Getting Your Ged

Q: I was just rereading the scene in Diagon Alley in book 1 when Harry and Hagrid go to buy Harry a wand. Mr. Ollivander remembers the wand he sold to Hagrid and then recalls that his wand was snapped in half when Hagrid was expelled. I hope that in either book 6 or 7, Hagrid is finally redeemed, possibly given an honorary OWL ( something like getting your GED in the US), allowed to get a wand and legally do magic. Any thoughts?

A:I can't imagine why he hasn't been issued (or well...you know what I mean...) a new wand after CoS. It's obvious he's innocent and after 45-or-so years I thought for sure he'd be re-instated. But as of book five he's still saying he's not supposed to be using magic. Of course, I'm certain Dumbledore ain't stoopid about that umbrella either.... Only if he EVER learns to be a responsible adult. The thing with Hagrid sounds like a bit of a parallel to what an English friend tells me the educational system is like in the UK...if you fail any of the series of tests that qualify you for university, or you fail uni, you are marked FOREVER a loser, are stuck in this loser caste or something and if you try to leave it you will be, by English law, set upon by mad flesh-eating goats for your uppitiness in not accepting your lot in life. I checked this out with other Brits I know and they did confirm that early on in life, despite the fact that you could just be a fairly dumbass, unformed kid, there are no second chances. Whereas in the US, if you don't finish high school you can go back and get your GED, if you fail your college finals or drop out at some point, you can always go back and finish up, which a lot of people do. So never letting Hagrid finish school sounds perfectly in keeping with the UK approach to failure early in life. However, one wonders why UK folk aren't allowed a second chance in life if they prove themselves more responsible or mature later on in the future. An example: I'm vexed to see the Weasley twins drop out of Hogwarts in their final year because, if it's anything like the real world in the UK, they can NEVER go back and get their certificate, or diploma or whatever they get at the end (obviously there's no real graduation ceremony there). However, I'd like to see them go back and finish if they ever grow up a bit. Unfortunately, in Hagrid's case, he's at 60+ years now and has STILL not learned that dangerous animals should NOT be kept around children, and certainly not in their classes. I would be against Hagrid being allowed the OWL equivalent of a GED unless he grew up MUCHO fast.

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