======Sleeping Bag======
=====Object Information=====
  * **Type:** [[Bedding]], [[Camping Equipment]]
  * **Owners:** A common item owned or used by many, including [[Hogwarts]] students and staff, and specifically [[Harry Potter]], [[Ron Weasley]], and [[Hermione Granger]] during their hunt for [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]].
  * **Maker:** Not applicable; this is a general, mass-produced item.
=====Description and Appearance=====
A sleeping bag is a portable form of [[bedding]] designed for warmth and comfort when sleeping outdoors or away from a conventional bed. They are typically quilted or insulated and can be rolled up for easy transport.
In the wizarding world, they appear identical to their [[Muggle]] counterparts. The most notable examples described are the hundreds of purple sleeping bags magically summoned by [[Albus Dumbledore]] in the [[Great Hall]]. During the hunt for [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]], [[Harry Potter]] and his friends use standard sleeping bags inside their magically-expanded [[Perkins's old tent|tent]].
=====Magical Properties and Usage=====
While a sleeping bag itself is not inherently magical, it can be the subject of [[magic]]. The primary magical use seen in the series is their instantaneous creation through a powerful, non-verbal [[spell]] cast by [[Albus Dumbledore]]. With a wave of his [[wand]], he conjured hundreds of sleeping bags to accommodate the entire student body, suggesting they were either created from thin air ([[Conjuration]]) or summoned from a storage location.
Their main purpose, however, is mundane: providing a place to sleep. They are essential for [[camping]], as seen at the [[Quidditch World Cup]] and during the trio's year on the run.
=====History=====
Sleeping bags appear at several key moments throughout the series, often signifying a disruption of normal routine or a period of hardship.
  * **//Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//:** After [[Sirius Black]] successfully infiltrated [[Gryffindor Tower]] by slashing the [[Fat Lady]]'s portrait, [[Professor Dumbledore]] decided it was unsafe for students to sleep in their dormitories. He gathered the entire school in the [[Great Hall]], where he conjured hundreds of plush, purple sleeping bags. The students spent the night there, with prefects like [[Percy Weasley]] taking charge and professors patrolling the hall. It was during this night that [[Harry Potter]] overheard the conversation between [[Severus Snape]] and [[Dumbledore]] about Black's true target and the presence of [[Dementor|Dementors]] at the school.
  * **//Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire//:** Sleeping bags were common [[camping equipment]] used by attendees of the [[Quidditch World Cup]]. The [[Weasley]] family and their guests likely used them inside their magically enlarged [[Muggle]] tents at the campsite before it was attacked by [[Death Eaters]].
  * **//Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows//:** Sleeping bags became a symbol of the trio's difficult, nomadic life while hunting for [[Lord Voldemort]]'s [[Horcrux|Horcruxes]]. After fleeing the [[Ministry of Magic]], [[Harry]], [[Ron]], and [[Hermione]] lived out of a [[Perkins's old tent|tent]] protected by numerous enchantments. They relied on sleeping bags for warmth and a small measure of comfort during their months of isolation and constant danger.
=====Role in the Story=====
The sleeping bag serves as a potent symbol of temporary and often precarious shelter. In //Prisoner of Azkaban//, the sea of purple sleeping bags in the [[Great Hall]] visually represents the breach of [[Hogwarts]]'s security and the community's response to a shared threat. It transforms the grand hall from a place of feasting and ceremony into a massive, temporary dormitory, highlighting the seriousness of [[Sirius Black]]'s escape.
In //Deathly Hallows//, the sleeping bag's role is more personal and grim. It underscores the trio's homelessness and isolation from the wizarding world. Far from the communal safety of the [[Great Hall]], their individual sleeping bags represent a stripped-down existence, where basic survival is a daily struggle.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
In the film adaptation of //Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban//, the scene in the [[Great Hall]] features the purple sleeping bags as described in the book. The scene captures the sense of communal slumber and [[Dumbledore]]'s brief, reassuring speech to the students before they sleep (film).