Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

• 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.

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 Horcruxes—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.

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.

• Diagon Alley (Approach)
• Gringotts Wizarding Bank (Marble Hall)
• Subterranean Cart Tunnels
• The Thief's Downfall
• The Dragon's Pen
• Lestrange Vault

• 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)