Originally Posted by shirlincairns

...The sorting hat would then be a sort of portkey... The fact that Neville had the sorting hat on his head and was being tortured... Neville seeing the snake and having been specifically informed by Harry that it must be killed must have been thinking " I have to kill the snake"... Also, the sword is a highly powerful magical object with the ability to slay ancient magical beasts (Basilisk Book 2)...