Cue No. 38

Very quick action music begins as a sharp cut takes us deep underground where the trio, Griphook, and Bogrod are on a cart barreling down the tracks towards the vault below. Many twists and turns give the music a chance to follow the action, with the Goblin Theme showing up to aid their descent. Upon seeing the waterfall, the score brightens up, and then becomes worried. Griphook knows the dangers of touching the water, and they’re headed right for it. 

After a large buildup, the cart goes through the waterfall, and begins slowing down rapidly. The music follows suit, and comes to a complete stop. Everything pauses. Suddenly, the bottom of the cart drops out, and everyone falls. Trills, dissonance, muted brass, and timpani all show the horror of the sudden fall. Hermione casts a spell just before they hit the ground. 

Low strings move around; the cart high above them continues down the tracks, and now they’ve noticed that the Polyjuice potion has worn off sooner than expected. That was not the only enchantment the waterfall washed off of them, though; Bogrod is no longer under the Imperius curse, and begins to yell that there are thieves robbing a vault. Ron quickly remedies this by casting an Imperius curse once again on him. A single note holds in the violins. What to do now? 

After the group begins walking, bassoons hold chord while the violins stretch a large interval, waiting to see what is around the corner. 

A large dragon is sleeping outside Bellatrix’s vault. The low, minor, dragon chords from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2019) play as Harry is surely reminded of the first time he saw a full-grown dragon. The first time he saw a baby dragon gets a nod as well when the music for Norbert re-appears. 

Suddenly, the beast awakens, and the orchestra gets frantic momentarily. Griphook then begins shaking a rattling noisemaker. The dragon has been trained to expect pain when it hears this, so it backs down. As they circle the dragon slowly, a camera shot from behind the pillars gives the entire chasm an eerie feeling. Very low strings are accompanied by a distant choir, helping achieve the sense of depth and mysterious grandeur of the situation. 

Once the group make their way to the door, motoric triplets begin. They are on a mission, and it looks as if they will be accomplishing the task they set out to do. 

The vault door closes behind them. Treasure is everywhere, and sparkling percussion play aleatorically in the distance. The 3-Note Motif begins. They are in the presence of a Horcrux, but do not know where in the vault it is yet. The music grows into a quote from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), bringing back the music from the first time Harry saw treasure in a vault beneath Gringotts. The 3-Note Motif from that moment is poignant now, as Harry sees it: Hufflepuff’s cup. The strings crescendo and decrescendo, almost as if to take a deep breath. 

Hermione knocks over a piece of treasure. It shakes violently, then multiplies into two, three, then four pieces. As the scene unfolds and treasure begins to multiply as it gets bumped by other objects, the music from Cornish Pixies as well as The Flying Keys supports the action. This is mostly a reprise of previously used material, minus some sync points and important transitions. Harry climbs to the cup, retrieves it, loses it, then Griphook forces him to trade the sword for it. 

The goblin’s intentions are clear now, and he begins to leave the trio behind. Outside the vault, Griphook makes his way past the dragon, standing back as she unfortunately roasts Bogrod. The orchestra blasts out a great big monster-movie moment, then the trio catches up. Guards appear from the bank above and begin shooting spells at them. 

More action music plays under the trio’s dire situation, until Hermione has a thought. Her theme gets a wild and loud reprise in the horns, and then she leaps onto the back of the dragon. Harry and Ron follow suit as a heroic yet perilous fanfare aids their leap. A large build-up leads to the moment where the dragon looks up towards the top of the cave, which is perhaps miles above them. A dim light from the sky above the bank’s ceiling window is poking through the darkness. Choir and harp give this moment a sense of wonder, as the dragon now sees a means of escape. 

The action music that began the cue now returns as several goblins on a cart are headed towards them. The dragon breaks the track, the music holds, and the goblins go flying down to their deaths. A long, minor chord sung in the choir and supported by trumpets holds out until the shot ends. An abrupt cut to the bank above sees business continuing as normal, with the workers unaware of what is going on beneath them. This cut is as abrupt as the one that began the sequence, bookending the vault scene nicely.