Disclaimer; I do not own either the Harry Potter series or characters neither do I own the X-Men series or characters.
A/N: *hands cookie over to ONIX-21 and Nafira* You deserve them for understanding where I'm going, but doesn't it make it that just teeny tiny bit more hilarious? And the best is to come...in later chapters! Thank you everyone for reviewing and I am very glad you are enjoying my fanfiction. It's as amusing writing it as having people enjoy reading it.
Warnings; Slash, M-preg, Teenagers (can't live with 'em, can't survive without 'em), may contain gore and lemons later on.
Jean went to find Teddy, the time approaching eight. She knew curfew was only at eleven on weekends, but she needed to talk to the child before time.
"Have you seen Tedrick?" she asked the children in general when she reached the recreational room.
"Isn't he usually holed up in the library all day?" replied John, having had to help look for the kid a few times during the first few weeks.
"Already checked," sighed Jean.
"Maybe his room," suggested Rogue.
"All afternoon?" replied Bobby with a frown, not having seen the child since his father had left and Logan arrived.
"Well, his family did jus' leave before the time they'd set. I'd be upset too," scolded him Rogue.
Bobby blushed, knowing he'd been put back in his place.
"Why you looking for him Jeannie?" asked Logan, sitting besides Rogue.
"He has to take some medication tonight and I just wanted to talk to him about that is all. I'll go check his room now."
She left, heading for the boys' dorm section. The children usually were two or three by rooms, all depending on how they got along and if there was enough students to double up. Only the older kids got separate rooms, but most were so used to being with someone else that they kept that way.
"Teddy? Are you in here?" asked Jean, peeking into the room with three beds.
The little boy was present, sitting by the window looking out. Jean frowned as she noticed how pallid his skin was.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Can I take my medication now?" asked back Teddy.
"Of course, but your dad didn't leave a dose, so I-"
"Two soup spoons and dad puts them in a shot glass so I can take it in one go," cut her off the seven-year-old.
Jean nodded, understanding the logic of it seeing as Harry had said it might make the child gag slightly. Teddy would never be able to take the taste twice in a row.
"I want you to sleep in the Infirmary tonight, so I can monitor you during the night. Is that alright?" she asked him.
Teddy nodded his head, getting up to go grab his pajamas. He followed her down to the medical unit and went to get changed in the adjoining bathroom. During that time, Jean went to see Hank, the blue Beast looking over a few chemical compounds, as far as she could see.
"Is there anything you need, Jean?" asked Hank without looking up.
"You've met Tedrick Potter, right?"
"I have briefly. Is there something the matter with him?"
"I'm not sure. During his father's visit today, he gave me a medication for Teddy to take before going to bed because he gets night terrors around this time of the month for three nights. Have you ever heard of something like that?"
Hank looked over at her, frowning. He easily located his calendar and looked at it.
"I haven't heard of anything resembling such a condition. And only three nights? How could he determine which three nights in specific?"
Hank continued to mumble questions to himself, even as he went to look through his psychology books, searching for night terrors.
Teddy came out of the bathroom and came to Jean's side, just standing there looking at Hank move around, not saying anything. She dropped one hand on his head and frowned, moving it to his forehead as she kneeled in front of him.
"You're hot, Teddy. Do you usually get fevers with your nightmares?" she questioned.
The boy nodded, leaning forward again her. She gently stood up with him in her arms and carried him to one of the beds and tucked him in under a blanket before going to get the iron bottle, a large spoon and a small glass. She slowly filled the spoon, afraid to put too much, making a face as a whiff of the of the brown concoction reached her nose.
"Here you go Teddy," she said as she handed him the glass.
The boy made a face, took in a deep breath, pinched his nose and tilted his head back as he took the liquid in his mouth, swallowing as fast as he could. He brought his head down slowly, still pinching his nose, not breathing for a few seconds more. When he let go, he started to cough, and just as warned, it sounded as if he was going to be sick, gagging slightly.
Jean settled on rubbing his back, reaching for a glass of water that he refused.
"Can't take water or juice or it'll not work," said the child.
Jean nodded and went to put away the iron bottle, peeking back to see Teddy had already cuddled down under the blanket and was deep asleep. Hank came to stand behind her and shook his head when she looked at him.
"Nothing relevant, especially not with a fever," he said, taking the bottle from Jean's hand. "I'll analyze a little sample of this, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead; I'm curious as to what is in it too."
Hank went back to the lab section of the medical unit, Jean taking a seat by the bed to pull an all nighters watching over Teddy, glad it was a Sunday the following day so she could at least nap once the boy was awake.
Beast closed most of the lights before leaving, a machine doing the work to decrypt the ingredients used to make the medication. Jean bade him good night, taking up a book she had brought to keep awake.
It was around eleven forty-seven that she heard a noise. Looking up, she saw that Teddy was frowning in his sleep and let out another whimper before his body gave a jerk. Sitting up straighter, Jean watched as his hands started to claw at the bed and sheets, his body shaking slightly with a jerk about every two minutes, the whimpers usually coming before one.
Worried, she placed her book down and went to the head of the bed, placing her hand on the boy's head. He gave a bigger jerk and she removed her hands, unsure if she should peek into his mind. Night terrors were quite different than normal nightmares, the person living them's body actually reacting to what was happening in the mind. Who knew how her own mind would interpret it all?
~Jean, don't!~
As she had reached forth to connect with Teddy, Charles' telepathy stopped her.
~He's in need of help!~ she replied, eyes still watching the suffering child.
~His mind is too troubled at the moment; it could seriously injure you.~
Lips pressing in a thin line, she moved back to her chair, keeping awake and watching as poor Teddy kept on fighting in his night terrors, only calming around five in the morning, his bottom lip being swollen from when his teeth clamped down on it.
XD|DX
Charles kept an eye on Teddy the whole night, keeping Jean from entering the dangerous realm of dreams. He only managed to rest once the child calmed, waking up four hours later when Teddy's groggy mind tore him from sleep.
Getting ready for the day, Charles made sure to order Jean to rest, assuring her he'd be monitoring their enigma boy while she slept, which turned out to be rather easy as Teddy settled down in his room to read a book.
He could tell the seven-year-old was deadly tired, the night having given Teddy no rest at all. It didn't even come as a surprise to him when the child simply forwent an actual lunch, munching down on a treat his father had left him.
"How is he?" Hank asked, having approached Charles at one point during the afternoon.
"On autopilot, I would say. He has no energy and I cannot discern if it is from the medication or his restless sleep," sighed the telepath.
"Both, I would say. I've received the analysis from the 'medication'. It is a mixture of herbs that barely have anything in common. One is even considered to be a lethal poison over time!" exclaimed the Beast.
Charles frowned, crossing his fingers together and resting his mouth against the side of them.
"In a continuous dose? Or does it accumulate in the system each time it is given?"
Hank blinked at the odd question.
"If it were continuously given. The body is able to dissipate small doses given a few days."
"In some cultures, poison is used as a minor cure for certain illnesses. It is believed a slow death will dispel an ailing suffering. Have you had a look at the night's video?"
Hank nodded, placing his hands behind his back and also looking out of the window from Charles' office.
"I have…it almost looked like young Tedrick was about to claw at himself. I…wish to monitor him a night without the medication, if you will allow. I do not believe his 'medication' to be a remedy at all."
Charles closed his eyes, afraid of what Hank was implying behind his words. How much could he just assume that Harry was perfectly alright with Teddy's mutant ability? Wasn't this proof of the man's hidden hate for what the child represented? Would his other children suffer such a fate were they to prove to be mutants also?
"You may proceed with the lack of medication this night. If nothing happens, we'll take the proper measures tomorrow to protect Tedrick from further harm," decided Charles.
"I'll give him a placebo, maybe mix most of the ingredients that aren't lethal together. I will also be the one staying awake with him this night. Jean does have classes tomorrow."
Charles nodded, Hank leaving to make the concoction needed to give Teddy.
XD|DX
Teddy went to the Infirmary at seven, looking around for Jean as she had been the one to give him the medication the night before. Hank noticed the child immediately and turned to him, smiling in a friendly way; sometimes it scared people even if that wasn't his intention.
"I'll be the one administering your medication tonight. Is that alright with you, Mr. Potter?" asked Hank.
"Mr. Potter is my dad; I'm either Tedrick, Teddy or Moonshine," grumbled Teddy, pouting. "Can I take my medication now? I'm very tired."
To prove so, Teddy's yawn looked at if it was about to unhinge his jaw.
"Of course you can take it now. Go sit down on the bed. Moonshine, you said? Why that nickname?"
As Hank talked, he poured the mixture he had made during the day in a small glass; two spoon full. Taking a smell, it highly resembled the other Teddy had been given previously.
"My real daddy's nickname was Moonie, while my dad's own dad was nicknamed Prongs. And dad's Godfather, who was my mum's cousin was nicknamed Padfoot. Daddy thought they would have wanted me to hold a nickname that linked me to my real dad. I like it too."
Hank blinked, not having expected such a long answer. It was actually surprising that the child's history wasn't hidden from him, like most adoptive family were prone to do with young children.
"Here you do, drink it all up now."
Teddy pinched his nose and knocked back the drink, holding his breath. He coughed slightly, but less than the previous time and the child frowned.
"Is something the matter?" asked Hank, seeing that the boy could tell this wasn't usual.
"Uncle usually makes a new batch each day. He says it doesn't keep well at all. He had to change the formula slightly so I could take it here…it really tastes different than yesterday."
"Your uncle makes the medicine?"
Teddy nodded with a proud smile.
"He's an apothecary! One of the bests! A lot of people go to him for herbal medicine because they can't take normal medicine. Too much chemicals, he says. Like me! They tried normal medicine before too, but nothing worked, so uncle Draco had to take my real dad's medicine and give me a different version of it."
Hank learned three things in that little monologue of the child. One; the child had an uncle who was an apothecary who made the poisonous substance. Two; the child revealed not reacting well to normal chemical substances. Three; the child's condition was supposedly inherited from his biological father.
The Beast was stumped as to what it could be! Instead of continuing asking the child questions, he simply covered him up properly with the blanket and left to go sit in the adjoining room. The camera would monitor the child's sleep and he would be able to hear should the boy be distressed in his sleep with his heightened hearing.
A/N: Thanks for reading and don't be shy to point out should I make any errors; I tend to be pretty bad at spotting them.