Waxing Pale
Twin Kats
His lusus was overprotective, and Karkat would often curse about the overprotectiveness fondly. At the age of a sweep and a half, where most Trolls would already be wandering about their hives and be schoolfed on history, Karkat was instead being constantly cuddled and coddled. His giant crustacean did not let him make his own food, or even enter the nutritionblock without being clasped in his claws. Most days they watched romcom's that were ordered from a mail-in order form since Karkat wasn't allowed a husktop just yet. The young Troll's lusus refused to let him even use the pencil to fill in his requests, or touch the paper unless it was to point out which movies to mark out for delivery.
It was annoying, frustrating, and a bit embarrassing truthfully but Karkat wouldn't have it any other way. He liked his lusus, he liked that overprotective nature. It said a lot to Karkat that he was wanted and desired in ways that nobody else would ever show him for sweeps. Plus Karkat knew, and understood, that his lusus was just fearful of anyone or anything uncovering the truth about his blood color. Until such a time as the young Troll was able to fully coordinate his body—he pupated a sweep ago, but physical movement was still a long way off from being natural in this new, two-legged state—anything and everything in the hive was a potential risk at revealing his mutant status.
That his lusus, his dad in some respects, feared for his safety was a comfort that nothing would ever chance. So when he awoke with that odd dream rattling about in his think pan before it faded into obscurity, Karkat didn't fight much as his lusus carted him around the hive for the entire night. They watched romcom's, and in a safe environment Karkat practiced getting the hang of his awkward limbs. He got to play with his plastic threshecutioner sickles for a while until he had fully tired himself out by dawn.
Carefully the crustacean picked him up in its claws and carted him back to his respiteblock. Karkat was placed into his recuperacoon and relaxed into the sopor—he let the slime take him off into slumber, a small smile on his face.
When Karkat woke up it was to see the familiar nubby-horned face peering down at him from half-moon spectacles and smiling fondly.
"Welcome back," Albus said softly and Karkat frowned. The young troll sat up and shoved Albus' hands away; he bit his lip in confusion.
"Where the fuck am I?" he asked. "My lusus just..."
"Ah, yes," Albus chuckled lightly. "Give it some time, wriggler, and it will all make sense. Now, I do believe we have a feast to be getting to?"
Karkat looked up at Albus, completely confused. Hadn't he just been in his recuperacoon and tumbling off into sleep? Why was he here now? It made no sense whatsoever. Albus just smiled and offered a hand that Karkat grudgingly accepted. They walked passed a slumbering Pomfrey and out into the halls. Karkat ended up craning his neck to stare at everything with wide, shocked eyes. He even yelped when one of the paintings shouted a cheerful greeting.
Albus just chuckled and at his inquiring look replied, "This is all perfectly normal for Hogwarts."
"This schoolfeeding place is fucking insane," Karkat grumbled back.
Eventually they reached the entrance to the Great Hall and Albus looked down at Karkat. He had a fond smile on his face, even as he spoke.
"Now, Karkat, remember that here you will go by Harry Potter," Albus said, kneeling down until they were eye-level. "Also remember that no matter how much you desire to use that horribly triggering language and those albiest slurs it is in your best interest not to." Karkat glared and Albus sighed. "Keep it to a minimum."
"Fine," Karkat replied. He would only do so because the nubby-horned bastard was the only person here that he felt safe around entirely. Albus beamed, pleased.
"We might make you a fully functioning, prime example of society yet!" the elder said. Then pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh dear." He shook his head and stood. With a careful push of the doors, which were towering and tall to the point that Karkat was certain they were larger than the tallest highblood.
Inside there was a little chattering. Kids were lined up—not many left really just a handful—and waiting for a strict woman to call out their names. They placed on a hat, which took a varying amount of time to shout out something. When the doors opened the entirely hall went dead silent. Albus led Karkat to the end of the line and patted his head. Whispers rose up and broke out as Albus walked away from the line of First Years and sat down at the Head Table.
"Do continue, Professor McGonagall," Albus said lightly. Minerva cleared her throat and pulled up her list again.
"Potter, Harry," she called out, and then grimaced. What utterly perfect timing.
Karkat slipped out of line and the whispers became a rising torrent. He didn't know what he was doing, really, except that Minerva motioned for him to come forward so he did.
"This is the sorting ceremony, Mr. Potter," Minerva said softly. "Sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. You will be sorted into your house momentarily."
Karkat looked up at her warily, and just nodded once in response. He sat down on the stool and Minerva dropped the hat onto his head. It went down past his nose. Karkat tilted his head slightly and peered through the fabric of the hat. Was it supposed to do something? Why was it not shouting out a name?
"I apologize I am in a bit of pain, mostly because your thoughts are so loud that I have a headache I never knew I could get, wriggler." The voice wasn't said, and Karkat's gaze went wide. He didn't so much as think his words, as he actually screamed them out of his mouth.
"WHAT THE EVER PITYING FUCK?!" Karkat leaped from the chair and tugged the hat off his head. He stared at the thing in abject horror. For the moment he'd completely forgotten the terror that beguiled his mind and helped keep him silent, for the moment he'd completely forgotten where he was.
Albus had to resist the urge to place his palm to his forehead. He was of higher standards than a simple facepalm, or even a facepalm combo. He did not have a need to debase himself in such a manner. Minerva, standing next to Karkat who had begun to rant quite viciously about the invasion of his privacy while the hat shot back slightly condescending comments about the horrible cacophony of noise in Karkat's head, was having a mini heartattack. She dropped into a dead faint a second later.
Albus could no longer resist the urge to bury his face in his hands, and thus smacked both palms to his face and lowered his head. Honestly, he should have expected this outcome. Karkat was an uneducated wriggler that had no knowledge of how proper society should be. Let alone of how triggering his own words could be or even that, perhaps, he should watch himself for the sake of others. Karkat would not understand or know about this for quite some time, which Albus was well aware of.
Then there was the fact of how, exactly, the hat itself tended to react to certain stimulus. Albus had tried hard over the years as Headmaster to correct this awkward behavior to little success. Why he could even remember his own sorting, which had ended in a monologue until the hat had shouted "RAVENCLAW" just to shut him up. It was rather rude, Albus had thought then and still thought now.
As Albus stood to head down to the hat and Karkat, who were both cursing one another out in a very, very disturbingly black manner, Pamona and Filius raced down to check on Minerva. Albus himself came to a halt before Karkat and the hat. He opened his mouth and tried to put as much authority as he could into his words to be heard over the screeching of the young troll and magically gifted piece of clothing.
"I would ask that you please state trigger warnings-" Albus started, and the hat rounded on him in a quick break.
"Oh don't you start as well!" it roared, and Karkat quickly interjected with, "What the fuck is that supposed to mean you poor excuse for a head warming device?!"
Filius and Pamona were able to get Minerva roused just as the two way argument became a three way argument with Albus starting off on a rather long monologue and looking younger by the minute. His gaze was disdainful, just a bit, but he had a flash of youth about him that none of the teachers had seen in quite some time.
Once Minerva was helped to her feet, with Filius and Pamona making sure she was okay, the elder witch raised her wand and let off a horrible bang!
The hat, Karkat, and Albus shut up. Albus turned to open his mouth when Minerva beat him to it.
"Quiet!" she almost rasped. "Albus go sit back at the head table and keep your mouth shut. Mr. Potter, I will be extracting points from your house for such horrible language. Keep your tongue in your head and those words out of your sentences! And Hat...sort the bloody boy already!"
Minerva's words rang. The Great Hall, which had previously been curious whispers, was dead silent. Albus straightened himself up and marched right back to the head table with his head held high. He sat down, and almost instantly blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. He sagged, and looked just a bit older and a bit sheepish.
Karkat had the decent sense to look rather contrite for the telling off he'd gotten. He bowed his head, clenched his fists, and grit his teeth. The young troll said not a word aside from a sharp nod. He finally remembered just where he was, and the terror of a culling came back in full force. Karkat knew, logically, that getting worked up could easily show his blood color. He was close to revealing just how much of a mutant he was. So he kept quiet and worked on removing his inner turmoil.
The hat itself huffed and grumbled, "I refuse to sit on his head a moment longer. I shall have to sort him this way." It mulled over what little it was able to glean from Karkat's mind before the headache that it never knew it could have blossomed into existence. "He's got a loyal streak a mile wide, quite a bit of fear but that's mostly from misscommunication. Certainly more curious than any little brat I've ever met, with a great deal of caution. Sneaky as hell too if he wanted to be, good ambition there if a bit of a fanciful imagination. Brave too." It delved off into mumbles to itself, so quiet nobody could hear. A few words could be made out, but they didn't make much sense.
"Signless-child" "Knight of Blood" "leader" "moirail" "Gamzee" and "foolish" were among the few that loud enough to be picked up. After a minute longer debate to itself the hat seemed to nod.
"For being an ignorant little shit, with a giant complex that wishes to help as many people as he wants, and having a fools dream it had better be GRYFFINDOR. Good luck you little stain on existence."
The Great Hall was still dead silent. Never, in all the years at Hogwarts, had the Sorting Hat spoken in such a manner. It was unprecedented and completely unexpected. That last statement rang in everyone's ears for a minute longer. Karkat looked utterly confused as to what he was supposed to do next while the entire Great Hall, aside from Albus who had his face buried in his hands again, stared in silent shock.
Finally the Gryffindor table began to clap, hesitant at first, but then it got louder and louder until the Weasley Twins were crowing, "WE GOT POTTER, WE GOT POTTER," and Karkat shuffled over to the table making the loudest noise.
This schoolfeeding place was just weird.
In the distant future inside a Dream Bubble
Karkat sighed as he stared at the near prefect representation of the Great Hall. He wasn't sure if this was made from his memories, or from the other but it didn't quite matter. Just standing here tended to bring it all back. After that first initial sorting into the house of red and gold, foolishly brave, idiotic lions which perhaps was a bit fitting in some ironic way considering all that he'd learned about the Signless in these dream bubbles and Aranea Serket's nonstop story telling, Karkat eventually grew to not be so terrified of culling-bright red. In fact he gained some awkward sort of pride in the colors, red and gold, to the point that his customary anonymous grey was sometimes painful to stare at.
Karkat sighed again and ran his hands through his hair. Not that any of this mattered in the end; it was nothing more than a dream. A fools chance at an escape; he'd learned that later on.
"Still some of the best sweeps of my life," the troll said, gazing at the lion—why did that have to remind him so much of Nepeta?—and at the bright cull-worthy colors that made up Gryffindor house.
Behind him there was a slightly hesitant, slightly arrogant, "You really think so?" and Karkat felt his eye twitch.
Kankri Vantas, that nubby-horned bastard. He turned around and yes, there was the bright candy-red sweater and blank, white eyes that stared at him with a sort of pleased smile to his lips. Karkat couldn't hold back the upcurl to his lips when Kankri opened his mouth to talk. Instead he took one of his curled fists and punched the older, dead troll right in the kisser.
"That's for being a douchenozzle with no respect to your goddamned class you fuckass!" Karkat practically screeched and then tore off before Kankri could even speak.
Alone in the memory of the Great Hall Kankri blinked and felt his face. "What a horrible thing to say. Perhaps he needs to hear another sermon about his word choice and how they could very well be triggering to others. Such rude slurs...at the very least he could have warned about them."
His lips stung, and Kankri felt around the outside of his mouth and then inspected the inside. When he brought his hands back up there was the slight glistening of candy red.
"Hm, I wonder what I did to make him so upset at me," Kankri mused after a minute as he thought his form into something undamaged. "Really, he could have just told me if something I said was triggering in some manner. At least then I'd know to warn about it."
With a shake of his head Kankri gazed back at the Great Hall one last time, a slight fond smile crossing his lips, before he wandered off to find Karkat again. He had a sermon to preach.
Summary: Nobody is displeased to have more help against Lord English or Jack, but everybody is confused as to how this new group of humans showed up on the meteor hurtling through the Furthest Ring. Everybody except Karkat who is just cursing up a storm and facepalming. Repeatedly. Of course they'd crash the party. They can never leave well enough alone, can't they. / Potterstuck
Yeah, we time jumped a bit. Heheh, I couldn't help myself. Karkat REALLY wanted to punch Kankri for being an idiot, so he punched Kankri. Just a mild diversion, nothing more. Take what you will out of it.
But oh gods, Kankri, he just kind of took over towards the end of the chapter there when Karkat and the Hat didn't get along. I just...yeah. That became a clusterfuck rather quickly. I just...I have no words for what happened. I really don't.