Notable Cups in the Wizarding World

Several magical cups feature prominently throughout the Harry Potter saga, serving various purposes from coveted school trophies to objects of immense dark power. The three most significant cups are Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, a legendary founder's artifact turned into one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes; the Triwizard Cup, the ultimate prize for the dangerous Triwizard Tournament; and the House Cup, the annual award for the leading house at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

• Type: Horcrux, Magical Artifact
• Owners: Helga Hufflepuff, Hepzibah Smith, Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort), Bellatrix Lestrange (as guardian), Harry Potter, Hermione Granger
• Maker: Implied to be Helga Hufflepuff

The cup is described as a small, golden cup with two finely-wrought handles. Its most distinguishing feature is an engraved badger, the symbol of Hufflepuff house. When seen in Hepzibah Smith's collection, it was presented as a priceless artifact of a Hogwarts founder.

While the cup likely possessed some form of beneficial magic in Helga Hufflepuff's time, its most significant magical property was its status as a Horcrux. Lord Voldemort encased a fragment of his soul within it, making the cup an object of powerful Dark Magic. To protect it, the cup was placed in the Lestrange Vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, which was laden with powerful protective enchantments. These included the Gemino Curse, causing any object touched to multiply endlessly, and the Flagrante Curse, which made the multiplied objects red-hot to the touch.

The cup was created by Helga Hufflepuff and became a treasured heirloom passed down through her descendants. Eventually, it came into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, a wealthy, elderly witch who claimed to be a distant descendant of Hufflepuff. In the 1940s, a young Tom Riddle, then working at Borgin and Burkes, charmed Hepzibah into showing him the cup along with Salazar Slytherin's Locket. Tom Riddle murdered Hepzibah, framed her house-elf Hokey for the crime, and stole both artifacts. He later transformed the cup into his fourth Horcrux, following the creation of his Diary, the Gaunt Ring, and the Locket. Years later, Voldemort entrusted the cup to one of his most loyal followers, Bellatrix Lestrange. She secured it within her family's vault at Gringotts.

The cup was a critical target in the hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes. After learning of its existence from a memory of Dumbledore's and its location from Bellatrix's panicked reaction, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger planned a daring infiltration of Gringotts. With the reluctant help of the goblin Griphook, they broke into the Lestrange Vault, navigated the cursed treasure, and successfully retrieved the cup. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley went to the Chamber of Secrets. There, Hermione used a Basilisk fang, one of the few substances capable of destroying a Horcrux, to stab and destroy the cup, releasing the fragment of Voldemort's soul within it.

• Type: Trophy, Portkey
• Maker: Unspecified

The Triwizard Cup is a large, gleaming trophy with two handles that shines with a “bluish-white light.” Its primary function is to serve as the grand prize for the winner of the Triwizard Tournament. In the 1994-1995 school year, the cup was illegally bewitched by Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Alastor Moody. He turned it into a two-way Portkey. Its first destination was the Little Hangleton graveyard where Lord Voldemort was waiting, and its return trip was back to the entrance of the Hogwarts maze.

The cup is the central goal for the champions throughout Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It sits at the center of the hedge maze during the Third Task. Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory agree to take the cup together, becoming joint winners. Upon touching it, they are both transported to the graveyard, fulfilling Voldemort's plan. This leads directly to the murder of Cedric Diggory, the rebirthing ritual of Lord Voldemort, and Harry's terrifying duel with the newly restored Dark Lord. Harry uses the Portkey function again to escape with Cedric's body, bringing definitive proof of Voldemort's return to Hogwarts.

• Type: Trophy
• Maker: Unspecified

The House Cup is the trophy awarded at the end-of-year feast to the Hogwarts house that has accumulated the most house points. The physical appearance of the cup is not described in the novels. Winning the cup is a matter of great pride among students. The Great Hall is decorated in the colors of the winning house during the feast. Points are awarded by professors and prefects for good behavior, academic achievement, and bravery, and are deducted for rule-breaking.

The House Cup is a significant element of school life in the early books, driving much of the inter-house rivalry, particularly between Gryffindor and Slytherin. A memorable moment occurs at the end of Harry's first year, when Dumbledore awards last-minute points to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville Longbottom, allowing Gryffindor to win the cup from Slytherin for the first time in seven years. The competition is suspended in Harry's fifth year under the tyrannical rule of Dolores Umbridge and is not mentioned during the Battle of Hogwarts.

• In the film adaptations, the House Cup is depicted as a large, ornate silver cup, often surrounded by smaller plaques for previous winners. (film)