======Gringotts Wizarding Bank======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Wizarding Bank]]
  * **Location:** [[Diagon Alley]], [[London]], [[England]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Goblins]] (e.g., [[Griphook]], [[Bogrod]], [[Ragnok]]); various [[wizard]] and [[witch]] employees (e.g., [[Bill Weasley]] as a [[Curse-Breaker]])
  * **Key Features:** Run exclusively by [[Goblins]], vast network of subterranean [[vaults]], high-level [[security]] including [[dragons]] and powerful [[enchantments]], money exchange services for [[Muggles]].
=====Description and History=====
Gringotts is the sole wizarding bank in [[Great Britain]], founded and operated by [[Goblins]]. Located in [[Diagon Alley]], it is an imposing, snowy-white marble building that towers over the neighbouring shops. A pair of bronze doors are flanked by a [[goblin]] in a scarlet and gold uniform. Beyond these lie a second set of silver doors, upon which a poem is engraved, warning against theft:
//Enter, stranger, but take heed//\
//Of what awaits the sin of greed,//\
//For those who take, but do not earn,//\
//Must pay most dearly in their turn.//\
//So if you seek beneath our floors//\
//A treasure that was never yours,//\
//Thief, you have been warned, beware//\
//Of finding more than treasure there.//
The interior opens into a vast marble hall with long counters where goblin tellers work, weighing coins in brass scales and scribbling in large ledgers. Customers access their underground [[vaults]] via magical carts that travel at high speed along a complex network of stone passageways and tracks.
As [[Rubeus Hagrid]] stated, Gringotts is considered "the safest place in the world for anything you want to keep safe — 'cept maybe [[Hogwarts]]". The bank's [[security]] is legendary and multi-layered. Lower-security [[vaults]], like the [[Potter]] vault, are opened with a simple key. Higher-security [[vaults]], such as Vault 713, are doorless and must be opened by a certified Gringotts [[goblin]] stroking them with their finger. The deepest, most secure [[vaults]], like the [[Lestrange]] vault, are protected by powerful enchantments and creatures like [[dragons]]. Any unauthorized person attempting to enter a vault will be trapped within.
=====Role in the Story=====
Gringotts is central to several key plot points throughout the series.
In //[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]//, [[Harry Potter]]'s first visit to Gringotts introduces him to his family's fortune and the wizarding economy. On the same day, [[Rubeus Hagrid]] retrieves the [[Philosopher's Stone]] from the high-security Vault 713 on [[Albus Dumbledore]]'s orders. Later, [[Professor Quirrell]], acting for [[Lord Voldemort]], breaks into Vault 713, but finds it empty. This failed heist underscores the bank's formidable reputation and sets a major plot element in motion.
In //[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]//, Harry withdraws money from his vault alongside the [[Weasley]] family, showcasing the bustling, everyday function of the bank.
In //[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]//, security is visibly tightened following [[Voldemort]]'s public return, with additional goblin guards and security checks.
Gringotts plays its most crucial role in //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]], with the reluctant help of the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]], plan and execute a daring break-in. Their goal is to retrieve [[Helga Hufflepuff]]'s cup, one of [[Voldemort]]'s [[Horcruxes]], from the [[Lestrange]] vault. Using [[Polyjuice Potion]], the [[Imperius Curse]], and the [[Sword of Gryffindor]], the trio penetrates the bank's deepest levels. They navigate the [[Thief's Downfall]], a magical waterfall that washes away all enchantments, and face a half-blind [[dragon]]. After securing the [[Horcrux]] from the vault, which is protected by the [[Gemino Curse]] and the [[Flagrante Curse]], they escape on the back of the dragon, leaving a trail of destruction and forever damaging relations with the goblin nation.
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * **The Entrance and Main Hall:** A grand, marble hall where goblin tellers attend to customers at long counters. This is the public face of the bank.
  * **The Cart System:** A complex railway of stone tunnels leading from the main hall to the subterranean [[vaults]]. Goblin-driven carts transport customers at reckless speeds.
  * **Vault 687 (The Potter Vault):** Harry's personal vault, which contains a large fortune of [[Galleons]], [[Sickles]], and [[Knuts]] inherited from his parents, [[James Potter]] and [[Lily Potter]]. It is a medium-security vault opened with a key.
  * **Vault 713:** A high-security vault that temporarily held the [[Philosopher's Stone]]. It had no keyhole and required a [[goblin]]'s touch to open. It was broken into by [[Professor Quirrell]].
  * **The Lestrange Vault:** An ancient, high-security vault belonging to the [[Lestrange family]]. It was located deep within the bank and guarded by a [[dragon]]. The treasure inside was protected by the [[Gemino Curse]] and [[Flagrante Curse]]. It contained [[Hufflepuff's Cup]].
  * **Vault 711 (The Black Vault):** The vault belonging to the [[Black family]]. [[Sirius Black]] used funds from this vault to purchase the [[Firebolt]] for Harry. (Pottermore)
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * The name "Gringotts" is likely a portmanteau of "grind" and "ingots," referencing the creation and storage of metal currency.
  * In the film adaptations, the interior of Gringotts was filmed at Australia House in London. The set for the underground cart system was a large and complex feat of engineering for the films.
  * The [[dragon]] guarding the Lestrange vault in the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2// is identified as a [[Ukrainian Ironbelly]].
  * The actor [[Warwick Davis]] portrayed both [[Griphook]] the [[goblin]] and [[Professor Flitwick]] in the film series, though Griphook's voice in the first film was provided by Verne Troyer.