Skip to main content

harry potter - What are the ways of someone identifying him/herself at Gringotts?



We know by hand for two possible ways of how someone can identify himself as the owner of a vault in Gringotts.


The first one we know of, from the HP & PS were Harry goes to Gringotts with Hagrid and the second is giving Harry's vault key to the goblin.


Also, on the same scene we can see that another type of identification is with a "letter" (I am talking about the letter that Dumbledore gave to Hagrid in order him to extract the Philosopher's Stone) but I guess because it was Dumbledore asking that it was a "special" case and that wouldn't happen with normal people.


The third one we know is from HP & DH I-II at which point Harry, Ron & Hermione are going to Gringotts after using the Polyjuice potion and Hermione has the form of Bellatrix and the identification is being done by Bellatrix's wand.


What other known ways do we know of for "customers" identifying themselves to the Goblins in order to get access to their vaults?



Answer



Another way seems to be by appearance


When Harry goes to Gringotts shortly before beginning his second year, he is led to his vault by one of the bank employees, with no mention made of keys, letters, or wands, suggesting that the Gringotts goblins recognize some customers by their appearance, namely Harry and the Weasleys:



“Meet you back here,” Ron said to Hermione as the Weasleys and Harry were led off to their underground vaults by another Gringotts goblin.



—Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



Similarly, Griphook and Hermione seem to have planned for Hermione to present no identification, relying on the fact that the Gringotts employees would recognize Bellatrix:



“You have . . . identification?” asked the goblin.


“Identification? I-I have never been asked for identification before!” said Hermione.


“They know!” whispered Griphook in Harry’s ear, “They must have been warned there might be an imposter!”


—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows



This is not so extraordinary. The magical population of Britain numbers in the tens of thousands at the highest. The goblins that work at Gringotts can recognize the key to a given vault (though that may be because of secret markings).




"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.


The goblin looked at it closely.


"That seems to be in order."


—Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone



It certainly seems possible that they can remember the faces of all the people who do business with them.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - Did Dolores Umbridge Have Any Association with Voldemort (or Death Eaters) before His Return?

I noticed that Dolores Umbridge was born during the first Wizarding War, so it's very likely she wasn't a Death Eater then (but she is pretty evil -- who knows?). After that Voldemort was not around in a way that could affect many people, and most wouldn't know he was planning to rise again. During that time, and up through Voldemort's return (in Goblet of Fire ), did Umbridge have any connection with the Death Eaters or with Voldemort? Was she doing what she did on her own, or was it because of an association with Voldemort or his allies? Answer Dolores Umbridge was definitely not a good person. However, as Sirius points out, "the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters". Remember that he also says that he doesn't believe Umbridge to be a Death Eater, but that she's evil enough (or something like that). I think there are two strong reasons to believe that: Umbridge was proud to do everything according to the law, except when she trie...
Post a Comment
Read more

aliens - Interstellar Zoo story

I vaguely remember this story from my childhood: it was about an interstellar zoo that came to Earth with lots of bizarre and unusual species, and humans would file through and gape at all the crazy looking creatures from other planets. The twist came at the end when the perspective shifted to the other side of the bars and we discovered that the "creatures" were traveling through space on a kind of safari. They thought they were the visitors and we were the animals. Neither side knew that the other side thought they were the zoo creatures. Answer Got it. Zoo, by Edward D. Hoch. Published in 1958. Link to Publication History Link to PDF
Post a Comment
Read more

Could one of Voldemort's Death Eaters have killed or harmed Harry at Privet Drive?

In Order of the Phoenix , Dumbledore explains to Harry the protection that the Dursleys' home provides: While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years. Dumbledore says that he cannot be "touched or harmed by Voldemort". Does this mean that he could have sent a Death Eater to just bust down the door and kill Harry, assuming that Voldemort would allow them to? And even if he didn't want them to kill him, could they have harmed him in some other way (e.g. the Cruciatus Curse)? Answer No. Harry was protect...
Post a Comment
Read more