AN

I was reading a fic where Danny gets sorted into a Hogwarts house, and I wanted to do one where the crown of fire and the sorting hat get in an argument, so I wrote this. Danny was crowned king after defeating Pariah Dark, and the crown speaks in his head. Bold is the crown, italics is the sorting hat, and in quotes italics is Danny talking in his head.

The sea of students watched and occasionally cheered as the first years were sorted into their houses. Minerva had saved the exchange student for last, to give herself a chance to explain. "And finally, we have an exchange student from America, Fenton, Daniel" those close to him could hear hum mutter a correction of 'Danny'.

Danny approached the hat siting on the three-legged stool and put it on his head.

The sorting hat spoke aloud, the first time any present had seen it speak besides singing its song and calling out house names. "Would you please lower your mental barriers." Everyone gasped. To think that a fourteen-year-old boy would have mental barriers strong enough to keep out the sorting hat… the great hall was swathed in silence.

Sighing, Danny did as the hat required.

Ah, so that's why you have barriers.

Danny jumped as he heard the unfamiliar voice in his head, but the crown was quick to respond.

Why do you think he has barriers? Cause he felt left out when all his friends had them?

What are you!? The sorting hat was clearly astonished.

Crown of Fire, crown of the ghost king and advisor of his council, The crown introduced itself, who are you to prod in his majesty's head?

I am the sorting hat! I sort students into the proper houses, so their house matches their strongest quality. I need to see into his brain to know which quality is strongest!

Then you'll have to go through me! I protect Danny's mind from unwanted invaders, and according to me, you are an unwanted invader! You can explain to me the houses values and I'll tell you which one best fits Danny!

"Guys calm down," Danny sent trying to avoid an all out war, but he was too late.

The great hall was suddenly filled with a rush of magic, the sorting hat accessing all its latent magic to attempt to overpower the crown. The rush of magic was met halfway with a rush of ghostly power and fire. They clashed lengthwise down the room with Danny in the middle.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the green-tinted power shoved the red-tinted magic away and the sorting hat was overpowered by the Crown of Fire. All the excess magic in the room vanished and the two pieces of magical headwear continued using Danny's head as a debate club.

See! I can overpower you. You can't get past my defenses and after that stunt, there's no way I'll let you poke through his mind!

I need to see! Its my job to sort the students!

And it's my job to protect the king's mind!

I was given my job by the four founders!

I received my job from the High Draead himself!

"QUIT FIGHTING!" Danny roared at the ancient magical artifacts arguing like five-year-olds, "pretend to like each other for five seconds or however long it takes for me to get sorted into Hufflepuff and then by all means go back to your incredibly petty argument on whatever it is you guys are arguing about." He mumbled the last sentence to himself, then realized that he had said it out loud and the entire great hall, teachers and ghosts included, was staring at him as if he had just grown a second head.

"Uhh…" he tried to think a reasonable explanation, but it was hard with his head being used as a battlefield, so he just went with the truth, "the sorting hat doesn't like my crown and the feeling is mutual."

Suddenly, the Crown of Fire's flames flared high enough to be seen above the sorting hat. The flames got sucked into the sorting hat and it shouted "HUFFLEPUFF!", though only Danny noticed that it was in the voice the Crown of Fire always had. Some people noticed that it sounded strange, but just wrote it off as the argument's fault. Danny laughed nervously and elf concisely, put the sorting hat back on the stool, and made his way through the dead-silent hall to the Hufflepuff table.