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| helga_hufflepuff_039:s_cup [2025/08/02 07:25] – created xiaoer | helga_hufflepuff_039:s_cup [2025/08/04 09:34] (current) – xiaoer |
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| ======Helga Hufflepuff's Cup====== | ======Helga Hufflepuff's Cup====== |
| =====Object Information===== | =====Object Information===== |
| * **Type:** [[Horcrux]], Founder's Artefact | * **Type:** [[Horcrux]], Historical Artifact |
| * **Owners:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Hepzibah Smith]], [[Lord Voldemort]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], [[Harry Potter]] | * **Owners:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Hepzibah Smith]], [[Tom Marvolo Riddle]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] (as guardian), [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]] |
| * **Maker:** Belonged to [[Helga Hufflepuff]] | * **Maker:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]] |
| =====Description and Appearance===== | =====Description and Appearance===== |
| Helga Hufflepuff's Cup is described as a small, golden cup with two finely-wrought handles. Its most prominent feature is a badger, the symbol of [[Hufflepuff House]], engraved on its surface. When [[Harry Potter]] first saw the cup in a [[Pensieve]] memory, he noted its simple elegance and historical significance, a stark contrast to the ornate gaudiness of [[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]] with which it was presented. | Helga Hufflepuff's Cup is described as a small, golden cup with two finely-wrought handles. It is engraved with a [[badger]], the emblem of [[Hufflepuff House]]. Before being defiled by [[Dark Magic]], it was considered a priceless magical artifact from one of the founders of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. |
| =====Magical Properties and Usage===== | =====Magical Properties and Usage===== |
| Before its transformation into a [[Horcrux]], its owner [[Hepzibah Smith]] claimed the cup possessed "all sorts of powers," though she never specified what they were, and this claim was never verified. Its primary magical significance in the series comes from the enchantments placed upon it by [[Lord Voldemort]]. | As a [[Horcrux]], the cup's primary magical property was to contain a fragment of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s soul, anchoring him to life and making him immortal. This dark enchantment rendered the cup nearly indestructible, vulnerable only to exceptionally powerful destructive substances, such as [[Basilisk]] venom or [[Fiendfyre]]. Any original magical properties that [[Helga Hufflepuff]] may have bestowed upon it are unknown, as its function as a [[Horcrux]] became its dominant characteristic. |
| * **Horcrux:** [[Voldemort]] transformed the cup into one of his seven [[Horcruxes]], imbuing it with a fragment of his soul. This granted the object immense magical protection, rendering it nearly indestructible. To destroy it, one needed to use a substance so powerful it left no means of magical repair, such as [[Basilisk]] venom or [[Fiendfyre]]. | When stored in the Lestrange vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]], the cup was protected by powerful defensive curses. These included the [[Gemino Curse]], which caused any item to multiply rapidly upon being touched, and the [[Flagrante Curse]], which made the duplicates searingly hot. |
| * **Defensive Curses:** To protect the cup within the [[Lestrange Vault]] at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]], it was placed under powerful protective enchantments. These included the [[Gemino Curse]], which caused any object touched to multiply endlessly, and the [[Flagrante Curse]], which made the duplicated objects scorching hot to the touch. | |
| =====History===== | =====History===== |
| The cup was the personal possession of [[Helga Hufflepuff]], one of the four founders of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. It was passed down through her lineage and eventually came into the hands of [[Hepzibah Smith]], a wealthy, elderly witch who was a distant descendant. | The cup was created by [[Helga Hufflepuff]] and became a treasured heirloom passed down through her descendants. By the mid-20th century, it had come into the possession of [[Hepzibah Smith]], a wealthy, elderly witch who was a distant descendant of the Hufflepuff line. |
| In the mid-1940s, a young [[Tom Riddle]], then working for [[Borgin and Burkes]], visited [[Hepzibah Smith]] under the pretence of negotiating a purchase of goblin-made armour. Smith, infatuated with Riddle, showed him two of her greatest treasures: [[Slytherin's Locket]] and Hufflepuff's Cup. Two days later, Riddle murdered Hepzibah, magically altered the memory of her house-elf, [[Hokey]], to make her confess to the crime, and stole both artefacts. | While working at the [[Dark Arts]] shop [[Borgin and Burkes]], a young [[Tom Marvolo Riddle]] learned of the cup's existence. He visited [[Hepzibah Smith]], charming her into showing him her two most prized possessions: the cup and [[Salazar Slytherin's Locket]]. Two days later, Riddle murdered Hepzibah, stole both artifacts, and used magic to modify the memory of her [[house-elf]], [[Hokey]], to make her confess to the crime. Riddle then used the murder of Hepzibah to turn the cup into his fourth [[Horcrux]]. |
| [[Lord Voldemort]] used the murder of [[Hepzibah Smith]] to turn the cup into a [[Horcrux]]. He later entrusted this priceless object to one of his most fervent followers, [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. She secured it in her family vault at [[Gringotts]], believing it to be the safest possible location. | Decades later, [[Lord Voldemort]] entrusted the cup to one of his most fervent followers, [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. Believing it to be the most secure location in the wizarding world, she placed it for safekeeping deep within her family's high-security vault at [[Gringotts]]. |
| In 1998, [[Harry Potter]] deduced the cup was a [[Horcrux]] and was hidden in the [[Lestrange Vault]] after observing Bellatrix's terrified reaction when she believed Harry and his friends had been inside. With the reluctant help of the goblin [[Griphook]], [[Harry]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] successfully broke into [[Gringotts]]. They retrieved the cup after battling the vault's enchantments and a blind dragon, which they then used to escape. | During the [[Second Wizarding War]], [[Harry Potter]]'s trio learned of the cup's status as a [[Horcrux]] and its probable location based on Bellatrix's panicked reaction at [[Malfoy Manor]]. On 1 May 1998, Harry, [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]], with the reluctant assistance of the goblin [[Griphook]], successfully broke into the Lestrange vault and stole the cup. They made a dramatic escape from the bank on the back of a [[Guard Dragon]]. |
| During the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], [[Ron Weasley]] realised they could use [[Basilisk]] fangs from the [[Chamber of Secrets]] to destroy the remaining [[Horcruxes]]. [[Hermione Granger]] stabbed the cup with a fang, and the dark magic binding the soul fragment was destroyed in a wave of black smoke, cleansing the artefact. | |
| =====Role in the Story===== | =====Role in the Story===== |
| Hufflepuff's Cup is a critical plot device in //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//. It is one of the seven [[Horcruxes]] that must be destroyed for [[Lord Voldemort]] to be made mortal and defeated. The quest for the cup leads directly to the [[Gringotts]] heist, one of the most dangerous and daring feats undertaken by the trio. This event showcases their increased maturity, planning abilities, and reliance on each other. The destruction of the cup is a significant turning point during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], marking the elimination of another piece of Voldemort's soul and leading to a pivotal moment in the relationship between [[Ron Weasley]] and [[Hermione Granger]], who share their first kiss immediately after. | Hufflepuff's Cup is one of the seven Horcruxes that [[Harry Potter]] must destroy to defeat [[Lord Voldemort]]. The daring and unprecedented break-in at [[Gringotts]] to retrieve it marks a major turning point in the hunt for the Horcruxes. It was the first time Voldemort became fully aware that his soul-containers were being systematically targeted and destroyed. |
| | Voldemort's subsequent rage and fear allowed Harry to see into his mind, giving Harry crucial intelligence that the final, unknown [[Horcrux]] was located at [[Hogwarts]] and was connected to [[Rowena Ravenclaw]]. |
| | The cup was destroyed during the [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. Ron and Hermione ventured into the [[Chamber of Secrets]] to retrieve a fang from the skeleton of the long-dead [[Basilisk]]. In the Chamber, Hermione stabbed the cup with the venom-soaked fang, destroying the fragment of Voldemort's soul within it. This act of bravery and teamwork was immediately followed by Ron and Hermione's first kiss. |
| =====Behind the Scenes===== | =====Behind the Scenes===== |
| * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince//, the [[Pensieve]] memory of [[Tom Riddle]] meeting [[Hepzibah Smith]] is omitted. The cup's appearance and backstory are instead explained by [[Hermione Granger]] in //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1//, based on information from her books. (film) | * In the film adaptation //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2//, the destruction of the cup is portrayed with more visual spectacle. When Hermione stabs the cup, a ghostly, soul-like image of Voldemort erupts from it before being washed away by a large wave of water summoned by Ron. (film) |
