Hagrid's odd behavior (was: CoS scene)

[mightymaus75]

No: HPFGUIDX 80307

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "melclaros" <melclaros at y...> 
wrote:
> Me:
> I'm leaning towards the scene in which, for no apparent reason
> Hagrid anwers the door with a cocked crossbow. HUH? With the
> developments in OoP now all I'm wondering is was he expecting
> Centaurs or Gawp?
> 
> Melpomene


Good question, why does Hagrid answer the door with a cross-bow?! 
Surely it wasn't meant for Dumbledore and Fudge. 

And as Entropy so nicely pointed out, Hagrid did also turn up in 
Knockturn alley in the beginning of the book. Hagrid tells Harry he 
was there to buy some Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent to protect the 
school cabbages. But when Ron almost burps up slugs over his precious 
pumpkins, he quickly pulls Ron back. If he'd bought slug repellent 
wouldn't he have used it to protect his pumpkins? Pumpkins he put so 
much effort in, and was so proud of. Suddenly Hagrid is starting to 
look very suspicious. 

Then there is also the business with Lockhart. According to Hagrid, 
Lockhart had been giving him advice on getting kelpies out of a well. 
Ok, first of all, why would there be a well on the Hogwards grounds? 
The castle is right next to a natural lake. And secondly, aren't 
kelpies creatures roughly the size of a horse? Perhaps someone who 
has a copy of MCWTFT could shine some light on this. But from what I 
gather on the Internet, kelpies would often take the form of a tame 
horse standing in shallow water. When mounted by a weary traveler 
they would then drag the rider down by rushing headlong into the 
deepest part of the water. They are also known to take the form of a 
hairy manlike beast with the head of a horse. Wouldn't a well be a 
little small for a whole bunch of these things?  

If Lockhart wasn't giving advice on kelpies, what was he doing at 
Hagrid's cabin? It does seems that he was trying to help him with 
something: '"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing!" 
Lockhart was saying loudly to Hagrid. "If you need help, you know 
where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you 
haven't already got one - I'll sign one tonight and send it over. 
Well, good-bye!" And he strode away toward the castle.' Besides his 
Guide to Household Pests, Lockhart has written the following books: 
Break with a Banshee, Gadding with Ghouls, Holidays with Hags, 
Travels with Trolls, Voyages with Vampires, Wanderings with 
Werewolves, and Year with the Yeti. Could Hagrid perhaps be meddling 
with one of those creatures? 

-Maus