Harry Potter tragically grows up without a mother or father but, over the course of the seven books and eight movies, is fortunate enough to have multiple parental figures in his life. Albus Dumbledore is one, doing his utmost to look after the Boy Who Lived during his stint as Hogwarts headmaster. Sirius Black is another, though the lovable rogue devastatingly dies just two years after his introduction. And Arthur and Molly Weasley are both big presences in his life too.
However, it can certainly be argued that Rubeus Hagrid is the best of the lot. He takes Harry as a child, shows him Diagon Alley shortly before his teenage years and his loving personality certainly benefits the Chosen One as he struggles to adjust to life in the magical world. The movies did a good job at portraying this but not every little detail made it in – so here are ten things only fans of the source material know about the half-giant.
His Mother Left Him
In the Goblet of Fire movie, during a romantic stroll with Madame Maxime, Hagrid briefly opens up on his past. He reveals that he could lift his father up by the age of just three years old, and then bluntly explains how he died when he was still young. What isn’t talked about is Hagrid’s mother.
It’s different in the books, however. Hagrid explains to Harry, Ron, and Hermione how his mother left him when he was very young to return to her giant colony, where she would later give back to Grawp. Her name was Fridwulfa and, to this date, she’s the only giantess named in canon.
His Umbrella Contained Wand Parts
In the Sorcerer’s Stone blockbuster, fans see Hagrid doing magic – despite the fact he was expelled from Hogwarts during his third year at the castle. He casts a spell that sees Dudley Dursley briefly given a pig’s tail, one Mr. and Mrs. Dursley are later forced to remove at a private clinic in London. We can’t imagine what they told the doctors and nurses – but it definitely would have been amusing to see.
Garrick Ollivander chastises Hagrid for his expulsion from Hogwarts in Diagon Alley, though it’s noted that Harry sees the half-giant grab his umbrella very tightly. This, obviously, suggests the remains are hidden within. But no such scene took place in the movie, meaning fans may be unaware of such a little detail.
His Norbert Was Really Norberta
One thing fans do see in the Sorcerer’s Stone movie is Norbert the dragon. He’s born in Hagrid’s hut after he obtains an egg from a stranger in the Hog’s Head, potentially the roughest pub in the whole wizarding world. Norbert is then sent away and we never see, or hear, anything of the creature ever again.
In the Deathly Hallows book, Hagrid asks Charlie Weasley for an upgrade on Norbert. He’s therefore shocked when it’s revealed that the dragon was actually a female, and named Norberta. It seems that, though Hagrid loves dragons, he doesn’t know them well enough to determine what gender they are.
He Bred Blast-Ended Skrewts
Dragons weren’t the only horrific creature that Hagrid took a liking to over the course of the Potter series. Completely omitted from the movies is the mention of Blast-Ended Skrewts, pets that sound like they should be kept as far away as possible rather than in your own house.
Skrewts looked “like pale, slimy deformed shell-less lobsters or scorpions”. They also had legs sticking out at odd angles and smelled strongly of rotten fish. Hagrid breeds them in abundance, making unfortunate students care for them as well. Harry ends up battling one in the Triwizard Maze during the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament.
He Became A Media Target
The Goblet of Fire movie only scratches the surface when it comes to the character of Rita Skeeter. Sure, fans got the impression that she loved juicy, inaccurate gossip to make Harry’s life as difficult as possible. But he isn’t her only target, with the Daily Prophet journalist also going after Hagrid.
Skeeter, as you’d expect from such an individual, takes great malice in uncovering the truth about Hagrid’s path and his family tree. She very nearly forces him out of the school, sparking anger at Albus Dumbledore for his decision to give him the Care of Magical Creatures job, but thankfully Hagrid stays put. Dumbledore helps him through this rocky period and he emerges all the better, and stronger, for it.
He Choked Karkaroff
Hagrid looks somewhat intimidating, with his big frame, wild hair, and bushy beard. Definitely, you’d be pretty freaked out if you met him down a dark alley in the early hours of the morning. However, for the most part, he’s extremely docile. Though he’s strong he prefers to show that side of his character, rather than the potentially violent individual that lives within.
But, that said, he does make the odd exception over the course of the Potter books. When Karkaroff spits at Dumbledore’s feet following an attack on Viktor Krum, Hagrid sees red. He brutally pins the Durmstrang headmaster against the wall and leaves him spluttering in the aftermath. Now we definitely don’t condone violence but Karkaroff perhaps got what he deserved…
He Was Attacked By Umbridge
During the events of the Order of the Phoenix, Dolores Umbridge ends up temporarily replacing Dumbledore as head of Hogwarts. With unlimited power at her disposal she looks to transform the school into something far worse, meaning getting rid of anybody loyal to her predecessor. And that, coupled with her disdain for unorthodox individuals, means she goes after Hagrid in the death of night.
Harry witnesses this during his Astronomy Exam. Luckily, Hagrid is able to ride out the attack and flee to safety while carrying his pet dog Fang away from the battle. Minerva McGonagall isn’t so fortunate, though. She takes several stunning spells to the chest when she attempts to come to Hagrid’s rescue and, consequently, sees out the year in St Mungo’s Hospital.
He Carried Dumbledore’s Body
Dumbledore dying at the hands of Severus Snape in the Half-Blood Prince is definitely an upsetting moment. But the movie spared fans from more heartache by omitting the scene of his funeral. This was because they wanted the movie to remain light in tone – even if the blockbuster’s coloring is black, gray, and dark green.
At the funeral, Hagrid carries the body of Dumbledore to its final resting place. He cries as he does so but, rather than blub away, he keeps things together. The Hogwarts headmaster meant everything to the half-giant, placing his faith in his golden personality when so many others would have treated him with nothing but repulsion and disdain. Weep.
He Caused Chaos At the Wedding
The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 begins positively enough, with the wedding of Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley taking place. Hagrid can be glimpsed just for a moment amid the chaos but that’s all we see, with Harry, Ron, and Hermione having to flee the scene when the Burrow comes under attack from Lord Voldemort’s evil Death Eaters.
In the seventh and final book, it explains that Hagrid is a rather difficult wedding guest – as you’d expect. First, he sits in the wrong spot. And then, because of his huge frame, ends up turning the wedding chairs into matchsticks by sitting on them. This could have added some light relief to a dark movie but didn’t make the cut.
He Got Revenge For Buckbeak
Buckbeak the Hippogriff makes his only appearance in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie. He’s saved from certain death via Walden MacNair’s razor-sharp ax by Harry and Hermione Granger, with the pair using a time-turner to travel back to the past and ensure the creature and Sirius Black both escape horrible fates.
Buckbeak is absent from that blockbuster onwards but does appear in the books. In the Deathly Hallows, Hagrid gets his revenge on MacNair by slamming the Death Eater down at the Battle of Hogwarts. It’s uncertain whether he survived the confrontation but we imagine he was in some pain afterward…
