Hagrid is known in the Harry Potter series as Gamekeeper turned Care of Magical Creatures professor. But, more than that, he’s one of Harry’s biggest supporters and one of the few people who was there for him throughout the entire series. Hagrid is featured many times throughout the series, and he plays many important roles including being the person to bring Harry to the Dursleys right after his parents’ deaths. During the course of the series, readers learned some things about his past, and a few details have also been made known about his life after the series.
Here are six things that happened to Hagrid before the series began and four that happened after.
PRE: HE WAS BLAMED FOR THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS AND EXPELLED AT 13
One of the biggest revelations about Hagrid from before Harry him is revealed in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The trio learns that it was Hagrid who was blamed for opening the Chamber of Secrets and letting loose a monster that killed Moaning Myrtle. Of course, it was actually Tom Riddle who did this and framed Hagrid. But, because he was blamed for this, he was expelled at 13 and had his wand broken.
PRE: DUMBLEDORE LET HIM BE GAMEKEEPER SOON AFTER
It’s truly unfortunate that Hagrid had his entire magical future ruined because of Tom Riddle framing him. It seems strange that when a student is expelled their wand is broken forever. However, Dumbledore did let him stay to live at Hogwarts and be trained as a gamekeeper. Dumbledore always saw that Hagrid had a good heart and was suspicious of Tom Riddle. Dumbledore gave Hagrid at least a place to call home.
PRE: HIS FATHER DIED IN HIS SECOND YEAR
Much of Hagrid’s life before he met Harry was pretty tragic. He was also an orphan, just like Harry. He also never seemed to fit in because of his large size and love of monsters. While his father raised him, he died in Hagrid’s second year leaving Hagrid with really no one to look after him. This fact reveals a lot about Hagrid’s character and how he was a good person despite all of the things he went through.
PRE: HE GREW UP NEAR THE FOREST OF DEAN IN THE WEST COUNTRY OF ENGLAND
While Hagrid doesn’t ever talk too much to Ron, Harry, and Hermione about his childhood, he does tell some stories here and there. One thing he doesn’t mention but that has been established outside of the books is where he was born. He was actually raised near the Forest of Dean, which is somewhere where the trio ended up camping during their quest to find the Horcruxes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
PRE: HAGRID WAS LARGER THAN HIS FATHER BY THE AGE OF SIX
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it’s revealed that the reason Hagrid is so large is that he’s half-giant. This is something he hid because of the prejudice against giants in the wizarding community. He does explain after this information is revealed to Rita Skeeter that he grew quickly. He talks fondly about his father and explains that he was bigger than him by the time he was six years old.
PRE: HE WAS SORTED INTO GRYFFINDOR
While Hagrid might not have gotten to have a very long experience at Hogwarts, we do know a few other small details about his time there. He was actually sorted into Gryffindor. This is interesting because in many ways he seems a lot more like a fair-minded, loyal, gentle Hufflepuff. It seems like a case of Rowling sorting too many of the best characters into Gryffindor, but in this case, we’d say it’s deserved.
HE WAS STILL WORKING AT HOGWARTS AT THE AGE OF 89
There aren’t a lot of things known about Hagrid after the series. J.K. Rowling hasn’t actually said that much about his future which is fairly surprising. Given that he’s a fairly loved character, and that she’s given a lot of info about other side characters, one might think there would be more. When Harry sent his son Albus to school, however, he notes that Hagrid is still teaching there. This would make Hagrid 89 years old at the time.
POST: HE INVITED HARRY’S SON ALBUS TO TEA IN HIS FIRST YEAR
While there aren’t a lot of details given to Hagrid’s future, there are a few that can be gleaned and pieced together. First of all, it’s mentioned that Albus Severus is invited to have tea with Hagrid during his first year. This suggests that he already knew Harry’s kids and likely still had a good relationship with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their families.
POST: HE NEVER MARRIED
One of the few details that Rowling has revealed outside of the text about Hagrid’s future is that he never got married or had any children. While he and Madam Maxine did have a mutual attraction for one another and could easily have been in a relationship, Rowling mentioned that they didn’t work out because Maxine was too sophisticated for him. It does make sense that a long-term relationship might not have worked between these two because of their very different lifestyles.
POST: HE LIKELY DIED STILL WORKING AT HOGWARTS
The rest of Hagrid’s life is, for the most part, a mystery. There isn’t really much else that is revealed about what he does after the series. It sounds like he remained at Hogwarts for the rest of his life. He did live much longer than a Muggle would and was able to remain healthy and teaching at Hogwarts into old age. Most likely, he was still working at Hogwarts when he passed away.
