There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid

There is one particular scene in ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,’ which is mostly overlooked, and hence, does not receive the proper recognition it deserves.

Perhaps the indifference towards this scene lies in the fact that there is no unworldly magic involved in it. But what makes the scene so important to some of us is the magic of humanity it mesmerizingly holds.

Hermione Granger is extremely upset in this scene, for she has just been called a ‘mudblood’ — one of the most terrible and disgusting slangs you could curse someone to in the wizarding world — by Draco Malfoy.

Upon hearing this, Rubeus Hagrid can not believe it, but quickly adjusts his mind and goes on to comfort Hermione until the little girl has a subtle smile on her face. 

The kind of empathy, compassion and absolute display of kindness Hagrid shows in this scene, in spite of being what is known as a half-giant in the universe created by J.K. Rowling, is truly spellbinding.

Tell me, what could be a more powerful enchantment than what has the ability to bring back a smile on the face of a sad person?

And the man who brought the sorcery of Hagrid alive on the screen is Robbie Coltrane. If it was not for him, maybe the scene we are talking about would not have the same level of impact it currently possesses. But it would be sheer injustice to Coltrane if we keep talking about just one scene only.

From the onset of the Harry Potter franchise, Hagrid is one of the most important characters, to say the least; and the extraordinary acting prowess shown by Coltrane throughout has made the character all the more special.

So much so that we can say without a doubt that we all need to follow this character as a role model.

However, the legacy of Coltrane goes way beyond his role in the Harry Potter series.

After starting out in theatre and comedy, Coltrane made the transition to television and film. He played Falstaff in 1989’s ‘Henry V,’ and appeared in the James Bond films ‘GoldenEye’ and ‘The World Is Not Enough,’ released in 1995 and 1999, respectively.

Coltrane’s role as a criminal psychologist in the British drama series ‘Cracker,’ which aired for three seasons in the mid-1990s, won him three consecutive BAFTA awards.

But yes, it was his portrayal as the half-human, half-giant groundskeeper of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that made him one of the most recognizable figures all over the world, and the same will make future generations fall in love with him over and over again.

In the reunion special released this year on HBO Max, Coltrane said that “the legacy of the movies is that my children’s generation will show them to their children, so you could be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly. But Hagrid will.”

Hagrid may not be a Sybill Trelawney, but we can all be sure that at least his prophecy about the legacy will really come to fruition.

The Scottish actor died Friday (October 14) at the age of 72, but as Hagrid, he will be here, with us, forever. Because deep inside we all know as much as Harry Potter does that “there’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid”.