Hey everyone,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter Theory. In this video, we’re going to be
discussing what Rubeus Hagrid would see in the Mirror of Erised.
The mirror of erised is a magical mirror that shows us the ‘deepest, most desperate desires’
of our hearts. This is reflected in the mirror’s name, no pun intended, as ‘Erised’ flipped
around reads as ‘desire’.The mirror itself was made sometime before the end of the nineteenth
century, and is located in the room of requirement in Hogwarts.
But despite the existence of the mirror, and the emphasis placed on it in the first novel,
it’s strangely never really revealed what many of the main characters would see in the
mirror. We know Harry sees his parents, Ron sees himself as head boy, and Dumbledore ‘claims’
to see socks (though I suspect this to be untrue- even at this stage of his life). But
what about other characters? What about Hagrid? I’ve got a few theories for what Hogwarts’
loveable gamekeeper would see- so let’s dive in to it.
Hagrid was born Rubeus Hagrid in the year 1928 to his father Mr. Hagrid, and his giantess
mother Fridwulfa. Hagrid gets his immense size from his mothers side, as Hagrid’s
father was just a regular-sized man. His mother left him and his father while he was still
quite young, returning to the giant colony from which she came- this left Hagrid’s
father to raise him alone.
"My dad was broken-hearted when she wen'. Tiny little bloke, my dad was. By the time
I was six I could lift him up an' put him on top o' the dresser if he annoyed me. Used
ter make him laugh..."
Very little is known about Hagrid’s formative years, or parents, but his father certainly
raised him well, as in spite of his giant size, Hagrid was a caring, attentive softie
who cared immensely for those that were close to him. Like other children, Hagrid began
attending Hogwarts in the year 1940- being sorted in to Gryffindor house. Hagrid was
a promising young wizard- but did have a habit of getting in trouble- trouble which almost
always stemmed or pertained to magical creatures in some way. However, what would become Hagrid’s
biggest mistake was acquiring a new and dangerous pet- an Acromantala by the name of Aragog.
Hagrids issues began to arise when students started to become mysteriously ‘petrified’
on a consistent basis. At the time, no one one knew what was happening or why it was
happening-but it’s later uncovered that it was in fact Tom Riddle who had opened up
the chamber of secrets and released the Fabled basilisk within. Naturally, the school vehemently
tried to uncover the culprit for the petrifications, and Hagrid was eventually framed by Riddle-
explaining that they were the actions of his pet Aragog.
Hagrid never got much of a chance to defend himself- and was promptly expelled - this
also meant that his wand was snapped and he was barred from magic. School didn’t turn
out exactly how Hagrid had wanted- however, he was allowed to work as gamekeeper and live
on the school grounds at the request of Albus Dumbledore.
But despite Hagrids troubled start- he never let his mood waiver- and grew in to an outstanding
man with impeccable morals and a positive outlook on life.
However, I am of the impression that one of Hagrid’s biggest regrets was never graduating
from Hogwarts- and this is going to be the basis of my theory with regards to what he
would actually see in the mirror. I think that if Hagrid were to look in to the mirror,
he would see himself graduating from Hogwarts with his proud father Mr.Hagrid by his side.
Hagrids father tragically died while Hagrid was in his second year and still a student.
He died with the knowledge that Hagrid was pursuing top notch magical education- and
he was proud of him for it. The only thing that Hagrid was thankful for was that his
dad never lived to see him get expelled.
I think Hagrid being able to properly graduate alongside his peers with his father watching
on would be the cherry on top of his life.
On that note, it’s entirely possible that graduating was never a big deal to him- and
he would have preferred that his father lived to see him become a proper professor at the
school instead- which he eventually became.
That’s my first theory- but an alternate theory that I have is that Hagrid’s life
would be more or the less the same. I think that if Hagrid looked in to the mirror- he
would see all of those that were close to him huddled around. They’d be in his cottage
on the Hogwarts grounds- though it would be slightly bigger to accommodate everyone- and
they’d be sitting round the fire sharing a laugh. Hagrid was first and foremost a people
person, and those that he cared about were the most important elements of his life.
And that’s it for this video! What do YOU think Hagrid would see in the mirror of erised?
Let me know in the comment section below
Until next time
Here’s the last outro of this year
YER A WIZARD ARRY