Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Helga Hufflepuff's Cup====== =====Object Information===== * **Type:** [[Horcrux]], Historical Artifact * **Owners:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Hepzibah Smith]], [[Tom Marvolo Riddle]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]] (as guardian), [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], [[Hermione Granger]] * **Maker:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]] =====Description and Appearance===== 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===== 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. 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. =====History===== 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. 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]]. 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]]. 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]]. =====Role in the Story===== 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===== * 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)
