Did Hagrid nearly killed Draco? WAS: Re: Snape, Hagrid and Animals/

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 143780

> >>Alla:
> > Could you refer me to canon, Betsy, which says that Draco is 
> > nearly died because of Hagrid's lesson?

> >>Leslie: 
> It's not a matter of whether he died or not.  It's a matter of 
> whether or not he *could* have.  By Hagrid's own admission, 
> hippogriffs are very touchy creatures who might kill you if you   
> look at them funny. If someone is driving drunk and just doesn't   
> *happen* to kill anyone, does that make it okay?  
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
That's exactly it.  Hagrid lost control of Buckbeack, and when 
Buckbeak attacked Draco, Hagrid wasn't there to stop him.  If Draco 
had been looking away, or hadn't thrown up his arm (if that's how it 
happened), or if Buckbeak had slashed in a different direction, 
Draco could well have died.  It doesn't take that long to bleed out 
from a throat wound, and Hagrid doesn't seem to know magical first 
aid.

There's a reason several states in the US have a one bite rule when 
it comes to dogs.  Sometimes one bite is all it takes.  And 
hippogriffs are much larger than dogs.

Now, it's fairly obvious that JKR wasn't going to go that direction 
with this particular part of the tale.  So she made Draco's wound 
less than life-threatening (though much more than a scratch) and had 
Draco really play it up, thereby lessening reader sympathy.  But at 
the same time Pansy's tears are written as genuine, IMO, and the 
entire class is described as "shaken".  As well, the legal threat 
against Buckbeak is written as quite real, and the Trio are unable 
to come up with any real law for Hagrid to use on his side of the 
case.

So I think JKR does use Hagrid's first lesson to showcase his dismal 
sense of judgment and also his failure as a teacher.  By having 
Draco be the one attacked (instead of say, Neville or Seamus) Harry 
is still able to maintain his friendship and respect for Hagrid.  
Hagrid remains in Harry's life, but Harry tends to not take Hagrid's 
judgement very seriously.  (Hmmm... I wonder if this will be 
important in the last book?)

Betsy Hp