Harry Potter’s Most Unrealistic Hagrid Story Highlights A Bigger World-Building Problem

Harry Potter‘s most unrealistic Hagrid storyline is indicative of a greater world-building problem that’s present in both the movies and the books. Hagrid is one of the best characters in Harry Potter, but one subplot surrounding Hogwarts’ gamekeeper just doesn’t make sense. Hagrid starts the series living on the outskirts of Hogwarts, as he was expelled from the school after being framed for opening the Chamber of Secrets. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets proves his innocence, and he winds up becoming a teacher at Hogwarts as a result.

This is a surprising turn of events for Hagrid’s character, and it’s a questionable choice given that his own education was cut short. Perhaps if Hagrid had gone back to school or trained with another teacher, his professor storyline would have made sense. However, Dumbledore throws him into the role with no experience whatsoever — and his Care of Magical Creatures classes actually do put students in danger. This is one thing Draco is right about in Harry Potter, and it points to a bigger problem with the Wizarding World’s depiction.

Hagrid’s Most Unrealistic Harry Potter Story Highlights A Greater Wizarding World Problem

The Series Doesn’t Spend A Lot Of Time

Hagrid’s unrealistic Harry Potter storyline does raise an interesting question, and it’s one that applies to multiple characters in the series: can witches and wizards return to school or pursue educational opportunities after being expelled or dropping out? It doesn’t seem like Hagrid has this option, which is why he’s just given a teaching role in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And it’d be nice to know what options witches and wizards have beyond Hogwarts, as even the Golden Trio drops out of school during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

This development also raises questions about how those in the Wizarding World qualify for their jobs, as there should be some sort of requirements to teach at Hogwarts. There are aptitude tests for becoming an Auror, though even that doesn’t seem sufficient for one of the most important jobs in the Harry Potter universe. Unfortunately, the books and movies never get the chance to dig too deeply into such topics. This brings up an issue with the series’ world-building: it doesn’t give a ton of thought to adulthood for witches and wizards.

Harry Potter’s World-Building Doesn’t Give Much Thought To Adult Wizards & Witches

There Are Only A Handful Of Career Paths Touched On

Although there’s discussion of what the Golden Trio wants to do after Hogwarts — and Cursed Child later sees them in their careers — there are some major gaps when it comes to what adulthood looks like in the Wizarding World. Harry Potter only touches on a handful of possible careers that witches and wizards can pursue, with Aurors, Hogwarts professors, and Ministry of Magic employees being the most common options. We see some rarer options, like professional Quidditch players and business owners, but potential careers still seem very limited.

Considering the number of students that graduate from Hogwarts each year, it definitely feels like there should be more possible futures for adult witches and wizards. Likewise, it would be nice to see the qualifications for the more common jobs outlined in greater depth. It seems like all one needs to become an Auror or Ministry of Magic employee is a Hogwarts education and some testing. This seems incredibly unrealistic, and in terms of world-building, it feels like it’s lacking.

Harry Potter
doesn’t reveal whether wizards or witches can go back to school, pivot careers, or even pursue secondary education.

One has to wonder whether Harry had to return to Hogwarts for his final year to become an Auror — or if an exception was made for him, just like with Hagrid. The former option would be far more interesting, but Harry Potter doesn’t reveal whether wizards or witches can go back to school, pivot careers, or even pursue secondary education. It kind of makes sense that the series only focuses on Hogwarts, but given that the Golden Trio, Hagrid, and the Weasley twins never finish their schooling, it’s a question that could have been addressed.

It Sort Of Makes Sense That The World-Building Only Focuses On Hogwarts

Harry Potter Is A Story About Growing Up

While addressing the details of adulthood would have made the Wizarding World feel more fleshed out, it makes sense that the Harry Potter books and movies are primarily focused on Hogwarts. After all, the story is all about growing up — and with the characters essentially in middle school and high school, that’s where their minds are most of the time. We do see plenty of world-building when they venture outside Hogwarts, but they’re more worried about homework and tests than pursuing specific career paths.

With
Harry Potter
unfolding from Harry’s perspective, there’s little time to dwell on whether he should repeat his last year of school or start preparing for his career

When it comes to the Golden Trio, they also have much bigger concerns when they reach their later years at Hogwarts — and those are the years when they would be thinking about what’s next for them. Instead, they’re off hunting Horcruxes and trying to defeat Voldemort. With Harry Potter unfolding from Harry’s perspective, there’s little time to dwell on whether he should repeat his last year of school or start preparing for his career. But the Harry Potter remake may take us out of Harry’s point of view, allowing it to fill in the gaps in the Wizarding World’s depiction.

HBO’s Harry Potter Remake Can Address Some Of The Holes In The Story’s World-Building

Digging Into Other Character Perspectives Will Help

HBO’s Harry Potter remake is poised to fix the biggest problems with the books and movies, and this is one topic the series can finally address. Given that it will likely feature multiple perspectives, it can offer more insight into what being an adult in the Wizarding World is really like. This could even start with Hagrid’s storyline in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The upcoming TV show could show him training to become a Hogwarts professor or reveal whether he needs any classes and testing before making this a reality.

The Harry Potter reboot can also address this through other characters, including the Golden Trio themselves. While watching Harry debate the realities of returning to school might be more compelling than Harry Potter‘s original epilogue, the series wouldn’t even need to go that far. It could simply drop a line before they drop out, having Hermione reveal that they can always return to Hogwarts at a later point — or take classes to make up for their final year. Details like this are what make the Wizarding World feel real, and they’d greatly benefit the Harry Potter TV show.