Harry Potter has introduced fans to many memorable and beloved characters, but none are as memorable as the groundskeeper of Hogwarts, Rubeus Hagrid. Hagrid is easily one of the kindest, sweetest, and most down-to-Earth characters in the franchise, which is mostly due to his exceptional portrayal by Robbie Coltrane.
Rubeus Hagrid is part human and part giant, towering high above others at Hogwarts. Our lovable giant has a pure heart of gold, putting everyone else before himself, which is proven by his love for the strange and terrifying creatures that inhabit the world of Harry Potter. Hagrid sees the best in all beasts, no matter how scary they might be. Befriending and taking care of dragons, as well as his best friend, who just so happens to be a giant spider.
Hagrid is incredibly important to Harry and his journey throughout the films, acting as a somewhat father-figure to Harry, meaning that Hagrid has had no shortage of memorable and heartfelt moments. With that, here are Hagrid’s best moments in the Harry Potter franchise.
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7 The Birth of Norbert the Dragon
Warner Bros. Pictures
Perhaps not the most heartfelt moment in the series, but easily one of the most endearing. This scene is the first real instance that shows how fond of animals Hagrid really is. In the scene, we sit with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid, who is in the middle of hatching a dragon egg. Once hatched, Ron exclaims that the dragon is specifically a Norwegian Ridgeback, and Hagrid names her Norbert, to the others’ dismay. Hagrid begins to stroke Norbert before she swiftly breathes fire at Hagrid’s beard, setting it on fire, with hilarious and brilliant delivery from Coltrane, as he tries to swat the fire out, making Hagrid that much more lovable.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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6 The Death of Aragog
Aragog certainly isn’t cute, nor is he necessarily friendly to others, but Aragog and Hagrid do have a long history and claim themselves to be best friends, making this scene much more emotional and devastating for Hagrid. The scene sees Harry and Professor Slughorn as they come across Hagrid standing over the body of his dear friend, the giant spider Aragog. While the scene isn’t necessarily played out to be emotional, seeing Hagrid in tears and proclaiming that Aragog is his best friend is enough to make you truly care and feel for our lovable giant.
5 Hagrid Gives Harry the Photo Album
Returning home from Hogwarts certainly must be sad, especially for Harry, seeing that he has to go back home to the Dursleys. But when saying his goodbyes to Hagrid, Hagrid gives Harry an incredibly meaningful gift that makes his return home less miserable.
The students hop on board the Hogwarts Express to go back home after their first year at Hogwarts, but before Harry gets on the train, he says a swift but heartfelt goodbye to Hagrid, who gives him a truly lovely present; a moving photo album of Harry’s parents. This scene and gift is even more meaningful knowing that Harry doesn’t have any pictures of his parents, and Hagrid sent as many owls as he could to Harry’s parents’ old school friends for the pictures.
4 Hagrid Comforts Hermoine
We all know Hagrid is one of the kindest characters in the franchise, and will always find a way to cheer up his friends, but this scene is perhaps his most endearing and most caring moment yet. After Malfoy calls Hermione a mud-blood, Ron tries to cast a spell on Malfoy, which dreadfully backfires on him. Leading the three to Hagrid’s hut, where Hagrid gives a sweet speech to Hermione, telling her not to listen to the comments, and commending her magical power, saying “they’re yet to think of a spell our Hermione can’t do”.
3 Hagrid Carries Harry
One of the most important and tragic moments throughout the entire franchise was Harry’s death in The Deathly Hallows Part 2. It packs a lot of punch and delivers multiple layers of emotion.
With Harry dead, Voldemort has won, causing the Dark Lord to walk over to Hogwarts to claim his victory. But the cherry on top of this emotional and tragic cake is how Hagrid is forced to carry Harry’s dead body over the Hogwarts bridge. With the two’s long history, watching Hagrid carry Harry’s body is devastating, and is one of the few moments of vulnerability for Hagrid, making it all the more emotional.
2 Harry and Hagrid First Meet
There aren’t many scenes as iconic as the first time Harry met Hagrid, nor are any as important to Harry becoming a wizard. This scene is a brilliant introduction to Hagrid, and fans instantly fall in love with the gentle giant. As the Dursleys retreat to an old, run-down lighthouse to escape the onslaught of invitations to Hogwarts, they are greeted by Hagrid, who makes an explosive introduction, formally inviting Harry to the school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Similarly, Hagrid brings Harry a birthday cake, which he made himself, and is more important due to Harry never celebrating his birthday, nor has anyone made him a birthday cake before, making Harry become rather fond of Hagrid almost immediately. This is all before Hagrid utters the famous words “You’re a wizard, Harry” which will sure send shivers down anyone’s spine, and it feels much more powerful and iconic because it was Hagrid who said it.
1 “There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid”
Hagrid’s best moment comes when Harry shares how much Hagrid truly means to him. No matter how many times you re-watch this scene, you will still feel the warmth in your heart and maybe a tear in your eye as if it was the first time watching it. After being accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets, and being whisked off to Azkaban for his falsely accused crime, Hagrid returns to Hogwarts, and thanks the trio for helping Hagrid get out of Azkaban by proving it wasn’t him that opened the chamber. His speech is emotional and heartwarming, but nothing compared to Harry standing up and saying “There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid” before hugging the lovable giant.
