The Keeper of the Keys.

[Barry Arrowsmith]

No: HPFGUIDX 113300

I don't know about you, but after his introduction in PS/SS  I expected 
Hagrid to play a more central role in the HP story than he has. Still 
time for a stellar appearance and I have a sneaking suspicion... no, 
not quite - more a hope that his moment will come.

So, what do we know about him?
Rubeus Hagrid.
Half Giant - mother Wulfrida, wizard father (no name), both deceased. 
Half-brother Grawp. (Just a thought - if Hagrid'd had a sister, would 
she be called Rubella?) Attended Hogwarts  until stitched up by Tom 
Riddle. Expelled; wand officially broken, eventually taken on by DD in 
the post of Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.

I wonder how DD got him the job? So far as I  can see nobody ever 
questioned the assumption that Hagrid had been responsible for 
releasing a monster on the school, resulting in the death of a student, 
yet he gets a job back at the scene of the crime. So did no-one object 
to his appointment? Did  no-one suggest that letting Hagrid play with 
nasty beasties  might bring on a relapse and with it the temptation to 
let his enthusiasm run away with him once again?

In CoS he tells Harry and Ron to "follow the spiders" if they wanted to 
learn more - he knows that Aragog has information regarding the beast 
that terrorised the school even though Aragog had refused to tell 
Hagrid its name or nature.

How likely is it that he hadn't told DD everything he knew back in 
Tom's time? Falsely accused, he'd tell all that  he knew in protesting 
his innocence. DD would be inclined to believe him I think, but DD 
wasn't the Headmaster; it was Dippet who was probably responsible for 
Tom getting his award. Hagrid knows that it was Tom that shopped him, 
but does he know that it was Tom that was to blame for the monster and 
the death?

I'd be surprised if DD hadn't put two and two together; spiders 
terrified; a death, petrifications. Not specifically mentioned, 
strangely enough; other students were attacked, but the results of 
those attacks aren't described. What other result could there be? 
Basilisks either kill with a look, a bite or petrify with the glance 
indirect. And survivors of  attacks would identify the monster that  
attacked them.

It's worth noting that there is no indication that anyone in Tom's time 
knew that the Chamber had been found and opened; so  far as they were 
aware a dangerous monster had run riot, Hagrid had been apprehended and 
it had all been cleared up, though  why they should  assume that when 
the monster wasn't caught or killed,  seems a bit odd. Except for DD - 
after Colin Creevey is attacked in CoS:
  "It means that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."
And he is well aware of "who", but not "how". Just "what" the monster 
is  must also be known to him, whether he admits it or not.

He knows that it was opened before and he knows who did it the first 
time. No indication that he shared his knowledge or suspicions with 
anyone - surprise, surprise. He never seems to tell anyone anything 
unless it can't  be avoided.

When you think  about it, with all that he's likely to  know about the 
events in Toms time, his demeanor  during CoS is inexplicable. He acts 
as if he hasn't a clue with how to  deal with the situation and allows 
himself to be deposed as Headmaster. Why? What was the point?

The business with  Hagrid's wand puzzles me a bit. It's strongly hinted 
in the books that he keeps the pieces of his wand in a pink child's 
umbrella, performing surreptitious magic when no-one important is 
watching. So why don't the spells go wrong, as they did when Ron's wand 
was broken? Maybe the  wand in there isn't broken; his father's wand 
perhaps?

He's obviously trusted by Dumbledore, picking up Harry from Godric's 
Hollow, the hut on the rock, collecting the Philosophers Stone, the 
embassy to the Giants. Though it's worth noting that when he's sent to 
do something that might need a little tact or subtlety DD sends someone 
along with him. And yet DD says quite openly that he would trust Hagrid 
with his life.  Interesting. A clue to the future, or a reference to 
something that's already happened? It's obvious that Hagrid reveres DD, 
trusts him completely, would do anything for him, but would you trust 
Hagrid to curb his enthusiasm and rely on his brains? DD does, it 
seems.

I wonder more about his title - Keeper of Keys...  What keys? He has 
been seen with exactly one key - the one to the Potter bank vault. Keys 
to the school? Wouldn't Filch have those? Hagrid hardly ever has reason 
to enter the school buildings and I wouldn't expect Filch to allow 
Hagrid to keep the keys to his precious domain. Keys to  the school  
gates? Possible. Mind you, Hagrid takes his pride in his official  
title, and if he actually had some keys I'd expect them to be 
flourished on a regular basis.

There are a number of meanings for the word 'key', one of which is:-
  "a solution or explanation of  what is unknown, mysterious or obscure".
How appropriate for a tale like Harry Potter.