"Benefit of the doubt? Pre-trial detention? Some muggle inventions" aka Dumbledore is an arse, part two of many
POV: You're Hagrid. You're chilling out with your dog Fang, harvesting your plants and threatening everyone who dares to criticize Albus Dumbledore with your Pink Umbrella of Awesomeness. Got it? Okay, moving on.
It's spring 1993. Kids at your home/workplace get attacked in the same way they did when you were in school, which stresses you out, 'cause you have more empathy than a flobberworm. One evening, Arrogant Blond Dingus, Minister of Magic and Albus Almighty show up at your doorstep and tell you that you have to go to foxing Azkaban because you were a prime suspect when identical attacks happened fifty years ago. They don't tell you how long are you going to be there, they don't give you a defender, don't ask about your alibi, nada. You just have to go.
And what does Albus Almighty, to whom you were loyal as a dog (pun intended) do to help you? NOTHING.
The same Dumbledore who hates dementors.
The same Dumbledore who is the head of Wizengamot.
The same Dumbledore who suspected you were innocent fifty years ago.
The same Dumbledore who was personally defending A STUDENT, when the worst case scenario was the said student being expelled from school.
Maybe I don't look like it, but I'm more of a detective series person (#castlemybeloved, #morgangillorywantstobecastlesomuchbutshessonot, #butthatsastoryformyotherblog), and as such, I'm howling like Lupin once a month to the moon. What is going on? Where is any kind of investigation, witnesses, trial, anything?
Speaking of trial, maybe some of you are already typing "Your beloved Sirius also didn't have a trial". You're right. But Sirius was caught red-handed (or so it seemed) - laughing on the street full of dead people, so it's to some extent understandable that they were like "Okay, he's crazy, there's no point in asking him anything". With Hagrid there wasn't even that. And we know from GoF that wizards did have trials, so...
Speaking of GoF, you remember what Padfoot said when talking to the trio in chapter 27? Y'know, about prisoners often hungering themselves to death? One question - what if that was the case with Hagrid? Would everyone - including Albus Almighty - be like "Oh no, he's dead, and he was innocent all along...We're lucky that he doesn't have any family, otherwise we'd be screwed"?
The only logical explanation - and the one I'm going to go with in my story - is that normally Hagrid would've had a fair trial, but the situation in CoS was so unusual that the Ministry was ready to go through with extreme measures to be sure no one would die this time. So let's stick to that AND Dumbledore being an arse, okay?
Until next time, Headmaster - I'm so done and simultaneously so NOT done with you.
Have a lovely day or evening wherever you are,
Foxquill