Harry Potter's Invitation to the World
by Vickie Ewell
Chapter 11 – Harry Learns About Himself (HP Chapter 4)
Hagrid came to realize that Harry needed to know some things before entering Hogwarts. Since most was still a mystery, he couldn’t reveal everything, but he had to do it now. Hagrid began to explain, but tripped over the beginning because almost everyone was afraid to speak Voldemort’s name – including Hagrid.
Hagrid couldn’t hold things back from Harry. He didn’t know how to keep a secret and felt guilty because he might have done the wrong thing by revealing Voldemort’s name. People were scared, even though Voldemort had been gone for ten years. They feared his name because they feared death. In a very real sense, Voldemort “is” death, so Hagrid didn’t want to use the name.
He’s a Master, but has incarnated into a Giant’s body. His role wasn’t to reveal truth but to introduce Harry to the spiritual world. That’s what he does best.
However, Dumbledore sent Hagrid even though the job wouldn’t be easy. Obviously, Dumbledore knew Harry’s condition. He knew Hagrid wasn’t good at discernment or keeping secrets. Hagrid loved everyone. Everything he does, he does out of love. He did have his Giant’s conditioning to overcome – but then, maybe our ideal about secrets and perfection isn’t based on reality. Perhaps our faults and early conditioning doesn’t matter. If that’s true, then the faults and conditioning of others doesn’t matter either.
Hagrid felt that Harry made him say Voldemort’s name, so he asked Harry not to make him say it again. He was trying to find blame. He loved Harry, but his guilt caused him to try to excuse for his behavior. Although Hagrid had already completed the journey in a previous life, he must rise above his current mortality.
Hagrid talked about Voldemort gaining followers. Some followed Voldemort (like Peter Pettigrew) out of fear. They feared torture and death. Some followed him (like Lucius and Draco) because they wanted a piece of his power. They wanted the ability to perform magic, right now, without having to follow the lengthy process required to liberate their selves. Those who stood up to Voldemort (many members of The Order of the Phoenix) had been killed in a horrible manner. Some were tortured into madness. Tyrants always use death and torture to create fear.
Since Voldemort had never attempted to secure Hogwarts for himself, Hagrid assured Harry Hogwarts was safe. He planted the idea that Hogwarts’ safety was due to Dumbledore. Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore. He never tried to recruit Harry’s parents. He probably knew how close to Dumbledore they were. In Hagrid’s perspective, Voldemort knew the pair wouldn’t want anything to do with the dark side.
Despite Hagrid’s spiritual status, he’s not all knowing. He has limitations the same as Dumbledore, and the same as each of us. It seems that being all knowing is not a characteristic of perfection. When we move forward on the Path, the more we learn and come to know, the more we realize how much we still don’t know.
Hagrid informed Harry that no one knew why Voldemort had gone after the Potters on Halloween night ten years ago. The thought choked Hagrid, so he pulled out a handkerchief and blew his nose. He was telling Harry his version of the story, but the handkerchief was very dirty and spotted. The story he’s telling isn’t exactly true, but what he believes. He isn’t lying; he just isn’t aware of what’s going on.
Hagrid loved the Potters. He always has. Even though it had been ten years since their death, Hagrid was still upset. When he gained control of himself, Hagrid revealed that Voldemort had killed Harry’s parents and then tried to kill Harry.
According to Hagrid, the scar on Harry’s forehead was the result of a powerful, evil curse touching you. It didn’t work on Harry, and that’s why Harry was famous. No one had ever lived once Voldemort decided to kill them. No one except Harry. Voldemort had killed powerful witches and wizards, but for some reason, he couldn’t kill Harry.
Although Hagrid’s perspective was flawed, something painful was happening inside Harry’s mind. He experienced a flashback: a stream of green light that had flashed before, but now it was more strong. He also heard Voldemort laugh. Harry’s ability to remember was growing stronger.
“Took you from the ruined house myself,” Hagrid told Harry. He had brought Harry to the Dursleys on Dumbledore’s orders, so almost everything Hagrid did was on Dumbledore’s orders.
Uncle Vernon didn’t believe any of it. In fact, the world was better off without Harry’s parents because they were weirdos. They deserved to die. They shouldn’t have been involved with the Wizarding World. Mr. Dursley finally verbalized his fear, but that angered Hagrid. Hagrid jumped to his feet, pointed his pink umbrella at Mr. Dursley, and threatened him.
Pink is white with a little red. It symbolizes the power of combining both the white stone and the red stone. Anger isn’t necessarily bad, but there must be some type of balance between justice and mercy.
There were many different opinions as to what happened to Voldemort. Some believed he died. Some believed he lost his powers. Some believed he just went into hiding and would soon reappear. Hagrid didn’t believe that. Many people who followed Voldemort switched allegiance. Hagrid didn’t believe they would do that if they knew that Voldemort was going to rise to power again. In addition, those who had been serving Voldemort under a trance had come out of it.
Hagrid believed what many witches and wizards did, that Voldemort lost his powers and was too weak to carry out his plans. Something about Harry finished him. Something happened that Voldemort didn’t count on. Hagrid didn’t know what that was, and believed no one did, but something definitely stumped Voldemort.
Like a giant oak, Voldemort was cut off (from his Lord’s presence), leaving him nothing more than a stump with roots. A stump with live roots, however, can grow back. Here, Jo gives us the idea that Voldemort will rise again.
Harry had trouble accepting that he was a wizard. His conditioning created by the Dursleys’ spiders (that he’s abnormal and less than) struggled against Hagrid’s revelation. He believed there had to be some type of mistake. How could he possibly be a wizard? If he once defeated the greatest wizard in the world, why did Dudley have the power to kick him around as easily as a football?
When Harry voiced his misgivings, Hagrid chuckled. “Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?” Harry couldn’t argue with that. Every strange thing that had ever happened occurred when he was upset or angry. Notice, that Harry didn’t make things happen when he was scared. Just angry. But Uncle Vernon still wasn’t ready to give in. Harry needed many things to go to Hogwarts that the Dursleys wouldn’t provide. Vernon used Harry’s lack of finances to try to control the situation, but Hagrid informed Vernon that if Harry wanted to go to Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon wouldn’t be able to stop him. Harry’s name had been on the list ever since he was born.
“Seven years there and he won’t know himself.” This insinuated that when Harry had finished school, he would be completely different than he was right now.
Uncle Vernon insulted Dumbledore by calling him a crackpot old fool. That was going too far. Hagrid struck at what would affect Vernon the most: Dudley. Through the aid of his pink umbrella, the white stone and the red stone, there was a flash of violet light and suddenly Dudley had received the tail of a pig.
Although Hagrid had trouble controlling his temper, his emotions, he struck Dudley with a violet lightning bolt of love. Hagrid’s role was to introduce potential students to the spiritual world. That was what Hagrid always does, and Dudley was no exception. Where Mr. and Mrs. Dursley had rejected the call, this was Dudley’s first chance to become spiritually aware of the power of the Wizarding World. That was a gift that Hagrid handed Dudley, a pig’s tail, even though Hagrid might be unaware of it.
Uncle Vernon reacted by grabbing the two things in life he loved most, and pulled them into the other room to protect them. He did that by locking them in with him. They were not given a choice. They have become Mr. Dursley’s prisoners – apparently, for their own good. This was similar to how Hagrid would later on tie up his half-brother and make him a prisoner because he loved him too much to leave him behind.
Hagrid admitted to Harry that the spell was meant to turn Dudley into a full pig, but it didn’t happen as planned. Providence interfered with Hagrid’s temper in the same way that providence had interfered when Voldemort tried to kill Harry. Hagrid asked Harry to keep the spell a secret. He wasn’t supposed to do magic. He had been expelled from Hogwarts in his third year, which was probably why he was still struggling with his mortal conditioning.
Dumbledore did allow him to stay on the grounds as the gamekeeper. He cared for the animals and strange creatures that lived around Hogwarts.
Hagrid was only given permission to do whatever was necessary to pick up Harry, but he didn’t realize that what he did to Dudley was necessary for both Dudley’s and Harry’s salvation. Since the Dursleys were no longer a threat, Hagrid took off his overcoat and gave it to Harry to use for a blanket. It was now Harry’s turn to wear the mask of a Master of Compassion as he