Rubeus Hagrid

**"Point me!"**

This article is about **the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts**. You may be looking for **his family**.

## Biographical information

### Born

6 December, 1928
Forest of Dean, West Country, England

### Title(s)

* Professor
* Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts

## Family information

### Family members

* Mr Hagrid (father) †
* Fridwulfa (mother) †
* Grawp (maternal half-brother)
* Grawp's father (step-father)
* Jim Hamilton (possible relation)

## Enemies

### Enemies

* Brody Hudson (Enemy)
* Patrick Dunbar (Enemy)

## Affiliation

### Occupation

* Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (c. 1968-?)
* Professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1993-1995; 1996-?)

### Loyalty

* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
* Order of the Phoenix
* Hagrid family
* Albus Dumbledore
* Harry Potter

"*I would trust Hagrid with my life.*"
—Albus Dumbledore describing his trust of Hagrid in 1981[src]

**Professor Rubeus Hagrid** (b. 6 December, 1928) was a half-giant wizard, son of Mr Hagrid and the giantess Fridwulfa, and elder half-brother of the giant Grawp.

Hagrid attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1940 and was sorted into Gryffindor house. In Hagrid's third year, he was framed by Tom Riddle for the crime of opening the Chamber of Secrets and using his pet Acromantula to attack several Muggle-born students and eventually kill one of them. Though Hagrid's wand was snapped and he was expelled, he was trained as gamekeeper of Hogwarts and allowed to live on the school grounds at the request of Albus Dumbledore.

In 1991, Hagrid was given the task of reintroducing Harry Potter to the wizarding world. In 1993, Hagrid would assume the post of Care of Magical Creatures professor after the retirement of Professor Silvanus Kettleburn. As a member of both the original and the re-instated Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid fought in several battles of the First and the Second Wizarding Wars, including the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. By 2017, he was still living, and presumably still teaching and tending to his gamekeeping duties at Hogwarts.

## Biography

### Early life (1928-1940)

"*My dad was broken-hearted when she wen'. Tiny little bloke, my dad was. By the time I was six I could lift him up an' put him on top o' the dresser if he annoyed me. Used ter make him laugh* [...]"
—Hagrid tells Olympe Maxime about his father[src]

Hagrid was born on 6 December, 1928 to Mr Hagrid, a wizard, and Fridwulfa, a giantess, and grew up in the West Country of England, near the Forest of Dean, where he acquired his distinctive accent. When Hagrid was about three, his mother returned to her Giant colony, leaving his father to raise him alone. Hagrid said he had very few memories of his mother from his childhood, but remembered his father fondly; as a half-giant, he overtook his father in size by the age of six, and amused the "tiny" wizard by picking him up and setting him on top of a dresser when Hagrid was annoyed with him. Later, when talking to Harry, Ron, and Hermione about the death of his mother, Hagrid admitted that she was not a great mother at all.

### School years at Hogwarts (1940-1942/43)

"*That's a* lie. *Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets.*"
—Aragog the Acromantula maintains Hagrid's innocence to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley[src]

Hagrid's father was thrilled when his son was accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Hagrid began his education in 1940, and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. During his third year, Hagrid acquired one in what would be a long line of dangerous pets: a young Acromantula, which he named Aragog. That same year, fifth year student Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would go on to become Lord Voldemort, opened the Chamber of Secrets and unleashed a far more dangerous monster, which Riddle used to attack and petrify a number of Muggle-born students, until he finally caused the death of a girl named Myrtle Warren. When the school was threatened with closing, a consequence highly undesired by Riddle, the boy found out about Aragog, and turned Hagrid in as the culprit; he even further slandered Hagrid with accusations of raising werewolf cubs under his bed and running off into the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls. Hagrid protected Aragog and helped him flee to the Forbidden Forest; however, he was shortly thereafter expelled from Hogwarts, a fate that he was relieved that his father never knew of, having died during Hagrid's second year.

Following his expulsion, the Ministry of Magic forbade Hagrid from practising magic and destroyed his wand. The then-Transfiguration teacher Albus Dumbledore, who was convinced that Hagrid was innocent, nonetheless convinced then-Headmaster, Armando Dippet, to give Hagrid the job of Gamekeeper and allow him to remain a resident of the school. Hagrid continued to do magic using his pink umbrella, which most likely contained the broken fragments of his wand, or perhaps even his entire wand intact, reconstructed for him by Dumbledore using the Elder Wand.

### First Wizarding War (1970-1981)

"*No, sir — house was almost destroyed but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol.*"
—Hagrid to Dumbledore on rescuing young Harry Potter in 1981[src]

Sometime after being expelled from Hogwarts, Hagrid joined the Order of the Phoenix in the 1970s. It was a secret organisation founded by Albus Dumbledore to oppose Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Order was constructed after Voldemort returned to England from abroad and started his campaign to take over the Ministry of Magic and persecute Muggles and Muggle-borns. Voldemort's first reign of terror lasted years and turned friends against each other. The Order worked with the Ministry to oppose the Dark Lord and his followers. Voldemort also had a number of magical dark creatures under is command as well, such as giants

At the abrupt end of the First Wizarding War, Albus Dumbledore sent Hagrid to rescue a one-year-old Harry Potter from the ruins of his house in Godric's Hollow, after Lord Voldemort murdered both James and Lily Potter in 1981. Using Sirius Black's motorcycle, he brought Harry Potter to Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, who were waiting to deliver the boy to his only remaining family — Lily's Muggle elder sister, Petunia, and her husband Vernon Dursley. Hagrid was very sad at the thought of James and Lily Potter being dead.

## Physical description

Hagrid was born to a wizard father and a giant mother, making him a half-giant. As a half-giant, Hagrid possessed great physical strength and endurance, including a resilience against some spells, though his ability to withstand spells was not as great as that of full giants. He was about twice as tall as an average man, standing at eleven feet, six inches tall (too big for an ordinary-sized broomstick) and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face. Hagrid's hands were as big as dustbin lids and his feet in their boots were like baby dolphins. He had light skin and dark eyes that glinted like black beetles. Due to his outdoorsy lifestyle and line of work, Hagrid is likely in incredible physical condition given the amount of labour and physical activity and due to him having never been described in any way as overweight (relative to his size) or unhealthy. Hagrid's size often makes it difficult for him to enter rooms or buildings that are designed for ordinary sized people or not built with airy or grand designs, such as him not being able to fit easily into the Hospital Wing or the Burrow yet having no trouble moving in the Great Hall.

He often wore an exceptionally large moleskin overcoat with several pockets that held many things, though that sometimes caused him to spend a lot of time searching for what he wanted to find. Objects within the pockets have included any number of items, such as mouldy dog biscuits, the key to Harry Potter's Gringotts vault, peppermint humbugs, a squashy package of sausages, a copper kettle, a fire poker, wizard money, a birthday cake, birthday presents, a dirty spotted handkerchief, slug pellets, and a living owl. Hagrid's clothing is largely hand-made due to the descriptions of his clothing as being crafted of animal skin and being far too large for a full-blooded or non-hybridized human being.

## Personality and traits

Hagrid was an incredibly warm, kind-hearted man, and would often forget his exceptional size and strength when patting people on the back. Another of Hagrid's greatest traits was his courage. He was also very loyal to his friends and was ready to defend them or fight for them if necessary. However, despite his loyalty, Hagrid was not good at keeping secrets and accidentally told Quirinus Quirrell, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger the secret of how to get past his three headed dog, Fluffy, which all four of them used to get through to the Sorcerer's Stone. This was again shown when he revealed his half-giant status to Olympe Maxime, which Rita Skeeter overheard and exposed to the wizarding world by an article in the *Daily Prophet*.

Hagrid had a great love of magical creatures, including cross-breeds such as the Blast-Ended Skrewt, and had a better relationship with most of the inhabitants of the Forbidden Forest than most people, including the centaurs, though he had little interest in tame magical creatures due to the lack of a challenge they offered. Despite this, he did show a good understanding of such creatures when he returned to his post as Care of Magical Creatures teacher, continuing lessons on unicorns after Professor Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank. Unfortunately he tended to overlook the dangers behind certain magical creatures, such as his dragon Norbert, and his pet Acromantula Aragog, which was alleged by Tom Riddle to be the monster of Slytherin in 1943, resulting in Hagrid's expulsion from the school. Hagrid never spoke about why he was expelled and would ignore any inquiries about it. Hagrid was fond of creatures in general and seemed to want to own any creature was even slightly fierce — his desires included a warthog and any dragon that he could get his hands on.

Hagrid had a fondness for drinks and was sometimes known to be aggressive, especially when people insulted or attacked those he cared about. After Vernon Dursley claimed that James and Lily Potter deserved their fates and called Albus Dumbledore a "*crackpot old fool*", Hagrid threatened Vernon with his pink umbrella. When Igor Karkaroff accused Dumbledore of treachery and spat at his feet, Hagrid lifted Karkaroff off the ground and slammed him against a tree, roaring at him to apologise to Dumbledore. When some Aurors stunned Fang and Minerva McGonagall, he was so disgusted that he attacked the Aurors in an uncontrollable rage, furiously denouncing them as cowards and when he was younger, threw Tom Riddle to the ground when he framed Aragog of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Despite this, Hagrid was a very sensitive person, and was known to burst into tears when someone close to him was harmed or killed, or when he felt responsible for something that put his friends in peril, such as telling Quirinus Quirrell how to get past his giant three headed dog, Fluffy.

His courage also concealed a deep fear of rejection and insecurity which was notably shown when he isolated himself after he was revealed as a half giant and he attempted to resign from his position as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher until he was convinced otherwise by Dumbledore, Harry, Ron and Hermione. When he was teaching, he also had a tendency to lose his self confidence if his classes were disrupted such as when Buckbeak attacked Draco Malfoy, or if he believed people disliked his classes, which he mistook for people disliking him. Despite overlooking certain dangers, Hagrid also avoided doing anything against the Wizarding Law when he was under pressure such as when he avoided setting Buckbeak free, fearing he would be put back in Azkaban, and when he tried hard to avoid getting dangerous creatures when under probation by Dolores Umbridge. Hagrid was also a good and caring brother to Grawp, insisting on bringing him back to Hogwarts on finding he was being picked on for his "small" stature by the other giants in his colony, and hiding in the forest, despite the frequent injuries and the trouble doing so caused him.

Hagrid's personality and sheer power made him almost a force of nature, as he could be a kind, benevolent, and caring guardian of the lives around him, but when stirred, he could be a frightening, titanic, and overwhelming force. In many ways, Hagrid is the Green Man of the forest, as he lives for the outdoors and the creatures of magic, roaming the woods without fear, and caring for the creatures within. He embodies the personality and almost elemental might of the natural world, and holds great standing with the beasts and beings of magic who have come to know him. If anyone personifies the spirit of the forest, it is most certainly Hagrid.

## Magical abilities and skills

For a man who was expelled during his third year and rarely used magic as a result, Rubeus Hagrid was a rather good wizard, being considerably advanced, with some of his abilities even comparing to the N.E.W.T.-level academical difficulty. Being a Half-Giant, he also had magical abilities which stemmed from his giant blood such as great superhuman strength and endurance along with a certain degree of magical resistance. Hagrid's hands-on and outdoor style of living allowed him to acquire other skills such as looking after magical creatures, craftsmanship, crossbowmanship and social networking within the magical community.

* **Magical mastery:** Hagrid was quite skilled in the use of magic and could use non-verbal magic via his umbrella. As his wand was apparently destroyed, non-verbal magic via his wand may have been wandless magic as well, both of which were quite difficult to use. However, Harry Potter suspected that the broken fragments of Hagrid's wand were concealed in his umbrella. Just before Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts, Hagrid reached the Hut-on-the-Rock, and claimed that he flew there. However it was possible that he was using Sirius Black's flying motorcycle, although it should be noted that there was no sign of the motorcycle when he and Harry left the hut. It is also possible that Hagrid had really been mentioning Floo Powder, while Harry merely interpreted it as Hagrid "flew." Hagrid confided in Harry that, technically, he was not allowed to do magic. Harry later learned that this was because Hagrid had been expelled from Hogwarts and his wand was apparently destroyed some years earlier. However, while he could conjure powerful magic, Hagrid's magic was never flawless as he notably failed to completely transfigure Dudley Dursley into a pig, and repair his motorcycle which had been broken during the Battle of the Seven Potters. This shows that there were sometimes some spells which Hagrid was not fully skilled in producing, but he was skilled with most spells. However, it should be noted that Hagrid never graduated from Hogwarts, a further testament to his magical aptitude.

* **Transfiguration**: Hagrid had at least some ability in Transfiguration, as shown in the Hut-on-the-Rock when he transfigurated Dudley Dursley with a pig's tail. He had been attempting to turn Dudley into a pig; while this could be down to his occasionally inconsistent magic, he later noted that Dudley was so much like a pig anyway he did not need to transfigure him completely. He could also perform conjuration; in 1991 he used the Fire-Making Spell, while in the Hut-on-the-Rock and in 1997 the Water-Making Spell, to put out a fire in his hut during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. This is fairly impressive, as Transfiguration is considered one of the most difficult branches of magic and even experienced wizards struggle with it.
* **Charms**: Hagrid had some skill with Charms as he used a spell of his own to enchant a boat to transport him and Harry back to the mainland from the Hut-on-the-Rock and used it on the Hogwarts boats to transport the first years across the Black Lake. Hagrid could also cast the Engorgement Charm as he used it to enlarge his pumpkins to a giant size.
* **Non-verbal magic**: Hagrid was quite skilled at using non-verbal magic, as shown when he both lit a fire non-verbally and transfigured a pig's tail on Dudley. These spells show that, even though Hagrid never graduated from Hogwarts, he had a powerful command of magic, as non-verbal magic was difficult to use (Hogwarts does not teach non-verbal magic until students are in their sixth year).
* **Care of Magical Creatures**:Hagrid was also skilled in looking after magical creatures, including dangerous creatures which likely contributes from his experiences in the Forbidden Forest and with his pets. Hagrid's skill in looking after creatures allowed him to be the Care of Magical Creatures professor even though he was not a fully qualified wizard. Despite his skill, many students considered Professor Grubbly-Plank a more qualified teacher for the subject as Hagrid preferred teaching dangerous creatures and could lose his confidence if students tried to disrupt his classes or if he believed they did not like his classes. However, when Hagrid was temporarily sacked by Dolores Umbridge, most of the students, excluding Slytherin, believed he had improved in his teaching although many of them did not choose to continue the subject for NEWTs due to their past experiences with the dangerous creatures he taught. The dangerous and unpredictable creatures which Hagrid taught included hippogriffs, Blast-Ended Skrewts, and thestrals. Despite believing that tame and less harmful magical creatures didn't pose much challenge, Hagrid had good enough knowledge on them as well as monstrous creatures to continue Grubbly-Plank's lessons on unicorns and he also taught nifflers and flobberworms. Some of the creatures Hagrid looked after included a three headed dog named Fluffy, his pet boarhound Fang, a baby dragon named Norbert, an Acromantula named Aragog, a hippogriff named Buckbeak and his half brother Grawp, who was a giant. While his teaching methods were questionable, his knowledge helped Harry and his friends on numerous occasions, such as when they got past Fluffy while protecting the Philosophers Stone, helped Sirius Black escape on Buckbeak, faced a Blast-Ended Skrewt during the Triwizard Tournament, and went to the Ministry of Magic using Thestrals. It should also be noted that his knowledge was such that he was initially the only person apart from Dumbledore who knew how to get past Fluffy as even Severus Snape was unable to get past Fluffy, and Quirinus Quirrell, under Voldemort's influence, had to gather the secret from a drunken Hagrid on how to get past Fluffy (which Harry, Ron and Hermione later learnt) especially considering Voldemort and Snape were both already highly powerful and intelligent wizards even in their youths while Quirrell had experience with handling dangerous animals like trolls. Hagrid was skilled enough to gradually earn the respect and loyalty of Grawp, despite the protests of Harry, Ron, Hermione and Firenze, along with Grawp's violent nature. Due to his friendship with Aragog, Hagrid was the only person who was able to visit the Acromantula tribe in the Forbidden Forest without being harmed, although this was lost after Aragog's death. Hagrid was also friends with the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, sometimes even visiting them.This can all indicate that Hagrid was a considerably talented person in the subject and this was most likely his strongest subject, possessing more knowledge than even wizards who were more powerful and intelligent, despite lacking the qualifications along with the teaching experience and understanding to fully engage his students.
* **Magical resistance**: Hagrid was resistant to stunning spells because of his giant blood. This also gave Hagrid protection against curses, including Dark Magic, which gave him an advantage whenever he was involved in a battle.
* **Crossbowmanship**: Hagrid was also a skilled crossbowman, a crossbow being his primary means of defence.
* **Superhuman strength**: Due to his giant blood, Hagrid possessed superhuman strength, as shown when Vernon Dursley threatened Hagrid with a gun and Hagrid responded by easily twisting his gun to a knot, as if the gun was made of rubber. Hagrid's great strength was also shown when, during the Battle of Hogwarts, he threw Walden Macnair across the Great Hall, a space which can easily fit all the students and staff at Hogwarts. The great strength of Hagrid was also seen whenever he tried to gently pat someone on the back, an act which usually sent the recipient flying. His strength also helped, given the kind of creatures he tended to look after, such as Fluffy, a gigantic three headed dog, a 10-foot long Blast-Ended Skrewt and Aragog, an Acromantula the size of a small elephant (though seeing as he was Hagrid's friend, he might not have been that bad to look after). Hagrid's strength also proved to be a big advantage when in battle and a powerful blow from Hagrid could knock a person unconscious instantly as shown during his battle with some Aurors in 1996. Given Hagrid's absurd ease in handling creatures as large as Acromantulas, three-headed dogs, and his half-brother, Grawp, it can be safe to assume that Hagrid is capable of lifting well over ten-thousand pounds and exerting far more force in combat. Hagrid was also able to control Madame Maxime's horses which were each described as being the size of an elephant and required forceful handling. Hagrid's own massive size would take extreme power just to be able to move, so for him to be able to move as effortlessly as he does, let alone exert his strength as he does must mean that his strength is enhanced by magical means as well as physical. Hagrid also regularly hauls in the massive Hogwarts Christmas trees simultaneously by himself with no discernible strain, even though each one weighs at least several hundred pounds. Based on this, the full extent of Hagrid's superhuman strength, while never seen explicitly in the series, most certainly makes him a force of nature in his own right.
* **Physical combat skills**:Hagrid was skilled at fighting physically. This was displayed in 1996 when Hagrid was attacked by Dolores Umbridge, along with some Aurors, who attempted to sack and arrest him. Hagrid managed to physically defeat all the Aurors easily, which enabled him to escape from Umbridge. It should be noted that his conbat was such that even Umbridge's remaining Auror was hesitant to attack Hagrid. Also, in 1998, during the Battle of Hogwarts, Hagrid physically defeated Walden Macnair by throwing him across the Great Hall and he survived the battle. As Hagrid rarely used magic, he normally relied on these skills and his great strength to fight in a battle and presumably used his skills to participate in the First and Second Wizarding Wars when he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
* **Gamekeeping skills:** Since he had been the Hogwarts Gamekeeper since his third year expulsion, Hagrid most likely was an efficient and skilled Keeper of Keys and Grounds as there was no mentioned blunder, replacement or substitute throughout his time in this position, and was able to keep up this position alongside his teaching duties as the Care of Magical Creatures professor and his duties for the Order of the Phoenix. These duties included escorting first year students to Hogwarts, looking after the school keys, preparing for the Hallowe'en and Christmas feasts by preparing the pumpkins and Christmas trees respectively, performing secret and special tasks for the other Hogwarts teachers, and tending to matters which would be difficult for ordinary people and wizards to do such as tending to matters in the Forbidden Forest and looking after the magical creatures around the Hogwarts grounds.
* **Cooking**: Living alone in his cabin, Hagrid did much of his cooking himself, though he would have meals in the Great Hall on occasion, such as the various school feasts. He apparently enjoyed his own food, though, being a half-giant, his tastes often clashed with those of his guests. He has been known to serve such foodstuffs to his guests as rock cakes that were too hard for a normal human to chew and a "beef casserole" that was actually made of some taloned creature. Guests used to his cooking would often respectfully decline his food, even if it was something of his they had never tried, such as when Harry and Ron refused some Bath buns he had made in 1994. However, one occasion when his cooking was appreciated was when he cooked some sausages for Harry at the Hut-On-The-Rock, which Harry noted was tastier than anything he had eaten before Hogwarts.
* **Tactical thinking and Resourcefulness**: Hagrid was also good both at being resourceful and thinking tactically when he was in a serious situation. When Aragog was accused of being Slytherin's Monster, Hagrid sent him to the Forbidden Forest to protect him, knowing it was the only safe place for him when Hagrid was expelled on suspicion of opening the Chamber of Secrets, also preventing Hagrid from getting in further trouble for his possesion of the Acromantula. This was again shown before he was temporarily sent to Azkaban when he sent a coded message to Harry and Ron, indirectly telling them to visit Aragog which, while it was almost fatal, allowed them to discover that Hagrid was innocent and determine the location of the Chamber of Secrets, in turn also resulting in Hagrid's release from Azkaban. He also successfully escaped capture on two occasions: first was when he fled to the same cave Sirius Black and Buckbeak lived in when Umbridge tried to get him both sacked and arrested, and the second was when he again fled to the same cave with Grawp's help, taking Fang with them, after he was almost caught by the Death Eaters for holding a Support Harry Potter party during Voldemort's control over Hogwarts. He was also able to successfully determine that Voldemort was going to wage war on Hogwarts when he heard his message to surrender Harry from his cave, allowing him, Grawp and Fang to return to Hogwarts in time before the Battle of Hogwarts began. His resourcefulness was also demonstrated when he used a moleskin overcoat to carry most of his possessions while travelling, which would be useful in more serious situations if he had to fight in a battle during which he would be unable to carry the majority of his possessions by hand.
* **Extreme Dexterity:** Given Hagrid's superhuman size and strength, his dexterity and coordination is well above average considering he is able to handle people and objects that are extremely delicate and fragile, such as Harry when he was just a baby without the slightest bit of difficulty. This level of control over his massive form is to the extent that he is able to weave bindings from stray unicorn tail hairs to secure bandages and splints on injured animals that he finds in the Forbidden Forest. Given that unicorn tail hair is an unusually fine material, Hagrid must have amazingly deft hands to be able to craft it in such a way. His lack of control over his strength is usually in response to his emotions, but it can be assumed that given a moment to concentrate he can control his massive bulk enough to achieve incredible manual feats.
* **Superhuman Endurance:** Hagrid is also known for being able take quite a beating. Due to his outdoorsy line of work, Hagrid is able to exert himself at the peak of his superhuman strength for hours at a time without any known limits to how long he can maintain his stamina. Given that he is capable of keeping up with tutoring and taming his full-giant half-brother, Grawp, and still keep up with his lessons as a Hogwarts Professor, his duties as gamekeeper, maintaining a social life, and his various hobbies of tending to and caring for injured and sick animals in the Forbidden Forest, all while nursing injuries from Grawp, Hagrid certainly has vast levels of superhuman stamina that no other character has matched in the series. Hagrid's bodily tissues are also extremely strong, enhanced due to his giant blood, allowing him to endure beatings from his half-brother that would absolutely kill any ordinary man, regardless of their physical conditioning, although he still experienced visible and rather nasty wounds in the form of bruising and various minor cuts and lacerations throughout his body. Hagrid is also capable of withstanding torture from the likes of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, as evidenced by his maintaining of full consciousness after being captured during the first half of The Battle of Hogwarts. Theoretically, Hagrid could likely stay awake and keep exerting himself for several days at a time without fatiguing, though this is unknown due to a lack of evidence.
* **Craftsmanship:** Due to Hagrid's hands-on style of living, he has developed great skill at building or creating things by hand, such as his clothes, his cabin, and various other items. He is a fine whittler as he crafted a flute from wood that he gave Harry for his first Christmas at Hogwarts that when played made a sound like an owl. He likely also made his commonly worn moleskin overcoat that contains a wide variety of items. Hagrid also likely built the pen that he used to hold the hippogriffs for his first lesson as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, in autumn of 1993.
* **Social** **networking:** Due to Hagrid's work in the Order of The Phoenix and his skills at negotiating and making great connections within the magical community, especially with creatures of great pride such as the centaurs, he has great ability to make allies. Dumbledore specially chose Hagrid for this skill to be an envoy to the giants during the summer of 1995. Despite his lack of success due to the Death Eaters' interference and Golgomath's usurpation of the current Gurg, Karkus, Hagrid had great initial strides with the giant colony, showing his impressive social aptitude with magical creatures and beings of all levels of sapience and intellect.
* **Music:** While not a very well known skill of his, Hagrid has shown some aptitude for music such as singing while enjoying a drink at events like Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding and after Aragog's funeral. He also possessed enough skill in the area to create the wooden flute he gave Harry for Christmas in 1991, which when played created music that sounded a lot like the hooting of owls.

## Hagrid's pets

*Main article: Rubeus Hagrid's pets*
As early as in his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and possibly earlier than that, Hagrid managed to gain possession of numerous magical creatures, many of them dangerous, including Aragog, Fang, Fluffy, Buckbeak, and Norbert (later Norberta). Hagrid's love for animals and his talent for taming and training them, won him the post of Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts.

In their fourth year, Harry and his classmates were expected to help take care of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts, one of which (grown to an enormous size) was placed in the hedge maze for the final task of the Triwizard Tournament.

## Relationships

### Family

Rubeus Hagrid was born to Mr Hagrid, a wizard, and the giantess Fridwulfa. Fridwulfa left the family because her son was "too small" for her liking, though Hagrid never seemed to resent her for abandoning him, generally appearing relatively indifferent about his lack of relationship with her. His father, on the other hand, seemed to be a very caring man who was heartbroken when his wife left, and was amused by the fact that, at the age of six, Hagrid was large enough to be able to set him on top of a dresser. Mr Hagrid died when his son was twelve years old, and by the time Hagrid tried to find his mother in 1995, she too had died, although he dismissed the issue on the grounds that he barely remembered her.

During his travels to the Northern giant colonies that same year, Hagrid found his maternal half-brother: an undersized giant called Grawp. As Grawp's size made it difficult for him to function within his colony, Hagrid brought him back to Hogwarts and hid him within the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid's attempts to raise and socialise Grawp initially appeared completely pointless; Grawp's progress in picking up English, or in curbing his violence, which often left Hagrid with a number of painful looking injuries, seemed almost non-existent.

However, over the course of the year, Grawp grew increasingly attached to his brother, and was distressed by Hagrid's disappearance after Dolores Umbridge attempted to have Hagrid arrested in 1996. By Albus Dumbledore's funeral, Grawp was relatively calm and presentable, and he even attempted to comfort Hagrid by patting him (though a bit too hard) on the head. Grawp spent the first part of the Battle of Hogwarts stumbling around, yelling for "Hagger," but eventually jumped in to the fray, fighting the giants brought to the battle by Voldemort.

### Pets and other creatures

Hagrid had a good relationship with most of his pets, most notably Fang, Aragog, and Buckbeak. Fang was usually Hagrid's companion most of the time, despite the fact that he was cowardly. Hagrid had a huge friendship with Aragog, whom he had hatched in an egg when he was a student at Hogwarts. Hagrid protected Aragog when he was suspected to be the monster that opened the Chamber of Secrets, throwing Tom Riddle to the ground when he tried to curse him and sending Aragog to live in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid managed to find Aragog a wife, Mosag, which allowed Aragog to have a family in the forest. Hagrid was devastated when Aragog died and, along with Professor Slughorn, buried him near his Hut. Although Aragog's children and descendants did not hold back to devour Hagrid after Aragog's death, Hagrid attempted to protect them during the Battle of Hogwarts in honour of his friendship with Aragog, even though the Acromantulas were attacking both Death Eaters and Hogwarts defenders.

Hagrid cared greatly about Buckbeak as he tried hard to prevent his execution by the Ministry of Magic and was overjoyed when he managed to escape with Sirius Black. Hagrid also looked after Buckbeak after Sirius was killed by Bellatrix. Hagrid briefly had a pet dragon named Norbert, although since dragons were illegal, Hagrid reluctantly allowed Norbert to be sent to Charlie in Romania. Hagrid also owned a three headed dog named Fluffy, although it is unknown what relationship he had with him.

Hagrid also had a friendship with the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest, especially with Bane, Ronan, Magorian and Firenze, and sometimes visited them whenever he went inside the Forest. However, Hagrid had a falling out with the centaurs when he defended Firenze from them as they believed Firenze had betrayed them by accepting the teaching post of Divination at Hogwarts. During the Battle of Hogwarts, when Hagrid carried Harry, believing he was dead, back to Hogwarts, he was furious when the centaurs did not fight in the first half for Harry, accusing them of cowardice, which convinced them to fight in the second half of the battle. While Hagrid remained on good terms with Firenze, it is unknown whether Hagrid made peace with the other Centaurs after the battle ended.

## Media

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Meeting Rubeus HagridMeeting Rubeus HagridHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Blaming HagridBlaming HagridHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Visiting HagridVisiting HagridHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Taking Hagrid AwayTaking Hagrid AwayHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Hagrid ReturnsHagrid returnsHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Hagrid's love interestHagrid's love interestHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Hagrid's childhoodHagrid's childhoodHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Hagrid is backHagrid is backHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Hagrid's taleHagrid's taleTemplate:VideoFooter

## Etymology

* Rubeus, possibly from the Latin word "rubinus", means "red." According to Rowling herself, the first names of Albus Dumbledore and Rubeus Hagrid were chosen based on "the white" and "the red", which were considered essential mystical components of alchemy. Hagrid was given the red for passion or emotion, "an earthy, warm and physical man, lord of the forest".
* Hagride is a verb that means "to torment".
* Hagrid also may mean "hung over," as from alcohol.
* A hag is a nightmare spirit in English folklore. According to folklore, the Hag sat on a sleeper's chest and sent nightmares to him or her. When the subject awoke, he or she would be unable to breathe or even move for a short period of time. This state is now called sleep paralysis, but in the old belief the subject had been "hagridden".
* His name (and Dumbledore's) come from a passage in chapter 20 of the *Mayor of Casterbridge* by Thomas Hardy. "Hag-rids" (as it is in the *Mayor of Casterbridge*) referred to indigestion.

## Behind the scenes

* Hagrid was the first person to tell Harry that he resembled his father, but had his mother's eyes. He was also Harry's first friend.
* Hagrid is portrayed by Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane in the film adaptations of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1* and *Part 2* and so is one of the 14 characters to appear in all 8 film adaptations.
* According to the film makers, Hagrid is 8 feet 6 inches tall.
* Robbie Coltrane was J. K. Rowling's first and only choice for the role of Rubeus Hagrid. She did not, however, create the character with Robbie Coltrane in mind. He was instead, according to Coltrane, "based on a Hell's Angel she knew in the West Country. ...he was just huge and terrifying. And then he would sit down and talk about his garden and how his petunias had been very bad that year."
* As well as being Rowling's first choice for the role of Hagrid, Coltrane was also the first person cast in the movie. Interestingly, Coltrane is one of the few actors to play a character *older* than themselves (Hagrid is in his 60s throughout the series, whilst Coltrane was 51 when he first played Hagrid and 61 the last time he did).
* When Harry mentions Hagrid at the conclusion of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (novel), the year is 2017, and Hagrid is one year off turning 90 years old.
* It is unknown why no-one calls Hagrid 'Rubeus', which is his first name, although when Hagrid meets Harry for the first time he tells him to call him Hagrid as that's what everyone calls him. This probably means that Hagrid tells people to call him by this name. The only individuals known to call Hagrid by his first name were Garrick Ollivander and Tom Riddle, who have both known him since he was a child.
* Since Robbie Coltrane is not really 8-feet 6-inches tall, he was usually filmed from a low camera angle to make him look bigger (usually Harry's angle) or the other actors are filmed from a high camera angle.
* In the film version of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, Hagrid seems to have poor spelling, as seen when he shows Harry his birthday cake.
* In addition to this, when Hagrid tells Harry about how his parents were killed, Harry asked You-Know-Who's name. Hagrid responded he didn't want to say his name and when Harry suggested to write it down, Hagrid said he couldn't spell "Voldemort".
* Martin Bayfield played Hagrid as a teenager during the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, and was dubbed by Robbie Coltrane. Bayfield also often served as the role of Hagrid's body double, wearing a prosthetic Hagrid suit, in scenes such as the final scene of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* in which Hagrid waved goodbye to Harry.
* Throughout the series, it is implied that Hagrid had been the Hogwarts gatekeeper since he was expelled from school in 1943. But at one point in *Goblet of Fire*, Molly Weasley, who attended Hogwarts between 1961 and 1968, reminisces about Hagrid's predecessor, Ogg, in contradiction to this implication. However, it is possible that Hagrid did not become a gatekeeper immediately after being expelled, but rather started out as Ogg's assistant.
* J. K. Rowling states on her website that Hagrid is allergic to cats, as well as being hinted at in the first book, which could explain why he dislikes Mrs Norris so much.
* Hagrid's LEGO mini-figure incarnations consists almost entirely of pieces exclusive only to Hagrid, specifically the body and beard pieces. His head in and of itself is not an exclusive piece, but his face pattern is.

* Hagrid is a playable character in *LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4*. In the game, he can fly on a broomstick in the game in spite of the fact that he claims in the books to be too large to ride broomsticks.
* Fans of the series raised an immediate outcry upon learning that Hagrid never married. J.K. Rowling responded to the criticism by simply saying, "At least I didn't kill him."
* In *LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4*, Hagrid is the first playable character, at the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley. As Hagrid was expelled, he only has one spell on his Spell-Wheel, which is Wingardium Leviosa. However, after the player makes it to Hogwarts, he obtains his crossbow. Hagrid is unlocked in "The Forbidden Forest" level, by using Reducto on a silver chest in the third area.
* In the video game adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, it was rumoured that Hagrid had an evil twin brother named Dirgah.
* In the credits of the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* and in the video game adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1*, Hagrid is listed as "Hagrid the Giant".
* In the extended version of 'JK Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe - A conversation' it is revealed that Rubeus is pronounced Roo-Bay-Us. It is unknown why JK Rowling did not ask for this to be the same in the films, somewhat like Voldemort, which in the books is pronounced with a silent T.
* In the novel *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*, Hagrid was quoting "fool Gorgon" when he was about to sent a letter to Dumbledore regarding Harry Potter at the first time he met Harry. Either Hagrid quoted that line as a mere cursing, or he knew that Gorgons (women-like creatures from Greek with living snakes as hair) existed in the magical world.
* Given Hagrid's interest in unusual pets, it is possible that his activities may have caught the eye of the Illegal Pets Detection service at some point.
* Robbie Coltrane returned to the part of Hagrid in 2014 and shot 3 different scenes for the official *Wizarding World of Harry Potter* website on which Hagrid welcomes the viewer in the Diagon Alley expansion.
* When Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached Hagrid in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone* to ask him about the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid is playing the *Harry Potter* theme tune on his flute.

## See also

* Rubeus Hagrid's pets
* Half-giants
* Giants

Template:Care of Magical Creatures

**Hogwarts Faculty**

1. ↑ Interview with Rowling and Fry at the Royal Albert Hall
2. ↑ JK Rowling comments at Carnegie Hall
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Template:HPLE (See this image)
4. ↑ Bloomsbury Glossary - H
5. ↑ Hagrid couldn't produce a Patronus. It's a very difficult spell. by J.K. Rowling on Twitter
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 2000 Barnes and Noble and Yahoo! webchat
7. ↑ "JKRowling.com Archives: Birthdays" from Mugglenet
8. ↑ In *Chamber of Secrets*, the date of that particular school year is firmly established as being 1992-1993. It is also said that Hagrid was expelled 50 years prior to this (1943), during his third year at Hogwarts. A third year student is 13-14 years old making Hagrid's year of birth 1928.
9. ↑ 1999 *Scotland on Sunday* article
10. ↑ 2000 Blue Peter interview
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*, Chapter 23 (*The Yule Ball*)
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*
14. ↑ Though he didn't seem to perform a lot of complicated magic with it, the umbrella-wand functioned far better than any other broken wand, including Ron's first wand in 1992 and Harry's in late 1997-early 1998
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*
19. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*
20. ↑ Pottermore - Writing by J.K. Rowling: "Colours"
21. ↑  Hag on Wikipedia
22. ↑ Template:HPPS, Page 29
23. ↑ http://www.knowledgehound.com/khhow2s/make\_hagrid\_costume.htm link title
24. ↑ Template:HPPS, Page 35
25. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5Zs-c\_qkqQ&feature=PlayList&p=jhvA8al2S-o