Description
Rubeus Hagrid is the Keeper of the Keys, Gamekeeper, and Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts. A half-giant standing well over eleven feet tall with a wild mane of black hair and a tangled beard, Hagrid cuts an imposing figure — yet he possesses one of the gentlest hearts in the wizarding world. He is fiercely loyal to Albus Dumbledore’s memory and to Harry Potter, whom he carried as a baby from the ruins of Godric’s Hollow and later introduced to the magical world.
Background
Hagrid has served Hogwarts in some capacity for most of his life, having been expelled as a student in his third year after being wrongly accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets (a crime actually committed by Voldemort). Albus Dumbledore gave him a second chance as Gamekeeper, and later appointed him Care of Magical Creatures professor. Hagrid has a well-known affinity for dangerous creatures — dragons, Acromantulas, Hippogriffs, and Blast-Ended Skrewts among them — which occasionally puts his students in more peril than strictly necessary. After the war, he also took on the duty of delivering acceptance letters to Muggle-born students, a responsibility McGonagall passed to him when she became Headmistress.
History
Hagrid fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and was among those who witnessed Harry Potter’s apparent death and ultimate triumph over Voldemort. He continued serving in both his roles after the war, a beloved and enduring presence at Hogwarts.
In 2005, Hagrid suffered a serious injury involving a fire crab and was forced to take a medical sabbatical from teaching. He remained at Hogwarts as Gamekeeper and Keeper of the Keys, but Headmistress McGonagall brought in Grimbella Thistlepin — a goblin beast wrangler — to cover his Care of Magical Creatures classes. Hagrid returned to teaching in 2006, but McGonagall decided to keep Grimbella on staff as well, splitting the duties between them. While she deeply respects Hagrid and his passion for magical creatures, the Headmistress saw an opportunity to bring more structure to the curriculum — Grimbella’s professional wrangling background complementing Hagrid’s unmatched hands-on experience. Hagrid took this gracefully, recognizing that Grimbella’s expertise with the more dangerous specimens meant fewer “incidents” for McGonagall to worry about.