Protection: The Sword and the Shield

T he ballad of big and little

......Groundskeepers House, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Rubeus Hagrid sighed as he dressed himself for the Potter Christmas Ball. He knew he looked a bit tacky but he had stopped caring about such things long ago. His hair and beard remained its usual tangled mess that covered most of his face and his trousers and shirt were made of a patchwork of animal skins. Over it he wore his large fur trimmed duster coat.

It was Harry Potters fault, the boy had hit Hogwarts like a storm and Rubeus Hagrid had been affected as much as everything and everyone else. The young man had not only befriended the grounds keeper but had encouraged others to do so as well. Hagrid had not felt so accepted in many years and even though he had been told to expect it, the invitation had surprised and excited him when he received it.

In the moment he thought he might finally find a place within the wizarding world. That the invitation represented something bigger. But by the time he had arrived back at his home at the edge of the forbidden forest, reality had reasserted itself. He knew that he was likely just a curiosity to the wealthy boy and as had happened to him before, he and his friends would become bored with him eventually.

His time proven assurance had come with the usually set of sad realizations that ended each day and had driven him out his home and down to the pub in Hogsmeade. As was his habit when overwhelmed by his life, he crawled back into the bottle he had been living in and out of for the past 40 years. Hagrid always tried to put a brave face on the tragedy that was his life, but the truth was that he suffered from depression and alcoholism. Wizards knew both words but had no real understanding of the disorders they described.

After being expelled from Hogwarts and having his magic bound and his wand snapped, Hagrid had returned to his home where he watched his father be claimed by the alcoholism and depression that was to be his legacy. By the time he was 16 he had joined his father in drinking. The two men had watched all the hope and joy leave their lives first when Rubeus' mother left them and then when he was kicked out of school.

During Hagrid's 17th year, his father died and Hagrid found himself adrift with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It was fortunate that he was a happy drunk, as was his father, and the two of them were liked in the small magical community that they called home. Most of the people looked out for him after his father's death, helping when they could and allowing him to do small jobs around the community.

Shortly before his 18th birthday he was offered the position of groundskeeper at Hogwarts. When he cared enough to think about such things, Hagrid was sure that the arrival of Albus Dumbledore to offer him a job at Hogwarts was as much due to the future Headmaster's kindness as it was to a caring soul in the village who worried about what would happen to him alone and without his father. He did not know which of his neighbors had arranged it but he was thankful.

Hagrid had found some happiness at the school caring for the many magical creatures that called the area home. He even made some friends within the students and staff. But it didn't take long to realize that friendships with him did not usually extend much farther than Hogwarts. Most people would buy him a drink and laugh with him about memories of their times at the school, but he was seldom invited into someone's home.

Every once in a while someone would try to extend their friendship past school but eventually most would not know what to do with a half giant that was basically a squib in a world that actively banished squibs and looked down on mixed bloods. In time, it would become more and more difficult to incorporate him in their lives and friendships would drift to acquaintanceships. Eventually he got too old to make friends with students and he became more of an odd uncle that would get invited to major events like weddings but wouldn't get invites to more intimate family affairs.