Chapter 220: Discovery in the Cave
It wasn't surprising that Sirius held such thoughts. When he had been sent to Azkaban, his father had already passed away, and his mother had been gravely ill. She hadn't lasted long.
After he entered prison, he received news of her death. But at that time, he hadn't once considered how Phineas might be cared for. Now, after being rescued by Phineas, he felt a deep discomfort—an unshakable sense of guilt—if he didn't do something to make amends.
So, Sirius paid close attention to everything about Phineas and tried to understand him more deeply.
Years of suffering had taught Sirius many hard truths. Now, he had only two goals in life: to protect and stand by Harry and Phineas as they grew up.
Harry stared at the photo album in his hands, lost in thought. From the moment he first saw Phineas on the Hogwarts Express, he had sensed the boy's kindness, but he hadn't understood why.
Because of the situation with Snape, he had believed Ron's judgment completely and harbored doubts about Phineas. There had even been a time when he'd avoided speaking to him altogether. But now, seeing the photos and the careful records beside them, Harry found himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents. Perhaps Phineas truly was trustworthy. Perhaps not all Slytherins were dark wizards.
In the days that followed, Harry began to ask Sirius about Phineas. Surprisingly, Sirius didn't know his younger brother well at all. All he could say was that over the past eleven years, under Phineas's leadership, the Black family's influence and operations had changed dramatically.
Back in the cave, with no trace of Hufflepuff or her treasure to be found, Phineas ordered Puff and the house-elves to scour every inch of the place. Every rock and shard of ancient ice had to be cleared out.
The ice, having formed over decades—possibly centuries—was stubborn and difficult to melt. It took the elves the entire night just to make substantial progress.
Luckily, it was still the Christmas holidays, and Phineas's absence went unnoticed—well, almost. George and Fred might search for him in the Room of Requirement and discover he wasn't in the castle.
But the twins were used to Phineas disappearing from Hogwarts on occasion to deal with family matters. They wouldn't be surprised.
When the sun had risen high in the sky, close to noon, Puff came running up, eyes wide.
"Master, we discovered something strange in the cave."
The words jolted Phineas from his sleepy boredom. He immediately stood, eyes alert. "What did you find? Never mind—just take me there."
He followed Puff deep into the now-transformed cave.
The changes were drastic. No longer dark, damp, or cluttered with icicles, the cave had been transformed. Torches lined the stone walls at intervals, casting a bright, even glow over everything. The oppressive cold had been dispelled by magic, leaving the air as warm as summer.
Puff led Phineas to the deepest part of the cave and pointed to a flat stone wall.
"Master, the strange thing we found is here," he said, indicating the corners previously buried in ice.
Phineas observed the area and quickly realized something—ice had built up disproportionately in these two corners, not due to natural accumulation, but because something beneath had caused it.
Uncovered now were two stone platforms, shaped like the ends of a dining table. Though only fragments, the tables were adorned with plates, utensils, fruits, and cakes—all carved from stone, lifelike and vivid. They looked real enough to make one's mouth water.
"This place is definitely connected to Hufflepuff," Phineas murmured. "But still, no clues about the treasure."
He was disappointed, perhaps even a bit frustrated.
The other founders' treasures had been found through logic, intuition, or even sheer chance. Ravenclaw's had required reasoning and speculation. Gryffindor's had been discovered accidentally by the twins and solved with a bit of cleverness.
Slytherin's was surely in the Chamber of Secrets. That could be found once Harry opened it next year—or if Phineas activated his Parseltongue inheritance.
But Hufflepuff's legacy remained elusive, despite two years of tireless searching. Even the Hogwarts kitchens had yielded no real leads.
Puff had even spent an entire day combing the Forbidden Forest before finding this cave based on a hunch—one that now seemed to offer little in return.
Still, when disappointment threatened to overwhelm him, Phineas didn't give up. He had ordered the cave cleared, and now here was a new clue, however small.
The sculpted stone tables were proof the cave was linked to Hufflepuff, but again, no further clues. No map. No directions. Just vague symbolism.
Could this be another dead end?
Would he have to return to Hogwarts, wait for classes to resume, and sit back to watch Quirrell and Harry clash over the Philosopher's Stone? He didn't need the Stone—his goals were beyond immortality. The Elder Council had far better elixirs, offered freely to any wizard who reached the legendary rank.
No. He would not give up. Hufflepuff's legacy was the only mystery still unsolved—and he intended to crack it.
Phineas stepped closer to the sculpture on the left, inspecting it in detail. No magic. No mechanisms. Just perfectly sculpted dishes—plates, forks, knives, cups.
Disappointed again, he moved to the sculpture on the right, still hoping.
Then he noticed it.
The arrangement of tableware on both tables was subtly different. On the left were three plates, one bowl, three sets of cutlery, and three cups. On the right—three plates, one bowl, three cutlery sets, but only two cups.
A missing goblet.
That was the clue.
Phineas examined the spot more closely. The missing item was an ornate, short goblet. It was large—more like a trophy than a drinking cup.
And at that moment, a memory clicked into place.
The golden cup. Hufflepuff's cup.
It wasn't just a legend—Phineas knew it existed, and he knew exactly where it was.
The cup had once served in the Hogwarts kitchens, a magical artifact used by house-elves. After Hufflepuff's death, it was passed to her daughter and remained in the family for generations—until it reached Hepzibah Smith.
Smith, foolishly proud of her heritage, had once shown the cup to a young man named Tom Riddle.
After that, the cup vanished.
Phineas knew the truth. The house-elf Hokey had been manipulated by Riddle into killing Smith, and the golden cup had been turned into a Horcrux.
It now resided in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault in Gringotts.
Though it was unclear whether the cup itself led to Hufflepuff's treasure, Phineas was certain of one thing: this was the last clue he had. If there was any hope of discovering the legacy, the cup was the key.
But retrieving it would be no small feat.
Gringotts had a special system for vaults belonging to ancient wizarding families. Lestrange's vault, like that of the Black family, was located deep beneath the bank, near where the dragon was kept.
To reach it, one had to pass the Thief's Downfall—a waterfall that stripped away all magic and enchantments.
Beyond that, the vault was guarded by a blind, furious dragon that only retreated when a special instrument—possessed solely by Gringotts goblins—was played.
Finally, each high-security vault could only be opened by a specific goblin, assigned exclusively to that vault. Not even the vault's owner could open it without that goblin's presence.
Gringotts considered all goblin-made items—including gold—to be the rightful property of goblins. Wizards only had permission to use them.
It would be no easy task. But Phineas was determined.
Hufflepuff's golden cup was the only remaining link—and he would retrieve it.