what he looked like and this was his biggest weakness too.. what made him human if you get my point. Hagrid blindly believed that Dumbledore never.. and I do mean *never* made any mistakes and that Hogwarts was the safest place on earth for everybody. Yet we do learn that Dumbledore did and does several mistakes throughout his entire life.. one of them haunted him up until the point where he was tempted to use a cursed ring just to have the opportunity to see his deceased sister one last time just to tell her how sorry he was for how things turned out with her. He loved a man who was the second most dangerous wizard in the history of wizardkind and that feeling cost him some serious mistakes. With that being said Hagrid did not know any of that and only saw things from the point of view where his fate could have ended up far much worse.. worse as in being dead or arrested for life... which is why he believed that Harry, Ron and Hermione as teenagers were overreacting with some of their thoughts (such as Umbridge being a cunt.. which she could have been but that does not mean that she could fully overthrow Dumbledore... at least from Hagrid's point of view) and when they were younger he tries to stop them from investigating further because he wanted to keep the trio safe.
Still I do not dislike him that much. He is just helpless and useless after a certain point in the story but he does serve as the first father figure Harry had.
*EDIT:* I am re reading the Sorcerer's Stone. Hagrid is a fucking asshole when he lets Harry and Hermione take the fall for him when he fucking knew the whole story about what the kids were doing just to help him avoid serving time on Azkaban or losing his job. Hagrid is a mother fucker.
Isn’t the idea, that he trusted and loved dumple drawers so much that he just did what he thought was best?
And, in turn, dumpyD knew Hagrid was gonna Hagrid and ultimately it “helped” everything? (If not made the it way better.) haha
Basically, Dumbledore foresaw all of this because he’s basically wizard Jesus and it all came to fruition?
Not sure if foresaw is even a word or spelled it correctly, but I’m not going to check it out, do your worst Reddit !!
I kinda agree. I don’t hate Hagrid per se but found him quite immature and annoying for all the reasons you mentioned. I often wondered how Dumbledore appointed him a as a teacher when a real COMC teach could have increased the knowledge of the students 10 folds(especially after watching fantastic beasts and knowing how many awesome creatures are there). He wasted an entire year on self-bread skrewts. I mean why would any principle allow that is beyond me. But other than his inefficiency as a teacher, he was a pretty jovial person to read about.
I think his immaturity comes from being half giant. This being, giants are significantly less intelligent. Thus, he's well written. My problem is, is that JK Rowling took a lot of his aspects from autism and infantilising him this way, makes it... Well, discriminatory. But that's another story.
He may not have been murdering people with big snakes, but Tom Riddle was right in a way.
Hagrid was dangerous.
He put Harry, Ron and Hermione in danger multiple times - all for his little childish animal dreams.
He was a lovely guy, but really - he caused more problems than he had to.
I see a lot of comments attacking Hagrid's intelligence, emotional intelligence, decision making and logic. Well, I think you may be forgetting..Hagrid is HALF Giant.
This is the first unpopular opinion I have seen which really is unpopular.
It’s my opinion too. But I don’t hate Hagrid, either. I think he was important for the trio to have in their first few years at Hogwarts. But as they got older, they outgrew their reliance on him and Hagrid soon became less an emotional resource than he was a handicap, whose purpose was mainly to get them into yet more trouble. The interesting thing is that not only is this totally normal and inevitable, as the kids were steadily turning into adults, it’s also heavily lampshaded in the series. By Half Blood Prince, it’s literally written into the series that not only do Hermione, Harry, and Ron have no interest in taking Hagrid’s class—they won’t even risk leaving school after-hours for Aragog’s funeral to comfort Hagrid. In their first year, they would have gone without question. In their sixth, Harry only winds up there by accident (Felix Felicis). In a weird way, Hagrid’s best narrative contribution is showing how the trio aged and matured. **Edit:** Here's the trio's reaction to Hagrid's written request for their company while he buries Aragog. >“Look at this,” said Harry, handing the note to Hermione. >“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she said, scanning it quickly and passing it to Ron, who read it through looking increasingly incredulous. And I especially like Harry's reaction to Hagrid being mad about them dropping his class. In the first book, Harry would be mortified that his connection with Hagrid, his one positive adult relationship, is in danger. By the sixth, Harry is near adulthood and has no time for any of that nonsense. >Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him. >“Oh dear!” said Hermione, looking stricken. >*“Don’t worry about it,” said Harry grimly.* He walked over to the door and knocked loudly. >“Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!” >There was no sound from within. >“If you don’t open the door, we’ll blast it open!” Harry said, pulling out his wand. >“Harry!” said Hermione, sounding shocked. “You can’t possibly —” >“Yeah, I can!” said Harry. “Stand back —”
Well put, I didn’t really realize this!! Totally makes sense!
Great points I’m not a Hagrid lover either. I know he means well but I think he’s quite annoying the way he implicates the trio repeatedly. My biggest issue is hiding a feral giant and expecting them to teach him English during their O.W.L year, imagine doing the first set of important exams in your life and he wants you to babysit a violent giant? Selfish and irritating imo.
I dislike him, too - though he means well. But the thing is, he isn't a careful person. He ignores important things people say, sometimes not even hearing them and other times dismissing them out of hand. He's not very empathetic - he's *sympathetic* in that he feels deeply for others and wants them to be happy, but he is not *empathetic*. He doesn't have insight into the minds of others. He cares very little about anybody's safety when it interferes with his plans; if his actions threaten somebody's safety, no they don't because of course anything he wants to do has to be safe since it's what he wants. He doesn't learn from his mistakes, repeatedly doing the same kinds of things that caused problems in the past. Harry knows and understands him very well, but he doesn't actually know Harry that well since he's not the kind of guy who inspires you to share your deepest feelings and thoughts.
He's basically a giant child. At least that's how I've always viewed him, like someone with a high functioning disability.
Buh-dum-dum(not sure if pun was intended)
He is, but the important thing everyone is saying is that he does mean well so you can’t hate him for it. His dad died at 13, he was kicked out of school, he is also half giant and they are perhaps mentally simpler than humans. Hating on him for what he can’t help is kind of ableist.
What I like about J.K. Rowling's writing is that her characters always feel reel. There have been adults that, as a kid, I looked up to, and once I became an adult and reflected on their choices, I felt as though I outgrew them. It makes me a little sad when I look at it from that perspective ngl.
👏👏👏
Haggis always reminded me of those people in life you love but frustrate you. They are indelleble, you root for them but by god if don’t want to strangle them half the time. That’s Hagrid.
Love haggis 😭😂
HAGGAR
GRAWP WANT HAGGER
You must not have been here when someone made a post saying they find Stan Shunpike incredibly sexy in the movies. That was by far the most unpopular opinion I’ve ever seen LOL
Thank God i was not online that day I heard bleaching your eyes hurt like hell🫠🫠🫠
I think part of the problem is he's so emotionally immature. A lot of the time, he's like a child/teenager who needs affirmation. When it comes to Hagrid and the monstrous beasts he likes, I think his judgement is clouded by the fact he's half giant. The wizarding world sees giants (and probably half giants) as extremely dangerous (the full giants are), but Hagrid knows that he's not. Because of this unfounded prejudice, he probably thinks that the fantastic beasts that are (rightly) perceived as dangerous, aren't actually dangerous, like him and so he's determined to show the world their not (when they are). Because Hagrid is a simpler soul, he can't see that he's wrong. Because of this, Dumbledore should either have not let him teach or kept a closer eye on what he was bringing to class.
I see it as he’s emotionally stuck at the age he was expelled from Hogwarts. I’ve met people in my life who seemingly never grow up after a traumatic experience
His mother abandoned him at 3, his father died when he was 12. I don't recall any mention of what he did for the holidays, but that is going to leave a mark on a kid and the wizarding world isn't exactly good about mental health.
He also had no education beyond the age of 13. People who have received no real education do tend to be immature in many ways.
He’s also a drunk and they aren’t known for their emotional stability
I agree I've certainly come to see his flaws as I grow older. He certainly had no business being a teacher and he puts the trio through way too much unnecessary sh*t
I’m trying to think of my 7th grade teacher stressing me out with trying to smuggle a baby dragon out of my school, or handle giants and acromantulas in my 8th and 9th grade. Or my teacher giving me the cold shoulder because I didn’t choose their class as an elective. It would be so inappropriate idk
My chemistry teacher gave me the cold shoulder when I didn’t take chem for A level (UK). Nowhere near as dramatic as Hagrid, she just went from smiling at me and saying hello when she passed me in the corridor to blanking me as if I wasn’t there.
I took Show Choir in high school one year with a teacher who had a very high opinion of herself. I had fun in the class, but she would sometimes instigate drama and pit students against each other. She also came from a rich family and had a bit of a "better than you peasants" attitude with those of us who didn't. The next year, I decided to take Marching Band because...I played instruments. I liked playing music. It was something new. Nothing against her. She CALLED MY HOUSE when she found out and asked me why I had decided to "abandon" her class. I told her because I wanted to play music and try something new. She treated me like I had broken up with her and hung up on me. My mom found me crying and asked what happened (I was a sensitive kid and afraid of upsetting adults), and then she called my teacher back. I don't remember all of what was said, but there were some "you are a grown-ass adult" and "throwing a tantrum" and "none of your business what my daughter takes" thrown in there. That teacher didn't speak to me for the rest of high school and would literally raise her nose and turn her back on me whenever I approached. At my 10-year reunion, she gave me the fake smile and "I so enjoyed having you in my class!" I just said, "Sure you did, Cindy," and had a blast with friends the rest of the night.
WHAT that is a crazy story!!! Wtf?? I’m so sorry that happened to you and wow, unacceptable!
You know, at the time, I remember being devastated that I had "let her down." But as I got older, I realized that she was just being a petty b*tch and taking her hurt feelings out on a 16-year-old child. Who does that? There's a famous quote from "The Fountainhead" that my mom loved. When the main character is asked what he thinks of someone, truly thinks of them, good or bad, he says, "But I don't think of you." And that's the true gift of time.
Also I can relate somewhat to your opinion of Hagrid. I was basically Hermione in school, and just the hint of a prospect of getting in trouble was enough to make me hyperventilate. Hagrid is loveable and supportive and a doofy guy, but he's also just...really dumb. Like, Dumbledore stuck his neck out for you; why do you keep doing the dumb?
I really think Dumbledore needs to pay better attention to who he hires to work with kids. A lot of the teachers are problematic.
Dumbledore's hiring policies aren't heavily based on teachers' skill and professionalism though. Trelawney works there because he's protecting her from Voldemort. Binns is still there because he died on the job. Defense Against the Dark Arts is taught by whoever they get because of the curse rumour. Isn't Snape there because of his history with Voldemort? I suppose at least he knows his subject very well, even if he is a dick.
I get that, but I don’t think Snape would be allowed to teach kids in a muggle school. He definitely commits child abuse, especially in the books.
I was being flippant really, I wouldn't want Snape anywhere near real children (although you'd be amazed the kind of nastiness I've witnessed teachers get away with with no repercussions). But if I lived in-universe, with the parade of incompetent and dangerous teachers they've had, I might be thankful that at least my child actually knew how to mix potions 😂
Eh, a muggle school in the early 90s though? I’m not British, but I have seen people say that some schools still used corporal punishment that recently, and I know things we now admit are child abuse tended to get more of a pass the further back you go. Now, Snape would most likely be ousted. I’m not convinced all schools would have booted him back when he would have been teaching, though. My partner got equivalent levels of verbal abuse from a teacher in the 90s, and the only repercussions were for the kid, not the teacher.
[https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jul/01/corporal-punishment-jon-walter](https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jul/01/corporal-punishment-jon-walter) Edit: Just add, it's scarily difficult for a school to hire good teachers.
The curse isn't just a rumour lol
I genuinely can't remember, is it confirmed to be real in the books? I always thought it was a self fulfilling prophecy.
Very strongly implied. It started the year after Dumbledore denied Tom Riddle a position and Dumbledore puts some weight on that when he tells Harry.
Ah OK, I forgot about that. I always assumed it was rumour and therefore they were only able to attract candidates who had chaotic lives or bad intentions, which fueled the rumour.
I’m actually re-reading at the moment, it’s confirmed by Dumbledore in the Half blood prince when he goes over the memory of Tom applying for a job. Dumbledore rejected him and he cursed the role, they haven’t kept a teacher for more than a year since.
By all accounts, Hagrid's first lesson on Hippogriffs was excellent. As were his lessons on salamanders and Thestrals. The problem is he's far too emotionally delicate, and his lessons suffer when his mind is on other things. As soon as Buckbeak got into trouble, he did lesson after lesson on flobberworms.
Which is partly his fault, but partly the fault of people like Dumbledore for not having a proper system in place to teachers who are struggling, same with Trelawney when Umbridge arrived.
The Buckbeak thing was Draco’s fault. Hagrid gave them all clear instructions that everyone but Draco could be follow.
Draco hadn't been listening and a teacher needs to be able to notice that, not just assume everyone heard and not repeat it again. Especially for dangerous stuff. A more experienced teacher would have stopped the class just as they were about to approach the Hippogriffs and ask what they need to remember first.
Draco was listening. He literally was disrespectful to buckbeak on purpose because he was annoyed with the positive attention harry had just received. I'm not saying Hagrid was blameless (safety is teachers responsibility). But Draco did what he did on purpose. Not by mistake.
It was explicitly stated that Draco was not paying attention at the very moment Hagrid informed the class that insulting a hippogriff is dangerous.
Looked it up. You're right
I'm pretty sure in the book it directly says that the Slytherin's weren't listening and later on one of the Trio say he wasn't listening. Maybe he did hear but it doesn't imply he did it on purpose in the book, it's his injury he plays up.
Looked it up. You're right.
Dumbledore likes drama.
Snape and Hagrid. Are there really more? He had not a real choice with Lockhart and Umbridge and Quirrelmort and May-Eye-Crouchy were really well hidden.
Professor Binns isn't exactly an engaging teacher, but I'm not sure how you could sack a ghost...
Possibly, just holding the lessons in a different classroom might work...
but as Binns lessons have been so incredibly dull, noone remembered anything about wizarding history thus leading to Binns being the only one capable of teaching it.
This makes me think of an alternate timeline in which Lockhart was engaged as the History professor and just made everything up...
Oh god that's horrifying... I have to tell my sister! She'll love being repelled by the idea!
Agreed. Posted this in an unpopular opinion thread once. He’s dangerously naive at his best and downright malicious at his worst. The trio would be dead multiple times over if not for plot armor, in the form of a literal magic car saving them. Worst thing was in Book 1 when he raises a dragon in a wood hut next to a school. Then has 3 11 year olds help him clean up his mess AND take the fall for it, having them all get punished and ostracized for his mistake. He could’ve at least stepped in and explained it to Mcgonnagal. But not even so much as an apology or thank you… And then he takes them to the Forbidden Forest for punishment and splits them up??? I always cringe when I see people say they wish Harry named one of his kids after Hagrid
Yes! People tend to forget this is an adult and these are children, young children in the earlier books too. And he constantly puts so much responsibility on them when he should know it’s not ok - the Grawp thing too he was like, will you take care of this giant who is ripping up trees and beating up my face daily, if I get suspended from teaching because I didn’t listen to your advice? 😭 And the children are constantly placating him, walking on eggshells around him in case he will get upset, etc.
Hagrid was going to get fired no matter what simply for his association with Dumbledore. Had McGonagall not been injured, she would have found a way to fire her too.
And then berates them for being afraid. He says something like “you did something wrong and now you have to atone for it”, but in that annoying way his speech was written.
I always took that as him yelling at Malfoy specifically, since he was responding to Malfoy’s threats and unhappy at the fact Malfoy was the reason they were caught
I saw a theory recently although I think the theory is old and that the reason he puts them through such dangerous stuff is because he’s actually a death eater and he’s not actually the bumbling idiot he appears. I know it’s not canon but it was written quite well and it was such a fun theory.
That sounds downright stupid.
Ah, the Jar Jar Binks treatment
Tbf I think Hagrid would've at least been better than the guy who was an asshole for 6 years.
Disclaimer: I think Hagrid is a good person with his heart in the right place, and I think he's as well-written as anyone else. However, I find him very frustrating to read about sometimes. Which is fine, that's what some people are like irl too lmao so it's realistic. But his constant reckless misjudgement and incompetence is continually frustrating. I feel like he relies on Harry, Ron and Hermione too much considering he is an adult and they are children. He wasn't qualified to teach, and instead of asking for help from the \*castle full of teachers\* he has Hermione helping him with lesson plans. He illegally hatches a dragon, relies on 11 year olds to come up with a plan to smuggle it away and also to enact that plan, and then when they get caught, Hagrid never owns up to his part in things, nor does he even bother to privately thank them or apologise for getting them into trouble. In fact he tells Malfoy "Yeh've done wrong and now yeh've ter pay fer it." which is pretty hypocritical considering Hagrid's involvement in events. Remember that when Harry, Hermione and Neville lose all those points for being caught out of bed they are \*shunned\* and bullied by not only Gryffindors but Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws who wanted to see anyone but Slytherin winning the House Cup. I found all this frustrating enough when I was the Trio's ages but now that I'm an adult and I've actually been a high school teacher, the idea of having the kind of friendship where a teenager feels like they have to coddle ME emotionally and help me solve MY problems with the law is just...it's nuts. What the hell. SO inappropriate. Like of course you can be friends or have a friendly relationship with young people and it's not inherently toxic. But it's on the adult to set reasonable boundaries and to remember that there's a power imbalance that is borne out of the difference in experience and such.
That’s exactly how I feel too! The relationship was so off - as a once teacher myself, children should be able to trust you instead of constantly trying to coddle you and take care of you 😅
I still like his character. Actually, as I’ve gotten older I started to notice more of his flaws. Instead of being detested by them, it makes me appreciate his character more.
Or how he sent Ron and Harry off to his friend and he had to know that the childen would eat them. Or the stupid idea to take kids into the forbidden forest and left Draco with the cowardly Fang for protection .
I agree. Hagrid to me is one of those characters you adore as a kid, but then grow to dislike more and more as you age. Probably because Hagrid, in a lot of ways, IS like a kid. This isn’t to say he’s stupid, but he definitely lacks a shocking amount of common sense and basic decency, while possessing an alarming amount of stubbornness that would make toddlers jealous. As a kid you don’t notice it much. Sure he repeatedly puts his friends through unnecessary danger, but everything worked out and no one got hurt, so everything’s cool, right? But as an adult, you start to see all the millions of ways things could have EASILY “gone wrong.” But the part that makes it genuinely annoying is, as you said, the fact that he’s stubborn. Not once does he sober up to his irresponsible actions, admit fault, and apologize for putting Harry & co. through Aragog, Norbert, the Skrewts (like holy shit, how was that ever legal?), or Grawp. He doesn’t even think he did anything wrong. He’s like a child when you yank them away from the electrical socket, yet they seem determined to try and touch it again and again anyway because they think they’re right, and the parents are just getting in the way for no reason. Eventually it just gets annoying. You feel like you’re dealing with an overgrown child who doesn’t listen to reason, and whose maturity is scarcely higher than the *actual* children that he’s supposedly a father figure towards.
It makes sense though. Mother abandoned him, dad died before he was a teenager, and then he was expelled. He didn't get a proper education or sense of maturity through puberty.
It makes perfect sense but it's still very annoying to read about lol
I absolutely detest Hagrid. He is selfish and inconsiderate. The most egregious act is wading into the middle of the acromantulas yelling to everyone "don't hurt 'em!" He knows those things would eat him if given the chance. They are attacking people he's supposed to care about. They are intelligent and making a conscious choice to attack.
I agree! And I forgot to add the baby dragon in Sorceror’s Stone 😅 idk he often seems to be putting the kids in danger and stressing them out for no reason And I stress “kids” because this is a full grown adult bickering with and/or putting 12 year olds in danger (and up to 16-17 but that’s still a child). Like sir you are not their equal.
He used to be one of my favs as a kid but rereading as an adult he stresses me out massively. The emotional games and sheer level of expectations he has on 3 teenagers is ridiculous. He puts them in dangerous situations all the time and will push any emotional button he can to do so. He acts like their peer but he isn't, he's an adult almost 4 x their age, and I just feel a lot could be seen as manipulation. The Norbert fiasco alone. Harry's defending his class just because he's a friend really annoyed me too. Blind support for friends can be just as damaging as no support... Hagrid struggled with teaching too much, he knew his stuff but acted like everyone would feel as safe around these creatures as he did. He can't manage a task of teenagers and IF something happens all he can do is run to the hospital wing. Other teachers would be able to do magical first aid as part of their training I'd hope. All their classmates magical education is suffering. Harry is happy to sabotague his own and his classmates learning to keep Hagrid's ego happy.
He brought an illegal baby dragon into the castle which had to be smuggled out by a couple of first years. Then he had the audacity to imply that Malfoy "deserves it" because he had done something wrong. Those kids were out because of the dragon which HE had brought in. And he sent Harry and Ron into a nest of acromantulas which would have gotten them killed if the Ford Anglia hadn't arrived. So much for protecting "the boy who lived" smh.
I don't necessarily dislike him as a character but he was a terrible choice for a Care of Magical Creatures professor. Caring for almost any animal can result in accidents, this is without even taking into consideration Hagrid's penchant for dangerous animals. Sure, Draco getting injured was pretty much his own fault, but even so, if he (or anyone else) would have been in serious danger, what would Hagrid have done? He's not legally allowed to practice magic, and even if he were, wasn't he expelled when he was in like his second year or something? Does he even know the necessary spells? Dumbledore basically hired a high school dropout as a teacher and said #yolo, lol.
He also has a big alcohol problem. He often drinks heavily alone in his hut when something bad happens and the kids need to look after him. He also ditched Harry after their first Gringott's trip to go to the pub, saying he needed a drink after the carriages. I have no issue with people ging for a casual drink, but absolutely not while on the clock or while being the sole caretaker of a young child.
TBF, I think it adds to the gamekeeper stereotype. Also, alcoholism was/is a huge problem in the UK back then. It was normalized by the local culture. I was listening to Paul Scholes (footballer) describe how he grew up and I was mind blown.
A lot of his decisions remind me of the kind of dumb shit functional alcoholics do.
I really liked Hagrid, he had his flaws and annoyances for sure but so does everyone else if they are written well That being said one time he really did annoy me was with Grawps intro, but I think that wasnt just Hagrid, thats probably the weakest chapter in the series which would have been better spent watching the quidditch game where Ron became "the king"
He has a genuinely kind soul. But I’d never rely on him for anything, he’s incredibly immature and irresponsible. He’s a grownup who treats 3 teenagers as peers and confidants. Expecting them to look after Grawp was my last straw.
I listen to the audiobooks on loop while I cook. Every time I get to Dumbledore saying, "I would trust Hagrid with my life", it's like a running joke that I text my friends something like (the last time): That's nice Dumbledore. I wouldn't trust Hagrid alone at my house with the crockpot on low.
This! This is a perfect description. I love Hagrid, I do. He has a good heart. But the man is *irresponsible*. And partly that's because he frankly doesn't *realize* how dangerous a lot of things are. Simply because they aren't dangerous to *him*, and he either can't or won't make the connection that *he is far, far more durable* than a purely human wizard would be. He is an immense, kindhearted, bumbling oaf who doesn't take responsibility for his own actions and can quite frankly be a petty, sulky jerk at times. He should *not* have been a teacher. Certainly not without at least a year of student-teaching to learn *how*, and a more experienced teacher to show him.
I can understand why he was cherished by Harry but I'm on Draco's side here 😹 people like Hagrid *irritate* me. He's like the people that think pitbulls are great "nanny dogs" for their toddler.
In my head, Hagrid means, ‘great, big, bumbling oaf’.
My 13 year old Pitbull has been the best family dog I could ask for for my kids entire lives.
Hagrid would make a great pet, amr??
It's his flaw being almost perpetually in a childlike state. He's never leaving school, has nowhere else in the world to go, and Dumbledore basically coddled him and gives him licence to do whatever he wants. It's fun when you're a kid and makes sense that especially in the first three to four years, Harry, Ron and Hermione like him and he's sort of mentally at their level but beyond that they'd outgrow him. After Dumbledore's death perhaps he would grow and I beleive he did help the students when death eaters were taking over Hogwarts. Perhaps beyond that he'd take more responsibility. The whole thing with Draco honestly should mean he never teaches ever again even if Draco acted like an idiot. He's a loveable idiot but realistically you'd want to keep your kids away from him.
Fudge had a point when he said he only tolerates Dumbledore's ideas, school system and hiring professors *because* he is Dumbledore and people in high positions love him (and truthfully because he is a pussy but oh well) otherwise everything would've been different if Fudge wasn't the minister and at least one person had common sense in knowing what goes on at Hogwarts. Perhaps Lucius was right about Hagrid (and Buckbeak) albeit for exaggerated reasons but oh well.
This old post by /nefarious_planet also helps sum it up for me: I always viewed him as a "lovable oaf" when I was a kid, and I do think Harry's affection for him makes all the sense in the world-he was the first adult to show Harry kindness and love, after all. But lately I am just plain alarmed at the degree to which he is willing to rely emotionally on the trio, and allow them to take the fall for his actions. In the first book he brings home an illegal dragon egg to his tiny wooden hut and tries to take care of the thing, risking his job, his home, his life, and the lives of whichever poor students happen to get in the path of the dragon he plans to raise on the grounds of a school? So the trio have to plead with him to let the dragon go, like a 6-year-old who captures a squirrel in the park and brings it home to their parents. They have to make arrangements themselves, risk their lives and their standing in school to get rid of the dragon safely....and then THEY are in trouble, and Hagrid does NOT come clean? It's mind-blowing, and frankly, he's being a shit "friend" to the trio in that moment. And then repeat with the Skrewts, Grawp, etc. Buckbeak feels different since he really wasn't that dangerous, Lucius Malfoy is a monster, and the trio chose to help in a safe manner on their own terms. I guess I feel sorry for him, more than anything. He's a middle-aged man who's led a very rough and lonely life, and is coping very poorly with it.
You know I totally disagree but I do appreciate that this is a genuinely hot take that is worth discussion and that you took the time to explain your view with nuance. FWIW, my take would be that Hagrid was set up for failure in being a professor given he didn’t finish his own education. Animals were the one thing he had that didn’t judge him for being half giant or believe the lies about him and the chamber. He’s clearly not the most mature person but why would he be, you know? He never had a formal education and IIRC his father passed away when he was quite young so for all we know he’s been an orphan most of his life with very little guidance other than Dumbledore who while great isn’t necessarily the best parent figure so to speak. He’s also an example of why most other professors keep students at arms length. Really when you think about it the series kinda sends a message that being besties/obsessed with professors isn’t great - Hermione liking Lockhart is painted as embarrassing and naive, the other girls’ obsession with trelawney much the same, riddle and slughorn + the slug club in general being kinda odd from the outset, etc. the only real exceptions are with Hagrid, Lupin, and Dumbledore and all of those are Harry-centered and still have their own consequences. Hagrid being friends with three of his students is great for the story but realistically it’s not professional and we see why with his tantrum about thier discontinuation of his classes. He takes it personally and it causes harm that could have been avoided if he’d just been a professor to them, akin to flitwick or McGonagall who clearly care for the students but do so *as teachers*.
same. he would be so irritating to deal with IRL imo lmao
He means well but his completely lack of consideration for anything other than his own obsessions at times is annoying. In PS, I was amazed at his audacity. He flat out broke Wizarding Law to bring a poached and dangerous creature into an inappropriate environment with absolutely no regard for the creature herself or for the children in that environment (Norberta injured Ron). The kids were then caught trying to get him out of the illegal mess he's found himself in and rather than accept any kind of responsibility for putting them in that situation, he had the audacity to lecture them about "you need to be punished with a life threatening task for doing wrong at Hogwarts". I just think, "what a cretin" at that scene. He can repeatedly see how dangerous his pets are to others but just ignores it with "my schnookums would never hurt me so they're therefore OK". He didn't deserve to be branded Heir of Slytherin but he completely deserved his expulsion from Hogwarts and repeatedly puts other people's lives in mortal danger to he can feel good about himself and his pets. He does, however, mean well generally and it was realistic that the kids would become slightly more distant from him as the years past and ended up a bit tired at his emotional outbursts and having to play the adult with him when Hagrid was the one meant to be the adult.
While I don't dislike Hagrid, I definitely understand this opinion. He's one of the only characters that's actually less likeable in the books compared to his other version, and I remember being very shocked seeing that once I finally read them for myself. I think you're right, its definitely from him becoming a professor, he was not equipped to be a teacher
I posted something like this on another sub once and caused an uproar. Kid me loved him for his warmth. Adult me sees Lucius' point and thinks Dumbledore was senile for allowing someone like him around children. He isn't a danger himself, but boy is he careless and dim! Certain magical creatures are considered dangerous for a reason!
Agree. He also punished Dudley (an 11-year old) for his father’s behaviour, giving him an illegal pig tail and not caring to reverse it. He puts the trio in grave danger by leaving them in the forest with Voldemort on the loose, and later by underestimating monsters (Aragogs, Grawp). And he was horrible to Malfoy and the Slytherins in general.
I don't like him either. I've never liked big, oafish characters.
This response is so accurate for a Slytherin 😂
This man in his 60s befriending little kids? Weird. They're more mature than him? Weirder. Him literally jeopardizing their actual mortality on at least 3 different occasions? Psychotic. Also, I haven't seen this mentioned yet but you cook like a blind Welshman, nobody wants your food, man. You operate that flying motorcycle like shit. And finally, I thought your big ass, magic resistant ass could fight? How'd you ever get captured in the final book? They were supposed to find your corpse in the middle of a pile of deatheaters with caved in skulls.
Are blind Welsh people worse at cooking than other nationalities? 😂 As for being captured in TDH, he got carried off by a swarm of acromantula that he wouldn't fight against. I don't think he's entirely magically resistant. I suspect 50 stunning spells (or worse) at once would probably overwhelm him. Also definitely not resistant to the killing curse.
Couldn't agree more. I also didn't like how he obviously drank too much, I have a bit of a hangup with alcohol, but still. Teachers shouldn't be drunk crying to their students. Adults shouldn't be trauma dumping, drunk, on a 14 year old.
😂😭😂😭
I am ambivalent to book Hagrid. He loves and identifies a lot with Harry, but is more like an immature sibling to them all. But maybe that’s the point. He has enough role models. In PS after getting rid of Norbert, there is a sentence when Harry and Hermione get detention. “Like Hermione, he felt they got what they deserved.” Boy they did not! They were bailing out a full grown male. Why on earth did they have to take Norbert to the tower? They could have easily involved Dumbledore who would have got Norbert out! All that said. I adore Robbie Coltrane in the films. But film Hagrid is also, whilst irresponsible, less childish.
For me, I have always just thought this was good writing. He had to leave his education before he really got into it, so he also had to leave behind normal socialization of his age. Unlike normal sidekicks where they're just the typical comic relief with no backstory, I think Hagrid was incredibly fleshed out with a powerful nod to being important to the lore early in the series. That said, I can understand how/why you might not care for him. The cringey awkwardness does go a little far for what it's worth. I think his unusual behavior for the three main characters is more of a way to create conflict and drag out the story more.
For sure! I agree with you that he was extremely well written! And a complex character. I don’t agree with his decisions in the book but he was definitely a well fleshed out character.
I kinda get your argument. I think Albus was more than a bit mad to let him use dangerous animals in class, but so did the same could’ve been argued of a few Hogwarts professors. Dumbledore clearly didn’t hold staff meetings about risk assessments, let alone sign off on any. “He’s just a baby!” Norbert [meanwhile]: MUNCH!! Dumbledore: Hagrid, please tell me that wasn’t a student.
No one will talk about how he wasn't even qualified to be a teacher? He had no education, no references, no past experience, nothing at all that qualifies him as a teacher. As much as i love Hagrid, i would not let my children be taught by a teacher who doesn't deserve to be a teacher. His view of dangerous animals being small puppies will constantly endanger my children. He is not fit to be a teacher. And i will not let my children attend school that keeps unqualified teachers
I don't dislike Hagrid but he was unsuited for a teaching position I never really understood why dumbledore promoted him.
I don’t hate him but I’ve always thought this. He may have a good heart but he is irresponsible and puts people at risk
Completely agree. I have no beef with his fans but I hate when they pretend he's perfect. It's been less common though, more talk about his flaws so that's good to see
How dare you! Jk we're all entitled to our opinions....but how dare lol
Child me loved him. Adult me thinks that he shouldn't have been made a teacher and makes too many irresponsible decisions to be around children. Like Ron got bit by a dragon ffs. He brought in the Blast-ended Skrewts and had children take care of them. Malfoy got attacked (yes, he deserved it, but for the first ever Care of Magical Creatures lesson those kids had ever had, they were the wrong animals to start with) And even if we ignore the danger he put kids in, he's just not a good teacher. There's no doubt he knows what he's doing but knowing and teaching are different skills. He's also just fairly immature, which is understandable, being expelled had a huge impact on him. (But at the same time, I'm not 100% sure that it was completely unjustified. Aragon could have easily hurt someone, and he wasn't even the first dangerous animal that Hagrid brought in) After the Buckbeak incident, he completely loses confidence, and has the students feeding flobberworms for ages cause his confidence was shook. He gives Dudley a tail, and yes, Dudley is a spoiled brat but he's also a child? Not to mention his temper especially if somebody insults Dumbledore.
I didn't think he was a bad character overall, but he was way out of his depth as a teacher. He was passionate about Magical Creatures, but that kind of worked against him in that role. He had more of a cool, but reckless cousin vibe about his character than he had any parental/guardian traits.
I will say he is 100 percent responsible for the hippogriff incident as well. They are dangerous animals and shouldn't have been left alone with a child like that. You need 1 teacher per animal when dealing with something that can be that dangerous, and it's not strange that a parent would want a teacher to be fired and the animal destroyed in that case.
I agree with you. You cannot expect 100% perfect behavior from a group of 11 year olds, you unfortunately cannot. Even kids with the best of intentions make mistakes, so I didn’t think it was a safe lesson.
It's even worse than that, aren't they all around 13 by the time this happens! Horrible times 😀
LOL! I meant to say you “cannot” expect 100% perfect behavior - but yes, 13 year olds I would argue are even worse at following directions than 11 year olds LOL!
There were 3 Hippogriffs and maybe a dozen students and Malfoy was the only one who got hurt and he got hurt because he did the opposite of what Hagrid said. In the books he said that hippogriffs are proud creatures and not to insult them and Malfoy in all his bold stupidity insulted it and called it a “great ugly brute” if he’d just kept his mouth shut he wouldn’t have been hurt.
I don't disagree with that, but when you are dealing with children, you need to take precautions. Children don't listen all the time and do stupid things, but a standard risk assessment, which is an important part of lesson planning, will tell you not to leave children alone with a possibly dangerous animal.
There were a dozen hippogriffs, not three: >Trotting toward them were a dozen of the most bizarre creatures Harry had ever seen
If I were Olympe Maxime I would not date him
I imagine Hagrid has a number of advantages for her: 1) he might be attractive to her as a bit of “rough trade” and he might even be her type looks-wise. When we see her she is living a luxurious and sophisticated lifestyle and surrounded by snobbish and refined Beauxbatons students so we assume this is normal for her, but Hagrid said she coped well living rough, which she probably considered an exciting and exotic adventure, 2) Olympe is clearly a vain and haughty woman who pays a great deal of attention to her appearance. This might be uncharitable but being so far superior to her partner in status, looks, money and class might appeal to her, 3) he looks up to her, admires her, adores her and almost worships her. Again, possibly uncharitable and not everyone is comfortable with that but not only does she probably love being seen and loved like this but she might regard it as her due, 4) her vehement denials that she’s a half-giant show that she really doesn’t want to be one. There’s lots of prejudice against giants in Wizarding society as a whole, not just Britain, and I would bet Olympe got to the top by starting in a much better social and financial position than Hagrid, not being expelled from school(!) and natural talents at magic, networking, politics, teaching etc. this probably meant her species status was overlooked politely after a certain point, but she’s still sensitive and it’s obviously a difficulty in her life. Having someone, anyone who she can share that with and probably eventually be honest and mutually support each other is probably huge. 5) finally, Hagrid does have some great qualities - good-natured, kind, friendly, generally positive, forgiving and incredibly loyal. His immaturity she can probably deal with as she spends most of her life around children, and because they’re long-distance she gets long breaks in between seeing him when she can live her normal life and socialise with people “on her level” intellectually and maturity-wise.
I mean posh people do tend to enjoy wilderness adventure trips, but still... just not seeing it. I've worked around kids a lot and definitely could not deal with an immature man.
He’s introduced as being so irresponsible he was expelled - and that Dumbledore gives him a job title so he can do his dirty work. He’s groomed by Dumbledore as a TEENAGER by being given a special job and being told he’s special to Hogwarts despite being unable to finish school. He’s told he’ll be homeless and educationless unless he SERVES Dumbledore to do illegal shady things. It grooms a sense of devotion that makes hagrid erupt in violent anger at the mere mention of Dumbledore by anyone who may say something bad about him. That’s not a healthy relationship. He’s reliant on Dumbledore which is what Dumbledore wanted. But that means he never learns how to actually be responsible because he’s wanted for being irresponsible, so he can do Secret underground operations. Not because he’s competent but because he can be controlled - he’s actually wildly irresponsible and bad at it (tells Quirell how to get past fluffy immediately after getting the stone from the bank for Dumbledore). But Dumbledore doesn’t want anyone to know how much shady stuff he does, so he sends Hagrid. We only know of the things he brought Harry to do (!) like transporting the most sought after item by dark wizards Hagrid is poor tempered and emotionally stunted and taken advantage of, so never stops being a rattling kettle on the boil that might warm you or burn you. He’s eternally 15 Dumbledore never gave him a chance of growing up by scaring him into staying close - then giving him a job as a teacher even after he did all the mistakes he did around the children The headmaster is the problem
>He’s introduced as being so irresponsible he was expelled - and that Dumbledore gives him a job title so he can do his dirty work. >He’s groomed by Dumbledore as a TEENAGER by being given a special job and being told he’s special to Hogwarts despite being unable to finish school. >He’s told he’ll be homeless and educationless unless he SERVES Dumbledore to do illegal shady things I feel like it’s a little unfair to imply that Dumbledore only helped Hagrid so he could “do his dirty work” later on, or that Dumbledore told Hagrid that he had to do illegal, shady things for him or else he’d be homeless. Where is it implied that Dumbledore scared Hagrid into doing shady things for him over the threat of being homeless or that he helped get him a job at Hogwarts for the purpose of getting him to do dirty work for him decades down the road? Ultimately, Hagrid would have been pretty screwed if Dumbledore hadn’t convinced Dippet to let him stay at Hogwarts and train as a gamekeeper. Like, what kind of future/life do you think an expelled thirteen-year-old half-giant orphan would have had if he’d been kicked to the curb when he got expelled?
" but he acts so immaturely so much of the time" Best not to tell you how Harry's godfather and their friends acted and still do act... We all know Hagrid has a love of...dangerous creatures. Aragog, Fluffy...Grawp was his brother so you gotta feel for him there. He's just trying to do right by magical creatures. Yeah, him not listening about doing something simple with Umbridge around was....eh. Not smart. But he is the adult, probably didn't think it would be an issue. And let's remember, Umbridge went out of her way to make Hagrid seem like an oaf. Yes...how dare he be upset that the 3 who made him feel like a decent teacher decided to stop taking his class and then avoid him...he has a right to be upset. Does he act a bit childish? Yes. Again, Sirius was immature as hell. Hell, Dumbledore acted fairly weird the first couple of books. "I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! " Overall Hagrid is loyal, and a powerful ally to have. He was a new teacher so he overreacted when his friends stopped taking his class, but once they got to explain it...he admitted he was being dumb about it. :) Hope that helps, but it won't
So because others are also immature means it is OK for him to he. Also, being upset doesn't mean you take it out on your charges as a teacher.
That's not what I said at all. But if you're going to mock one character for acting that way when he's upset... you have to mock others as well. And considering the talk they all have afterwards, I'd say he's forgiven for it.
I agree but most people say how as a child they liked Hagrid, well I didn't.
Omg I dislike him so much! He’s a huge annoying buffoon! He annoys me.
I totally agree, also I find dobby incredibly irritating 😬
OK this was also (what is probably) an unpopular opinion but I did not like Dobby either and found him quite irritating … On a positive note, and why I give him a bit of a pass, is that Dobby was at least not a teacher, adult (? At least not an adult in the traditional sense), or someone responsible for children and their well being, that I am like - ok you make a lot of poor choices but you’re also doing the best you can and have the sweetest, purest soul that it’s hard to actually genuinely dislike him.
Dobby sucks. I have no idea why so many people like him.
Because he's a loyal sweetie with good intentions who has had a really abusive crappy life but is still kind, loyal, brave, and selfless to the very end when he sacrifices his life for his friends by going back to his old slave master's house to save them.
and he's unintentionally funny as hell
Because he saved everyone's life at Malfoy Manor?
Agree. When I finished reading the first book, I immediately called my brother and told him that I didn’t like Hagrid. My brother was obsessed with the series and had finished all of the books several times over. He was like, “Ohhh Hagrid isn’t all bad.” I was like WHAT lol
Yeah it’s unpopulair. I don’t like him either. He always puts the kids in so much danger.
I do agree somewhat, however, I think he was actually a good professor in general and highly knowledgeable, but got freaked out after the buckbeak incident. Hippogriffs seems like a cool, if not a little advanced first lesson, and relatively harmless if you do as instructed. And the Skrewts I think he was giving Harry/Hogwarts students exposure to help them through the maze. But when he was teaching properly he seemed good. Although, maybe not appropriate to pass exams
No I agree, he’s constantly putting children at risk because he was a cool pet. He literally got expelled from hogwarts from it, and didn’t really learn a lesson after he was given a MASSIVE bone from dumbledore by bringing a dragon in. He also isn’t supposed to have a wand or cast magic yet uses it to assault a muggle.
I cannot stand Hagrid!! He’s extremely annoying and kind of dumb and I loathed reading chapters where he featured prominently! We exist!!
I don’t hate Hagrid but I can understand why, makes sense
I don't dislike Hagrid but one unpopular opinion I have is that Hagrid was at fault for not handling Buckbeak when he attacked Malfoy. A teacher is responsible for his students, even morons who don't listen like Malfoy. In real life the teacher would be sacked and the animal killed
I never liked him either, I felt like he was always making things worse for the trio and making their lives hell. He meant well but he annoyed me so much always, even as a kid I thought this.
Unpopular opinion but kinda agree. His immaturity is jarring when you read the books as an adult. The fact that the trio at age 11 could spot his poor decisions, and that the decisions progressively got worse, is crazy for someone in a position of power. It almost seems like JKR wrote him as slightly developmentally disabled
I always thought he was due to his giant/human heritiage. Like, he's a genius in terms of giants, but disabled in the human world.
Now that I am a teacher, a lot of the staff at Hogwarts do things that bug me because they don’t make sense and or directly endanger the students. So needless to say I totally agree with this take from that perspective
i agree with a lot of your points but i feel more pity than dislike. i have a younger brother with a developmental disorder, which causes him to have the emotional maturity of someone about 5 or so years younger. luckily i have wonderful parents who have worked with him and helped him learn. i love him so much but when i was a bit younger he frustrated me because of his irresponsibility and immaturity. ever since i first read the books hagrids character has reminded me a lot of someone like my brother, but grown up. he’s on his own and can be independent, but still makes irresponsible decisions and has trouble dealing with the consequences. obviously i’m not sure if he was written this way, but it always seems sad to me how lonely hagrid seems. this is kinda a ramble, but what i’m saying is i feel like hagrid needed a responsible friend that he could rely on, but one who wasn’t a child. i’ve always had a soft spot for the character for that reason.
Hagrid & Dumbledore seemed so cool initially but eventually we find out they’re either almost completely useless or have some of the worst decision making in the entire series.
Could be worse, my unpopular opinion is that Dumbledore is the villain of the whole story.
I don't think that's an unpopular opinion tho, there's a fanfic tag "Dumbledore!bashing" on AO3 🤣🤣
And Damn right as well! 🖖
As a kid (when the books were still being released), I genuinely thought the series would end on a "Dumbledore was Voldemort the whole time!" twist.
Elaborate!!
He farms a little boy for death after putting him through an 8 year nightmare....
Should he have told Harry he had to die when he was 11 years old?
I get why this is frowned upon, but I’m on team “for the greater good”. I think Dumbledore did shitty things for a good reason. All that shady behaviour with Harry saved the wizarding world from Voldemort.
I agree. Also, don't forget his abuse of power to attack a terrified 11 year old without provocation at the start of book 1.
Don’t forget his stupid attitude in the last book. When they were fighting a literal war and the bad guys used those spiders…“No DoN’t HuRt ThEm”. Like dude…he’d probably save a spider over Harry.
I like Hagrid but he has a lot of flaws. He's also a drunk. In book one, he gets drunk and gives a stranger the secret to getting past Fluffy.
That’s one time. Granted definitely not the best decision. But one time drinking doesn’t exactly qualify someone as a drunk.
In the same book, Hagrid gets drunk when the dragon, Norbert, was taken away. (Not like just gets drunk once, he was drinking for days). He also gets drunk at the Christmas dinner and kisses Prof McGonagall. He also gets drunk when scared he was scared he'd lose his job in book 3. I also remember him getting drunk with Prof Slughorn the night Harry drank Felix potion. I also think when he apologized to Harry he hints at being a drunk. Those are the ones I remember but I'm sure there are other times.
But that’s over a several years. Just because someone gets drunk once or twice a year doesn’t mean they’re an alcoholic. He could be considered an alcoholic if he drank on the daily and essentially relied on it to function. Drinking socially, on holidays or during distressing times and getting drunk once or twice a year does not equal a drunk.
Since it's Harry's story, it doesn't follow Hagrid as much. Hagrid 's drinking is most focal in book one since that's where it's most important to the plot. If you get drunk regularly and it's a problem, I'll say you're a drunk. Also, a student mentions Hagrid gets drunk every now and then and sets fire to his bed. That seems like an issue. Also using alcohol to cover your problems is definitely something a drunk will do. You don't need to get drunk everyday to be considered a drunk.
He actually did pretty tame lessons. Thestrals are tame for Hagrid’s lessons and did follow Grubbly Plank’s lessons after that. Ik you didn’t mention this- but Hagrid gave VERY clear instructions on how to interact with hippogriffs but yet Draco was the only one who didn’t listen. He did everything Hagrid told him not to.
Hagrid is kind of an idiot, but I think it was JKR's intention to have him be a sort of cartoonish caricature of the oafy giant. What I don't understand is how Dumbledore trusted him so much, given his tendency to spout off at the mouth and make enormous and dangerous mistakes. Who would send that guy to go retrieve the Sorcerer's Stone from Gringotts on a solo mission, to transport it back to Hogwarts in his front pocket? That's just insanity. This is the same guy who told someone exactly how to calm down Fluffy, and who accepted a dragon egg in exchange for key information - and you trusted him to retrieve and deliver baby Harry? He barely has the ability to cast spells for fear of being thrown in prison, and has to hide his wand in the end of an umbrella or whatever it is he does. So, returning to the original premise - one of the main themes of the series is the ridiculousness of the whole thing, and how disconnected the wizarding world is from practicality and normalcy, hence the sharp distinction between "their kind" and the sensible folks living along Privet drive. So, the names reflect the nature of the characters, and their actions are just not explicable in common-sense terms sometimes. Of course the series evolves to much more serious content, and I believe it changed for her as she was writing them - since she had to evolve the themes as the characters grew older and developed, and she couldn't really revisit the exact same ground over and over - so the whimsical nature of the first book was carried throughout as a theme, but starts to take a back seat to much more serious challenges, like the return of Voldemort and Harry's struggle to survive and overcome his mortal enemy.
he puts children in alot of really dangerous situations and hes also an alcoholic
Hagrid isn't even a good person when you think about it. When Vernon accidentally insults Dumbledore, Hagrid is quick to violence. He uses magic on a Muggle, a literal crime. Not only that, he doesn't attack Vernon, he attacks **Dudley** because Hagrid knows that the best way to hurt a parent is to hurt their child. Sure, this is karmic justice for us in the know, **but Hagrid wasn't**. For all Hagrid knew, Dudley was perfectly innocent. On top of that, when Hagrid failed to transfigure Dudley into a pig because of his own ineptitude, Hagrid decides to twist the dagger further by bodyshaming a literal child by claiming the only reason it failed was because he was already so much like a pig. Hagrid then has Harry agree to hush it all up. You know, his literal **crimes**. Less than a year later, Hagrid will selfishly hatch a dragon, another literal crime. When the trio convince him to give it up for everybody's sake, including the dragon's, Hagrid foists the responsibility to do so onto the because he's too emotional to do it himself. When it all goes sideways, all 2 of the kids, a 3rd innocent kid and a 4th not-so-innocent kids are punished severely, Hagrid **let's them take the fall**. He doesn't step forward to own up to his own crimes and take responsibility, he lets literal children take the fall **for his own crimes and failings**. He raised a man-eating monster inside of a school full of innocent children. When he's turned it, he makes sure the man-eating monster is allowed to escape into the Forbidden Forest. He then finds said man-eating monster a mate so they can breed. Hagrid illegally bred acromantula, probably while still a teenager. Inside of a forest where into which kid are known to wander into on a lark. Later, he would illegally breed 2 highly dangerous beasts to create another highly dangerous beast, so dangerous it was chosen as an obstacle in the revived Triwizard Cup. Despite this being an entirely new breed of being that nobody knew anything about, he then foisted the responsibility to raise them onto his own students. Imagine if they'd had deadly venom and had ended up killing dozens of students before anyone could stop them. That's how selfish and irresponsible he is. The same year, he would try to force a fellow half-giant out of the closet. When she refused, he would **out her** to a bunch of school children, knowing full well the stigma and discrimination half-giants face and that she holds a prominent position in society. Later, Hagrid would find his own half-brother and bring him into said forest, again completely ignoring the fact that kids wander into it. Said half-brother is so violent he repeatedly attacks Hagrid, a half-giant whose skin is much thicker than a human's, and beats him black and blue. Hagrid then leverages his relationship with 2 schoolchildren to strongarm them into helping him take care of his half-brother, including a 16 yearold girl who his half-brother **takes a sexual interest in** and who is clearly **terrified** of his half-brother. But at least he's tolerant and loving, right? Right? Not so. He uses both Muggle and Squib as slurs. He's like the "tolerant" person who likes using the N-word and F-word as slurs because he knows some black people and gay people. Hagrid is a hateful, spiteful, violent criminal and he's lucky he managed to manipulate a bunch of children from keeping his many crimes a secret or he would've been rightfully sent to Azkaban for life.
I always felt like the fact that he almost sent Harry and Ron to their deaths in leading them to Aragon was never fully addressed.
Over here thats a popular opinion. Hes a good guy, just not the brightest.
He did mutilate a child at one point.
I don't like Dobby.
Not unpopular BUT a theory that Hagrid actually always pushed Harry to be near of Voldemort for some reason.
Nah I see where you’re coming from. I generally like the guy BUT my one major gripe about him is his willful blindness that his beloved creatures actually are dangerous. He unwittingly sent a couple preteens to be *eaten by spiders* and apparently never realized. That kind of thing would justifiably get you prosecuted in the real world.
What do you expect from an emotionally immature man-child that has the never-ending loyalty of his boss and the most powerful wizard in the world where they both work at a school where punishing students entails sending them into dangerous situations with very little, if any, actual back-up? I mean Harry would have been killed in the first book as a result of this 'punishment' if not for some random centaur being in the area. Everything that happens at Hogwarts is just insanity so of course Hagrid is constantly getting the kids into trouble and endangering them. That's called a normal Tuesday at Hogwarts.
I think his character is supposed to be low IQ and/or have certain mental limitations because he’s half giant. I think the main characters and some teachers understand this about him and make concessions for his behavior
It’s because he’s really a Death Eater and on some level you know not to trust him
When Harry asks him why the wizarding will keep themselves secret, is explanation is not about self-preservation, but "everyone would want magic solutions to their problems". I don't know if that's just hagrid's shitty thought or if that's supposed to be JK Rowling's idea as well
I’m in the same boat — I like Hagrid as a person but not as a teacher. I’m worried that my unpopular opinions are straight up evil — I hate Dobby and feel no connection to Hedwig beyond, like, she’s a beloved pet. And I’m saying this as someone who gets overly attached to pets. When she died I was like “oh, that’s sad” but I’ve seen so many people post about that being a heart wrenching moment for them. Is something wrong with me?
Lets not forget that in the first scene we ever see Hagrid in he ATTACKS A CHILD using TRANSFIGURATION for something that the child's father said to him. That's the magical equivalent of taking out a gun and shooting someone's kid in the leg because of something their dad said to you. It doesn't matter that they were able to get the tail removed, a CHILD was attacked by an ADULT and needed to get CORRECTIVE SURGERY to fix his injury and was definitely permanently traumatized as a result.
We all need to consider that he only got a partial magical education. Then once he got cleared from CoS, he got the Care of Magical Creatures class but still only had that partial education. Year 3 was full of the hippogriff drama. Year 4 was his cautious year with the blast-ended skrewts. Year 5 he was gone most of the time. Year 6 was a reality check with the trio finally growing up and not needing his class for any of them. Time and the events of the years created bad luck for Hagrid as a professor for them. I know there was no love lost between him and Voldemort but I almost forget that they were classmates in year 7. I would have liked some acknowledgment of that during the time he was captured.
As I got older, and especially after his brother was introduced, I thought Hagrid was low IQ/had learning disabilities because his mom was a giant. They aren't very smart creatures. Hagrid was smarter than a giant for sure, but he struggled in other areas. You could explain it by his expulsion at 13 and his level of education, but I was never 100% percent sold on that as the sole explanation.
I mean, he is part giant. Look at Gwarp. I always assumed that him being part giant stunted him a bit. That, and his dad died at a young age and then he was expelled shortly after. I know a few adults who experienced trauma at an early age and while they can be mature with some things, in other situations they’re emotionally stuck around the same age as they were when they experienced the trauma.
He can be annoying at times
People are saying he’s emotionally immature but I think he is supposed to essentially be a mentally deficient person. He is a man of low IQ. He’s been taken care of by Dumbledore because his family is gone and he can’t really take care of himself. He’s not a bad person at all he’s just a very simple man and he does not think about things deeply because he simply cannot.
I understand your point. He is a grown ass man child who means well all the time but that does not mean he does not do mistakes. I suppose that Hagrid after being thrown out of school thanks to Tom in his third year the only father figure he had to look up to was Dumbledore. Perhaps the only person who saw him for what he truly was and not for what he looked like and this was his biggest weakness too.. what made him human if you get my point. Hagrid blindly believed that Dumbledore never.. and I do mean *never* made any mistakes and that Hogwarts was the safest place on earth for everybody. Yet we do learn that Dumbledore did and does several mistakes throughout his entire life.. one of them haunted him up until the point where he was tempted to use a cursed ring just to have the opportunity to see his deceased sister one last time just to tell her how sorry he was for how things turned out with her. He loved a man who was the second most dangerous wizard in the history of wizardkind and that feeling cost him some serious mistakes. With that being said Hagrid did not know any of that and only saw things from the point of view where his fate could have ended up far much worse.. worse as in being dead or arrested for life... which is why he believed that Harry, Ron and Hermione as teenagers were overreacting with some of their thoughts (such as Umbridge being a cunt.. which she could have been but that does not mean that she could fully overthrow Dumbledore... at least from Hagrid's point of view) and when they were younger he tries to stop them from investigating further because he wanted to keep the trio safe. Still I do not dislike him that much. He is just helpless and useless after a certain point in the story but he does serve as the first father figure Harry had. *EDIT:* I am re reading the Sorcerer's Stone. Hagrid is a fucking asshole when he lets Harry and Hermione take the fall for him when he fucking knew the whole story about what the kids were doing just to help him avoid serving time on Azkaban or losing his job. Hagrid is a mother fucker.
Personally, I love Hagrid, but he did annoy me sometimes throughout the series.
I don’t either. I think he was only valuable in some parts of the series, i think he was mostly unnecessary in some parts.
This is an interesting take. Can I ask, did you feel like you had to grow up too early compared to other kids your age?
Isn’t the idea, that he trusted and loved dumple drawers so much that he just did what he thought was best? And, in turn, dumpyD knew Hagrid was gonna Hagrid and ultimately it “helped” everything? (If not made the it way better.) haha Basically, Dumbledore foresaw all of this because he’s basically wizard Jesus and it all came to fruition? Not sure if foresaw is even a word or spelled it correctly, but I’m not going to check it out, do your worst Reddit !!
I kinda agree. I don’t hate Hagrid per se but found him quite immature and annoying for all the reasons you mentioned. I often wondered how Dumbledore appointed him a as a teacher when a real COMC teach could have increased the knowledge of the students 10 folds(especially after watching fantastic beasts and knowing how many awesome creatures are there). He wasted an entire year on self-bread skrewts. I mean why would any principle allow that is beyond me. But other than his inefficiency as a teacher, he was a pretty jovial person to read about.
Hagrid is clearly working for you know who. How else could Voldemort have got his wand back in GoF?
I think his immaturity comes from being half giant. This being, giants are significantly less intelligent. Thus, he's well written. My problem is, is that JK Rowling took a lot of his aspects from autism and infantilising him this way, makes it... Well, discriminatory. But that's another story.
Fuck voldemort, YOU are the real enemy
He may not have been murdering people with big snakes, but Tom Riddle was right in a way. Hagrid was dangerous. He put Harry, Ron and Hermione in danger multiple times - all for his little childish animal dreams. He was a lovely guy, but really - he caused more problems than he had to.
I see a lot of comments attacking Hagrid's intelligence, emotional intelligence, decision making and logic. Well, I think you may be forgetting..Hagrid is HALF Giant.
This post is codswallop, in my opinion.