chapter four of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Rubeus Hagrid breaks into the hut and, infuriating the Dursleys, reveals that Harry is a wizard. Hagrid then continues on to tell Harry the story of his life, his parents, and Voldemort, and invites him to Hogwarts.
 

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling.

(by gerre)

 

Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise. “I demand that you leave at once, sir!” he said. “You are breaking and entering!”

(by Tealin Raintree)

 

“”Anyway – Harry,” said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, “a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste all right.”

(by Mudblood428)

 

“True, I haven’t introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.”

(by Keith James)

 

There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard. “I’m a what?”

(by deeterhi)

 

“Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared or angry?”
Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it… every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry….

(by NicoPony)

 

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, “It begins, I suppose, with….”

(by mneomosyne)

 

about the chapter

Something You May Not Have Noticed

It’s worth pointing out that Hagrid’s story is almost certainly the most Harry has ever heard about his parents – and quite possibly the first time he’s ever even known their names. It gets lost in all the new information that Harry is overwhelmed with upon Hagrid’s arrival into his life, but it still must have been quite an experience for him to hear even that tiny bit about who they were.
 

The Wizarding World

Why can’t Hagrid spell Voldemort’s name? At first glance, this seems to be more of a comment on Hagrid’s level of education than anything else, but in subsequent notes and letters to Harry he proves a perfectly capable writer. In reality, it’s more likely just to show us how scared wizards are of using Voldemort’s name – not only do they avoid speaking it, but it’s written so infrequently that even Hagrid, who’s been around since long before Voldemort’s first rise to power and reads the Daily Prophet, has no idea how it would be spelled.
 

The Boy Who Lived

As rough as Harry’s childhood was, there is one major respect in which he was lucky. For despite all of Uncle Vernon’s being awful to Harry, even hitting him from time to time, it’s interesting that he believes Harry’s magic is “probably nothing a good beating wouldn’t have cured” – and yet never took things that far. Knowing Vernon, this is probably not so much due to his deep-down good nature so much as his wife’s insistence, or perhaps just plain fear. Regardless, it’s a very lucky thing, for long after Harry’s forgotten this particular insult, he’ll hear of a child who was beaten for being magical – and whose magic was then uncontrollable and dangerous for the rest of her life, tearing her family apart.
 

Something to Remember

Hagrid won’t be the only adult in Harry’s life who notes that he looks like his father, but with his mother’s eyes. In fact, both of these aspects of his appearance will eventually play a substantial role in his relationships with some of the most prominent adult figures in his life.
 

The Final Word

“I say Voldemor but I’m the only one.”–J.K. Rowling, when asked “Is it Voldemort? Or Voldemor?” – October, 1999