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"Nevertheless, as they climbed higher and higher, London unfurling below them like a grey-and-green map, Harry's overwhelming feeling was of gratitude for an escape that had seemed impossible. Crouching low over the beast's neck, he clung tight to the metallic scales, and the cool breeze was soothing on his burned and blistered skin, the dragon's wings beating the air like the sails of a windmill."
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger escape on the dragon.[src]

This dragon (more specifically part of the Ukrainian Ironbelly species) was used to guard several high-security vaults, including the Lestrange Vault, at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. It was encountered by Harry Potter and his friends when they infiltrated the bank in 1998, (in order to obtain a horcrux) although it is likely the dragon had been guarding the vaults for a long time prior to this. This dragon was trained to be tamed when he hears a sound in a way which Hermione thought was barbaric.

History

Early History

It is unknown when exactly this particular dragon was placed to guard the vaults it was assigned, but it is known that during this time it was trained to fear the sound of the Clankers as it expected pain upon hearing it, causing it to retreat and allow those with using the Clankers to access the vaults. This was most likely achieved using the process of classical conditioning. The dragon was aged and half-blind by the spring of 1998.

1998 Break-in of Gringotts

Harrypotter7-dragon-590x350

The Ukrainian Ironbelly escaping through the Gringotts marble hallway.

As Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione had been planning to break into the Lestrange Vault for a few weeks ahead of time, they fully expected to find the dragon and were able to use the Clankers (with the help of Imperiused goblin Bogrod) to drive it away and get into the vault.

After the goblin Griphook abandoned them and they were carried out of the vault in a cascade of treasure, Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped onto the back of this dragon in desperation to avoid the charging wizards and goblins. Hermione severed the dragon's chains and used a Gouging Spell to help the dragon carve its way out of the tunnel and toward the surface, at one point it broke part of the mine rail causing a cart to go flying off killing several wizards and goblins in it at the time. The other two pitched in, and the dragon crashed through the Gringotts hall, out into Diagon Alley, and took off.

Later life

Hermione: "What’ll happen to it, do you think? Will it be alright?"
Ron: "You sound like Hagrid. It’s a dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself. It’s us we need to worry about […] I don’t know how to break this to you, but I think they might have noticed we broke into Gringotts."
— Hermione and Ron discussing the dragon after they jump off the dragon.[src]

The trio soared on the back of the dragon for a while, but finally jumped off into a lake as the dragon lowered its flying height nearer to the water's surface to get a drink. Although Hermione expressed concern for leaving the dragon in the wild, Ron was confident it would be able to defend for itself without difficulty. It is unknown what happened to the dragon afterwards.

Physical appearance

Dragon attack Gringotts

The dragon breathing fire as it escaped

"A gigantic dragon was tethered to the ground in front of them, barring access to four or five of the deepest vaults in the place. The beast's scales had turned pale and flaky during its long incarceration under the ground; its eyes were milkily pink; both rear legs bore heavy cuffs from which chains led to enromous pegs driven deep into the rocky floor. Its great spiked wings, folded close to its body, would have filled the chamber if it spread them, and when it turned its ugly head toward them, it roared with a noise that made the rock tremble, opened its mouth, and spat a jet of fire that sent them running back up the passageway."
— Description of the dragon in 1998.[src]

The dragon was a large, savage creature with enormous spiked wings and an ugly head with partially blind eyes a milkily pink colour. Due to being underground for so long, the dragon's scales were pale and flaky, and it bore the marks of its brutal treatment from goblins: scars on its face made by vicious slashes across its face from, Harry guessed, hot swords. Nevertheless, its scales were described to bear the consistency of steel. Prior to its escape, both of its rear legs had heavy cuffs on them with chains leading to massive pegs driven far into the rocky floor of the subterranean chamber. The dragon's roar was said to make the rock tremble, and it was known to breathe jets of flame.

As an Ironbelly, it had some difficulty escaping from the bank, and took some time to stay aloft in mid-air after it was freed from its incarceration there.


Behind the scenes

"If Charlie was here, he'd know how to deal with this."
— Ron on Charlie's skills with dragons[src]

Appearances


London's wizarding quarter
England, Great Britain
Carkitt Market - Diagon Alley - Horizont Alley - Knockturn Alley
Diagon Alley
Shops

2nd Hand Brooms · Amanuensis Quills · Badeea Ali's uncle's tea shop · Bats! Bats! Bats! · Belcher's Bottled Beers · Bernie Balls Fireworks · Blinkhorn's workshop · Boogermongers · Boot and Shoemaker for Witches and Wizards · Brigg's Brooms · Bufo's · Broomstix · Broom Brakes Service · Broom Shop · Caput Mortuum · Cauldron Workshop · Cranville Quincey's Magical Junkshop · Creepy Scrawlers Stationers · Crispa Culpepper's Drugs & Preparations · Diagon Alley Arts Club · Diagon Alley cafés · The Diagon Dispensary · Eeylops Owl Emporium · Fine Enchanting Cauldrons · Flail & Hyde Furriers · Floo-Pow · Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour · Florist's stall · Flourish and Blotts · Gaberlunzie Garments · Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop · Grandma Gramercy's Grandiloquent Gramophones · The Harpy's Bazaar · Healer Shop · Herbert's Sherbets · J. Pippin's Potions · Janus Galloglass · Jimmy Kiddell's Wonderful Wands · The Junk Shop · Krakens · Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions · Madam Primpernelle's Beautifying Potions · The Magic Lantern · Magical Menagerie · Mandrake Mufflers · Marcus Minucius Myomancer · Mourning & Starr Armourers · Mr Milvus Grizedale, Kitemaker · Mr Mulpepper's Apothecary · Mr Trismus, Mouth Magician · Mulligrubs Materia Medica · Nell's Bells · Nollikins for Scrolls & Skins · Noltie's Botanical Novelties · Obscurus Books · Oldknowe Books · Ollivanders · Owl Post Office · Pettichaps · Potage's Cauldron Shop · Praedico Predico · Quality Quidditch Supplies · Rosa Lee Teabag · S. Starling · Scribbulus Writing Implements · Second-Hand Bookshop · Second-Hand Robes · Shrew & Scold's Bridal Wear · Slug & Jiggers Apothecary · Spindlewarps Wool Shop · Sugarplum's Sweets Shop · Surgical and Dental Operator · Tangle & Noils Wigmakers & Perruquiers · Tatoo Artist · The Three Sheets · Trading Card Shop · Tut's Nuts · Twilfitt and Tattings · Twinkle's Telescopes · Unidentified shop · Vietch's Leeches · Wand Showroom · Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes · What Larks! Songbird Specialists · Whizz Hard Books · Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment · Wynch & Tugg Movers · ZA Coffee

Other services

Brews and Stews · Daily Prophet's main office · Diagon Alley stalls · GalleLoans · Gold Pole · Gringotts Wizarding Bank · The Ministry Press · Ollivanders Wand Repair and Re-Tooling · Peter Boat · TerrorTours

Locations

1 Diagon Alley · 129b Diagon Alley · 18a Diagon Alley · 275 Diagon Alley · 343 Diagon Alley South · 521 Diagon Alley · 59 Diagon Alley · 92 Diagon Alley · 93 Diagon Alley · 94 Diagon Alley · Penny Haywood's flat

Known residents and shop employees

Archibald Bennett · Broom Shop shopkeeper · Badeea Ali · Badeea Ali's uncle · Clutterbuck Crispe · Cranville Quincey · Daily Prophet personnel · Edwin Avarus · Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour attendant · Fred Weasley · Garrick Ollivander · George Weasley · Healer · Jimmy Kiddell · J. Pippin · Penny Haywood · Penny Haywood's flatmate · Madam Primpernelle · Manager of Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop · Mulpepper · Podric Batworthy · Ronald Weasley · Shimmy Hardoteer · Sugarplum · Unidentified florist in Diagon Alley · Verity · Villanelle

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