And Another Thing! Hagrid's "Exoneration"

I did not think I would be making a part two and certainly not immediately.

While having Hagrid on the brain, it just occurred to me that Dumbledore could and DID NOT do to have Hagrid thoroughly exonerated from opening the Chamber of Secrets in 1943 after the 1992-1993 school year debacle. Harry and Fawkes saved the day, Ginny, Ron, Lockhart, the Petrified and everybody else.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, when I catch you, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!!! How dare you not get Hagrid’s wand fixed and potentially help him to continue his education. I am calling back to when I discussed Dumbledore not doing anything to fix or help magical beings that are other magical humanoid creatures, mixed race, or those affected by pure blood supremacy.

To Recap! In 1943, Rubeus Hagrid was blamed for Tom Riddle opening the Chamber of Secrets causing attacks and death of muggle born Myrtle Warren. It was bad enough that the school could have closed as they did not know what was causing the attacks and location of the chamber. But rumors persisted since Salazar Slytherin’s time, 1943, and presently during Harry Potter’s education.  Turns out it was a basilisk (Aka big ass snake) with a deadly gaze.

The entrance of the chamber was in a girls’ bathroom now haunted by Tom’s first victim. The original goal was the cleanse the school of muggle borns but Slytherin was condemned and removed from Hogwarts. A couple “heirs” to Slytherin aided to said clause. Corvinus Gaunt further camouflaged the entrance under a sink and only be opened by parseltongue. Tom Riddle aka VoldyV attempted to complete Slytherin’s will but only stopped when nearly caught and the school’s impending closure, which would make him lose access. Hagrid took the heat from Riddle as he had an acromentula (aka big ass spider) when Riddle framed him. It was a half giant’s word against a hot charming prefect who was an orphan overcoming his circumstances. With a solution appearing conveniently in front of them and no further investigation, Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts and seemingly did not do jail time.

The location of the chamber was not discovered at the time. The “guilty” creature could not have attacked students and harmed them in the same way as a basilisk could. How did they not know about magical big ass spiders then? No one put two and two together that a parselmouth owned and controlled a basilisk or that it was the creature in 1943. I’m mostly surprised that the snake didn’t somehow exit the castle during its idle time after VoldyV found it. As smart as Dumbledore was he did not figure it out himself. But he did good by keeping VoldyV under watched and not letting him have a job at Hogwarts after the fact. Also, I am unsure how he cursed the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts prof. He spoke it into existence after being denied. If there was a process to do so wouldn’t he have jinxed himself? Or was it set in motion afterwards? It is all very weird. But you know MAGIC.

Harry, Ron and Hermione saved the day even with Hermione being unconscious for the last fourth of the school year/ the climax. They assumed Draco Malfoy had something to do with after Dobby mentioned the Chamber had been opened before and due to his evil pure blood status daddy, Lucius. After making Polyjuice Potion successfully they asked him about it disguised as his lackeys. They were wrong. Even though Hermione took some losses: accidently grabbing cat hair for the potion, believing in Gilderoy Lockhart, may or may not noticed Ginny acting weird. But she accomplished learning what the creature was, brewing a hard potion as a second year, stole and manipulated her way into learning said difficult potion, and saved herself from death by using a hand mirror to walk around the school.

While they were correct to suspect Hagrid, they did not want to confront him or believe he would do something so heinous. Eventually as he is being sent to Azkaban as a precaution, he tells them to “follow the spiders”. Nearly adding to his maimed/kill count. Harry and Ron do and meet Aragog who confirms what actually happened and how Hagrid was framed. Embolden to clear their friend’s name and save everyone they find the information out before the school closes. Ginny, who was possessed by the diary, was behind everything all along and trapped in the chamber. The teachers discussed what to do about the Chamber and Ginny since the chamber was in a girls’ bathroom the entire time. The boys overhear come in and try to explain what they know. After Lockhart the fraud is chosen to go down there, the boys follow. After confronting him while he packs, they bully him to going down to the Chamber. He reveals he is a credit stealing fraud and is excellent at Memory Charms. He has Ron’s broken wand as they confiscated his. He plans to leave and tell some story about how Ginny couldn’t be saved and the boys be none the wiser. The spell backfires on him but Harry is separated from them. In the end, the Sorting Hat brought by Fawkes has the sword of Gryffindor. Harry kills the beast, destroys the diary, and they all fly out of the chamber safely. Phoenix tears save the day but did not kill Harry’s horcrux nature? What’s up with that?

BUT WHERE WAS DUMBLEDORE? WHAT HAS HE BEEN DOING THIS ENTIRE TIME?  He did his little bit when he sent a phoenix down there. It was a fluke that Harry, with no swordsmanship and being weaker and smaller than an apparition of VoldyV and a big ass snake, was not more wounded. With all the eyes and ears Dumbledore has especially on the Trio I am surprised he was not a few steps ahead of them or had his suspicions especially if he trusted Hagrid, gave him a position at the castle. We knew 100% Hagrid was innocent when Tom’s apparition confessed to his plans. Hogwarts and co really do keep information about the castle on the low with the exception of Lucius and other parent’s complaints. Or Dobby’s appearances at Hogwarts to bug Harry, frame him for unauthorized magic use or kill/harm him to have him leave Hogwarts. No admin cleared those issues up or addressed when necessary.

This was a long game to get rid of Gilderoy Lockhart. The DADA position is cursed so he will last a year either by firing, dying, embarrassment, or being harmed. Hogwarts is dangerous and VoldyV is out in the wings somewhere wanting to kill a child whenever eventually he gets his strength back. But few people believe that he is currently alive and plotting. I’m look at you Fudge. Lockhart is a thief with ego and a sliver tongue of lies. He loves women and all of his fans. He sought out people, probably unknowing two were friends of Dumbledore, who were strong and lived the tall tales he eventually told. He wrote his novels and manned his fan club. He was a smart man, a Ravenclaw. He even made a hair potion but it was too expensive to produce. Dumbledore worked this jinx to his advantage when hiring Lockhart and overhearing Lucius words about the Chamber.

All of the pieces either fell exactly as he wanted them to or were close enough. Lockhart lost his memory and was effectively banished from the wizarding world at St. Mungo’s Hospital. He could not continue his crimes. He maintained his loyal fans as his dirty laundry was not aired out. It is unknown if the witches and wizards whose work he stole were ever healed or able to continue their regular lives. Dumbledore received his first confirmation of what VoldyV did: horcruxes. He almost succeeded in letting Harry die again by solving a duty that should have gone to an adult or the headmaster aka the great wizard of the time. Hagrid reputation was saved as he and Professor Sprout got the mandrakes ready for the restorative potion for the petrified. Ron would receive a new unbroken wand. Harry’s combat training and dealing with VoldyV helped him to deal with the main event later on.

            With all of that being said Hagrid was let out from Azkaban and returned to his normal life as Dumbledore’s lackey and groundskeeper. Until Book 3 when he was made Care of Magical Creatures professor where he was in legal trouble due too Buckbeak. Or when he almost went to Azkaban again in Book 5. The point stands that Dumbledore did not gather evidence to prove that VoldyV did it 50 years ago and not Hagrid. The person who is the darkest wizard of all time versus a less than intelligent, kind, half giant. The only current parselmouth outside of Harry. Plus as VoldyV was “dead” and both incidences were solved why couldn’t history be corrected.

I understand if he did not want to get Ginny and the Weasleys’ involved in legal issues but everything could have been kept hush hush with Ginny’s identity kept secret and horcruxes not mentioned. With the incident being so long ago I am sure it would be believed. And as the school didn’t close the next year, they did enough damage control or keeping the spread of the debacle low for parent’s radar.  Dumbledore is a master manipulator, I am confident with the knowledge and power he has he could have gotten all the ducks in  a row to exonerate Hagrid, correctly frame VoldyV, and compensate the Weasleys’ and other affected students’ families for missing a year of school due to illness/possession.

I do believe he trusted Hagrid and valued him at the level he was at. I don’t believe he believed in Hagrid enough to let him learn more magic or better himself. Either because he would not be stronger as an asset or he needed Hagrid in a subservient and indebted place underneath him. Dumbledore only have two connections to send to the giants, Hagrid and Madame Maxine. As a headmistress herself, she could have refused and lived her successful life. Possibly, Dumbledore could have used their romantic connection to have Maxine help with the cause since it only affected the British Isles at the time. Could Dumbledore risk them falling in love, potentially being on equal footing, and choosing their family (themselves) over the greater good?  Or worse did he want to accidently create a smarter and stronger wizard that could cultivate more dangerous and bigger magical creatures? He already populated the Forbidden Forest with spiders, had a three headed dog, and created Blast Ended Skrewts.

Whichever cards Dumbledore had, he kept them close and gave everyone else a strict information diet. Everyone trusted him so much and with their lives. He would not stick out his neck all the way out for anyone. He could defend you and himself if he was present but stayed like a puppet master putting faith into his pawns to solve it in his place as per his vague instructions.