======Potter Vault======
=====Location Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Gringotts Vault]]
  * **Location:** [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]], [[Diagon Alley]], [[London]], [[England]]
  * **Owner/Residents:** [[Potter family]], primarily [[Harry Potter]]
  * **Key Features:** Vault 687, medium-security, opened with a small golden [[key]]
=====Description and History=====
The Potter Vault, designated as Vault 687, is the family [[vault]] of the [[Potter family]] located deep within [[Gringotts Wizarding Bank]]. To reach it, one must take a speeding [[cart]] through the cavernous tunnels beneath [[Gringotts]], guided by a [[goblin]]. The vault itself is a medium-security chamber; its door is unlocked not by [[enchantment]]s requiring a [[goblin]]'s touch, but by a small golden [[key]].
Inside, the vault is described as a small room piled high with mounds of wizarding currency: golden [[Galleon]]s, silver [[Sickle]]s, and bronze [[Knut]]s. This is the inheritance left to [[Harry Potter]] by his parents, [[James Potter]] and [[Lily Potter]], following their deaths at the hands of [[Lord Voldemort]].
The Potter family's wealth, stored within this [[vault]], originated centuries before Harry's time. The fortune was significantly augmented by several of Harry's ancestors, including Linfred of Stinchcombe, who created popular remedies that became the basis for potions like [[Skele-Gro]], and Fleamont Potter, Harry's grandfather, who quadrupled the family gold by inventing the magical [[Sleekeazy's Hair Potion]] (Pottermore).
=====Role in the Story=====
The Potter Vault is a significant location primarily in //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//. It represents [[Harry]]'s first tangible connection to his parents and the [[Wizarding World]] they belonged to. During his first visit to [[Diagon Alley]] with [[Rubeus Hagrid]], seeing the "small fortune" his parents left him is an overwhelming experience that solidifies his new identity as a [[wizard]]. He withdraws funds from this [[vault]] to purchase his first [[wand]], [[cauldron]], and other school supplies for [[Hogwarts]].
The [[vault]] is visited again in //Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets//, where Harry makes a withdrawal alongside the [[Weasley family]]. This scene serves to contrast the substantial Potter inheritance with the Weasleys' more modest financial situation, highlighting their differing circumstances.
Throughout the series, the vault serves as Harry's financial resource, allowing him independence. For instance, in //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, he is able to live comfortably at the [[Leaky Cauldron]] for several weeks before the start of term. The existence of his family's fortune also allows him to be exceptionally generous, most notably when he gives his 1,000-[[Galleon]] [[Triwizard Tournament]] winnings to [[Fred Weasley]] and [[George Weasley]], enabling them to start their joke shop, [[Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes]].
The security level of the Potter Vault (medium, requiring a key) is later contrasted with the high-security [[Lestrange Vault]], which requires a [[goblin]]'s touch and is guarded by a [[dragon]]. This comparison in //Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows// highlights the different tiers of protection within [[Gringotts]] and the nature of the families who own the vaults.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone//, the interior of the Potter Vault is depicted far more grandly than in the novel. Instead of a "small room," the film shows a vast cavern with enormous, neatly stacked columns of [[Galleon]]s, emphasizing the scale of the Potter fortune for cinematic effect (film).
Author [[J.K. Rowling]] provided extensive backstory on the Potter family's wealth on the Pottermore website. She detailed how the family was not descended from the Peverells in the male line, but that the family fortune came from the "hard work" of its magically inventive ancestors, explaining the source of the gold seen in Vault 687 (Pottermore).