94 hp Diagon Alley

And again, he felt that ethereal sense of control flowing from his brain to his wand.Bogrod complied with his wishes again, his bewildered expression turning into polite indifference, and Ron hurriedly picked up the small leather bag containing the metal tools.

"Harry, I think I heard someone coming!" said Hermione, raising Bellatrix's wand and pointing at the waterfall. "Armor protection!" Magic Falls.

"Well thought," said Harry, "lead the way, Griphook!"

They hurried after the goblin into the darkness, Bogrod following behind, panting like an old dog. "How are we going to get out later?" Ron asked.

"Don't worry about it until then," said Harry, who was trying to listen, as if something was clanging around nearby. "Griphook, how far is it?"

"Not far, Harry Potter, not far..."

They turned a corner and saw the guy Harry was prepared to deal with, but it brought everyone to a sudden stop.

A huge fire dragon was chained to the ground ahead, preventing access to the four or five deepest vaults there.The dragon's scales had become pale and loose from confinement for so long, its eyes were a cloudy pink, and its hind legs were heavily shackled by thick chains driven deep into the stone. The giant pile of the ground.Its huge spiked wings are gathered on both sides of its body, and if it is unfolded, it will fill the entire basement.The dragon turned its ugly head toward them, let out a growl that made stones tremble, and opened its mouth wide to spew a blast of fire, sending them running back down the passage.

"Its eyes are gone," gasped Griphook, "but that made it more brutal. We have a way of controlling it, though. It's got a jingle reflex. Bring it to me."

Ron handed the little bag to Griphook, and the goblin took out some small metal utensils, which jingled loud and crisp, like a small hammer on an anvil.Griphook distributed them to everyone, and Bogorod meekly accepted them.

"You know what to do," Griphook told Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "when it hears that sound it thinks of pain, it retreats, and then Bogrod has to put his palm on the vault door .”

They turned the corner again with a jingle chip, and the noise echoed between the stone walls, amplified so many times that Harry's brain seemed to vibrate.The dragon let out another hoarse roar and backed away.Harry could see it trembling, and as he got closer he saw the ghastly scars on its face and guessed it had been trained to fear a fiery sword when it jingled.

"Make it hold its hand on the door!" Griphook urged Harry, who pointed his wand at Bogrod again.The older goblin obeyed, pressing his palms to the wood, and the vault door disappeared, revealing a hole.The cave was stuffed from floor to ceiling with gold coins and goblets, silver armor, the furs of all sorts of exotic animals with spines or wings, potions in vases, and one still wearing a crown. skull.

"Find it!" said Harry, and together they rushed into the vault.

He had described Hufflepuff's cup to Ron and Hermione, but if it was any other Horcrux hidden in this vault, he didn't know what it was like.He barely had time to look around when there was a dull metallic thud behind him: the door reappeared, sealing them all in the vault, and it was pitch black.Ron yelled in surprise.

"Never mind, Bogrod can get us out!" said Griphook. "Light your wands, will you? Come on, we only have a little time!"

"Fluorescent flashes!"

Harry lit his wand around the vault: the fluorescent light shone on the glittering jewels, and he saw the fake Gryffindor sword lying among a pile of chains on a high shelf.Ron and Hermione also lit their wands and were examining the piles of objects around them.

"Harry, is this—? Ah!"

Hermione screamed in pain, and Harry shone his wand on her just in time to see a jeweled goblet slip from her hand: but it split as it fell, turning into many goblets, and a second later , with a series of crackling sounds, the floor was filled with the same wine glasses, and it was impossible to tell which one was the original one.

"It burned me!" said Hermione, sucking on her blistered fingers.

"They've added the Fire Charm and the Duplication Charm!" said Griphook. "Anything you touch will burn and duplicate, but duplicates are worthless—if you keep touching wealth, you'll eventually be crushed to death with gold!"

"Okay, don't touch anything!" Harry said desperately, but just as he reminded Ron's foot accidentally touched a dropped wine glass, causing him to jump and burn his shoe to the hot metal One piece, and more than 20 wine glasses burst out on the spot.

"Stop, don't move!" said Hermione, grabbing Ron.

"Just look at it with your eyes!" said Harry. "Remember, the cup is small, gold, and has a badger carved into it, with two handles—or the Ravenclaw emblem, the eagle—"

They turned in place with the utmost care, pointing their wands at every nook and cranny, but it was impossible not to touch anything.Harry had made a huge pile of fake Galleons cascading to the floor, mingling with the glasses, and now there was hardly any place to stay.The hot gold radiated heat, and the entire vault felt like a furnace.The beam of Harry's wand moved across the shields and goblin helmets, the tiers of shelves reaching to the ceiling, and as he raised his wand higher and higher, it suddenly hit an object that made his heart skip a beat and his hands tremble. stand up.

"There, up there!"

Ron and Hermione pointed their wands at it too, and the little golden cup gleamed under three spotlights: the cup had once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, had passed to Hepzibah Smith, and had been passed by Tom Hufflepuff. Riddle stole it.

"How the hell do you get up there without bumping into anything?" Ron asked.

"Here comes the Gold Cup!" Hermione yelled, apparently forgetting in her despair Griphook's reminder when they were discussing the plan.

"No use, no use!" growled Griphook.

"Then what?" said Harry, glaring at the goblin. "If you want that sword, Griphook, you've got to help us and not just—wait! Can I touch things with my sword? Hermione, hurry up." come over!"

Hermione fished the beaded pouch from under her robes, rummaged through it for a few seconds, and pulled out the gleaming sword.Harry grabbed the ruby-encrusted hilt and touched a nearby silver flagon with the point, which hadn't been duplicated.

"If I only put my sword through the cup--but how can I get up there?"

None of them could reach the Gold Cup shelf, not even Ron, who was the tallest.Sweat ran down his cheeks and down his spine as Harry struggled to figure out how to hold the cup as heat radiated from the enchanted treasure.At this time he heard the roar of the dragon outside the vault door, and the jingle became louder and louder.

They were really trapped now: the door was the only way out, and yet a troop of goblins seemed to be approaching the door.Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, seeing panic on their faces.

"Hermione," said Harry, as the jingle outside grew louder, "I've got to go up, we've got to kill it—"

Hermione raised her wand, pointed at Harry, and read, "Fuchsia."

Harry was lifted up into the air by his ankles, touched a suit of armor, and the replica burst forth, filling the small space like white-hot bodies.Ron, Hermione, and the two goblins cried out in pain as they were crushed against other objects, which began to replicate.Almost half their bodies were buried in the rising tide of hot treasure.They struggled and shouted.Harry hastily plunged his sword into the handle of the Hufflepuff gold cup and picked it up on the blade.

"Water and fire!" screamed Hermione, trying to protect herself, Ron, and the goblins from the hot metal.

Suddenly there was the most terrifying scream, and Harry looked down: Ron and Hermione were standing waist-deep in the treasure, trying to hold Bogrod out of the way, but Griphook had been caught. It was so submerged that I couldn't see, except for a little bit of fingertips sticking out.

Harry grabbed Griphook's fingers and pulled it out, and the goblin covered in blisters gradually emerged, howling.

"Admiralty!" Harry yelled, as he and Griphook fell on top of the expanding treasure, and the sword flew out of his hand.

"Grab it!" Harry yelled, enduring the burning pain of the hot metal touching his skin, and Griphook climbed onto his back again, trying to avoid the hot object that was rising higher and higher. "Where is the sword? Hanging on it With the gold cup!"

The jingling outside the door became deafening—too late—

"There!" It was Griphook who saw it, and Griphook lunged forward suddenly.Harry realized for a split second that the goblin had never expected them to keep their promises.The goblin grabbed a lock of Harry's hair with one hand to make sure he didn't fall into the sea of ​​hot gold, and the other hand grabbed the hilt of the sword, holding it high out of Harry's reach.

The little gold cup on the sword was thrown into the air, but the goblin remained astride Harry.Harry swooped down to catch the cup, and though he felt it burn his flesh, and despite the countless Hufflepuff cups raining down on him from his hands, he didn't let go.At this moment, the door of the vault opened, and Harry found himself sliding uncontrollably on a torrent of fiery gold and silver, and was trapped together with Ron and Hermione.