The Sword of Gryffindor

[pippin_999]

No: HPFGUIDX 182585

> > Geoff:
> > This brings up a thought which came to me earlier today
> > after my last post. There has been much talk of a link
> > between the Hat and the sword of Gryffindor. One thing
> > which has been exercising me is the fact that the Hat
> > should be impartial and without bias when deciding to
> > which house new pupils should be allocated. So, this
> > begs the question: if someone in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw
> > or - heaven forbid - Slytherin <g> finds themselves in
> > a situation of calling for help, how does the Hat respond?
> >

Pippin:
Perhaps the Hat has a charm on it like the Room of Requirement,
and can conjure whatever the asker needs. But considering that
it was Gryffindor's hat, I think the charm which conjures the
sword was added to the hat after Gryffindor and Slytherin became
rivals. 

Since the legend of the Chamber had to start somewhere, someone
must have suspected that Slytherin had left something behind to
aid his true heir. 

I think Gryffindor  then arranged to aid a true member of
his own House  by charming the sword so it would appear inside
the hat "in need and in peril."

This might be a good place to tack on my speculation as to the
original powers of the Cup and the Locket. The Locket's easy,
it kept whatever was locked  in it safe from all magical harm, 
and it could only be opened by a parselmouth.  The Cup's harder,
but I think, giving Arthurian legend a JKR-ish  twist, that it must have
been a cup only the faithful could drink from. That would be a fitting 
property for Hufflepuff and also a suitable gift for Bella, Voldemort's
most faithful servant.

Pippin