CHAPTER 17

The whole room seemed to stand up to get a better look at the now old, but very normal hat on the floor. Draco, who was the closest, walked over and gingerly picked it up. There was no starch holding its point; it seemed to just be a limp rag.

"Um, Professor Dumbledore?" Draco started hesitantly.

Dumbledore walked forward and took the sorting hat from Draco.

"Continue with the feast," Dumbledore said to the whole room, and then turning back to Draco, "I think it would be best of you and your companions came with me to see Harry and Hermione."

"What is wrong with them, Professor?"
"It was a nerve effecting potion. It is very dangerous, but can easily be treated, and doesn't cause any damage unless left untreated for several hours."

Draco nodded and got the others to follow him and Dumbledore out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital Wing. When they got there, Harry and Hermione were both sleeping on beds, and Madam Pomfrey was mixing something in a small cauldron.

"Ah," Dumbledore said, "I see you have begun already."

"Yes Headmaster, they seemed to have gotten a lot on them. It was delivered in powder form."

"Do you have any idea how this may have happened?" Dumbledore asked the students.

They looked at each other and then back at Dumbledore.

"The Dementor attack on the train could have been the cause," Ginny said tentatively.

"What?" Dumbledore said slightly startled.

"We were attacked by a Dementor on the Hogwarts Express," Draco replied.

Dumbledore sighed, "I knew I should have done the spell work myself for that car."

"What do you mean?" Ron questioned.

"I have spells everywhere to alert me if something happens… but I did not have time to do them myself on the new car. I had Professor Flitwick do them, but he had never attempted those spells. They're very difficult," Dumbledore explained.

Madame Pomfrey carefully opened Harry's mouth and poured some of the liquid down his throat. He coughed and opened his eyes.

"Professor? What happened? What happened to Hermione?" Harry sat up.

"You both got a powder on you from the Dementor, which caused you to fall into a deep sleep that would have killed you, untreated," Dumbledore said quickly, "I can assure you Hermione is fine, but the sorting hat has gone. May I see your sword?"

Harry reached for the sword which was leaning against the bed he was in. He unsheathed it and handed it to Dumbledore. The jewel was pulsing softly.

Madame Pomfrey began to revive Hermione.

"What is it professor?" Harry looked at the jewel.

"I was merely checking something."

He handed it back to Harry.

"I fear that this year will be bringing a lot of challenges to all of you," Dumbledore looked serious. "Not that you are new to this. I suggest you begin, by taking into account the true history of this sword."

He walked out of the room quickly.

Hermione coughed and blinked slowly, "What happened…?"

They explained what had happened on the train, what had happened with the sorting hat, and what Dumbledore had told them.

"The true history?" Hermione asked no one in particular, "Could that mean that the sword did not belong to Godric Gryffindor?"

"I doubt it," Harry replied, sheathing the sword.

"And what about the sorting hat?" Ginny asked, "Do you think it was more than just to sort people into the right houses?"
"Maybe it was also some sort of defense for the castle," Luna suggested, "Dumbledore looked a little upset when it… left."

"Or maybe it's a secret weapon made by Godric," Ron joked.

"Maybe it's just a hat," Draco sneered.

"I don't know, but I want to go to the library as soon as possible to try to find out," Hermione said, looking at the pulsing jewel.

"You may leave now," Madame Pomfrey said, "There are no lasting effects, just try to eat a little…"

Harry and Hermione got out of their beds and walked out of the room, followed by the six other kids. By the time they got back down to the Hall, the feast was already over.

"Oh great," Ron said.

"We can't all fit under my invisibility cloak," Harry said, his green eyes a little lost.

"I have three," Draco responded teasingly.

"Right," Hermione said, "There's some food left. Everyone eat and meet in the common room at ten."

"Wait," Harry said, "Should I take the map?"

"Do you think we need it?" Ron asked.

"I think you should," Ginny said.

"What map?" Draco asked puzzled.

"Harry has a map of the school…" Ron said. "It shows everything, even where people are."

"That's how you've been sneaking around all these years without getting caught!"
"Um, yeah," Harry said.

They made their way back to the common room quickly, and Harry and Draco got their cloaks. Draco had gotten the password from some fifth year Gryffindors outsode of the common room.

At ten, they all met in the common room. Harry and Hermione got under Harry's cloak. Ron and Luna shared one of Draco's, Ginny and Draco another, and Neville and Melinda shared Draco's third cloak.

They slipped out of the common room, and Harry whispered to everyone that he would shoot sparks out of his wand occasionally so that they could see where he was.

Slowly, Harry led everyone the long way to the library, because Snape was in the corridor that would get them there quickly. After twenty minutes, they reached the library.

"Split into twos and search for any books on Godric Gryffindor," Hermione tossed off Harry's cloak. "We can't stay too long, because we have classes tomorrow."

Harry sighed and followed Hermione towards the biographical section of the library.

Draco and Ginny were searching through books on the castle's history. Ron and Luna glanced through works on ancient swords, and Neville and Melinda tried articles on ancient wizards.

Three and a half hours later, Hermione told everyone to go back to the common room. They had only found stuff that they already knew; the hat was left behind as a way to sort students. There was nothing at all on the founder's swords, except that they had each had one.