Hagrid's innocence

[erisedstraeh2002]

No: HPFGUIDX 55966

 Faith wrote:

> But now that it's been put to rest exactly what happened, and that 
> Hagrid wasn't responsible, shouldn't he have had his name cleared, 
> and wand restored?

and imamommy (cute name!) responded:

> I think DD would be hard-pressed to prove to the MoM what exactly 
> happened in the CoS.  <snip>  So yes, he should have his wand 
> restored, but it's never gonna happen with Fudge fudging up the 
> ministry.  

Now me:

I also find it perplexing that Hagrid was never cleared of being the 
one responsible for opening the Chamber 50 years ago, since 
Dumbledore knows in CoS that Voldemort is the one opening the Chamber 
this time ("The question is not who, but how?"; "The same person as 
last time...But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody 
else.").  However, it's not clear *when* Dumbledore discovered that 
Tom Riddle was the one who opened the Chamber 50 years ago.  In the 
flash-back scene, he asks Riddle whether there's anything he wants to 
tell him, which suggests that he's suspicious.  But presumably if 
Dumbledore knew then that Riddle was guilty (and had a way to prove 
it), he would have had Riddle expelled instead of Hagrid.  Instead, 
Riddle presumably spent two more years at Hogwarts (since the Chamber 
was opened in his 5th year).  But Dumbledore obviously had his doubts 
about Hagrid's guilt, because he let him stay on as gamekeeper.

I think the problem with clearing Hagrid of opening the Chamber 50 
years ago is that it would have been necessary for Dumbledore to go 
public with the fact that Voldemort was once Tom Riddle, and there 
must have been some reason why Dumbledore didn't want this 
information to be public.

However, I believe Hagrid was cleared of the charge of opening the 
Chamber the second time.  When Dumbledore wrote to Azkaban, he must 
have explained enough of what happened in order to have Hagrid 
released. 

I think the reason why Hagrid still doesn't have a wand is because he 
never finished his Hogwarts education in order to become a fully-
fledged wizard.  I think the best Dumbledore could do for Hagrid to 
show his support was to make Hagrid a professor.

~Phyllis