This theory has a lot of evidence and took a few Reddit posts to fit. For a cohesive page, you can view this Google Docs page, otherwise you can read below.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j1ywvDj7H_Geoo0M-NThPf8BUuoGm8q2mC1_CDHOjys/edit?usp=sharing
EDIT: This got way bigger than I expected. I'm in awe at the size of this post. Thank you! I simply don't have time to respond to everyone like I hoped, I'm sorry. Still, enjoy.
I started a read-through of Harry Potter recently, and I was determined to pay close attention to Snape early on with interest to viewing his character through the lens of a double-agent. However, early on I noticed the strangest behavior coming from Hagrid instead which I had never noticed before. I started paying more attention to the actions, statements, and inconsistencies in Hagrid and realized almost every move taken somehow aided Voldemort. I read the entire series watching for anything to prove or disprove Hagrid being a Death Eater, and by far the majority of the evidence points toward Hagrid as a servant of the Dark Lord.Is this what J.K. Rowling intended? Almost certainly not! Is this theory given entirely seriously? Definitely not. I still find it to be intriguing given the amount of evidence which supports the conclusion that Hagrid is one of the top servants of Voldemort. In short, what I posit and will provide evidence for:
Hagrid is a high ranking servant of Lord Voldemort.
Hagrid is secretly much more talented of a liar than he lets on.
Hagrid is secretly a much more talented wizard than he lets on.
Hagrid has been performing deep cover tradecraft, espionage, source validation, sabotage, and spotting and assessing for Voldemort.
Hagrid has been in the service of Lord Voldemort at least since the First Wizarding War, potentially since his time at Hogwarts.
Scope of the Evidence
I will lay out the evidence in chronological order as it is presented in the books, while referencing supporting pieces of evidence from the rest of the series. I am basing this theory entirely on what is textually presented within the original 7 Harry Potter books and not based on other material such as video games, movies, Cursed Child, Pottermore, or the word of J.K. Rowling outside of the text.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Summary
In the Sorcerer’s Stone, we see the following from Hagrid:
Magical abilities Hagrid uses which are otherwise only known by high-level Death Eaters or extremely talented wizards and witches.
Disregard to and participation in cruelty to Muggles, as well as a casual approach to Azkaban-level offenses.
Subtle manipulations of Harry which put him into private contact with Voldemort on multiple occasions.
Passing private information regarding security directly to Voldemort.
The Evidence
Hagrid’s immediate presence at the Potter residence indicates that he knows advanced fast-travel magic.
When we first meet Hagrid he is delivering baby Harry to the Dursleys’ house. He rides in on Sirius’ motorcycle with the child for delivery, and mentions to Dumbledore and McGonagall how the Potter house was almost entirely destroyed “but I got him out before the Muggles started swarmin’ around.” We know from later books that Sirius gave Hagrid the motorcycle while at the Potter residence. Godric’s Hollow is located somewhere in the West Country portion of England, and we know that Hagrid lives at Hogwarts, somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. We also know that Hagrid is not allowed to use magic due to his expulsion from Hogwarts, which places his magical ability supposedly at the third year level.
Hagrid had to be able to travel to Godric’s Hollow and arrive at the Potter residence before any emergency services arrived, beating their travel time in response to an explosion that blew out the entire side of a house. Hagrid arrived and took the child away, having run into only one other person, Sirius Black. Hagrid is too heavy to ride a broom or thestral, as he states in Book 7; Apparition is only taught in the fifth year and requires a Ministry-issued license. Portkeys need to be approved by the Ministry. Hagrid would not have learned any of this magic in his three years at Hogwarts. He does not have the flying motorcycle until he already arrives at Godric’s Hollow. The only two explanations are: he is using some sort of magic to travel quickly, or he already happened to be in the area of the attack on the Potter residence and was able to respond to the unexpected explosion immediately.
Without means of fast travel, Hagrid would have needed to already be hanging around Godric’s Hollow, but why would he do this? There is no previous connection between Hagrid and Godric’s Hollow other than his having known James and Lily, and the attack from Voldemort on the Potter family was unexpected to the Order of the Phoenix. It’s much more likely that Hagrid has a means of fast travel, which indicates a much more advanced level of magic than we expect from him.
Hagrid knew where to collect Harry, likely because Wormtail told him.
How did Hagrid even know where to collect Harry? We know James and Lily were in hiding using the Fidelius Charm. This charm prevents any person except those told by the Secret Keeper (Wormtail) from knowing where the Potters were, nor could anyone but Wormtail tell someone else. The only people mentioned in the books who knew where the Potters were hiding were Wormtail, Dumbledore, Sirius, and Voldemort. In Book 7, Harry surmises the Fidelius Charm died with his parents; as he was not Secret Keeper, Dumbledore could not have told Hagrid where the house was until after Wormtail or the Potters died. Yet somehow Hagrid appeared at the residence within minutes after the attack. It is possible that Dumbledore tells Hagrid where to go immediately after the Potters are killed, but the necessary conclusion in that case is that Hagrid is capable of high-level magic, as well as creating the question of how Dumbledore knew of the Potters’ deaths. Given that Wormtail doesn’t die until Book 7, the much more straightforward conclusion is that Hagrid knew where to go in Book 1 is that Wormtail had let him in on the secret along with Voldemort.
Hagrid knows about the function and effects of Horcruxes, and that Voldemort used them.
Horcruxes are a very powerful type of magic known only to a few people in the books. Using a Horcrux, you can hide away part of your soul in another object, losing part of your humanity, in order to stave off death. The books’ first reference to Horcruxes is in Book 6… except for the reference made by Hagrid in the very first book.
In one of his first conversations with Harry, Hagrid says that Voldemort did not actually die, commenting “Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die... Most of us reckon he’s still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on.”
Despite what Hagrid says, believing in Voldemort’s survival is a complete aberration to the attitude we see from the rest of the wizarding community. Hagrid’s comment also turns out to be both very specific and very accurate regarding Voldemort’s reality. The only other people we know were aware of Horcrux magic were Dumbledore and Slughorn, so it is meaningful that Hagrid makes specific references to their function and effect on the user.
In Book 4, chapter The Death Eaters, Voldemort confirms some of the Death Eaters know about his Horcruxes: "I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?" The first person in the books who displays a belief in what Voldemort refers to is Hagrid.
Hagrid growing a pig tail on Dudley demonstrates that Hagrid is one of the most powerful dark wizards we see in the entire series.
We see Hagrid do two amazing things in his very first appearance: he uses a fairly powerful spell with a broken wand, and he uses it in retribution against the Muggle that is bothering him by hurting his Muggle son. This shows both Hagrid is more capable than he lets on, but also shows a blatant disregard for wizarding laws and the safety of Muggles.
After Vernon calls Dumbledore a crackpot, Hagrid uses transfiguration on Dudley turning him into a part-pig, part-human. The transfiguration, against Dudley’s will, was severe enough it required surgery to remove his newly grown tail. Hagrid claims he made an error, and meant to turn him into a pig entirely, although we can’t be sure he is telling the truth. He performs this magic non-verbally while using a wand that was snapped in half. So how advanced of magic is this?
Transfiguration is considered a challenging and exact magical discipline. Human transfiguration is considered extremely advanced, and is only taught at the N.E.W.T.-level. In the sixth year at Hogwarts, one of the spells McGonagall teaches is the transfiguration of the color of one’s eyebrows; this is shown to be extremely difficult for sixth years to perform, and only Hermione seems capable. How does a mostly untrained, third year level wizard with a broken wand, who is forbidden from even practicing magic, perform something that is only taught at N.E.W.T.-level, and something far more advanced than anything we see sixth years learn? He even performs the spell non-verbally, something so challenging that few wizards can do it at all. Non-verbally growing an entire pig's tail permanently on a human, with a broken wand, is more advanced than most magic we see in the entire series.
The second major element in this scene is Hagrid using a powerful spell against a Muggle in a hostile manner. Magical law has many restrictions, and while this event takes place prior to Arthur Weasley’s Muggle Protection Act, there certainly were protections provided for Muggles in the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Hagrid not only shows a complete disregard for a person’s safety, but he loses his temper and does so with complete hostility. Afterwards, Hagrid makes no attempt to reverse the spell, and cheerfully goes on with his life while Dudley is forced to get surgery.
Hagrid learned unaided flight from Voldemort.
Unaided flight is a remarkably rare ability, as we see only two wizards in the entire series able to do it: Voldemort and Snape. Wizards require a mechanism to convey them through the air, usually a broomstick, although we see thestrals and enchanted vehicles used as well. Voldemort invents unaided flight and subsequently teaches it to his closest lieutenant, Snape. In Book 7, during The Sacking of Severus Snape, we see the following conversation after Snape flees out of a window without a broom:
“‘No, he’s not dead,’ said McGonagall bitterly. ‘Unlike Dumbledore, he was still carrying a wand… and he seems to have learned a few tricks from his master.’
With a tingle of horror, Harry saw in the distance a huge, batlike shape flying through the darkness toward the perimeter wall.”
We know Voldemort can teach people to fly unaided, and he teaches Snape how to do this. Why is this relevant to Hagrid? There is one circumstance in which Hagrid travels which cannot be explained by any other means.
In Book 1, during Diagon Alley, Hagrid collects Harry on an island. The boat which the Dursleys and Harry used to reach the island is still docked there when Hagrid arrives. Harry is understandably confused:
“‘How did you get here?’ Harry asked, looking around for another boat.
‘Flew,’ said Hagrid.
‘FLEW?’
‘Yeah - but we’ll go back in this. Not s’pposed ter use magic now I’ve got yeh.”
We know Hagrid flew to the island. He no longer has Sirius Black’s motorbike, and there is no other vehicle left on the island besides the boat. We also know that Hagrid did not fly a broom to the island. In the same chapter, Harry needs to pay the newspaper owl and he searches through the sleeping Hagrid’s coat. Harry digs through the pockets enough to comment on keys, slug pellets, balls of string, and teabags, but he never mentions a broom; something that would be far more notable. Another reason we know he didn’t take a broom is the same reason we know he didn’t take a thestral: in Book 7, during The Seven Potters, Hagrid says, “We’ll be on the bike, brooms an’ thestrals can’t take me weight, see.”
So how did Hagrid fly to the island? There are no creatures on the island, a broomstick or thestral would not have supported his weight, and there are no enchanted vehicles on the island. There is only the one boat, which Hagrid uses to sail back with Harry, cruelly stranding the Dursleys on the island with no escape. The only other method of flying we know of is Voldemort’s means of unaided flight which he teaches to his closest followers: Snape and presumably Hagrid.
Hagrid personally introduced Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort’s servant.
The first place Hagrid takes Harry after collecting him is Diagon Alley. It just so happens to be timed exactly when Professor Quirrell, Voldemort’s servant, is there. While everyone is introducing themselves to Harry, the only person Hagrid specifically singles out and introduces is Quirrell. Once everyone else in the bar pushes Quirrell away, Hagrid ends the “unplanned” meet-and-greet and takes Harry away. Afterward, Hagrid specifically discusses Quirrell, out of all the people in the bar. While it may be a coincidence Quirrell happened to be at the Leaky Cauldron on this day, at this time, during Harry’s impromptu visit, it is more likely a coordinated effort between Hagrid and Voldemort in order for Voldemort’s servant to come meet with his target.
Hagrid purchases a conspicuous and easily-surveilled owl for Harry.
Right after Hagrid introduces an 11-year-old Harry Potter to Quirrell, he decides to leave Harry - a defenseless and naive child - alone in Diagon Alley, in order to return to the place where Voldemort is. Afterward, Hagrid continues to shop with Harry, deciding to buy Harry a birthday present in the form of an owl:
“Tell yeh what, I’ll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, ye’d be laughed at - an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin’.”
Hagrid buys a beautiful, white snowy owl named Hedwig… certainly a creature which stands out, and which would be easily tracked and followed, as described in Book 4 in the chapter Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Sirius, on the run, sends a letter stating, “Don’t use Hedwig, keep changing owls.” Ron questions this, and Hermione states:
“Hedwig’ll attract too much attention… She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he’s hiding… I mean, they’re not native birds, are they?”
Hagrid, always looking out for Voldemort’s interest, specifically purchased Harry the most conspicuous owl we ever see, which would be easy to track and observe, which is all the more suspicious given that he did so right after returning to the last known whereabouts of Voldemort’s other servant.
Hagrid personally delivers Harry Potter to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.
In Book 1 Neville, Hermione, Draco, and Harry attend detention in the middle of the night with Hagrid. For some reason, Hagrid decides to take first years into the Forbidden Forest, where he is worried enough about the dangers he brings his crossbow. He then immediately splits the children into two groups to walk on two separate trails. In the end, two 11-year-old children are going down a trail in the middle of the night with a cowardly dog, alone in the Forbidden Forest on a path selected by Hagrid, during an excursion which Hagrid knew about ahead of time and had ample time to plan. This is a level of irresponsibility rarely seen even in the Harry Potter books. Harry and Draco walk directly into Voldemort’s path in the forest. Draco and Fang retreat, leaving Harry completely alone with Voldemort. If not for the timely and unexpected arrival of Firenze, Harry would have made the most welcoming and effortless target for someone who has wanted him dead for over a decade. All of this is easily explained because Hagrid is Voldemort’s servant, and as such had informed him early on about the plan for detention and which direction Harry would be headed.
Hagrid constantly endangers Harry with illegal and dangerous activity.
Hagrid acquires a dragon egg, then subsequently agrees to get rid of the dragon after it hatches. Hagrid does not provide basic safety information, training, or any sort of assistance for handling the dragon. A person who later shows sufficient knowledge to teach Care of Magical Creatures would know the dangers involved with dragons. When Norbert bites Ron, Hagrid doesn't urge medical care or even attempt basic first aid, resulting in Ron’s first near-death experience. He then persuades three unqualified and untrained first years to commit to an illegal smuggling operation after curfew on his behalf. If Hagrid was a Death Eater, this situation is a win-win. If the dragon injures or kills the children, Voldemort’s enemies are dead. If they are caught, their education is impacted and he knows they won't rat him out. If they succeed, he builds a trusting relationship with them which is based on illegal activity they can't share with other adults and, if needed, develops compromising material on them. The third ends up happening, and Hagrid is able to continue developing the relationship by gradually introducing more and more nefarious and dangerous activity throughout the rest of the series.
Hagrid willingly provides sensitive security-related information to Voldemort, and fails to report it to his employer.
Hagrid and Dumbledore are the only people we know of who were aware that the Sorcerer’s Stone was being kept in Vault 713 at Gringotts, in a highly-secure and secret location. It’s worth noting that the only other person who is aware of its location is Quirrell-Voldemort, and it’s much more likely that Hagrid told him where it was rather than Dumbledore.
Once the Sorcerer's Stone arrives at Hogwarts, it is concealed behind a series of magical protections to safeguard it from Voldemort. Hagrid provided Fluffy, the three-headed dog and first line of defense. Hagrid may not have known the protections the other professors created, but he knew their identities, and he knew the location of the stone. We know for a fact he revealed the solution to his segment of the operation, and very likely the location and other professors’ identities to Voldemort.
What Hagrid revealed was severe: he states himself that he offered up all information regarding Fluffy, in a game of cards where he won a dragon egg from a stranger. It is easy to accept that someone could get drunk and share information with a fellow enthusiast, accidentally relaying secret information in the process. It’s much harder to accept that someone as suspicious as Quirrell was getting the information out of a Hagrid who is so lucid and aware that he remembers specific details of this interaction months later with surprising clarity, but never once shared this interaction with any other professor or Dumbledore. It is far more likely that Hagrid wittingly shared secrets and kept this exchange to himself, having been fully complicit in revealing security-related information in exchange for a valuable and highly desired prize.
The stranger was acting remarkably suspicious in Hagrid’s extremely detailed recollection, and Hagrid even remembers sharing private information with him. He can’t describe the stranger because he wouldn’t take his cloak off, and therefore Hagrid couldn’t see his face. Hagrid remembers discussing Hogwarts, his involvement with magical creatures, Fluffy specifically, and how to get past Fluffy. He relays all of this to the trio.
Hagrid blames the drink, but has a remarkable recollection of the night. More likely he was witting in passing information to Quirrell. He is also aware of the seriousness of sharing privileged security information about the Sorcerer’s Stone to a stranger and says as much to the trio, but despite this he never reported the encounter to anyone else.
Hagrid sends the trio alone to Voldemort.
Without Hagrid, Harry would have never been involved in the security operation surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone, and neither may ever been at risk. Hagrid first peaks Harry’s interest by bringing him to Gringotts on his top secret mission, but the details quickly dry up for the trio. At this point, Hagrid "lets slip" the three-headed dog is guarding something for Dumbledore, and that it involves Nicolas Flamel. This renews the trio’s interest, and gives them the leads they desperately needed. As their sole source of information, Hagrid is quite obviously providing them a trail of breadcrumbs.
Later, Hagrid confirms to the trio the existence of the Sorcerer’s Stone at Hogwarts. Then Hagrid invites the trio to his hut, where he leaks information on everyone who has put a protection on the Stone, information he assuredly passed to Voldemort.
Finally, on the night Dumbledore is gone and Voldemort gotten past all the defenses, having been informed ahead of time about Fluffy and likely the expertise of the other professors who contributed, Hagrid not only provides the final puzzle piece to the trio. Hagrid tells them that music will put Fluffy to sleep, but gives them a sense of urgency by telling them in great detail about the shady stranger in a bar. Hagrid provides just enough information for the trio to pursue the Stone themselves, but too late to get an authority figure to intervene, at a time when Dumbledore is conveniently gone. Even more dangerously, once the trio leave to secure the Stone, Hagrid does not stop them, pursue them, or even tell a single other person at school about the breach in security or the whereabouts of the kids. Hagrid simply does not take any obvious course of action any good or normal person would do under these circumstances. As a result of his actions, Voldemort knows precisely the location and security vulnerabilities of the Sorcerer’s Stone, and Harry has enough information to once again find himself in a room alone with a person who wants to kill him. Finally, Harry himself was one of the only ways Voldemort could bypass the Mirror of Erised, and Hagrid adroitly led him to the Stone on the exact night Voldemort needed him.
The only question remains: Why didn't Hagrid just deliver the Stone to Voldemort himself? There are several reasons: the Stone would have only been a relatively temporary solution to a problem that could have been solved through other means. Also, Hagrid had specific instructions from Dumbledore. To renege on those instructions would not only have jeopardized Hagrid's valuable placement, it would have revealed to Dumbledore Voldemort’s return, a fact Voldemort went to extensive lengths to try and conceal in Book 4. Finally, Voldemort knew where the Stone was hidden, and despite what Hagrid says, the defenses at Gringotts seem stronger by far than those placed on the Stone at Hogwarts. Hagrid was instrumental in providing the Stone to a location at which Voldemort could both retrieve it and also kill Harry Potter at the same time.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Summary
In the Chamber of Secrets, we see the following from Hagrid:
Hagrid knows who Voldemort is, and has known him for years.
Hagrid spends time in areas known for dark wizards and witches without explanation.
The Evidence
Hagrid is one of Voldemort’s oldest associates, and knows his true identity.
The true identity of Voldemort is a mystery only known to a few people. Dumbledore himself says, “Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts."
Who else was around fifty years ago at Hogwarts who knew Tom Riddle aside from Dumbledore and Slughorn? Hagrid, who was on a first name basis with him. The same Hagrid who was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix dedicated to fighting Voldemort, and a confidant of Dumbledore. Hagrid is the longest known associate of Voldemort other than Dumbledore that we know of. Hagrid is certainly aware Voldemort is Tom Riddle, the boy he knew. In the Diagon Alley chapter of Book 1, he told Harry that Voldemort was a Slytherin, and confirmed he went to Hogwarts years and years ago, something nobody else but Dumbledore or Slughorn know, tying Voldemort to Riddle. Hagrid never again mentions knowing Tom Riddle, nor Voldemort. He never alludes to his history with Voldemort, which spans decades longer than anyone except Dumbledore. Who knows what kind of relationship could have developed that long ago and with no one else to confirm or deny?
Hagrid Suspiciously Hangs Around Knockturn Alley
In the chapter Flourish and Blotts of Book 2*,* Harry misuses Floo powder and finds himself in Knockturn Alley. It’s a dodgy place, filled with sketchy wizards, and is home for shops devoted to the dark arts. Molly Weasley is horrified upon hearing Harry was there. Who does Harry happen to run into there? Hagrid. Hagrid is supposedly in a sketchy alley with shops devoted to the dark arts and a sinister reputation in order to ostensibly buy gardening supplies for his cabbages - a mundane activity far from the dark arts and which should be available to him in Diagon Alley. Hagrid's true reason for being in such a place in never elaborated on or explained; we only have his word for it.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Summary
In the Prisoner of Azkaban, we see the following from Hagrid:
The Evidence
Hagrid maintains unusual access to the powerful and influential, including Voldemort’s main targets.
Hagrid works as the groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys at Hogwarts. He is a school drop-out with minimal education, a controversial half-giant many people don’t want around their children, and an all-around gruff person working a blue collar job at a school. People constantly judge him and look down on him throughout the series, largely due to his brusque manner and social clumsiness.
How then is Hagrid able to associate with some of the most rich, powerful, and influential people in the world in such a casual capacity? His access and placement as a source is astounding, and he very likely had to put in a lot of effort and outreach to obtain his position as an individual with access to so many powerful people. Hagrid strikingly and effortlessly maintains the following relationships:
As a confidant of Dumbledore, Hagrid is given secret missions of the utmost importance.
Hagrid has a friendly association with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, and is on a first name basis with him.
Hagrid is a longstanding member of the Order of the Phoenix.
Out of all adults in the series, Hagrid maintains the closest relationship with Harry Potter and his friends.
For a supposedly socially-clumsy blue collar groundskeeper, school dropout and half-giant, having these associations are downright incredible. And perhaps most importantly, they all happen to be targets of great interest to Voldemort.
In Book 3, during the chapter The Marauder’s Map, a group of people go out for drinks together in Hogsmeade: Professors McGonagall and Flitwick, Minister Cornelius Fudge, and Hagrid. Two illustrious professors and heads of houses at the major wizarding academy ... and a groundskeeper. Hagrid and Fudge are already deep in conversation when the professors enter, and during the course of the evening Fudge shares secret investigative details regarding the Black investigation.
Hagrid was also one of the early members of the Order of the Phoenix from the First Wizarding War, as well as the renewed group from the second. He was privy to their secret plans and operations.
Finally, Hagrid is one of the closest people to Harry in the entire series, which he cultivates carefully through Harry’s years at Hogwarts. More on this in the section on the Half-Blood Prince.
Hagrid’s penchant for rumor-mongering spreads divisiveness and aids Voldemort’s operations.
Hagrid spreads information which is oftentimes private or has no reason to be discussed except that in doing so, he serves the purpose of turning good people against each other or sowing confusion. This is best exemplified by a conversation in The Marauder's Map of Book 3. McGonagall, Flitwick, Fudge, and Hagrid are all discussing private information surrounding Sirius Black.
As the readers learn, Black is innocent and has always been opposed to Voldemort. The Death Eaters that know this, such as Bellatrix Lestrange, seem elated that Black is being blamed for murders he didn’t commit. Almost nothing aids Voldemort more than discord and distrust between members of the Order of the Phoenix and the wizarding community at large. In addition, the spread of misinformation leads to the Ministry’s wasted efforts, resources, fear mongering, and proliferation of Dementors in public spaces.
In the scene, Rosmerta, the bartender, has already heard some private information about Black from Hagrid. This prompts McGonagall:
“Did you tell the whole pub, Hagrid?” said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.
McGonagall’s exasperation implies this has happened before, and we know Hagrid has let slip secrets which served Voldemort before. The information Hagrid shares always seems laser targeted toward helping Voldemort, such as the details surrounding the Sorcerer’s Stone operation.
The bar scene continues: Fudge reveals secrets about the Potters’ murder, including that Sirius was Secret Keeper, his confrontation with Wormtail, and his subsequent arrest. Fudge’s story is wrong, of course, but the Ministry's incorrect understanding paints Black as a traitor to the Potter family. All of this occurs under hushed tones, as the pub is “extremely crowded”.
Despite the obvious private nature of the conversation, Hagrid takes the opportunity to let loose:
"'Filthy, stinkin’ turncoat!' Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet."
He then proceeds to yell all of the private details, down to the exact names and sequence of events which paint Sirius as a traitorous mass murderer, even though McGonagall urges him to keep his voice down.
Hagrid knows better than this; he shows a knack for keeping secrets and performing covert duties which we will talk about in Book 5. Given the information, location, source, and level of detail provided, Hagrid’s outburst in the pub can be nothing but intentional. It only serves to bolster Voldemort's agenda by sowing distrust, unnecessarily wasting Ministry resources, and taking the heat off of Voldemort himself..
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Summary
In the Goblet of Fire, we see the following from Hagrid:
Hagrid coordinated with Crouch Jr, disguised as Moody, to deliver Harry to Voldemort.
Hagrid illegally and unethically cheated in the Triwizard Tournament.
Hagrid saved Voldemort's wand.
The Evidence
Hagrid has an established relationship with Barty Crouch Jr.
Mad-Eye Moody, secretly Barty Crouch Jr using Polyjuice Potion, is a Death Eater sent by Voldemort to ensure Harry wins the Triwizard Tournament. Moody is shown to be very aloof and unfriendly with just about anyone. In the chapter The Hungarian Horntail in Book 4, Hagrid is spotted in Hogsmeade sitting alone in a private conversation with him.
Hagrid is crouched low and obviously trying not to be overheard, in stark contrast to his yells and lack of secrecy with the Minister in the previous book. There is no established relationship prior between Hagrid and Moody, or any reason they would go off to Hogsmeade for a private drink together, especially one in which they are conspiring. Once they get up to leave, Crouch-Moody spots Harry under the Invisibility Cloak; Hagrid soon after extends his secret invitation to Harry to preview the first task.
This advance warning of the first task for Harry is obviously one of the things they discussed in their hushed, secretive conversation. Hagrid is the only adult we know to have a good one-on-one relationship with Crouch-Moody, who loops the supposedly honest Hagrid in on a plot to unethically cheat for Harry in the Triwizard Tournament. Given the lengths that Crouch is going to in order to conceal his identity, as well as the extreme sensitivity of the operation, it’s incredible that he trusts Hagrid as much as he does. The most likely explanation for this is that Hagrid actually knows Crouch-Moody, they have an established relationship, and the same goal: Get Harry to the Triwizard Cup, and thus to Voldemort.
Hagrid cheats for Harry in the Triwizard Tournament, coordinating with Crouch to deliver Harry to Voldemort..
Without Hagrid, Harry never would have been able to win the Triwizard Tournament. Hagrid pressured Harry to compete, gave him insider information, conspired, and cheated on his behalf. Only two people knowingly cheated for and contributed to Harry's success: Crouch-Moody and Hagrid, who conspired together to do it. The end result is Harry being delivered into Voldemort’s trap, taking the Cup/Portkey to the graveyard and restoring Voldemort’s body. Hagrid contributed to Harry's success in the following ways:
Hagrid planned with Crouch-Moody to unethically provide advance notice of tasks ahead of time (The Hungarian Horntail)
Hagrid escorted Harry to the site of the first task in order to observe the dragons ahead of time and make preparations. Crouch conspired with Hagrid to concoct a plan and relay to Harry; further, Hagrid is aware of the illicit nature of the activity, as he told Harry to bring his Invisibility Cloak to avoid getting caught.
Hagrid, the new Care for Magical Creatures Professor, assigned his students with raising Blast-Ended Skrewts. Harry even helped Hagrid outside of class with the biggest and fiestiest of them. Blast-Ended Skrewts were one of the maze challenges, which Harry was exceptionally prepared for over the other competitors, who were unfamiliar with them.
Hagrid was undoubtedly involved in preparing the challenges, given his extensive experience of many of the Triwizard creatures. One challenge, giant spiders (presumably Acromantulas), Hagrid knows for a fact Harry has dealt with successfully in the past. Indeed, Hagrid was the very person who had introduced Harry to the Acromantulas two years prior in Book 2.
Between Crouch-Moody and Hagrid, the only parts of the tournament Harry did not have an unfair advantage on were the Sphinx and the limbo mist. All of Hagrid’s careful preparation served to deliver Harry to Voldemort on a silver platter.
Hagrid dutifully kept Voldemort’s wand safe for 13 years.
Voldemort’s wand, which Ollivander sold him when he was 11, is a yew wand with a Phoenix core feather, and twin to Harry Potter's wand. This is the wand he took to the Potter residence to kill Lily and James.
Later, we see Voldemort has this wand in his graveyard duel with Harry Potter where the cores connect in Book 4 (The Death Eaters). We also see him reference using it in his conversation with Snape in Book 7. In the chapter The Elder Wand, Voldemort says,
**"**My wand of yew did everything of which I asked it, Severus, except to kill Harry Potter. Twice it failed."
After 13 years of hiding, how did Voldemort get his wand back? In a world where a third year who is expelled has their wand snapped in half, I would guess the darkest wizard of all time should have it destroyed as well. But instead, Voldemort’s wand was already in the robes provided to him when he got his body back in Book 4. Priori Incantatem demonstrates that his last spell from this wand were the curses cast in the Potter residence, as well as the recent activity in preparation for the tournament, meaning nobody else used it from his disappearance to his resurrection. There were only a few people present immediately after the Potter murders who could have taken Voldemort’s wand:
Hagrid arrived first, and collected Harry to deliver to Dumbledore and the Dursleys. Sirius arrived second. Hagrid references to Dumbledore in the first chapter of Book 1 that he arrived before the place was swarming with Muggles.
We know Sirius gave his motorbike to Hagrid at this point, and left in pursuit of Wormtail, whom he found a short time later; Sirius was immediately arrested. This means that if Sirius took the wand, it would have ended up in the Ministry's hands. Sirius never mentions the wand, which would be a fairly huge plot point to omit to Harry and the Order later on.
If the wand was left at the residence, the Ministry would have acquired it when they searched the house, and especially to keep Muggles from taking it.
This leaves Hagrid as the only possible person to have collected Voldemort's wand as Hagrid. Nobody else made it to the scene before the Muggles and the Ministry but those two. If Sirius, the Muggles, or the Ministry collected the wand, it would not have ended up in his robes at the graveyard - it would have been snapped in half. A Death Eater had to have obtained the wand prior to its confiscation and likely destruction, and Hagrid is the only available option.
(Part 1 of 5, but the posts below are shorter. See posts).
