Summary:

Set in the There Be Dragons, Harry Universe, this snippet is fills the prompt of "Wikhn Fluff" and more of "adopted Teddy".

Pairings:

Harry Potter x Harry's Bonded

Disclaimer:

I do not own any Harry Potter anything. That belongs to J.K. Rowling. I just like playing with Harry in my own little world of storyville. I make no money by writing this fanfiction. All original characters are my own.

Rating:

G – Suitable for children or teens/all readers.

WARNINGS: OC's. OOCness. TBDH Universe. AU. Other warnings will be added as I see fit.

A/N: I really wanted to write something today, but I've had a terrible time of it today. Got a couple hundred words in on Chapter 106 and then realized I wouldn't be able to finish it for today for the TBDH anniversary, so here's a snippet instead. I'm still working on the chapter. I wanted to write some fluff-because I seriously need it! and what better option than our favorite Dark Fae and adopted son, Teddy? ~Enjoy! -Scion

It's a nightmare.

Simple as that.

But Teddy wakes to absolute silence and the horrifying blackness that lingers from his dreamland.

It's been a while since the last nightmare, but even though he's gotten better—tonight, it's awful.

He squeezes his stuffed wolf in hopes of comfort, but in spite of the warming charm and magical heartbeat, it is nothing more than a toy and he feels this keenly.

The bed seems cold and hard—even though the sheets are smooth and the covers are soft.

For one long, terrible moment, he imagines that he can see the accusing eyes and evil laughter that lived in his dream.

And it's enough to send him tumbling from the bed and rushing for the door. He only wants his Da—whichever one of them is awake and strong enough to fight—nothing else matters right now.

Bursting into the hallway, he stares up and down the row of bedrooms. On his Mera's door, there's a soft purple glow—and that means his Mera is busy with things, so he should try later.

The door to the Pareyas' rooms are glowing bright red and Teddy knows this is because Fred and George got Snofel Fever—again. This time, Quinn and Ethan are nursing them back to health.

Which leaves—no. Hadrian isn't there.

And quite frankly, Teddy's not sure about waking up the rest of them.

But at the end of the hallway, there's one door that's a soft light green—and it's Wikhn's.

There's no hesitation there, when Teddy glances back to his own bedroom.

Yep. Definitely too scary there.

He's skittering down the hallway and slapping his hands on the glowing door for admittance. It flares white in recognition of him and temporarily vanishes, sending him tumbling into more blackness—the inside of Wikhn's strange room.

He's only been here twice—at least, that he can remember. Teddy gulps, lurching up to his feet.

Everything is darker than black here. He can't see more than a few steps in front of him—and that's only because there's a soft pink glow from the circular bed up ahead.

"Da—?" He calls out, cautiously.

Something shifts in the darkness ahead. More pink light spills out, lighting up a clear pathway to the bed.

"Da!"

There's something like a grunt, followed by a grumbling murmur and then a hiss.

Teddy licks his lips. He makes the warbling sound that Wikhn has taught him to use whenever he's not sure about something.

It works.

Warmth floods through the room and soft amber lights flare up along the ceiling. The room illuminated with gentle, calming lights that are just the right level of brightness of his tired eyes.

"Teddy?" Wikhn's voice is rough with sleep and the tip of his head is barely visible from the mound of blankets piled in the center.

It's easy to see him though, because of the fairy dust all over the entire room. It begins to glow and the brightest being there—is Wikhn. He sits up in bed, looking rather droopy, but somewhat coherent. A slight shower of sparkles continues to settle around him.

"Da!" Teddy launches himself forward and is magically caught. He wriggles a bit as he is magically floated over to the giant, round bed. The sparkles feel like little bits of laughter and hope.

"Hey little man," Wikhn stifles a yawn. He holds up the covers and cuts the floating spell.

Teddy drops onto the bed beside him with a squeak.

Wikhn doesn't answer the sound. He's mostly awake and definitely asleep, so functioning coherently will have to wait for a little bit. It's been a long week and he needs some rest. Especially if Hadrian's is in the mood for a revenge strike tomorrow on the scouted enemy camp.

He can sense that Teddy is fine—physically, so maybe they'll both get some sleep. It takes little effort to snuggle said child beside him, the covers surrounding them both.

Teddy makes no protest. He's trying to make sure the room is clear and nothing can get in. The room door has already reappeared and everything looks normal.

Normal enough, anyway.

Wikhn drowsily burrows back into the covers, shifting around to find his comfortable spot again. He remembers, belatedly, that he ought to say something. His mind searches for a suitable answer and turns out the first phrase that comes to mind. "Nightmare?"

No answer.

Teddy's trying not to think about it. He doesn't like remembering the bits that are too—real. Things like running and hiding from the Aurors and eating scraps out of the garbage cans.

It makes his tummy all queasy and that makes it hard to sleep.

"Okay then," Wikhn mumbles. "Talking tomorrow. Sleep now."

The lights cut and the room plunges back into darkness.

Teddy tries not to whimper, but it takes more than he expected. "…Da-!"

"Nothing's gonna get you here," Wikhn rumbles. He curls one arm around Teddy's shoulders and cuddles him close. "If it comes, I'll bite it."

A nervous giggle escapes.

"Go back to sleep."

"But Da-"

"If it bites me, I'll bite it twice." Wikhn mumbles, sleepily. "Just sleep."

"…It was scary."

"I'm sorry. But you're alright. It was just a dream." Wikhn hums. "You're safe now. Dreams and nightmares—no matter what they are, can't hurt you" He nuzzles the top of Teddy's head, noting the dampness. A freshening spell and a cooling spell, help to make both of them more comfortable.

Teddy yawns. That feels much better! He's glad he came to Wikhn after all. This is nice and comfy. Maybe it will be alright anyway. He should have brought Mr. Wolf but—

"Thinking too loud," Wikhn mumbles. He really wants to sleep, but the paternal instinct in him, won't allow a peaceful, deep sleep, unless Teddy is also sleeping. He focuses blearily on Teddy's favorite stuffed animal.

Mr. Wolf magically appears in Teddy's arms. He grins and hugs it close, settling in for the night. He won't be sleeping any time soon, but at least he'll be comfortable.

It's hard to sleep after a nightmare.

But he's sure that nothing can get him here. Wikhn sleeps soundly—when everything is alright. So that must mean that there's nothing to worry about.

A second arm curls around him—a relaxed grip—followed by a gentle protection spell woven over him. Teddy squirms, but waits until its complete.

Several minutes pass.

Teddy is still wide awake. He wants to sleep, but the terror of this nightmare clings to the corners of his exhausted mind. He doesn't have the energy to think happy things to make it go away.

Wikhn groans. He rouses himself enough to sit up and begins to wipe the sleep from his eyes. The room lights click on again, in the same muted level from before. The glow of the fairy dust begins to fade, now that said Fae is awake.

"Da?" Teddy's voice is small. He's curled into a little ball on the bed.

"Hot chocolate," Wikhn says, jaw cracking with another yawn he doesn't bother to hide. "C'mon little man." He stumbles off of the bed and holds out two hands.

Teddy uncurls enough to reach out—and squeaks when he's easily swept up into Wikhn's strong arms. He settles, pillowing one head on Wikhn's shoulder, Mr. Wolf sandwiched between them.

From the sound of things, Wikhn is taking him to the kitchen for Hot Chocolate.

That's nice.

They arrive in the kitchen, the night lights clicking on to give a soft, tolerable glow—rather than the usual blinding glare.

"Don't tell Quinn," Wikhn mutters. His fingers twitch to send out a soundless spell to mask everything in the kitchen.

Rummaging through the cupboard produces his favorite coffee mug and Teddy's striped one.

When he makes to set Teddy down on the counter—skinny arms wrap tightly around his neck. Wikhn nearly smiles, but he's too tired for that and he understands. Nightmares are not things easily forgotten. He fills the mugs from the sink, one-handed.

It isn't too hard.

The water in said mugs are warmed with a spell, while Wikhn retrieves the canister of Alec's imported Chocolate Drink mix. It's a deliciously smooth and chocolatey drink that makes everything feel warm and wonderful. Wikhn figures this will work nicely for Teddy.

Alec can whine about it in the morning, if he likes.

Wikhn knows he won't—because it's for Teddy.

"Marshmallows?" Teddy wants to know, peering down into the mugs from his vantage point.

"One handful each," Wikhn says, solemnly.

He proceeds to measure and mix the chocolate, before adding exactly one handful of marshmallows to each cup as promised.

Replacing all the ingredients in their respective places is as easy as a returning spell. Making sure the kitchen is just as clean as when they entered, Wikhn dims the lights and floats the mugs behind him.

He walks down the hallway and out through the sitting room, aiming for the upper balcony that overlooks the beach area. The wind is warm and summery up there and—he's left a hammock there from earlier in the day.

Stepping out onto the balcony is refreshing for both of them. The night are is warm and comforting, with hints of elemental magic teasing overhead. The sky is clear and sparkling, shining down with muted splendor. Teddy squints into the starry darkness, eyes adjusting slowly.

Wikhn moves about easily, checking the hammock for bugs and summoning pillows and blankets. He eases into the hammock and Teddy automatically curls up against him, reaching out for the floating mugs.

"Hang on-" Wikhn settles himself a bit more carefully—using it as an excuse to triple-check the wards. They're up and everything's fine, so that's good. "Here you go-" He makes sure Teddy has both hands wrapped around the mug and Mr. Wolf nestled beside him.

The sweet chocolate scent fills the air as the night wind blows gently around them. Up here, in this corner of the balcony, it is almost always like this—courtesy of a certain Bonded who prefers to sit out in nature.

Teddy enjoys the hot chocolate, slowly growing heavier and quieter, as he leans into Wikhn.

It's a tried and true remedy after all, Wikhn thinks, rather pleased. He banishes their mugs back to the sink and rubs one hand up and down Teddy's back.

That works even better.

Soon enough, Teddy is fast asleep.

In the darkness, Wikhn finally relaxes. He's kept watch on worse nights than this. What's a little missed sleep?

This is NOT TBDH-canon. I just wanted to write something for the TBDH anniversary today and this was all my brain could manage. :) RL has been an absolute bear lately, but I promise that chapter 106 is in progress and will post soon.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Some fluff is always a good thing. Thanks for your patience, and as always, THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ~Scion