Oh, and watch where you step. This article contains spoilers from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

To defeat Voldemort and rid the wizarding world of his hatred, every single one of his Horcruxes had to be destroyed. If even one remained, then Voldemort would be able to cling to what little life he had. Unfortunately, one of those Horcruxes happened to be locked away in Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault at Gringotts. A bank famous for being pretty impossible to break into (ignoring that slight blip of Quirrell’s futile attempt to retrieve the Philosopher’s Stone):

With such a strong stance on thievery, successfully stealing from Gringotts would need a heist of epic proportions and that’s exactly what Harry, Ron and Hermione did…

Of course they had to have an excellent plan

If you have watched any film with a heist or read a book about robbers or admire the tenacity of characters like Robin Hood, then you’ll know that no scheme can be successful without a detailed and well-thought-out plan – fail to prepare… prepare to fail! Harry, Ron and Hermione huddled in a tiny bedroom in Bill and Fleur’s home of Shell Cottage for weeks to do just that. They formulated their plan to find and retrieve the Horcrux, poring over every detail and only emerging at mealtimes. They did have a bit of help though…

It’s important to have someone with insider knowledge

Enter Griphook – who happened to be the Goblin that took Harry to his own vault the first time he visited the famous wizarding bank. Rescued from Malfoy Manor and recovering in Bill and Fleur’s home, this former Gringotts employee was key to reaching the Lestrange’s vault which (rather inconveniently) was located on one of the bank’s deepest levels and also happened to be one of the best protected.

A reluctant ally, that Harry had to do some careful negotiating with, without Griphook’s initial help, we highly doubt that the trio would have made it to the correct vault at all. Well, until he double-crossed them… it wouldn’t be a heist without a twist.

To be fair to Griphook, he didn’t have much reason to trust witches and wizards and Harry was playing fast and loose with the truth about when he was going to give the Goblin the sword of Gryffindor… but his betrayal was rather an inconvenience.

Don’t forget the brilliant disguises

When you’re trying to be sneaky you don’t want to actually look sneaky – especially if you’re the wizarding world’s most wanted as ‘Undesirable Number One’. It’s important to blend in. Magic makes that easier… and luckily Harry’s world was full of it! With Hermione dusting off her Polyjuice Potion skills to masquerade as Bellatrix Lestrange, Harry hidden under his Invisibility Cloak and Ron’s appearance altered to be unrecognisable, they strengthened their chances of being able to get to the vault without raising an alarm. Their disguises were so well thought out, Hermione even had Bellatrix’s wand in her possession.

Of course, it didn’t go entirely to plan. Ok, it was a disaster – with the magical waterfall known as the ‘Thief’s Downfall’ removing any trace of camouflage. However, the disguise did get them past the Goblins in the marble entrance hall. It did allow them to get into the belly of the bank. Plus, it gave them a much-needed head start.

Their talent certainly helped

Goblins, multiplying objects that burn and even a dragon – that was just some of what Harry, Ron and Hermione had to face in the bowels of Gringotts. A lesser witch or wizard would fail. These three, working as a team and using their collective talents, they could pull it off. The way they made a dramatic escape on the back of said dragon? Not only did they have the Horcrux and a mode of transportation to take them far away from the scene of the crime, but they also freed a majestic creature who had been treated horribly in the process – inspiring!

They had to be prepared to push a few moral boundaries

We will never condone the use of an Unforgivable Curse, but we also can understand why Harry felt compelled to use the Imperius Curse. Harry’s group was nearly rumbled from the start. Remember how we mentioned that they had their disguises planned to the last detail including Bellatrix’s wand? Yeah, that was a mistake. Both Bogrod (the Goblin at the desk) and Travers (the Death Eater they encountered in Diagon Alley and couldn’t shake) knew the real Bellatrix’s wand had been stolen. For Hermione to be holding it? She must be an imposter. Without Harry taking control of them? The mission would be over before it began. Possibly an example of the ends justifying the morally grey means?

There wasn’t another choice

We also wanted to flag that the trio didn’t have a choice. All Horcruxes had to be destroyed otherwise Voldemort could not be destroyed. Therefore, to save the entire wizarding world they had to rob the bank. Knowing that, we’re sure it only made them more determined to pull it off.

Finally, sometimes it’s just about luck

Luck? Everything went wrong! Technically… yes. However, Harry, Ron and Hermione still made it out of Gringotts with their lives, the Horcrux and were one step closer to ending Voldemort’s reign of terror for good. That’s what we call a successful heist.