Hagrid lived in a hut away from the rest of Hogwarts. To my best recollection, the other professors lived in Hogwarts castle proper.
So why was he in a hut? Not good enough for a proper room in the castle? Liked being around magical creatures and there were more critters outside the castle than in it? Broke some rule?
Please post answers with quotes from canon sources.
Answer
When Harry, Ron and Hermione went down to Hagrid’s hut because he wanted to show him that he got a dragon egg, it’s referred to as “the gamekeeper’s hut”.
“When they knocked on the door of the gamekeeper’s hut an hour later, they were surprised to see that all the curtains were closed. Hagrid called, ‘Who is it?’ before he let them in and then shut the door quickly behind them.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 14 (Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback)
This could mean one of two things - that it was the hut that the Hogwarts gamekeeper typically lived in, or that it was the hut that Hagrid (who also happened to be the gamekeeper) lived in. Though it does seem that teachers can keep their living quarters if they change positions, since Snape keeps his office after becoming Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, there do seem to be certain living quarters that commonly go with specific staff posts. In addition, Hagrid remained the gamekeeper even when he also got the position of Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
Hagrid’s hut was close to the Forbidden Forest, which was where the majority of the creatures he tended to, both as gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher, typically lived. This drawing JKR did of the Hogwarts grounds visually gives an idea of the distance between Hagrid’s cabin, the Forbidden Forest, and the Hogwarts castle. He’s much closer to the Forest than Hogwarts is.
In addition, his house is mentioned in the books as being on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and it seems to be a fairly long walk from the Hogwarts castle to get to Hagrid’s.
“At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 8 (The Potions Master)
His house is consistently mentioned as at the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
“Ron and Hermione weren’t speaking to each other. Harry walked beside them in silence as they went down the sloping lawns to Hagrid’s hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.”
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 6 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
Therefore, it’d be more conveniently located for him than living quarters inside the castle. Since he didn’t live in the castle, he was closer to outdoors, and could easily tend to his creatures and the garden he kept right outside his hut. He couldn’t have a garden so close by inside the castle.
In addition to allowing Hagrid to live closer to his creatures in the forest, having a hut outside the castle gave Hagrid the freedom to bring his creatures inside with him. Fang isn’t even the only creature he brings in his hut - he brings more unusual creatures inside as well.
“A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid’s cabin made Harry, Ron and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor.
‘I couldn’ leave him tied up out there in the snow!’ choked Hagrid. ‘All on his own! At Christmas!”
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 11 (The Firebolt)
It’s unlikely the rest of the staff would tolerate this in the castle. Fluffy was inside, but he was there for a purpose, so would be an exception. Hagrid’s creatures also had a certain level of mess along with them that would likely be frowned upon in the castle itself. When Buckbeak was inside with him, Hagrid also had something that dripped blood on the floor and dead ferrets to feed him with.
“The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid’s cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid’s patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets.”
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 14 (Snape’s Grudge)
In addition to the legal creatures Hagrid allowed inside his hut that would likely be unwelcome inside Hogwarts, Hagrid also had some illegal creatures which he hid and took care of in his hut.
“So now they had something else to worry about: what might happen to Hagrid if anyone found out he was hiding an illegal dragon in his hut.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 14 (Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback)
It would be much harder for him to hide and foster especially his more questionable creatures if he was doing it inside the castle surrounded by the other staff members, and even the legal ones probably wouldn’t be welcome inside the castle, since no one wants blood and dead ferrets inside.
The reason Hagrid doesn’t live inside the castle almost certainly isn’t because he just won’t fit, as Hagrid is seen inside various parts of the castle. Hagrid is able to get to and fit in the library, as Harry and Ron see him there, so he’d fit in the library itself as well as the path to get there.
“Harry, who was looking up ‘Dittany’ in One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, didn’t look up until he heard Ron say, ‘Hagrid! What are you doing in the library?’
Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 14 (Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback)
He’s also able to fit himself and a Christmas tree into the Great Hall, and he’d therefore fit (with an additional tree) in whatever path he used to get the tree and himself to the Great Hall.
“Come on, cheer up, it’s nearly Christmas,’ said Hagrid. ‘Tell yeh what, come with me an’ see the Great Hall, looks a treat.’
So Harry, Ron and Hermione followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, where Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were busy with the Christmas decorations.”
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 12 (The Mirror of Erised)
Hagrid’s size doesn’t seem to be any particular obstacle to his ability to get around inside the majority of the Hogwarts castle, so that likely wouldn’t be why he doesn’t live there.
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