Covering for Hagrid

[sunnyskywalker]

In my re-read of PS/SS, specifically looking for instances when the adults ought to know more than the kids about what’s going on, a penny finally dropped. Apologies to everyone who probably figured this out years ago.

Harry and Hermione, under the Invisibility Cloak, gleefully watch as McGonagall drags Draco Malfoy off by the ear, calling his claim that Harry has a dragon “utter rubbish.” They go hand off Norbert(a) to Charlie’s friends and head back down, whereupon McGonagall nabs them too and tells them off for “[feeding] Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, trying to get him out of bed and into trouble.”

This seems like blatant unfairness. Surely Draco didn’t stop trying to explain once he was out of Harry and Hermione’s earshot—didn’t he tell McGonagall he had seen the dragon in Hagrid’s hut with his own eyes? Hasn’t Hagrid told anyone who would listen that he would love to have a dragon? Hasn’t she noticed Hagrid being strangely absent the last few weeks? It seems like enough to merit investigation, at least, so she can at least punish Harry and Hermione for their actual transgressions--i.e., being out after curfew to act as accessories in a crime. (Dragon breeding and keeping dragons is against the law, remember. No doubt smuggling them as well, especially when it’s smuggling to conceal the earlier crime.) After fifty years, doesn’t Minerva know Hagrid at all?

Er, yes, she does. That’s the problem.

What, exactly, would happen if she had uncovered evidence that Hagrid had indeed broken the law by acquiring and hatching a dragon egg? Unlike the kids, she almost certainly knows that Hagrid was expelled for raising a Class XXXXX creature in the school. What would the consequences be, were he caught raising another Class XXXXX creature—one which, this time, unquestionably harmed a student when it sent Ron to the hospital wing with that nasty bite? And then enlisted students in concealing his crimes? I don’t think you need a degree in wizarding law to say things wouldn’t look too good for Hagrid. (Plus, we’ve read CoS. And he was just a suspect then!)

If McGonagall lets Draco believe for one minute that she considers his story plausible, she’s essentially just given Lucius Malfoy the go-ahead to raise a stink, with all the undoubtedly negative consequences for Hagrid--and his patron, Dumbledore. (She can hardly investigate and “find no evidence,” with Ron’s hospital wing stay on record. Better to be thought too trusting of her colleagues than complicit, if it comes out anyway.) So she can’t let on if she thinks it’s plausible.

(Why didn’t Draco owl Lucius to demand an investigation anyway? One wonders whether after insisting that he saw the dragon through Hagrid’s window, Draco got an earful about how if he really had seen such a thing, and told no one but instead sneaked out of bed to get another look, he would be guilty of concealing a crime himself. So it’s lucky Professor McGonagall doesn’t believe such an absurd story. Isn’t it, Mr. Malfoy.)

To recap: not only are Harry, Ron, and Hermione covering for Hagrid (which he, an adult staff member, set them up to do), and not only are Charlie and his dragon-smuggling friends covering for Hagrid, but McGonagall is also quite possibly covering for Hagrid. Lucky Hagrid!

Now, I do have sympathy for Hagrid. Really, I do. I even wrote an essay back in 2006 about it. All his dialogue about how he’s this dangerous little monster’s “Mummy” and how “Mummy” loves him and won’t abandon him take on new meaning once you get to GoF and find out that Hagrid’s own mummy--from a species reputed to be vicious and monstrous--abandoned him, and that he keeps his heritage secret because people will think he’s potentially a vicious monster, and he would never! But working out these issues by roping his friends--including children--into dangerous, even criminal actions? Not cool, Hagrid.

And while I also sympathize with the desire to keep him out of a horrific torture-prison, the collateral damage from these cover-ups isn’t doing anyone else any favors. Harry, for one, gets one of the Dursleys’ lessons reinforced for him: nobody cares to find out the truth, and all the explanations and evidence in the world (er, Draco’s, not Harry’s, this time, since Harry’s not talking) won’t help you. People believe what they want to believe and punish you or not based on how they feel, and there’s nothing you can do to change anyone’s mind.

Lesson learned.

Comments

[nx74defiant.livejournal.com]

Promoting Hagrid makes no sense. Dumbles can not have thought Hagrid would make a good teacher. Sometimes I wonder if Dumbles is deliberately dumbing down the education students receive at Hogwarts.

[sunnyskywalker]

It really doesn't. Though the wizarding world doesn't seem to value teaching as a skill in itself, just subject knowledge--though we don't know whether things were any different before Dumbledore took over. I'd suspect it wasn't, just because earlier teaching methods, which the ww would have inherited, tended toward lots of recitation and memorization, but you never know. They at least might have been memorizing more advanced stuff!

What was he thinking, I wonder? Would no one else take the job? Was it part of a power play with someone else, and Hagrid just the clueless pawn? Or does Dumbledore honestly just have no concept of teaching as a skill, and thinks Hagrid would be as good as anyone? (Being as precocious as he was, he might not get that learning takes work for some kids, and that teachers can make this process easier. And it's not like he'd have bothered to study pedagogical methods.)

He definitely has an interest in keeping History of Magic and Divination and DADA dumbed down. Wouldn't want students asking certain questions, or having to tools to think of those questions. Not sure about the other classes.

[jana-ch.livejournal.com]

What was special about the year Hagrid was promoted? Well, there was a dangerous magical creature on staff that year. A hard-headed professional like Grubbly-Plank would have been an ally for Snape in insisting on strict safety protocols, which would have cramped Lupin’s style—or at least injured his delicate sensibilities. (Trigger warning for sensitive lycanthropes: old-fashioned CoMC professor does not indulge in political correctness!) We also saw, when she subbed for Hagrid in Book Five, that she didn’t play favorites for the Boy Who Lived and his pals. That would make two of Harry’s teachers, Snape and Grubbly-Plank, who didn’t think Harry was anything special, instead of leaving Snape isolated as the only meanie.

I’ve been looking for a new plot bunny: Snape/ Grubbly-Plank, One True Alliance?

[hwyla.livejournal.com]

Great Point! There can be no other reason I can think of for promoting Hagrid to a teaching post. We have to remember that not only did Hagrid not know teaching methods (but then that does seem to be ignored for ALL teachers), but he never even took his OWLs. At least I think he didn't - perhaps if he was older than Tom, then he took OWLs, but not his NEWTs.

We know Albus didn't really think Hagrid was responsible for Myrtle's death, but I cannot believe that parents were at all aware that their children were learning from a teacher that had not only been expelled but had his wand snapped.

Especially in such a dangerous subject. Imagine Draco and the Hippogryff IF Hagrid could have thrown a protego in between them! Or in the case of the blast ended skwerts that blast fire. What if a child's uniform had caught fire? Hagrid couldn't have even cast aquamenti at it!

[jana-ch.livejournal.com]

Or it may just have been another treat for Harry: his best friend on the staff gets promoted to professor, making Hogwarts even more his Perfect Happy Home. Nothing to do with Hagrid himself at all.

[sunnyskywalker]

He was expelled in 3rd year, iirc, so no OWLs. I'd be fine with a teacher who didn't have an OWL in their subject qualifying based on decades of experience instead... but then we're back to lack of teaching experience or training. And yeah, not having a wand does hamper him an awful lot as far as student (and animal!) safety. You'd think that would be something Lucius Malfoy would have added to his list of grievances.

[jana-ch.livejournal.com]

There’s also Hagrid’s complete lack of understanding of what creatures are and are not dangerous for people who aren’t half-giants, and the fact that he’s more concerned about the safety of his monsters than he is about the safety of the children. No one at Hogwarts cares much about safety, but Hagrid is bad even by Hogwarts standards. He has no awareness of the fragility of the non-giant human body.

For my Snubbly-Plank plot, can you see Minerva persuading Wilhelmina to apply for the job (she didn’t want it full time in Book Five) by telling her their DADA professor will be a magical creature and their Potions Master can show her a new, improved version of Wolfsbane? It’s hard to see Minnie sucessfully heading off any of Albus’s plots, even if it occurred to her to try.

[sunnyskywalker]

Depends on her research interests. Iirc, Grubbly-Plank's lessons included unicorns and bowtruckles, both forest-dwelling creatures and not (usually) aggressive (unless you threaten the bowtruckle's tree). Maybe she is interested in forest-creatures generally? Forest ecology management?

Another possible incentive is the Thestral herd. Not only are there a bunch living there, but they're apparently the only trained herd in Britain. She might be interested in working with the herd, with Hagrid's help (he did manage to train them, so he can consult with her while keeping his current job).

Also, besides being a werewolf testing the new Wolfsbane, the new DADA teacher is also an expert in many Dark creatures. They might be able to coordinate their curricula very effectively. Lupin's other failings aside, he does teach the kids a lot about various creatures, so the students might get decent instruction in both of those classes.

The possibility of collaborating with two staff members (Lupin and Hagrid) in her subject, rather than just being an isolated outsider trying to pick up some slack but being expected to give it up as soon as a less qualified person returns, might make the job more attractive. And "Hey, you could collaborate with people who share your interests, so why not try it for a year and see how you like it" is something that could occur to McGonagall as a recruiting pitch.

[oryx_leucoryx]

It is canon that Hagrid was in his 3rd year when he was expelled, so no OWLs for him.

Promoting Hagrid

[terri-testing.livejournal.com]

There's another angle no one has yet mentioned: the political one. Last year Hagrid had been sent to Azkaban, and Dumbledore suspended. Promoting Hagrid is one in the eye for the alliance that did that--ha, not only are we both back, but look what I have the power to do and you can't stop me.

In which case Hagrid's incompetence just underlines the point.

Plus DD can present it as recompense to Hagrid for his unjust incarceration.

Re: Promoting Hagrid

[sunnyskywalker]

Oh, very good point. Obviously much bigger priorities than education...

Re: Promoting Hagrid

[nx74defiant.livejournal.com]

DD said he stayed at Hogwarts because it was a "safe place for him"

He had no interest in making Hogwarts a better school.