What House Was Hagrid In Before Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone?

In the "Harry Potter" franchise, our first proper introduction to the Wizarding World comes not from Albus Dumbledore (who tends to speak in riddles during his early appearances), but through Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid (who's played by Robbie Coltrane in the "Harry Potter" movies). It's Hagrid the gentle half-giant who tracks down the Dursleys and whisks Harry away into a world of mischief and wonder.

Whereas Dumbledore's introduction is mysterious, Hagrid immediately sets to work explaining everything about the Wizarding World and being straightforward with Harry in a way that basically no other adult in this property ever is. Throughout all seven books and eight films, Hagrid stays true as the one adult Harry can rely on for emotional support. Maybe Hagrid can't fix Harry's problems in the way Dumbledore can, but at least Hagrid keeps things real.

What's especially pure about Hagrid is that he doesn't seem to care about the house rivalry that everyone else worries about at Hogwarts. Sure, he's not exactly a fan of the Slytherin house, but everyone hates Slytherin. Beyond that, you rarely see him doling out clear favoritism to Harry and the other Gryffindor students (or even the Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw students, for that matter). Similarly, there are moments where everyone's "favorite" Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, is being a jerk in class, yet Hagrid doesn't seem to understand the inter-house rivalries at play in his behavior. It raises the question: Why doesn't Hagrid care that much about the house rivalries? And what house was he even sorted into anyway?

Although it's never explicitly mentioned in the franchise, it's been confirmed via the official Harry Potter website that Hagrid is a Gryffindor. It's a shock to some fans, who've often speculated that Hagrid has major Hufflepuff vibes, but I think it checks out. Hagrid's love of dangerous magical animals can be described in many ways — as dangerous, reckless, immature, and so forth — but it can't be described as cowardly. Indeed, Hagrid has a curious soul and he's not afraid to put his health at risk to explore these magical beings around him.

Then again, Hagrid's also a lovable misfit, a quality that's generally ascribed to Hufflepuffs. On the other hand, there are plenty of characters throughout the "Harry Potter" stories who basically serve as honorary members of other houses. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger might be Gryffindors because the plot needs them to be, but Ron is a Hufflepuff at heart and Hermione's a Ravenclaw if I've ever seen one.

Fans may complain about how Gryffindor and Slytherin-focused the "Harry Potter" property is, but I'd argue that it's through Ron and Hermione — and plenty of other canon Gryffindors — that we're given an idea of what those other houses are like. Neville Longbottom, for instance, might not be a canon Hufflepuff, but he is arguably the best Hufflepuff representation the franchise has to offer.

Hagrid becomes a professor at the start of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," but he's not made the head of any house. The role of Head of Gryffindor instead goes to Professor McGonagall, a character who is less blatant with her house favoritism than, say, Professor Snape, but who still clearly cares a lot about Gryffindor winning the house cup each year. It makes sense why McGonagall has this senior position at the school (she's been teaching much longer than Hagrid has), but why doesn't Hagrid care as much about Gryffindor? Why is his house allegiance so understated that it was only explicitly confirmed outside of the books and movies?

Perhaps the main reason is what happened to Hagrid when he was a third year student. As we learned in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," a young Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) framed young Hagrid for opening the Chamber of Secrets. Although Hagrid avoided prison for this, he was expelled from Hogwarts and had his wand permanently confiscated. Hagrid rarely ever talks about how those years post-expulsion felt for him, but one gets the sense that he was ostracized by his former classmates in the years afterward. Dumbledore may have stayed by Hagrid's side, but it's not clear if his Gryffindor peers ever did.

Perhaps the experience of getting kicked out of school disillusioned Hagrid of any of the house loyalty nonsense that all the other characters obsess over. Hagrid, with his half-giant background and his traumatic childhood, must've learned faster that anyone just how pointless these house rivalries really are.