[HPforGrownups] Why Hagrid's going to die

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 53640

I'd like to add a couple of thoughts to Richelle's list of reasons (I agree 
with the whole list, BTW):

>3) In a way Hagrid may have outlived his usefulness to the plot.  Compared to
>the other characters, we know so much more about his background.  We know 
>why he was expelled, that he's half giant, orphaned as a boy, and so 
>on.  I could easily imagine that Hagrid completes his mission to the 
>giants and is killed during or shortly thereafter.

Hagrid has to be killed, or at least die, "on screen". He's far too 
important a character (as you say, we know almost all there is to know 
about him) for his death to be nothing more than a report in one of 
Dumbledore's spies' reports, or an article in the Daily Prophet. 
Furthermore, in view of JKR's sneaky nature and writing style, it needs to 
be *incontrovertible* that he's dead, so The Narrator has to see the event 
(i.e. we do to). If we don't see Hagrid popping his clogs, I for one won't 
believe that he's dead. Even we if have a funeral!

(Someone might argue that Crouch Snr. isn't actually dead either, as we 
didn't see it happening. Whilst it's *possible* that Crouch Jnr. was lying 
when he said he'd killed his father and transfigured his body into a bone, 
he was under Veritaserum at the time, and the plot revolves to a certain 
extent on our belief in that potion's efficacy.)

The second point I wanted to make is about Hagrid's narrative function. 
Hagrid's main role has been as Harry's (and our) guide to the magical 
world. Apart from introducing us to Diagon Alley, he's our door to the 
Forbidden Forest, and indeed Hogwarts itself, as a non-teacher adult. As a 
child-like character, he can introduce Harry to all these wonders on his 
level, whilst at the same time having an adult's knowledge of them but none 
of the teacher's reserve.

Harry is no longer a child and the wizarding world is no longer just a 
wonderful place, it's a dangerous one (I don't mean that it's never been 
dangerous before, as it clearly has; it's just that the sense of wonder has 
now faded into the background). Harry now needs a more adult non-teacher 
guide who can safely introduce him to those dangers and Hagrid is 
absolutely not that person. When Harry was 11, Hagrid was the perfect 
guide, because he shared Harry's wonder, but now that sense of wonder can 
be dangerous of itself. Hagrid's lack of appreciation of just *how* 
dangerous some of his fascinating creatures can be is a case in point.

Hagrid has now become superfluous to Harry's development, and the widely 
(and IMO correctly) suspected mission to the Giants is a perfect way for 
him to go with a bang (perhaps even quite literally!).

Harry now has more appropriate, more helpful, guides to wizarding world, 
such as Sirius, Remus and the older Weasleys. All of these people care for 
Harry as much as Hagrid does, and he cares for and trusts them as much as 
he does Hagrid. Hagrid, of course, has a special place in Harry's 
affections, as he is the one who rescued him from the Dursleys (although 
he's also the one who delivered him...), which means that his departure is 
going to be particularly poignant, but that narrative function is now over. 
Harry needs to stand up for himself and the loss of his rescuer is a very 
powerful symbol of that.

At this stage in the overall narrative, no character has more narrative and 
symbolic *need* to be killed, and none of the remaining important 
characters is as extraneous to the needs of the developing war. Sure, by 
the end of the series, Dumbledore, any of the Weasleys, any of the 
surviving "old gang" or any of Harry's classmates could be marked for 
extinction, but I don't think that it makes sense for that to happen now. 
Hagrid, on the other hand, is a marked man.

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, who's sorry to see Hagrid go, but go he must