Hagrid's Reliability and Sirius' House (was: What House Was Peter Pettigrew

[ssk7882]

No: HPFGUIDX 40837

Kristin (who was right the first time) wrote:

> Hagrid tells Harry that "there wasn't a wizard that went bad who
> wan't in Slytherin." And at this time, Sirius Black had not yet 
> been proven innocent. We know that Hagrid knew about Sirius' 
> alleged crimes and that he was most certainly considered a bad 
> wizard in his eyes, so for him to make this statement he must have 
> known Sirius to be in Slytherin.

Yes, well.  Hagrid also says that foreigners cannot be trusted, that 
Harry *must* be a magically-powerful wizard for the simple reason 
that his parents were, and that the Malfoys all have "bad blood."  (I 
find that last comment particularly rich, given what we now know 
about what Hagrid's got running through his own oversized veins.)

In short, Hagrid is an unthinking bigot.  He is partial to sweeping 
generalizations, and he does not stop to consider their 
ramifications.  I would imagine, for example, that he would be 
genuinely hurt to be accused of adhering to the pureblood aesthetic 
of the Malfoys and their ilk, even though that is *precisely* the 
sort of thinking that his comments all too often reflect.

Nor does Hagrid take any particular care to make certain that his 
statements are in the least bit accurate.  In truth, the fact that 
Harry's parents were magically powerful is *no* assurance that Harry 
himself will be: Squibs exist, and they can come from the very best 
families, right?

I think it strongly suggested from the way that Sirius refers to 
House Slytherin and its members that he was not himself a member of 
that House.



-- Elkins