The Smiths must still have the Hufflepuff Cup

[abergoat]

No: HPFGUIDX 156494

I'm sure this idea isn't new, but I'll try it anyway.

While posting thoughts about Eileen Prince and her possible connection
to the Ravenclaw relic it hit me: the Hufflepuff Cup must still be
with the Smiths. Hepizbah clearly says her family cannot wait to get
their hands on it, so if the cup wasn't in the house after she died
they would have thrown a collective fit. Precisely the situation that
Tom Riddle wanted to avoid. 

But the Smith family didn't know Hepizbah HAD the locket. Only Burkes
(or was it Borgin?) knew that because he sold it to her. Hepizbah
clearly states this distinction between the two artifacts. I suspect
we will find that Mr B met an untimely demise very quickly after
Hepizbah's death. Which gives a nice reason why Tom Riddle gave up his
post at Borgin and Burkes shortly thereafter. 

So my point is Dumbledore COULD NOT handle the cup without tipping his
hand - the Smith family would be involved. And I think we can safely
say that the cup is not hidden or even dangerous to handle, although
destroying the horcrux it contains is a different story I'm sure.

So the cup should be relatively easy, either ask the Smith family for
it or have a true Hufflepuff pull it out of the hat. But it probably
needs to be done last because Voldemort is likely to find out about
the 'problem' from the howls of the Smith family.

Abergoat