Lestrange Vault

Lestrange Vault
Location information
Location	Gringotts Wizarding Bank, Diagon Alley, London, England, Great Britain
Owner(s)	Lestrange family
Affiliation	Lestrange family

"The door of the vault melted away to reveal a cavelike opening crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, the skins of strange creatures — some with long spines, others with drooping wings — potions in jewelled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown."

— Description of the interior of the Lestrange Vault

The Lestrange Vault was a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in London, England that belonged to the Lestranges, a very old and wealthy pure-blood family. In addition to containing large amounts of gold, Galleons, and treasure, it was the hiding place of Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes.

Notably, the vault was robbed in 1998 by Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley with the assistance of former Gringotts employee Griphook during the Second Wizarding War.

History

Early history

Not much is known about the early history of the vault except that it was used by multiple members of the Lestrange family to store treasure. When Bellatrix Black married into the Lestrange family, she gained access to the vault.

Addition of the Horcrux

At some point in time, Lord Voldemort gave Bellatrix Lestrange Hufflepuff's Cup, one of his Horcruxes, to keep safe in her vault, though he didn't tell her its true nature. Harry Potter believed the reason Voldemort had his Horcrux hidden in the vault was because, as an orphan, he never had a vault at Gringotts and was envious of wizarding families with a Gringotts vault, considering it to be a great honour.

Voldemort also knew the Lestrange's vault was well protected and thought it was a safe place to hide Hufflepuff's Cup.

Addition of the fake sword

"You're a lying, you filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth! What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife! What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!"

— Overheard parts of Bellatrix's interrogation of Hermione Granger

During the Second Wizarding War, the Sword of Gryffindor was secured in Bellatrix's vault on Voldemort's orders, Voldemort and Bellatrix both unaware, at the time, that it was merely a copy placed there then-Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Severus Snape). Thus, around Easter of 1998, when Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were captured by Snatchers and brought to Malfoy Manor with the real sword, Bellatrix panicked.

The trio, Griphook, and Doddy in Malfoy Manor

Harry had Griphook (also held captive at Malfoy Manor) to lie and say it was a fake, but Bellatrix's panic led to Harry thinking that there could be something else of Voldemort's in her vault — his Horcrux, Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, seeming most likely. Bellatrix Stunned all the Snatchers, intending to kill them later, as Draco was unwilling to himself. Bellatrix then interrogated Hermione and tortured her with the Cruciatus Curse, but Hermione managed to lie, claiming the real sword was only a copy. In fact, the true sword presented itself to Harry and his friends in the Forest of Dean at the bottom of a frozen lake, as the sword had to be retrieved under circumstances where bravery and valour had to be shown.

Bellatrix throwing her knife as the prisoners escape

Bellatrix also threatened Hermione with a knife, after Harry and Ron escaped from the cellar with the assistance of Dobby and Ron disarmed her. While holding the knife to an unconscious Hermione's throat, Bellatrix demanded that the boys drop their wands, and then pressed her Dark Mark, calling Voldemort.

However, Dobby reappeared and caused the chandelier to fall from above Bellatrix's head, prompting her to release Hermione and jump out of the way. As the house-elf Disapparated with Harry, Bellatrix threw the knife at Dobby, fatally wounding him in the chest. She and her relatives were severely punished by Voldemort for allowing Harry to escape. Bellatrix also lost her wand in the skirmish.

1998 robbery

After the trio escaped the Manor, Hermione used some of Bellatrix's hair, which had fallen onto her clothes while Bellatrix held her hostage, to create Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Bellatrix, as the trio planned to break into Gringotts in order to steal the item from Lestrange. Gringotts was warned that impostors might try to get in and had extra security precautions in place.

Harry searches for Hufflepuff's cup in the Lestranges' vault

In spite of this, on 1 May 1998, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were able to break into the vault with the assistance of goblin and former Gringotts employee Griphook. They realised that the treasure had been protected with the curse of Flagrante and Gemino, thus, every time they touched the treasure it would burn them and multiply, raising the danger that they would be crushed to death by the searing hot metal.

Despite the security measures placed on the contents of the vault, the trio obtained Helga Hufflepuff's Cup and escaped on the back of the dragon that had been guarding the vault door. Upon hearing of the successful robbery, Voldemort was extremely furious that the vault's security failed his expectations, and massacred all the goblin employees present.

After the war

It is unknown what happened to the vault and the Lestrange fortune after Voldemort's fall, or if the fortune even survived the dragon's rampage during the robbery, as no known members of the Lestrange family survived without going to Azkaban.

Contents

The Lestranges' vault contained great treasures, crammed from the floor to ceiling with gold coins, silver armour, skins of great creatures with long spines and drooping wings, potions in jewelled flasks and a skull donning a crown.

The most prominent of its contents was the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, which was turned into a Horcrux by Voldemort, and the fake Sword of Gryffindor.

Security measures

In order to reach this vault, one must be escorted by an employee of Gringotts on a cart, which will be inundated by the Thief's Downfall if this defence is activated by the Gringotts goblins. A dragon guards the door and will only shrink back at the sound of a goblin's clankers, in anticipation of being painfully punished. With the touch of the employee, the door will open. For this vault, it required the goblin employee to put his entire palm on the door, rather than just a finger, to open it.

The Geminio curse increasing the number golden item in the vault

As discovered by Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Griphook's break-in of the vault, all the treasure inside had been cursed with Geminio and Flagrante. Thus, everything is hot to the touch and will replicate at a rapid rate if touched, until the potential thief is buried and burned. These replicates are identical in appearance, but have no monetary value whatsoever.

The high security of this vault suggests that it is probably even deeper underground than Vault 713, which also had to be accessed by cart and by a goblin employee, but did not have any kind of creature guarding it.

Behind the scenes

• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the treasure is cursed with Geminio, but not Flagrante.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• Harry Potter for Kinect (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)