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. ======The Locket of Slytherin and the Cup of Hufflepuff====== =====Object Information===== These two artifacts were priceless heirlooms belonging to two of the four founders of [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]. They were later stolen by [[Tom Riddle]] and transformed into two of his seven [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]]. * **Slytherin's Locket** * **Type:** [[Horcrux]], [[Founder's Item]] * **Owners:** [[Salazar Slytherin]], The [[Gaunt family]], [[Merope Gaunt]], [[Caractacus Burke]], [[Hepzibah Smith]], [[Lord Voldemort]], [[Regulus Black]], [[Kreacher]], [[Mundungus Fletcher]], [[Dolores Umbridge]], [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]] * **Maker:** [[Salazar Slytherin]] (presumed) * **Hufflepuff's Cup** * **Type:** [[Horcrux]], [[Founder's Item]] * **Owners:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Hepzibah Smith]], [[Lord Voldemort]], [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], [[Harry Potter]], [[Hermione Granger]] * **Maker:** [[Helga Hufflepuff]] (presumed) =====Description and Appearance===== **Slytherin's Locket** The locket is described as a heavy, oval-shaped container made of gold. It is large enough to contain a folded piece of parchment. Its most distinguishing feature is an ornate, serpentine 'S' mark inlaid with small green stones, likely [[emerald|emeralds]] to match the colors of [[Slytherin]] house. When opened, it reveals two glass windows, behind which the fragment of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s soul resides. **Hufflepuff's Cup** The cup is a small, golden chalice with two finely-wrought handles. It features an engraved badger, the symbol of [[Hufflepuff]] house. It is described as being a beautiful and valuable piece, though its magical properties prior to becoming a [[Horcrux]] are unknown. =====Magical Properties and Usage===== As [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]], the primary function of both the locket and the cup was to anchor [[Lord Voldemort]]'s soul to the mortal plane, granting him a form of immortality. Each object was imbued with powerful [[Dark Magic]] and possessed its own unique and formidable defenses. **Slytherin's Locket** The locket's primary defense was its ability to influence the emotions and thoughts of those in close proximity, particularly the person wearing it. * It amplified negative feelings such as suspicion, anger, and despair. This influence was strong enough to cause [[Ron Weasley]] to abandon his friends and prevent [[Harry Potter]] from casting a [[Patronus Charm]]. * It could not be opened by any conventional magical means and would only open when addressed in [[Parseltongue]]. * When opened for destruction, the soul fragment within could project horrific visions and taunts to defend itself, preying on the deepest fears of its attacker. * The locket itself could not be destroyed by conventional means; it required an object or substance of immense destructive power, such as the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] imbued with [[Basilisk]] venom. **Hufflepuff's Cup** The specific magical defenses of the cup itself are less documented, as it was primarily protected by its location. * [[Lord Voldemort]] entrusted the cup to [[Bellatrix Lestrange]], who secured it within her family vault at [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]]. * The [[Lestrange Vault]] was protected by numerous powerful enchantments, including the [[Gemino Curse]], which caused any object touched to multiply endlessly, and the [[Flagrante Curse]], which made the duplicated items red-hot to the touch. * Like the locket, the cup could only be destroyed by a substance that inflicted irreparable magical damage, such as a [[Basilisk]] fang. =====History===== The locket was a treasured heirloom of [[Salazar Slytherin]]'s last known descendants, the [[Gaunt family]]. It was sold to [[Caractacus Burke]] of [[Borgin and Burkes]] by a desperate [[Merope Gaunt]] and was later purchased by the wealthy collector, [[Hepzibah Smith]]. Hufflepuff's cup was passed down through [[Helga Hufflepuff]]'s line and also eventually came into the possession of [[Hepzibah Smith]]. In the 1940s, a young [[Tom Riddle]] visited [[Hepzibah Smith]] under the guise of working for [[Borgin and Burkes]]. Learning that she possessed two priceless Founders' items, he murdered her, magically altered her house-elf's memory to take the blame, and stole both the locket and the cup. He transformed the locket into a [[Horcrux]] using the murder of a [[Muggle]] tramp and hid it in a secret sea cave he had visited as a child, protecting it with numerous enchantments. Years later, a disillusioned [[Regulus Black]] discovered [[Lord Voldemort]]'s secret and resolved to destroy the [[Horcrux]]. Accompanied by his house-elf [[Kreacher]], he braved the cave's defenses, swapped the real locket with a fake, and ordered [[Kreacher]] to take the real one and destroy it. [[Regulus Black]] perished in the cave, and [[Kreacher]] failed in his task, keeping the locket hidden at [[12 Grimmauld Place]] for years. During the Order of the Phoenix's occupation of the house, the locket was stolen by [[Mundungus Fletcher]]. It was later extorted from him by [[Dolores Umbridge]]. In 1997, [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] infiltrated the [[Ministry of Magic]] and retrieved the locket from Umbridge. After months of carrying the locket and suffering its malevolent influence, [[Ron Weasley]] destroyed it with the [[Sword of Gryffindor]] in the [[Forest of Dean]]. Meanwhile, [[Lord Voldemort]] had entrusted Hufflepuff's cup to [[Bellatrix Lestrange]]. The trio learned of its location after their escape from [[Malfloy Manor]] and, with the help of the goblin [[Griphook]], successfully broke into the [[Lestrange Vault]] at [[Gringotts]] to retrieve it. During the [[Battle of Hogwarts]], [[Hermione Granger]] and [[Ron Weasley]] went to the [[Chamber of Secrets]], where Hermione used a [[Basilisk]] fang from the serpent's skeleton to destroy the cup. =====Role in the Story===== The two objects are central to the plot of //[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]//. The hunt for them drives much of the narrative and leads to several key events, including the infiltration of the [[Ministry of Magic]] and the heist at [[Gringotts]]. Slytherin's locket serves as a significant antagonist in its own right, testing the friendship and resolve of the main trio to their absolute limits. Its destruction is a major turning point for [[Ron Weasley]], representing his conquest over his insecurities and his solidifying his role as a hero. Hufflepuff's cup represents a different kind of challenge, one of logistics and immense danger. The mission to retrieve it highlights the group's ingenuity, courage, and reliance on others. Its destruction by [[Hermione Granger]] marks her first direct elimination of a [[Horcrux]] and is a critical victory during the climactic [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling confirmed that [[Tom Riddle]] used the murder of [[Hepzibah Smith]] herself to turn Hufflepuff's cup into a [[Horcrux]]. (J.K. Rowling interview) * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1//, the destruction of the locket is visually depicted with a large, shadowy, Voldemort-like entity emerging from it to taunt Ron, a more literal interpretation of the book's psychological torment. * In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2//, the destruction of the cup is also visually dramatic, with a wave of dark water and a spectral image of [[Lord Voldemort]] erupting from it before it is stabbed.
