9

So in the course of The Chamber of Secrets, we learn that Hagrid was framed by a young Tom Riddle for opening the Chamber, resulting in Hagrid's expulsion and subsequent keeping on as groundskeeper. Some 50-odd years later, Tom (now Voldemort) attacks Hogwarts and takes Hagrid captive. So, when Voldemort took Hagrid captive in The Deathly Hallows, do we get any indication that he remembered the half-giant?

Now, Tom had been through quite a lot in those 50 years, so he could be forgiven for not remembering (especially given his penchant for not giving two Knuts about non-wizard folk), but the possibilty remains I suppose.

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  • 3
    If there was one thing Voldemort had "affection" for, it was Hogwarts. Even if he'd forgotten the half-giant schoolboy he framed for one of the crowning achievements of his young life (unlikely), I'd be willing to bet he always kept an eye on who was employed at the school, so Hagrids appointment as Gamekeeper (rather than expulsion) would have kept Tom aware of him.
    – DavidS
    Aug 6, 2015 at 14:12
  • what davids says plus every death eater that came to school after voldemort would have also known of hagrid as the gameskeeper, the malfoys knew of him, and im sure the rest did as well. aka death eater table chat, remember that dumb idiot hagrid.
    – Himarm
    Aug 6, 2015 at 14:26
  • @DavidS and Himarm that's all well and good, but it really only amounts to speculation. If there's some canon evidence involved here I'd love to see an answer drafted.
    – Etheur
    Aug 6, 2015 at 14:55
  • I agree a detailed answer from someone would be nice, but @DavidS has said exactly what I was thinking. Tom Riddle adored Hogwarts as Harry did so would remember it and people he met there well. Plus Hagrid is a pretty memorable guy and he did frame and confront him; it's not like they just took a class or two together.
    – ThruGog
    Aug 6, 2015 at 15:47
  • Oh come on, Hagrid is really big, Professor Dumbledore trusts him, he continued to cast spells after his wand got broken, he was in Azkaban, and has shrugged off several spells when the Ministry was trying to arrest him. The Dark Lord would surely remember him constantly, even if it's only for the wrong reasons.
    – b_jonas
    Aug 7, 2015 at 6:36

1 Answer 1

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Voldemort recognizes Hagrid and calls Hagrid by his name at least twice.

“You carry him,” Voldemort said, “He will be nice and visible in your arms, will he not? Pick up your little friend, Hagrid. And the glasses—put on the glasses—he must be recognizable—”

“SILENCE!” cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. “It’s over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,Chapter 36, The Flaw in the Plan

Voldemort (Tom Riddle) from the diary did make fun of Hagrid.

“Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry,” said Riddle. “Your whole fascinating history.” His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. “I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust —”

“Hagrid’s my friend,” said Harry, his voice now shaking. “And you framed him, didn’t you? I thought you made a mistake, but —”

Riddle laughed his high laugh again.

“It was my word against Hagrid’s, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student... on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls... but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn’t possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance... as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,Chapter 17, The Heir of Slytherin

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  • Well that answers that question. At the very least, he shows that he recalls his name in the last book. That being said, Hagrid has been actively trying to solicit support among the Giants and has been courting the attention of the Death Eaters. It's feasible (albeit unlikely) that Voldemort doesn't connect the two until he sees him in person.
    – Valorum
    Aug 6, 2015 at 17:12
  • Unless there was a passage with Voldemort teasing Hagrid about getting him expelled that I don't recall, this is probably as definive as it will get.
    – Etheur
    Aug 6, 2015 at 17:56
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    There is a passage in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. But it comes from a younger version (memory) of Voldemort. Not sure if it will count.
    – Vishvesh
    Aug 7, 2015 at 4:16
  • This is why I left my answer as a comment. The question is impossible to answer definitively as there are no moments in which (present) Voldemort mentions he and Hagrids school days, and the use of Hagrids name does not mean Voldemort remembers him from school. It all comes down to speculation.
    – DavidS
    Aug 7, 2015 at 11:10
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    +1 Clearly this is the answer and it's definitive. They killed a lot of Wizards in the war, and some of them were employees or professors at Hogwarts. VM chose to take Hagrid hostage instead of killing him, which VM could have done easily. VM also chose to use Hagrid as a tool to carry Harry to further humiliate Hagrid. Why would he bother with all of this if he didn't have an affinity of some sort for humiliating Hagrid? Being the groundskeeper is irrelevant as there were many more powerful wizards VM could have kidnapped, this was personal.
    – JMFB
    Aug 7, 2015 at 13:28

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