Strange Pairings: Sorting Hat/Mirror of Erised

Summary: Ever wonder about those really odd pairings on ? No? Well. Now you'll start. Volume 1 of the Strange Pairings series: The Sorting Hat and the Mirror of Erised.: What does Sorty see when he looks into the Mirror of Erised? What does the Mirror of Erised see when it looks into it's soul? Find out, by clicking on this story.:: Thanks, Enjoy! –Awesomegirl13

A/N: This story might be one of the weirdest things I've ever written. Just a warning. I'm actually pretty excited about it though, although I'm pretty sure you might all be afraid to review it by the end of this. Well, thanks for giving this a shot!

Disclaimer: I don't own the

wonderful work of J.K. Rowling.

It's a quiet night in the castle. Everyone is asleep, except for the people on hallway patrol, and even they don't care for a little old sorting hat. Here's the problem with Sorty: People love him when he's needed. They say, "Oh look, it's Sorty! Come on, we need you to stick some people into houses. Then we can shove you on a shelf for a year and not talk to you until we need you again!" It's quite an unhealthy relationship, plus being bad for his self esteem. This particular night he was feeling more lonely than usual, and decided to sneak out and party. Sorty waited long for Headmaster Dumbledore to go to sleep, then hopped off the shelf and out the door.

He hopped down the hall, hiding behind posts and inside rooms when he suspected someone of coming. If they saw him in the hall they might return him to his shelf, and he did not want to return to that place of sadness and plainness. He was hopping along, with no destination in mind, when he heard a boy coming. He ducked inside the nearest room. In the middle of the room sat a single mirror. It was beautiful. The craftsmanship! Suddenly the door opened up again. Sorty froze in fear, then darted into a dark corner.

Harry Potter walked into the room. He remembered Harry, possibly the most famous child to ever wear the Sorting Hat! He was a particularly tough choice when it came to houses. His immediate thoughts were to put the boy in Slytherin. He was a parseltongue, his father was a pureblood, and he had several qualities in him that Sorty hadn't seen since he placed the Dark Lord himself into Slytherin. Just as he was about to make his choice, the boy actually told him not to place him in Slytherin. At first Sorty was indignant about it. How dare he tell the Sorting Hat what to do? Eventually though, Sorty saw reason and decided to place Harry in Gryffindor. He hadn't seen Harry since.

The boy stood before the mirror, gazing into it. Sorty saw a single tear roll down his cheek. "Mom? Dad?" The young Potter child said, reaching out to touch the mirror. Sorty was too far away to see what the boy saw in the mirror. Just then Dumbledore walked into the room also. He caught his breath, and then laughed because he had no breath to catch. He sat as still as a hat, which was easy, because he was a hat. Then he listened. Dumbledore told Harry about how the mirror shows a persons deepest desire. Sorty was intrigued to say the least. Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw, and Dumbledore told him he saw himself wearing a new pair of socks, something that Sorty suspected was not true.

They both left the room.

Sorty hopped slowly and quietly towards the mirror. He closed his eyes, braced himself, stood in front of the mirror, and opened his eyes again. He saw himself. But not just himself, he saw himself being loved. Someone, something, was wearing him. He was smiling. He was loved. A tear ran down Sorty's cheek, and he understood the deep amount of emotion it could cause to see himself with what he'd always wanted. It sure does break a hat to see what he misses.

Meanwhile, the Mirror was lost in her thoughts. That boy—Erised had shown him his parents. Of course she knew about Harry Potter. Even in the land of Inanimate Objects, Harry Potter was legendary. The Mirror was cursed with the gift of Empathy, and she'd seen many a man go crazy by looking at her. The Mirror wasn't gifted, she was cursed. Then Dumbledore came in. This case brought her great pain, because when he stood in front of Erised, he saw his family. Whole. Undisturbed. Together.

They both left the room. A hat jumped in front of the mirror. Odd, considering she hadn't seen the hat in the room earlier. This is what she showed the hat: Love. For the first time in fifty years, the Mirror allowed itself to look into itself. She closed her eyes, and looked into her own soul. She saw the same thing the Hat saw: Love. Strange, that they both wanted the same thing. She looked out to the hat, and this time she showed the hat herself, the Mirror of Erised. They both saw each other.

Sorty had a moment of fear, not knowing what to think. She remembered what Dumbledore said. Looking into the mirror too long can cause a man to go mad wishing for what he wants. Sorty turned away. He couldn't do this to himself. No one could, no one would ever love him.

He left the room.

Many times he would return to that place, wishing to look into the Mirror again, but it was never meant to be. For the next time Sorty returned to the mirror, she was gone. The Mirror would never see the hat again, and vice versa.

Neither would ever find love.

The were inanimate.

They were broken.

They were mad.

All was not well.

A/N: So. How was that? I got a little teary eyed just writing it! Deep stuff right there. Yeahhh.

Hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the next story, it'll come up on my Profile soon enough! If you have any thoughts on pairings you might want to see, send me a PM! Thanks.

-Awesomegirl13