I saw today that Robbie Coltrane, the actor who played Hagrid, passed away at age 72.
When I heard the news, the first thing that came to mind was this scene from Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone. Go watch it. Then meet me back here.
***patiently waiting***
Welcome back.
Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys & grounds at Hogwarts, is Harry Potter’s introduction to the wizarding world, his biological parents, and even to himself. With a birthday cake and Hogwarts acceptance letter in hand, Hagrid finds Harry, a boy with no idea who he is, hunkered down with his loathsome guardians, the Dursleys.
“Yer a wizard, Harry!”
“I… I can’t be a wizard. I mean, I’m just Harry. Just Harry.”
Of course, Harry is no normal wizard. He’s the chosen one – the son of Lily & James Potter, the one who will do battle with He Who Must Not Be Named. Hagrid knew this; Harry did not.
Because Hagrid was always there. He was the one Dumbledore tasked with delivering infant Harry to his guardians upon his parents’ death. At his eleventh birthday, he would be the one to usher him into the life that was destined to be his. Hagrid took him to Gringott’s and Olivander’s, serving as a shepherd & friend to a wide-eyed young wizard. Hagrid, Harry’s first friend, would become a faithful & fateful friend.
Come to think of it, we could all use a Hagrid – someone who knows us, believes in us, and is committed to helping us become the person God has called us to be. We need people in our lives who know our story. We need people in our lives who see the big picture. We need people who draw out of us what God has put in us. We need people in our lives who see what God is doing in our lives when we just can’t see it. We need people who believe in us when we do not believe in ourselves. We need people who welcome us when we’ve really messed things up. We need people who enter our lives to stay. And it helps if they have really cool dogs…
The best way to find a Hagrid, you ask? Save a trip to Hogwarts, I can think of only one way – be one to someone else.
