======Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** Heist / Infiltration
  * **Location:** [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]], [[London]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** The primary participants were [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]], [[Ron Weasley]], and the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]]. Antagonists included [[Bogrod]], [[Travers]], and other [[Goblins]].
  * **Key Features:** [[Polyjuice Potion]], the [[Imperius Curse]], the [[Thief's Downfall]], a guarding [[Ukrainian Ironbelly]] dragon, the [[Gemino Curse]], and the [[Flagrante Curse]].
=====Description and History=====
The break-in at [[Gringotts]] was a desperate mission undertaken on 1 May 1998, by [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]], and [[Ron Weasley]], with the reluctant assistance of the [[goblin]] [[Griphook]]. The plan was conceived at [[Shell Cottage]] after the trio escaped from [[Malfoy Manor]]. [[Hermione]] surmised that [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] was hiding a significant object in her high-security vault—one of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux]]es—due to her extreme panic upon seeing the [[Sword of Gryffindor]].
[[Griphook]], who had also been held captive at the Manor, agreed to help them bypass [[Gringotts]]' security in exchange for the genuine [[Sword of Gryffindor]]. The plan involved intricate disguises: [[Hermione]] used [[Polyjuice Potion]] to assume the appearance of [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], using a hair she had secured during the skirmish at [[Malfoy Manor]]. [[Ron]] was transfigured into a fictional foreign wizard named Dragomir Despard, while [[Harry]] and [[Griphook]] hid together under the [[Invisibility Cloak]].
=====Role in the Story=====
The Gringotts heist was a pivotal event in the [[Second Wizarding War]], marking the first and only known successful break-in and escape from the wizarding bank.
  * **Infiltration:** The group arrived in [[Diagon Alley]] and were confronted by the [[Death Eater]] [[Travers]]. To proceed, [[Harry]] placed both [[Travers]] and the head [[goblin]] [[Bogrod]] under the [[Imperius Curse]]. They were then taken by cart deep into the bank's subterranean tunnels.
  * **Security Breaches:** Their disguises were washed away by the [[Thief's Downfall]], a magical waterfall that nullifies enchantments. Exposed, [[Harry]] was forced to re-apply the [[Imperius Curse]] on their goblin guides and [[Travers]]. They proceeded on foot and used [[Clankers]] to navigate past a blind [[Ukrainian Ironbelly]] dragon guarding the deepest vaults.
  * **The Vault and Betrayal:** [[Griphook]] opened the [[Lestrange Vault]], which was protected by the [[Gemino Curse]] and the [[Flagrante Curse]], causing any object touched to multiply and become searing hot. Amidst the multiplying, burning treasure, [[Harry]] successfully located and retrieved the target: [[Hufflepuff's Cup]]. As planned, [[Griphook]] took the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] as payment, but immediately betrayed the trio, shouting "Thieves!" and fleeing with the sword, leaving them trapped.
  * **The Escape:** Surrounded by enraged [[goblins]], [[Harry]] had a sudden, desperate idea. [[Hermione]] cast a spell, likely [[Relashio]], to break the dragon's shackles. The trio scrambled onto the dragon's back as it realized it was free, and it crashed its way out of the vault, through the bank's tunnels, and finally smashed through the marble ceiling of [[Gringotts]] into [[Diagon Alley]], from where they flew to freedom.
  * **Aftermath:** The theft of the [[Horcrux]] instantly alerted [[Lord Voldemort]], who finally understood that [[Harry]] was hunting his soul fragments. This connection gave [[Harry]] a clear vision of [[Voldemort]]'s fury and his thoughts, revealing that another [[Horcrux]], something of [[Rowena Ravenclaw]]'s, was hidden at [[Hogwarts]].
=====Known Areas Within=====
  * [[Diagon Alley]] (Approach)
  * [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]] (Marble Hall)
  * Subterranean Cart Tunnels
  * The [[Thief's Downfall]]
  * The Dragon's Pen
  * [[Lestrange Vault]]
=====Behind the Scenes=====
  * In the film adaptation, //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2//, the heist is a major action sequence featuring a dramatic, high-speed cart ride not explicitly detailed in the novel. [[Hermione]] uses a non-verbal [[Relashio]] to break the dragon's manacles. (film)
  * The event serves as the inspiration and central plot for the theme park attraction //Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts// at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal Studios Florida. The ride simulates the chaotic cart journey and the final escape on the dragon. (external media)