The Cup of Helga Hufflepuff

• Type: Founder's Artifact, Horcrux
• Owners: Helga Hufflepuff, Hepzibah Smith, Lord Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange (guardian), Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger
• Maker: Helga Hufflepuff (presumed)

The Cup of Hufflepuff is described as a small, golden cup with two finely-wrought handles. Engraved on its surface is a badger, the symbol of Hufflepuff house. When Harry Potter first saw it in the Pensieve memory of Hepzibah Smith, it was described as a beautiful and unassuming object, yet it was a priceless magical artifact. After being turned into a Horcrux, it radiated a powerful sense of Dark Magic.

The original magical properties of the cup, if any, are unknown. Its owner Hepzibah Smith claimed it possessed “all sorts of powers,” but this was never verified in the novels. Its primary significance stems from its transformation into one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.

• As a Horcrux: Lord Voldemort used the murder of Hepzibah Smith to place a fragment of his soul within the cup, making it a vessel of powerful Dark Magic. This enchantment rendered the cup nearly indestructible, vulnerable only to substances with immense destructive power, such as Basilisk venom or Fiendfyre. Like other Horcruxes, it could exert a corrupting influence on those who handled it or were in close proximity to it.
• Defensive Enchantments: To protect the cup in her vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Bellatrix Lestrange placed it under two powerful curses:
  • Gemino Curse: A curse that causes any object it is placed upon to multiply rapidly when touched. Each copy is worthless.
  • Flagrante Curse: A curse that causes an object to become searingly hot when touched, capable of causing severe burns.

The cup was originally the possession of Helga Hufflepuff, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was passed down through her descendants for centuries until it came into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, a wealthy but lonely elderly witch who was a distant descendant of the Hufflepuff line. In the mid-20th century, Tom Marvolo Riddle, then working for Borgin and Burkes, learned of the cup's existence. He visited Hepzibah Smith under the guise of a charming employee and she, eager for company, showed him both the cup and Slytherin's Locket. Two days later, Riddle murdered Hepzibah Smith, framed her house-elf Hokey for the crime by altering her memory, and stole both artifacts. He used Hepzibah's murder to turn the cup into his third Horcrux. Fearing for his Horcruxes' safety, Lord Voldemort entrusted the cup to one of his most loyal and fanatical followers, Bellatrix Lestrange. She secured it within the deep, high-security Lestrange Vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, believing it to be impregnable.

The Cup of Hufflepuff becomes a central objective for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. After Bellatrix Lestrange's extreme panic at the idea that the trio might have entered her vault, Harry deduces through his connection to Lord Voldemort's mind that a Horcrux is hidden there. The quest to retrieve the cup leads to the daring Gringotts heist. With the help of the goblin Griphook, the trio breaks into the Lestrange Vault. They overcome the Gemino Curse and Flagrante Curse protecting the treasures and manage to escape with the cup, though they lose the Sword of Gryffindor in the process. The cup is destroyed during the climax of the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger enter the Chamber of Secrets, where Ron uses his knowledge of Parseltongue (imitating Harry) to open the chamber. Hermione then uses a Basilisk fang, retrieved from the skeleton of the Basilisk Harry had slain years before, to stab and destroy the Horcrux. This act marks a significant moment of initiative and partnership for Ron and Hermione, as they destroy a piece of Voldemort's soul without Harry's direct aid.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the destruction of the cup is visually depicted with a large, ghostly wave of dark water erupting from the cup, representing the soul fragment, which then dissipates. This visual effect is unique to the film (film).
• The cup represents the perversion of something intrinsically good. Hufflepuff house values loyalty, hard work, and fairness, yet its founder's artifact was twisted by Lord Voldemort into a container for a piece of his malevolent soul.