Karkat Vantas And A Fucking Cherry-Red Stone.

Chapter two: Feelings and Logic Do Not Work Well Together.

A/N: Now the second chapter of my Fanfiction. Welcome back new and old readers. Enjoy! Oh and hey, Gamzee will not turn up in this chapter, only mentioned (hint hint) sorry. It just did not feel right. So instead, Karkat will meet him at Hogwarts.

"I'm home!" Karkat yelled, when he entered the house, making sure no one was nearby, while the front door was open. If somebody saw the white crab, it would only spread panic in the little town. Better avoid that.

Crabdad answered with his usual shrieking, but before he could greet Karkat properly (in a bone crushing hug), the boy had disappeared to his room. As soon he had closed his door behind him, he tossed himself on the bed, letting out a groan. To be honest, his bruises didn't even hurt, thanks god for magic, but the self-healing was draining, so he decided that a little nap would do him wonders. He pulled the duvet around him and was soon deep in sleep, every thought about the waiting nightmares, forgotten.

"Skreeeeeeeeik!" the sound startled Karkat out of his dreams. For a second, he was still in dreamland, but quickly woke up, by his father's calling. Not an emergency, just a reminder to wake up. Crabdad was about to leave for work, but Karkat let his mind wander to his dream for a minute.

It had been one of the worse, he knew. The nightmare was already fading, but he could still recall the blood-eyed man clearly. He remembered something about the man wanting Karkat to go with him, but when he had refused, the man had aimed his wand at Kankri and Crabdad and then… he woke.

Another screech sounded in the house and Karkat grumbled to himself.

"Why can't that fucking crab learn to wake people up, without scaring the shit out of them?" Karkat mumbled to himself, took on a black turtleneck and went downstairs, where his father waited beside Droog, who would babysit him, while Crabdad would go to the Ministry and help them out with whatever work they had for him. Sometimes, Karkat pictured his dad like a normal person, who went to work with a briefcase, a fedora hat and tie around his neck. That thought always made him smile, even just for a second.

Crabdad hugged him goodbye, before being put under a disillusion charm, where after he climbed into a big, white ministry van, so he would not be seen by the muggles. Karkat was used to this. It was his every day. He always had to make sure of that nobody saw Crabdad; nobody from the muggle society was allowed to come inside their house. In ways, Karkat was glad that he didn't have any friends, since he wouldn't have to lie to them, why they couldn't visit him. It made everything so much easier. He hoped it could change, when he came to Hogwarts. Meet somebody, who wouldn't be scared of Crabdad and perhaps even like him. See him for the gentle soul he was.

~naknaknak~

The days went over quickly, as did the day, when they went to Kings Cross to get Kankri. Nothing special happened. Karkat was by now used to the red train and the witches and wizards on Platform 9 ¾. A few days after, they celebrated Karkat's eleventh birthday, Droog was at their little party too, with his two daughters, Aradia and Damara Megido (they were probably named after their mother). Damara was a year under Kankri and hereby a year older than Karkat and Aradia, who also would start Hogwarts this year.

Damara was rather weird; she was wearing make-up even though that she was only twelve and too short clothes that exposed too much, but wasn't all. She had actually learned Japanese when she was young after a wish from their Japanese, muggle mother. It was all fine, if she just would stop talking it all the time. Of course she could talk English, but she didn't seem to care that she kept everybody else than her family outside her conversation. She was even so cheeky as asking Karkat questions on Japanese, so Aradia had to translate, until the younger girl got annoyed at it and asked her to stop.

Aradia on the other side was nice. Her hair was brown, but tangled into knots and Karkat even found a leaf in it a few times, her clothes was tattered and the colour was faded, but it all suited her and her weird aura. Karkat didn't know how to describe it. It just felt weird around her. Cold, even, like if there was something or someone more than just the girl. It all fitted together with her almost none-stop talking about death, which unnerved Karkat, but when you got closer to her, she was quite interesting after all. She told Karkat in all secret that, when they were finally out of Hogwarts, she would travel around the world and be on adventures. Her dream was childish, but Karkat thought it sounded cool, so in replace he told her his big dream about being a great leader and brave like his parents was. He told her that they were killed by Jack Noir, just because they were muggles. Even when Noir had told them to beg for their lives, that maybe, maybe he would kill them fast, they wouldn't. They stood strong. Even after minutes of different painful curses they wouldn't beg. Noir killed them after that. Leaving Kankri and Karkat alone. Aradia had frowned at the story. Yes, his parents were brave, but they were rather stupid too, not to ask for mercy, when they were tortured. They had stared at each other for ten minutes after that, both wanting to win the argument, until Karkat admitted that there was something right in it. Aradia cheered him a bit up by saying that he would do great as a leader. He didn't give up, until he realized that he was wrong.

The rest of the evening, Karkat was one big smile and he hoped that Aradia would continue to be his friend.

~naknaknak~

The guests had returned home and Karkat and Kankri sat in front of the fireplace. Karkat had asked about the Dark Lord, who had killed their parents, and hesitantly, Kankri began telling.

"Noir was once a noble man. In Hogwarts he was known as a kind boy, even though he was in Slytherin. He was always ready to help others and he was really intelligent. But now, everybody knows that it was all just an act. Jack Noir was just like his older brother, Calious Uranian, who was a heartless man that had almost sacrificed their sister in a ritual, while they were still in school. Noir changed his name somewhere in his life from Spades Slick Uranian to Jack Noir. He became a ruthless man, who stood strong in his believes. According to him, muggles should be slaughtered, like they once slaughtered us. When he got power, he even went as far to attack muggleborns, because of their parents. It was gruesome. There didn't go a week without an attack on a muggle village or a muggleborn house. Not even the half bloods were out of danger, but finally, almost ten years ago, a man stood up against this darkness. He found Noir's family; yes he had a wife and even a son. The wife was just as evil as her husband, even joining him at times in his massacre, the son was no different. Still a baby, his magic was filled with darkness and already able to kill. But the man, names James Egbert, found this family. He was so noble that he wouldn't even kill off these evil people. Instead, he gave Noir a choice; he could choose to stop fighting and get his family back, or continue the war and lose the only love he might ever find."

"What did he chose, then? He stopped the war?"

"No. He killed his own wife and son."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. He sent the killing curse at his own wife and son, but that is not even the worst part. After he had fired the curses, he blamed James Egbert, for the killings. Noir murdered James Egbert and his wife, Janelyn. After that, he disappeared. It is known that he somewhat realized that he had killed his own family and presumable killed himself by remorse. In ten years, nobody have seen or heard anything from him. But not everything went good again over the night. The after effect from the war was still to be dealt with. His followers, named The Felt, were locked in Azkaban, while the innocents he had forced to follow his commands were finally free from their bonds. Today we can thank James Egbert for the war's ending. If he hadn't found Noir's family, he would never have killed them off and would never have blamed himself to thereafter kill himself."

Karkat had a lot to think about now. How could anybody be so… so cruel (or insane) to actually murder their own family, just because he didn't want to lose? Karkat was just happy that it was over. It sounded like a horrible time to live in, and only to add to the fact that Karkat's own parents were killed by the same madman, which made Karkat ask his next question.

"Kankri? Do you… do you remember mom and dad?" he was not entirely sure, if Kankri would answer that question, but he just wanted to know. Get to know them a bit, even if he would never see them again. Truth be told, Karkat didn't miss them, how could he? He was only a year old, so how could he miss somebody he had never really ever met? Or in fact; couldn't remember? And they had Crabdad after all, but he just wanted to know. Know as much as possible. That would always be his weakness.

At once, Kankri looked unsure and a bit… afraid? Was Karkat not allowed to ask that question? but he truly couldn't fathom why. Even as a three year old, Kankri should be able to at least remember something. Karkat waited patiently, but his brother didn't say anything, instead, he just shrugged and left it as that. Knowing, that Kankri most likely wouldn't (or couldn't) tell much about it, he instead divided into safer topics, like Kankri's school year.

A Slytherin third year had apparently gone somewhat insane and cursed another third year (a Hufflepuff). The cursed girl and the Slytherin year boy had been friend since their first year, but the boy had one day snapped, and hit the girl with a Dark curse to her head that had the purpose of turning the victim deaf. The Hospital Wing hadn't been able to reverse the curse and had sent the Hufflepuff to St. Mungo's. The healers had searched through book in hopes of finding something that could negate it, heck they had even got a warrant to the Slytherin's house, in hopes to find the book, the boy had found the spell.

They found the book and the spell, but there was no cure. The girl would be permanently deaf. The girl's family had invested almost their whole fortune, in hopes the healers would be able to find a cure, or develop one. They still had to hope.

The boy had been found guilty in his trial, because he had every intention of hurting the girl, so far everybody could see, but the council was still concerned about the boy's mental health. He was expelled from Hogwarts and was to never return to, but had been sent permanently to one of St. Mungo's mindhealers. The family wanted the girl to be kept out of it and refused to let the press know of their name. Only the boy´s name was known; Kurloz Makara.

Kankri was now giving Karkat a lecture about thinking all his actions though before doing anything rash, even if he was angry, because with magic, you could end up, seriously hurting another student. The lecture actually lasted an hour and a half, but Karkat listened through it all. It was after all a good enough advice. Not that he was ever going to tell him that, of course.

The lecture led to Kankri's point, which he had waited to tell about until he was sure that Karkat followed him in his concerned thoughts: the Slytherin boy had a little brother, who was coming to Hogwarts this year and would therefore be Karkat's year mate. Under no circumstances, should Karkat interact with the boy. In fact, it would be best, if Karkat could keep himself as far away as possible. The soon-to-be Hogwarts student was named Gamzee Makara. Now, he at least know who he should avoid…

But the rest of the day, Karkat had a nagging feeling that something was wrong, and he kept caught the weird glances that Kankri threw him. Kankri looked like he was searching for something in Karkat's features. Something that wasn't good. Maybe the morning would bring new light to the case, or even better, the looks would cease all together.

~naknaknak~

The morning didn't bring anything better, as a matter of facts, it all got worse. Karkat tried to get more information about that Noir-guy, but Kankri paled and refused to tell him more and in fact, it would be better if Karkat never asked anyone else about him, or even saying his name. Ever. Better to call him He-Who-Is-Gone. Stupid. So if the bad guy should be called He-Who-Is-Gone, the good people should be called Those-Who-Are-Mindless-Sheep? Or Those-Who-Are-Scared-And-Stupid-Fucking-Sheep?

Karkat sighed. Why could nobody think properly? Nothing could happen by saying the name of a person, who was dead, or in hiding, unless they had a finding spell on the name or something like that, but even if that was the name, something should have happened every time somebody uttered that name. For example yesterday, when Kankri told Karkat his name.

But no, let us all fear a useless name, without a good reason. Yep. Perfect plan. Good work everybody. Now, I will open the fence and lead you all back to your enclosure. Good sheep.

"Dicknuts" Karkat muttered to himself, lucky that nobody was near to hear him speaking to himself. He realized that he had lost himself in his thoughts and hadn't been aware of that he had missed the last half hour of his romcom "How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days" and the roll credits were now showing on the screen. With another sigh, he turned off the television and without making a noise walked past the kitchen in hopes, Kankri wouldn't hear him and give him lectures, or pointers of how to behave at Hogwarts and to avoid the Slytherins at all cost, especially the younger Makara.

Kankri didn't hear him at all, but Karkat heard him.

"Yes, I know. I have seen how strong his accidental magic is. And if he is that strong, maybe he is also strong enough to actually break the Memory Barrier." Kankri's voice wasn't collected as usual, but so full of fear that if it wasn't for the words Kankri was sprouting, he would have reveled himself to try and calm down the older. But the words made him pause. Who was under a Memory Barrier? And why?

"I am just afraid that he will remember everything and realize the truth about him. Karkat is after all my brother. In some kind of way…" Where they talking about me? The truth about what? And who is "him"? There is a Memory Barrier on me? What was a Memory Barrier even? The thoughts washed through Karkat's mind with possibilities of what his brother's conversation could mean, when some other thing, Kankri had said went through his head. Karkat is after all my brother. In some kind of way.

In some kind of way?

Not knowing what to do, except of getting away, Karkat hurried up the stairs and into his room, where he shakily closed the door after him. He took a calming breath, not noticing his legs giving up under him and tried to remember himself not to panic, and instead thinking everything over. Every possibility. Minutes passed before he was able to calm himself enough to actually think logical. He knew from past experiences that logic helped you the most. Not emotions. They only made things harder. Like tears, when he admitted, he missed his parents. Tears didn't bring them back. Tears didn't make it better. They didn't close the whole he felt in his chest. They only made it bigger.

And anger. Anger was most likely the emotion, he felt the most, but that was not helping him either.

Logic, instead, told him that they were gone and would never come back. Logic told him, even if he found a miracle, they would most likely not even be the same. And he didn't even know them. He couldn't remember them at all. No, it was better to acknowledge that they were gone and if he ever met them, it would be when he died. Until then, he should not dwell on things that couldn't be and were gone. His parents would have wanted that.

Kankri. Karkat had known him as long, he could remember. Known him as his brother. Kankri had said something that could be read as them not being brothers. The feelings made that hurt and logic made him wonder.

They didn't look like each other at all. Karkat had black hair, pale features and red, freakish eyes. Kankri had brown hair, slightly tanned skin and brown eyes. Karkat would always be the shorter one. When Kankri was eleven he had been at least two inches taller than Karkat was now. It would make sense, if they weren't brothers. The childish part of Karkat made him think, even if they weren't brothers by blood, they would be by everything else. He didn't care.

That was a lie. He cared. It hurt. Not that they weren't brothers. Only a bit. It hurt a bit. But the thing that really hurt was the fact that they hadn't trusted him with that information. Kankri and Crabdad. They didn't trust him. He could have handled it. It would have bothered him. It would have hurt him, like it did now. He would be angry, but he would calm down. He would see reason.

Like now. in a minute. Yes, it wouldn't hurt so much in a minute. He could handle this. He would.

~naknaknak~

He was right. It didn't hurt so much now. Not after trying to calm himself down in almost twenty minutes. Twenty! How could it even take so long for him, just to think rational? To make the pain stop? But at last, he could feel the hurt, stabbing in his chest lessen. A bit by bit. Karkat scoffed, he was going to be a big pussy, if he kept this up. Needing a break, just because something doesn't go after his head? Hmmf! It was bad enough with his addiction to his romcoms. He kept telling himself that he was trying to figure out humans reactions in different situations, but he knew that he was lying. He was enjoying the fluffy and funny romance.

But he was getting off topic. So what, if he wasn't Kankri's brother? It would of course mean that they had different parents, but also solved his confusion about Kankri's unwillingness to talk about their supposed parents. If Kankri told him about, what he remembered from his own parents, and Karkat remembered something completely different, there would be a problem. And if he was told about, how Karkat's parents and how they looked, so the previous situation couldn't happen then… then what? What could the problem be in that? Why hadn't his brother told him about how Karkat's parents was? Was it guilt? It could be… unless he didn't know anything about them… but a three year old couldn't come up with a scheme like this. And for what? Have a fake little brother? Unlikely. And Crabdad just didn't seem like someone, who had the heart for it, no.

Yes… everything was beginning to make sense. The government! Of course! The Ministry of Magic had its finger deep into this. Yes, they probably rescued Kankri after his parents was killed (as he knew so far, the story could easily have happened, but you could never be too sure), they must have found Karkat. His parents could perhaps be dead too (not knowing for sure, yet) and knew that these boys would need a home, so they placed both of them with a Lusus.

Crabdad obviously knew about this lie, as Kankri was talking about it with him, so the only one they needed to fool was Karkat. Maybe the rest of the world to? Especially the wizarding world. But why? Why wasn't he allowed to know the truth? What was wrong with him or his parents that made the Ministry of Magic to take such a step?

Could it be his magic? The intensity of it?

Karkat was sure of one thing; he would find out the truth.

Second chapter done. Yes, dear Karkat is far more logical than in canon, but there is a reason for that. I hope you enjoyed this so please tell me, what you thought of it.

Over and Out – TL