Dissection: SS/PS ~ Chapter 4 The Keeper of the Keys

[Menolly]

From: www.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/ps/rg-ps04.html#notes

Just how exactly did Hagrid get to the Hut-on-the-Rock? He says he flew, of course, but how exactly? It's difficult to imagine someone as bulky as Hagrid riding a broomstick, and he certainly isn't able to Apparate...

So begins the commentary of Chapter 4, The Keeper of the Keys on The Harry Potter Lexicon. I will admit I have followed their discussion closely in this dissection, and where they say things that I feel I can't sum up as clearly, they will be quoted again. For instance, this never even occurred to me:

The title of this chapter is also one of Hagrid's titles at Hogwarts. He is the Keeper of the Keys, which means that he has a large ring of keys which can lock or unlock any door on the Hogwarts grounds. Presumably Filch has a similar set of keys, but only for doors inside the castle proper. Hagrid controls entrance to the grounds and to the buildings. Perhaps he would also be called the gatekeeper -- his hut is fairly near the front gate..

<snip>

Figuratively speaking, Hagrid here holds the keys to Harry's entry into the Wizarding World. When he breaks down the door into the hut on the rock, he bursts through into the Muggle world and opens the way for Harry to enter the Wizarding World and to find his true identity.

Wow.

All that, just in the chapter title.

So, a quick summary...

At the stroke of midnight on July 31st, 1991, as Harry Potter turns 11 years old, a tremendous knocking starts on the door of the hut on the rock. Uncle Vernon challenges whoever is at the door, and warns them that he is armed. With that said, the door is broken down, and we get our second view of the gentle half giant, Hagrid.

Hagrid informs Harry of his being a Wizard, and Harry learns of the true death of his parents and of the mysterious disappearance of Voldemort the night he killed Harry's parents and gave Harry his scar. Uncle Vernon again challenges Hagrid when Harry is told he will be attending Hogwarts, and goes too far when he calls Dumbledore

SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL

Hagrid looses his temper, and in an attempt gone awry at transfiguring Dudley into a pig, gives Dudley a pig's tail. The Dursley's flee into the other room, and everyone attempts to settle for the night. Hagrid expresses regret at losing his temper, and explains he is not supposed to do magic as he was expelled from Hogwarts. But when Harry asks why he was expelled, Hagrid blatantly changes the subject.

And with that, everyone settles for the night as best they can.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway

One of my favorite lines of the first film comes just at this point. Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid comes crashing through the door, flattening it in the process, and glowers. Then with a twinkle in his eye, he says "Sorry 'bout that." and picks the door back up. In that one brief moment we are introduced to the gentle giant of a man who will become Harry's first real friend.

I have to agree with the comment here. With that one throwaway line in the movie, Hagrid's personality comes forth in droves.

"Yeh look at lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mom's eyes."

The first of many times that Harry will hear this.

"Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that - that school - and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats."

And so we see why Aunt Petunia, and thus Uncle Vernon and Dudley, resented Harry and treated him the way they did. The resentment of Lily's magical ablilty, the pride their parents took in her achievments in the Wizarding World, and her subsequent hatred of anything magical was all taken out on Harry.

"I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh and stuff..."

So does this mean that all the magic by which the letters found their way into the Dursley home was performed by Hagrid? It seems unlikely, given the cleverness of those spells and Hagrid's lack of magical skill. Hagrid may only be referring to the Sunday and Monday when Uncle Vernon drove around the countryside looking for a place to hide. Hagrid probably tailed them on a thestral, using that animal's magical ability to find things.

As was surmised in the previous dissection, perhaps

a certain blue-eyed wizard with a long beard, a broken nose and an interesting sense of humor

is involved here.

”You can kip under that..."

The contrast between Harry's circumstances at the beginning of this chapter and now is startling. Where before he was forced to find a soft bit of floor and shiver under the thinnest blanket, with a cold empty fireplace and his snoring cousin for company, now he snuggles in front of a roaring fire under a thick warm coat. The world that Harry knows is changing fast.

Hear, Hear.

There's no way I could have said that any better.

...sorry for "cheating." I hope y'all don't mind...

[Seafoam Understone]

Well cheating is as cheating does. But it's okay. It's going to be difficult to stick to the novelization (original versions) of the story without references/comparisons to the movies ... I've been guilty of that meself. But both are excellent irregardless. However this is a dissection of the novels and thus shall and should remain as the same.

The explosive entry of the Wizarding world into Harry's life is fitting. Having been bottled up inside and given a few, unintentional releases, over the years, indeed Harry's true self is revealed and his world is changing.

Hagrid flew to the island using the motorbike if I recall (or is that in the next chapter)? Definitely Hagrid's great bulk would be too unwieldy for a broom. Yet funny how since he "isn't supposed to do magic" that he still "gets away with it" by using bewitched motorbikes and putting a pig's tail on Dudley. I believe that is all what he wanted to do to the lad anyway since Dudders bulk was big enough already to be a pig. Hagrid also shows that he's not cruel as he could've put pig ears and a snout on Dudley as well but refrained with just a tail.

Interesting that Hagrid was able to keep an owl inside his coat (big enough of course) so to send Harry's reply by way of Hagrid. I loved how Rowling let Hagrid's own educational level show through with the tounge in his teeth as he wrote the note...

Dear Professor Dumbledore,
Gave Harry his letter.
Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.
Weather is horrible. Hope you're well.
Hagrid

Loved the "weather is horrible. Hope you're well." as if he doesn't see Dumbledore as often as he does.

Muggle. We heard this word before earlier in the book and now understand it means (us), non-magical folk.
Nice with the huge coat giving Harry probably the first warm night's sleep in years. A closet under the stairs probably isn't noted for warmth and one would imagine that the Dursley's gave him threadbare blankets.

Petunia's attitude and her real reasons why she shunned the magical world when her parents didn't will become evident much later. Still one can get a glimpse of it through her rant. But she lets slip the true manner of death of Harry's parents. Both Harry and Hagrid are outraged for different reasons however.

Still frightening the Dursleys to leave them in peace Hagrid shows that Harry's life will be vastly improved (if not safer) from his treatment of him as an equal. Something Harry hasn't ever experienced.
It's hard NOT to like Hagrid and impossible to want to. Oddly enough Giants in traditional English litrature especially children's lit are mean, horrible creatures but perhaps the mixing of human and Giant results in a calmer more gentle (though still imposing) being.

Nice job Menolly for your first time. It takes practice what?

[Zahir]

Actually, when you think about it, Hagrid couldn't have come via magic motorbike because they don't leave in the same way. Nor would Hagrid have left such an important device where the Dursleys could get hold of it.

Methinks he probably came via Thestral, who then returned to the herd.

Technically, one of the things that is so impressive about this chapter is how Rowling brings forth rather a lot of exposition--without once resorting to data-dumps! She rather sets things up with folks revealing facts in a way totally consistent with character. Every nugget of truth is also a point of friction, i.e. conflict.