Becoming Harry Potter: Trusting in Hagrid #MNBHP

No,” Harry said aloud, and they all looked at him, surprised: The firewhisky seemed to have amplified his voice. “I mean . . . if somebody made a mistake,” Harry went on, “and let something slip, I know they didn’t mean to do it. It’s not their fault,” he repeated, again a little louder than he would usually have spoken. “We’ve got to trust each other. I trust all of you, I don’t think anyone in this room would ever sell me to Voldemort.” ~ DH

People make mistakes. Hagrid made a ton—especially when drunk. But Harry sees, as Dumbledore did, that those mistakes don’t mean that someone is untrustworthy. Dumbledore and Harry knew Hagrid’s heart. He would never intentionally sell anyone to Voldemort, not even to save his life.

What I’ve learned from the Harry Potter series, and from life, is that none of us are perfect. If we go around only trusting in people who never let us down, we are never going to trust anyone for very long. What makes a person genuine is not that they never slip up, but that their heart is loyal and set on doing what is right as much as they possibly can—even if it costs them personal loss or harm.

We can’t only trust perfect people because there are none. We have to learn to trust those who, though flawed, are determined to do what is right even when they mess up.

CHALLENGE

Know who to trust and who not to, but don’t expect perfection out of those you choose to trust. You will be let down every time. Instead, trust in those who have genuine integrity and love others more than their own self-interest.

Trust the Hagrids—Harry and Dumbledore did.

“You think I’m a fool?” demanded Harry.

“No, I think you’re like James,” said Lupin, “who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends.” ~ DH

Next Week: Becoming Ron Weasley: Comeback Kid