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NAME: Rubeus Hagrid
AGE: 68, born December 6th, 1928
HOUSE/YEAR: Former Gryffindor before exclusion
SOCIAL STATUS: To put it simply, Hagrid has never had money and is never going to have money. Totally uneducated, he is unqualified for any job except the one he currently holds. As gamekeeper and general groundsman of Hogwarts he earns very little money, but he wouldn't have it any other way as both wealth and influence are of no interest to him.
APPEARANCE: Whatever people call Hagrid, nobody could ever describe him as "unremarkable" or "forgettable". The first thing to note about Hagrid is his size. Standing at a huge 6'9'', he is much larger than the average man, although sadly not a contender for a spot in the Guinness Book of Records. Unlike a lot of men his size, Hagrid most definately not lanky. Even approaching his seventieth birthday he retains the muscles gained during his teenage hobby of wrestling, while his duties around the school grounds keep him active and fit. As someone who really enjoys their food, one could go so far as to call Hagrid "plump", although his overall effect is one of sheer size rather than actual fat.
Another rather noticeable aspect of Hagrid's appearance is what could only be described as his "wildness". Long tangles of black hair reach past his shoulders while a similarly tangled black beard frames his round face. All this hair teamed with a ruddy complexion gained from a fondness for drink would give an impression of fierceness, were it not for the fact that his eyes are dark and twinkling, and his face is usually contorted into a smile. Hagrid's teeth would make most dentists shudder, but the effect of these smiles are dramatic, and Hagrid's friendly personality ends up stamped all over his hairy face. This can be a benefit in the fact that most people find him easy to trust, but on the other hand the more manipulative find him an easy target.
PERSONALITY: An eternal optimist, Hagrid always believes that the best case scenario is the one that will come to pass. He's seen a lot of things in his lifetime, some good, some bad, but he continues to have faith in "the greater good". This works with people too - Hagrid likes to think that there's a lot of good in everyone, and if he was able to, he'd sit down everyone down for a cup of tea, a rock cake and a chat, and nurture out their good side. You wouldn't know it from the way that he treats everyone, but he's actually a very good judge of character. Hagrid can often tell a lot about someone as soon as he meets them, but his good nature usually pushes any misgivings aside. After almost 70 years, it would be sensible for Hagrid to trust in this sixth sense of his, but he never learns, and continues putting his trust in anyone.
When someone's nice to Hagrid, he's nice to them. And when someone's really nice to Hagrid, he is one of the sweetest individuals you'll ever have the fortune to meet. If someone he really likes gets into trouble, he'll be straight in there, ready to defend them, whatever it takes. Hagrid constantly seeks reassurance and kindliness, so if someone were to insult him, they'd see a whole other side of his personality. His inital reaction is to behave similarly to a kicked puppy, getting a bit upset and mulling over it probably a little too much, before becoming defensive and occasionally angry.
Hagrid's one main love is animals. Fang the Great Dane is his long term companion, and he's dabbling in keeping birds, although his collection currently only consists of one bird - a kestral named Buckbeak. Hagrid has a fondness especially for dangerous creatures, he's been known to breed tarantulas, scorpions and venemous snakes, and as a boy dreamed of taming lions and tigers. Although it's not technically allowed, Hagrid had tried (unsuccessfully) several times in the past to breed two different species together to create a new creature. When he's succeeded, he's going to name is after himself, but that's a long way off. In a lot of ways, Hagrid likes animals a lot more than he likes people. They're simpler, after all. Don't talk back.
One of Hagrid's main strengths is his trustworthiness. Anyone could place their life in his hands and be perfectly safe. If assigned to a task, he won't stop until he's completed it to the best of his ability. Although he's definately not a perfectionist, he gets great satisfaction from a job well done. Although he's very trustworthy with tasks, sometimes Hagrid's secret keeping is a bit dodgy. He has great intentions, sure, but he just can't help letting things slip sometimes. When pressed for information he's not supposed to divulge, he usually gets defensive and shuts down. Mix a secret with his great weakness, drink, and there's trouble. After a few drinks, Hagrid's tongue is loosened considerably and it's not all that difficult to extract information from him. He knows he shouldn't tell, but what's the harm if there's another pint on the horizon?
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS: The main thing of note about Hagrid, apart from his vast size, is the fact that anyone has managed to live to the age that he has, and remained so naive. Maybe it's his lack of education, but there are children out there who are less trusting than Hagrid is. That and his rather scary fondness for any animal that could easily kill a human.
LIKES: Fang, Buckbeak, Albus Dumbledore, cups of tea, beer, mulled wine, freshly caught meat, clay pigeon shooting, having guests over for dinner, gambling, dangerous animals, animals in general.
DISLIKES: Voldemort inc, weak coffee, bullies, fox hunting, people who insult his intelligence, hangovers, sarcasm, liars.
INSIDE SCOOP:- He tries not to have favourite students, he really does, but he just can't help himself. Hagrid has a definate soft spot for Harry Potter and his friends.
- He also tries not to have least favourite students, but he's had some less than pleasant experiences with Slytherins, and tries to keep his distance from them.
- He's never used a computer before in his life. He knows nothing about the internet, and the web is something he sweeps out of the corners of his cabin.
- He has a shotgun under his bed. Just in case, you know.
- Although it seems like Hagrid knows nothing about music, he has an old vinyl record player that belonged to his Dad, and a record collection that consists of just one record - an old Elvis LP. He likes to put it on when he's had a couple of drinks and he even knows all the words.
- On that note, he doesn't believe that Elvis is dead.
HISTORY: Archibald Hagrid met Frida Andersdotter in late 1927. It was an odd match; he was a former soldier who could no longer work after obtaining back injuries in the Great War, she was a six foot Swedish burlesque dancer. No one ever predicted that they would embark on a worldwind romance, and be married with a baby on the way within four months. Rubeus Hagrid came screaming into the world on December 6th, 1928, the largest baby to be born in the hospital that year. The baby put a huge strain on Archibald and Frida's relationship; Archibald was still unable to work due to his war injuries, and Frida found herself working full time in a shop in the centre of London, just a couple of months after Rubeus was born. She was a bit of a free spirit, and this lifestyle started to grate on her. A baby was not what she had planned with her life, so one morning, when Rubeus was three years old, Archibald awoke to find his wife gone, and only a brief note explaining her absence.
Being a practical man, Archibald knew better than to try to track her down and change her mind. He relocated his young son to a rural cottage on the Devon coastline, close to where he had been brought up. Rubeus had no other living relatives, Archibald had never really met any of his wife's family as they were located in Sweden, and he was the last remaining member of his own family after the war. It was just Rubeus and his father now, and as a result they grew very close. When it was time for Rubeus to attend primary school, he hated being seperated from his father for just those few short hours every day. As he grew, Rubeus started looking after his father more and more, as Archibald grew weaker and Rubeus grew stronger. He'd inherited his mother's tallness, and overtook his father in height by the age of nine. The Second World War, when it broke out in 1939, didn't really affect them. Archibald was unfit and Rubeus was too young. They lived in the middle of nowhere, hardly a prime spot for German bombs.
When the time came for Rubeus to pick a secondary school, a letter arrived from his mother. There were no sentiments of love, or regret for leaving her family. Frida simply stated that she wished her son to attend an excellent educational institute, and a fund had been set up for him. She didn't know much about schools in England, but she trusted them to pick a good one. Rubeus immediately suggested they use the money to make his father's life easier, but Archibald refused, saying the money must be used for the purpose Frida intended it for. They took several months to decide on a school. All the ones in London were closed due to the war, and the ones in the country were overrun with evacuees. Eventually, they decided on Hogwarts College. It was a little far away for Archibald's taste, but Rubeus seemed keen, and that was what mattered.
Rubeus started his first year at Hogwarts in September 1940. He was sorted into Gryffindor, and threw himself into college life. Back in those days, there weren't many scholarships going, and most of the students were rich, spoilt kids from the upper class. Rubeus didn't really fit in, and he was very much the outsider during his early years. Without friends or a social life to distract him, and no aptitude for the kind of sports the college encouraged, he concentrated in his classes, and while not naturally gifted, worked hard enough to maintain good grades. In his second year, Rubeus received the news that his father had died. It hit him badly, and he rebelled, running away from the school to live rough for a few days until he was found. He dropped his first name and began to be known only by his surname. Professor Albus Dumbledore took pity on him, twisting a few arms to allow the orphan to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays.
While the death of his father was life shattering for the thirteen year old Hagrid, worse was yet to come. Hagrid, before starting at the college, had developed a love of all animals, especially dangerous ones, and this hobby continued at school, albeit secretly. Unknown to everyone, even his dormmates, Hagrid spent most of his third year keeping a tarantula under his bed. While it was venemous, he knew how to handle it, and nobody was ever put in any harm. However, that year, many students suffered nasty spider bites. A Slytherin prefect had somehow found out about Hagrid's tarantula, who he had affectionately named Aragog, and framed him, claiming he had been setting the spider on other students. Although this was totally false, nobody questioned this, and Hagrid was immediately expelled.
Albus Dumbledore, already something of a hero to Hagrid, stepped in once again to his defence. The old gamekeeper, a man named Ogg, was getting old, and needed to retire. Dumbledore secured the position of gamekeeper and "Keeper of the Keys" for Hagrid, guaranteeing him both a job, a (small) income, and a roof over his head. Hagrid was understandably devastated over losing his spot at the school for something he didn't do, but he enjoyed this new position. He struggled at first, but as a fourteen year old he was a lot bigger than many of the older students, and didn't struggle too much with the more manual tasks. He learned fast, and very soon was completing the job to everyone's highest expectations.
Hogwarts hasn't changed much over the years, and neither has Hagrid. Although he's pushing 70, he's not planning on giving up the job anytime soon. He's seen a lot of students and professors come and go, and they all get used to the sight of him trudging around the grounds day in, day out. His favourite task is the one he undertakes on September 1st, every year - that of taking the first year students up to the school across the lake, a tradition that has been in place since before he arrived at the school himself, all those years ago. He's particularly fond of Harry Potter, having first met him as a very small baby, but he'll invite any student down to his cabin for a cup of tea and a rock cake. Not that the rock cakes are much good, though.
