Accidentally nudged one of the fallen goblets with his foot, and twenty more exploded

Into being while Ron hopped on the spot, part of his shoe burned away by contact with

The hot metal.

“Stand still, don’t move!” said Hermione, clutching at Ron.

“Just look around!” said Harry. “Remember, the cup’s small and gold, it’s got a

badger engraved on it, two handles – otherwise see if you can spot Ravenclaw’s symbol

anywhere, the eagle –”

They directed their wands into every nook and crevice, turning cautiously on the

Spot. It was impossible not to brush up against anything; Harry sent a great cascade of

Fake Galleons onto the ground where they joined the goblets, and now there was scarcely

Room to place their feet, and the glowing gold blazed with heat, so that the vault felt like a

furnace. Harry’s wandlight passed over shields and goblin-made helmets set on shelves

Rising to the ceiling; higher and higher he raised the beam, until suddenly it found an

Object that made his heart skip and his hand tremble.

“It’s there, it’s up there!”

Ron and Hermione pointed there wands at it too, so that the little golden cup

sparkled in a three-way spotlight: the cup that had belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, which

Had passed into the possession of Hepzibah Smith, from whom it had been stolen by Tom

Riddle.

“And how the hell are we going to get up there without touching anything?” asked

Ron.

“Accio Cup!” cried Hermione, who had evidently forgotten in her desperation

What Griphook had told them during their planning sessions.

“No use, no use!” snarled the goblin.

“Then what do we do?” said Harry, glaring at the goblin. “If you want the sword,

Griphook, then you’ll have to help us more than – wait! Can I touch stuff with the sword?

Hermione, give it here!”

Hermione fumbled insider her robes, drew out a beaded bag, rummaged for a few

Seconds, then removed the shining sword. Harry seized it by its rubied hilt and touched

The tip of the blade to a silver flagon nearby, which did not multiply.

“If I can just poke the sword through a handle – but how am I going to get up

there?”

The shelf on which the cup reposed was out of reach for any of them, even Ron,

Who was tallest. The heat from the enchanted treasure rose in waves, and sweat ran down

Harry’s face and back as he struggled to think of a way up to the cup; and then he heard

The dragon roar on the other side of the vault door, and the sound of clanking growing

Louder and louder.

They were truly trapped now: There was no way out except through the door, and

A horde of goblins seemed to be approaching on the other side. Harry looked at Ron and

Hermione and saw terror in their faces.

“Hermione,” said Harry, as the clanking grew louder, “I’ve got to get up there,

we’ve got to get rid of it –”

She raised her wand, pointed it at Harry, and whispered, “Levicorpus.”

Hoisted into the air by his ankle, Harry hit a suit of armor and replicas burst out of

It like white-hot bodies, filling the cramped space. With screams of pain, Ron, Hermione,

And the two goblins were knocked aside into other objects, which also began to replicate.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 664