Vater

Ron and Hermione walked into Borgin and Burkes, looking like any young, rich, arrogant pure-blood, while Harry slipped in with them in his invisibility cloak.

"Would you like that necklace, dear?" Ron asked Hermione casually, glancing at the most expensive-looking one.

"No, darling...I'd prefer something more...refined," Hermione replied, doing a perfect imitation of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Perhaps I can assist you," said Borgin, his voice oily. He had obviously sensed money.

"Well..." said Ron, looking around idly, "I am not really sure what she wants, you see...show her something pretty and dangerous, if you will."

"Of course, young sir."

Borgin led them to another room at the back. Harry, who had determined that there was nothing worthwhile in the outer room, followed them in. The moment he entered the room, he felt it. The Cup was here. Not in plain view, though, as a quick glance around the room confirmed, but hidden somewhere.

While Ron and Hermione kept Borgin distracted, Harry prowled about. As he reached the wall, a powerful wave of magic swept over him. He put his hand on the wall and drew back as it nearly burnt.

"Is this all you have?" he heard Hermione ask haughtily, "This is for children!"

Harry cast a silent Stupefy on the shop-keeper. Hermione quickly cast a Distracting charm over the place, so that no one would disturb them. Harry removed his cloak and stuffed it in his pocket.

"It is here," he said, pointing at the wall.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

Harry nodded.

"I feel a strange pull towards it; like I did for the locket or the diary - a familiar feeling..."

"Reducto!" Ron cried. The wall was blasted apart, but it flew back into its position, becoming the same as it was before. But they had seen the cup inside.

"How do we get to the sodding cup?" Ron complained, shuddering a little. The room was quite cold.

"Dementors!" Hermione hissed. Sure enough, a couple of them had materialised from the wall.

"Expecto Patronum!" yelled three voices simultaneously. The Dementors retreated into the wall.

"I'll try to Apparate in," Harry said, "you two figure out a way to get me out of there...try to blast the wall or something...send in your Patronus if I don't come out in ten minutes."

"Wait a sec," Ron said, "I think one of us ought to go with you."

"He's right," Hermione said.

"Look here..." Harry began angrily, but Ron cut him off with a gesture, while Hermione waved her wand at the wall and it suddenly became transparent. She gasped. Ron and Harry turned to look and their eyes widened.

It was a dark, dreary chamber with a table in the centre on which the cup rested. There were at least twenty Dementors surrounding it. The table was bordered by a ring of blue fire.

"This is bad," Hermione muttered. Harry snorted.

"Harry, try that curse detection spell you told us about - the one in the Potions book," she said, after trying out all the spells she knew about.

Harry cast the spell and writing appeared across the transparent wall.

Use your blood.

"Should've known," Harry grumbled, "he did that the last time as well." He took out his silver knife, but Hermione stopped him.

"Wait. Who's going in there?" she asked.

"I'll go with him," Ron said quickly.

"Very well," said Hermione, "give me one of the Extendable Ears, Ron. Keep the other with you. We'll be able to communicate. Harry, give me the knife. If you two are injured, it'll be easy for the Dementors to get hold of you. Let me give the blood."

Harry couldn't argue with her logic. He handed over the knife silently.

"I'll send my Patronus inside first. Then you two can Apparate in. Ron, help my otter to hold off the Dementors for a while. Harry, cast the Patron Circle; make sure you include the table in that. We'll see about the blue fire after that."

She sent in her Patronus, which passed through the wall without any problem. The Dementors backed off as the silver otter run around in a circle, clearing an area for Ron and Harry to Apparate into. Then she slit her arm and dropped some blood on the wall. Ron and Harry Apparated in immediately and put their plan into action. The Patron Circle held off the Dementors effectively.

"It is a cold fire," Ron observed, shooting forth a jet of water from his wand. Nothing happened.

Harry tried to summon the cup, but it failed. He tried the curse detection on the fire, but nothing happened.

"Try it on the table," Hermione suggested. Harry did, and black, red and purple smoke rose from the table.

"They're noxious! Bubble-head! RON!" Hermione yelled.

Ron quickly managed the bubble-head charm on himself and Harry. They both looked a little green.

"That was close," Ron said, breathing heavily.

Harry didn't reply. He tried all the curse detection spells he knew, and most of them got a reaction from the table. Ron kept a look out, muttering counters and putting up shields, with Hermione putting in ideas occasionally.

Finally, Harry decided that the table was safe. He took his phoenix form and disappeared, then appeared above the Cup. He picked up the Cup in his talons, but the moment he came in contact with it, he turned back into his human form and fell unconscious on the table, still clutching the Cup.

Ron turned into a horse and jumped high over the fire, landing near the table. He threw Harry across his back and jumped out. The horse came up to the transparent wall, which Hermione opened immediately with her blood, and stepped out. Ron changed back as Hermione turned the wall back into its former appearance.

"Take Harry and go. I'll Obliviate him," she pointed at Borgin, "remove the charms here and come."

Ron nodded worriedly, grabbed Harry's arm and Disapparated with a loud 'crack'.