Cue No. 37

The trio returns to Diagon Alley, this time to a distorted version of the original horn solo that played triumphantly over the first shot of Gringotts. This is immediately followed by an equally distorted group of chords in the horns, meant to reflect the original trumpet answers as Harry and Hagrid step inside the bank for the first time six years previous. Things have changed since then; Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Griphook are about to attempt the impossible. 

Ron throws the invisibility cloak over Harry and Griphook, allowing for a slight sparkly moment in the percussion as the scene transitions from Diagon Alley to the main atrium of the bank. Very low and very high strings hold out long notes, allowing the space between to be filled with fragments of the Goblin theme and Hermione’s theme (fused with the Goblin rhythm).

When Hermione (disguised as Bellatrix) begins to walk, she struggles to channel the evil confidence and almost trips on her boot heel. Here there is an exact reprise of the original Goblin theme from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), emphasizing the sinister nature of the scene, but also allowing for a small bit of comedy. The march continues, but from Harry’s point of view, and the invisibility cloak chords interject over the rhythmic texture.

They reach the front - the music holds, and the violins wait before dipping down and back up, outlining Hermione’s theme. This is followed by the harmonies commonly associated with Bellatrix, both to emphasize Hermione’s disguise, but also to show the contrast between two completely different themes. 

The music holds again. In another moment of dark comedy, the cellos and basses pizzicato when the teller finally looks up. Strings stress Bellatrix’s theme again, and the clarinet answers with Hermione’s theme. As suspicions grow, a guard begins slowly approaching from behind. Here there is another direct quote from the Sorcerer’s Stone score, bringing back the original threatening nature of Gringotts, but this time there is reason to be afraid. 

The two goblins working at the front desk return after discussing their need to see Bellatrix’s wand before she can enter her vault. Strings begin trilling, letting the anxiety sink in. Cellos and basses begin the march again, but just the pizzicato bass line. Clarinet begins Hermione’s theme nervously until the camera cuts to Harry’s point of view. The invisibility cloak chords take over as he secretly approaches the desk. 

A big crescendo builds as everything is about to go horribly wrong. It gets bigger and bigger, overlaying the goblin theme, until a sparkle of magic comes out of thin air at the head goblin. He is unaware that Harry is now standing next to him, and has just cast an Imperius curse on him as an act of desperation. The music stops completely. What now?