Summary: One day, while the Dursleys were out, a neglected Harry Potter met someone. A boy by the name of Peter Pan, who takes him to Neverland where he discovers what it feels like to be loved. Pre-slash, Pre-Hogwarts. HP/PP crossover.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belong to J.K. Rowling and Peter Pan belongs to J.M. Barrie. No copyright/trademark infringement is intended and no profit is being made from the making of this story.
Chapter One – Going to Neverland
Harry curled into a ball, trying to make himself as small as possible. He whimpered at the loud noise from outside and tried to be brave. It was pouring, and he was stuck outside in the tool shed. One might ask why a ten-year-old boy would be sleeping in a tool shed instead of at home with his parents, but Harry was not a normal ten-year-old boy. According to his relatives—if you could call them that—he was an ungrateful freak that needed to be taught a lesson. While the Dursleys firmly believed they could squash the freakiness out of him, that was not the reason he was left outside. No, the reason he was outside in the rain was because they forgot about him.
Harry had been outside, tending to the garden, and was told not to come back inside until everything was done. It had taken him quite some time to finish all of the yard work, but he eventually finished.. When he had tried to go back inside, he’d found the back door locked and every light in the house turned off. The Dursleys had obviously turned in for the night, and little Harry was left outside. It had started pouring not long after that, and Harry had quickly looked for a place to stay. The shed was the only option Harry had unless he wished to stay out in the rain.
While he was grateful for the dry place, Harry was completely terrified of the shed. It was dark, and not in the good way. It wasn’t like his cupboard under the stairs, all small and safe and secure. No, the shed was big enough to hide other creatures in it, and Harry’s mind kept playing tricks on him. His small, malnourished body shook in fright at the many images he kept seeing. Possible scenarios flashed through his mind, and he shut his eyes tightly. Harry took deep breathes and tried to fall asleep. A sudden movement had Harry crying out.
‘It was only my imagination,’ Harry thought to himself, trying to catch his breath. ‘Nothing else is in here. It was only my imagination.’
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry noticed something moved again. He froze, his breathing getting heavier and faster. Whatever was in the shed with him moved again, and cold fear grabbed at Harry’s little heart. The thing moved closer to him, and Harry closed his eyes. He pretended to be asleep, hoping that whatever was there would leave. Something feather-light swept across his face in a caressing manner. Unconsciously, Harry leaned into the touch. Slowly, he opened his eyes a tiny bit. Seeing nothing, he opened them all the way. There was once again movement, but he found himself feeling less scared. Something poked him in the shoulder and Harry turned around.
The thing in there with him was completely black. It was the outline of a person, and Harry furrowed his brow. Just what exactly was this thing? Tentatively, Harry reached out to touch it. He noticed the thing do the same thing, and he jerked a little when they made contact.
“What are you?” he whispered. The thing cocked its head to the side. “Can’t you speak?”
It shook its head.
“Well, what are you?” Harry asked again, looking at it. The thing pointed to behind Harry, and the small boy turned. He saw nothing but his own shadow. “You’re a shadow?” he asked, understanding filling his eyes.
It shook its head ‘yes’.
“Well, who’s shadow are you? Don’t you belong to somebody? Where is he? You are a ‘he’, right?”
The thing’s shoulders shook in a way that made Harry think it was laughing. It nodded its head, and Harry grinned a little before frowning.
“How did you end up over here? If my relatives see you, you’ll get in trouble! You should hide until whoever owns you comes back to get you,” Harry informed the shadow happily. “This is really weird. I’ve never met a shadow before. Maybe it’s magic?” His green eyes grew wide. “You know, my relatives say there’s no such thing as magic. They say that magic doesn’t exist, but they must be wrong. Lots of things have happened to me before that seem like magic. There was a time when I accidentally turned my teacher’s hair blue. Oh, and there was the time when—”
The shadow put its hand over Harry’s mouth. Harry blushed, realizing he had been rambling. The shadow seemed to chuckle, and removed its hand from Harry’s mouth.
“Sorry,” mumbled Harry. “Well, I’m going to go to sleep right now, so if you want, you could sleep next to me. Shadows sleep, don’t they? Well, good night.”
Harry smiled at the shadow before curling into a ball again. He shivered, his wet clothes making him very cold. Sitting up, Harry stripped until he only had on Dudley’s oversized underwear. There was a small, oily rag on top of a box, and Harry used it to dry his tired body. Sighing, he laid back down and attempted to go to sleep. He was still cold, and light tremors traveled down his body. One of Harry’s eyes opened when he felt the shadow place its being atop him. Harry smiled and fell asleep, feeling very warm and safe.
When Harry awoke the next day, it was to muffled noises coming from the Dursley household. He was confused for a moment before remembering how he got caught in the storm. Harry tried to sit up, but his body felt like it weighed a ton. Groaning, Harry vaguely realized that he didn’t feel so good. His stomach and throat hurt, and his head was spinning. Looking around, he noticed that the shadow was gone, or possibly hiding. Harry coughed weakly when the shed opened to reveal a disheveled Aunt Petunia.
“Vernon, the boy is in here!” she called out to her husband before glaring at her nephew. “Boy, why weren’t you in your cupboard this morning? Because of you, my Dudders had to wait for his breakfast!”
Harry attempted to reply, but all he could manage was a weak groan. Petunia’s eyes narrowed before she walked over to him. Feeling his flushed forehead, Petunia paled considerably.
“What’s going on here?” Petunia turned to look at her husband. “What’s the matter, Pet?”
“Vernon, he has a fever. What if they come by to check on him?” Vernon paled as well.
“Now, Pet, don’t be ridiculous. They haven’t checked on him in years,” the large man tried to reassure.
“What if they decide to check on him since it’s close to his eleventh birthday? What’ll we do then?” Petunia snapped, distraught.
“No, no, they won’t ever find out. We’ll bring the boy inside, make sure he gets better, and this whole thing will be forgotten.” Petunia nodded her head.
“Yes, you’re right. Oh, I’m sorry for getting angry at you, dear. It’s just, I don’t want them to come here and have our Dudders exposed to even more of their freakishness.”
“I understand, Pet. Here, I’ll take the boy inside. Then we can forget the entire thing ever happened.”
Vernon picked up Harry almost carefully, sneering at the delusional boy. He didn’t notice the shadow that had stayed with Harry the night previous hide in Harry’s shadow. Petunia grabbed the sopping wet clothes and followed her husband, closing the shed. She made sure none of the neighbors noticed them, and breathed a sigh of relief. Vernon took their nephew upstairs and placed him on a tiny mattress in Dudley’s second bedroom.
“Vernon, maybe we should call the doctor,” Petunia said quietly, looking disdainfully at her pitiful nephew. “The sooner he gets better, the lesser the chance those freaks will come to check up on him.” Vernon looked like he’d swallowed a lemon.
“Are you sure, Pet?”
“I’m sure,” she snapped. “And when the doctor asks how this happened, we’ll tell him that the boy played in the rain despite us sending him to bed.”
“Alright, Pet. If you’re sure,” Vernon said, sneering at his nephew one last time before going downstairs to make the phone call. Petunia took one last look at her husband before going downstairs to get the boy some soup and ginger ale. They had to at least make it look like the boy was loved and cared for.
Harry moaned pitifully in pain. His head was spinning, and he felt like he was going to throw up any minute now. Looking around weakly, he realized that he was not in his cupboard under the stairs. No, the bed he was laying on was much more comfortable than the springy cot he was forced to sleep on daily, and while the place he was in was dark, it wasn’t as dark as his cupboard. Harry’s green eyes widened as he suddenly erupted into a fit of coughs, making his body shake in pain. The door to the room he was in opened and somebody was holding his arms up.
“Keep your arms up,” snapped the voice. Harry barely recognized it as Aunt Petunia’s. When he stopped coughing, his aunt shoved something in his hand. “Swallow the pill with this,” she instructed, handing him a glass of ginger ale. Harry took it and did as he was told, his arms shaking. He managed to drink down everything without spilling it once, and Aunt Petunia snatched the glass away. She forced him to lay back down, and she placed a cool rag on his forehead before leaving, mumbling the whole way.
Harry’s eyes caught the faintest of movements, and he looked at the source. The shadow was with him, and Harry’s heart swelled with warmth. Maybe the shadow could be his first friend? Harry smiled weakly at it and closed his eyes. He could feel the shadow wrap itself around him like it had done last night, and Harry felt giddy. This was his friend—his first friend ever! Of course, he wondered if other people had shadows for friends. Harry snorted. If they did, it’s not like he could just go up to somebody and ask them. They’d probably think he was crazy and the Dursleys would most definitely agree with them and send him off to the Happy Hotel.
“You’re still here,” Harry whispered, regretting it immediately when his mouth and throat felt like it was on fire. The shadow put a finger to Harry’s lips, signaling him to not speak until he was better. It nodded reassuringly and wrapped itself around Harry once more. Harry smiled happily and closed his eyes, falling asleep instantly.
It took Harry almost a full week to recover, and thankfully, the shadow stayed by his side the entire time. Of course, the Dursleys had yet to discover that he’d made a friend. He hoped they never found out; he liked his new friend. It was nice to have somebody to play with. The shadow, as if sensing the disturbing thoughts practically radiating off of him, wound its body around Harry’s in a comforting way. Harry smiled sadly at the shadow. He felt bad for thinking this, but a part of him wished the owner would never come for it.
***
Peter happily flew across the skies of London. Beside him Tinker Bell rolled her eyes. They flew quickly to Little Whining, Surrey. Seeing the familiar place, Peter flew ahead to look for the precise house. Normally, he could tell which of the perfect houses was the one he was looking for because he would be out in the garden, tending to the plants. Not this time, though. No, this time the pretty boy with the gorgeous green eyes was not out there.
Peter quickly hid behind a roof as the door to one of the houses opened and familiar people stepped out. He scowled as he recognized the very large man and very ugly woman that always yelled at the boy, and the large bully that always chased and beat up the boy. They were apparently going out somewhere, and Peter began to grin. If they were going out, that could only mean one thing.
The very pretty boy with the big green eyes would be home. Alone.
Peter watched eagerly as the horrid family entered a rather impressive car and drove off. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. With those people out of the way, he could finally meet the small, green-eyed beauty. Tinker Bell tapped Peter on the shoulder.
◦Are we going to go in or not?◦
Peter grinned. ◦Of course we are! And then we can see him again. I wonder why he wasn’t gardening today?◦
◦Let’s not forget your shadow got away again.◦
◦Oh yeah, I almost forgot,◦ Peter said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Tinker Bell rolled her eyes again.
◦Of course you did. Let’s go before those people come back.◦
Peter frowned at the thought of those horrible people coming back. He didn’t like them, not one bit. ◦You’re right, let’s go!◦
They flew into the backyard of Number 4, Privet Drive. Peter walked to the back door and wasn’t surprised that it didn’t open. Tinker Bell hurriedly fit through the key hole and, with some difficulty, turned the lock. Peter entered the house and his nose wrinkled in disgust. On the walls were many pictures of the horrid family, but none of the pretty boy that captured his attention. That was very peculiar because he knew for a fact hat the boy lived with these people.
◦Perhaps we should look for your shadow first. Maybe it’s seen the boy.◦
Peter nodded his head, deciding that Tinker Bell’s idea was a lot better than panicking, which was something he was so not doing. Closing his eyes, Peter could sense his shadow was on the top floor. Tinker Bell followed him up the stairs and into a room. It was pretty dark inside with only Tinker Bell as a light source until he switched a lamp on.
Peter’s breath caught in his throat. There was the boy, looking as beautiful as ever. He was sleeping and his dark locks framed his pale face. His lids were closed, hiding his dazzling emerald eyes and revealing long, girlish eyelashes. Peter’s eyes traveled to the soft-looking pink lips and his heart fluttered unfamiliarly. A heavy blush danced across his face.
The boy groaned, causing Peter to freeze. Tinker Bell hid behind Peter before peeking over his shoulder. Her eyes widened and she began pointing in a frantic manner. Peter looked at where she was pointing and his eyes widened as well. His shadow was curled around the boy, and he felt insanely jealous before promptly shaking his head. Jealous of his own shadow—how stupid. Then again, said shadow had a mind of its own.
As if on cue his shadow woke up and untangled itself from the boy. Peter tried to grab it, but his shadow was too quick. It went on top of the ceiling and teased him, seemingly blowing a raspberry.
“Come down here!” Peter growled, glaring at the shadow. It shook its head and continued to mock him. Peter jumped up and caught the shadow’s foot. The shadow tried to break free of Peter’s hold, but wouldn’t let up.
“Who are you?” Peter and his shadow froze before turning to look at the boy.
“Um,” Peter started.
“Is that your shadow?” the boy asked politely, receiving a dumb nod. “Do you need help getting it to stick?”
“Well, yeah,” Peter said sheepishly. The boy smiled widely at him.
“I’ll be right back, stay right here,” he said as he left the room. He came back a couple of minutes later with a needle, thread, and a thimble. For once, Harry was thankful that Aunt Petunia made him learn to sew and cook.
“How come you didn’t look surprised when you saw me here?” Peter asked as the boy began to sew on his shadow.
“Well, I figured whoever the shadow belonged to would come back for it,” was the quiet, detached reply. “What’s your name?”
“Me? I’m Peter Pan.”
“Nice to meet you, Peter. My name is Harry Potter, but you can call me Harry. I hope you don’t mind, but I have a question to ask you.”
“Oh,” Peter said. “Sure, what is it?”
“How did your shadow get separated from you?” Harry asked, looking at him curiously.
“Well, I was leaving when that stupid rain storm started. I went to leave, but I got hit by lighting and my shadow got separated from me,” Peter explained in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Hit by lightning?” Harry squeaked. “Are you alright? How did you survive?"
“I’m fine,” Peter said, grinning. “It was nothing, really.”
“All done,” Harry said. He cut off the remaining bit of thread and took off the thimble before watching Peter make sure the shadow was on securely.
“Thank you,” Peter said.
“You’re welcome,” Harry replied, standing up and putting away his sewing tools. He refused to look at Peter, and his expression was downcast.
“What’s the matter?” Peter asked, frowning lightly.
“It’s nothing,” Harry said, his voice tight.
“If it was nothing, you wouldn’t be like this.” Peter bent down so he could look Harry in the face. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
“Well, it’s just ... your shadow was my only friend. And now you’re going away,” Harry confessed. Peter looked at him softly.
“Why don’t you come back with me?” he asked, causing Harry’s head to snap upwards.
“Go back with you? Go back where?” the smaller boy questioned.
“To Neverland, of course!”
“Neverland? Where’s that?”
“You know where that giant clock in London is, don’t you? Well, we go second to the right and then straight on till morning,” Peter responded eagerly, his brown eyes shining joyously. “And you can come with me and Tink!”
“Who’s Tink?” Harry asked, his nose scrunched up in confusion.
“Tinker Bell, of course. She’s a fairy,” Peter explained. Tinker Bell, who had been forgotten until now, flew to Peter’s shoulder.
◦Is he coming with us, Peter?◦
“What is she doing?” Harry asked.
“She’s talking in fairy language. She asked if you’re coming with us.”
“Well,” Harry said as he wrung his hands, “I don’t know how to get there.”
“We fly there, of course!”
“Fly?” Harry’s eyes bulged. “You can fly?”
“I fly all the time,” Peter boasted, puffing his chest slightly in pride. “And don’t worry; I’ll teach you how to fly. All you need is a little bit of pixie dust and to think happy thoughts.”
Tinker Bell sprinkled some dust on Harry, offering him a wide smile. ◦Try it,◦ she encouraged, despite the fact that he couldn’t understand her.
Harry closed his eyes and tried to think of happy thoughts. To be completely honest, he had none. The Dursleys hated him and made sure his life was miserable. He scanned his brain for a happy thought, and the night in the shed came to mind. He had been so happy when the shadow agreed to be his first friend. Harry began to smile, unknowingly floating in the air. When he opened his eyes, he realized that he wasn’t on the ground and he panicked. Peter held onto Harry’s hands, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat, and held him steady.
“See? You got it already!” he said, grinning madly. Harry blushed heavily from both the compliment and the way Peter was gently holding his hands.
“Will your parents mind if I go?” Harry asked nervously.
“I don’t have parents,” Peter replied.
“I’m sorry,” Harry apologized, offering Peter a quick hug. “I don’t have any parents either.”
“What about the people you live with?”
“The Dursleys? No, I live with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. I’m sure they won’t even notice that I’m gone,” Harry replied. Peter couldn’t imagine why, but decided not to ask, seeing how down Harry looked.
“Well, we’ll have lots of fun at Neverland! And we don’t have to ever grow up!”
“Really?” Peter decided he liked the way Harry’s eyes sparkled whenever he was happy.
“Yup. We can be kids forever!” Harry grinned.
“I’d like that a lot,” he said softly.
“Then let’s get going! There’s no time to waste,” Peter said, flying to a window. He opened it and held out his hand for Harry to take. Tinker Bell smiled brightly at the small boy and waved him over as she flew out the window. Harry seemed to have made up his mind as he smiled widely and grabbed Peter’s hand. Gently, Peter floated out of the window, bringing Harry with him. Harry was a little nervous at first, but he trusted Peter (his second friend!).
“This is amazing,” Harry whispered as they flew over London. He closed his eyes and let the gentle breeze go through his hair. Peter watched him, smiling softly. He was confused as to why his heart acted funny, but paid it no mind.
“This way,” Peter said, grabbing Harry’s hand and leading him around several chimneys. They saw the clock and rested on the minute hand.
“Everything looks so beautiful from up here,” Harry said, offering Peter a bright smile. They were still holding hands, and Harry blushed every time he glanced at them. He decided he liked holding Peter’s hand.
“Neverland looks more beautiful than this,” Peter promised. “And there are so many places I can take you.”
“Really? It’s hard to imagine anything being more beautiful than this,” Harry responded. “The lights look so pretty from right here. And the sky is so clear tonight.”
Peter let Harry admire everything for a moment longer. “We should start going,” he said softly.
Harry nodded. “Alright, let’s go,” he replied, cheeks still flushed from his excitement.
“Hold onto my hand tightly; the ride can get a little bumpy,” Peter warned as they flew off of the clock.
They continued flying for what felt like hours to Harry. Suddenly, Peter’s grip on him tightened and he sped up. Harry gasped as he could see their destination coming closer and closer. And then—bam! When Harry opened his eyes, his breath caught in his throat. Peter was right; Neverland was beautiful. His hand reached out to touch the cotton-soft clouds and he giggled when a little bit of the fluff tickled his cheeks. Emerald eyes sparkled with joy and excitement.
◦Peter, we need to be careful. What if Hook finds him?◦ Tinker Bell warned. Peter’s face hardened slightly. If Hook knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t dare touch Harry. Not unless he wanted to be fed to that crocodile alive.
“You were right,” Harry murmured. “This place is more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen!”
“Told you so,” Peter responded, letting a little bit of his satisfaction show in his voice. “I’ll have to introduce you to the Lost Boys.”
“Lost Boys? Why are they lost?” Harry asked, confusion shining in his eyes.
“Well, they’re called the Lost Boys because when they were little, they got lost. But I found them and brought them here.”
Harry smiled at him. “So, they’re not lost anymore?”
“Nope. They’re my friends, and I’m sure they’ll want to be your friends, too!”
“What if they don’t like me?” Harry asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry; they’ll love you!” Peter reassured. Tinker Bell nearly squealed. Harry and Peter were getting along so well. It was about time that Peter found somebody he liked. She could already see the beginnings of a crush forming.
“Are we almost there?” Harry asked.
“Just about there,” Peter said. They were flying towards a rather large tree, and Harry scrunched his brow in confusion. Ignoring Harry’s look for the time being, Peter pulled at a vine and a secret passage was revealed. They all flew into the dwelling, and shouts could be heard. Tinker Bell shook a bell and everything ceased.
“Harry,” Peter started, “these are the Lost Boys.”
A/N: I know it’s unusual and unorthodox to create a Harry Potter/Peter Pan crossover, but I like it. I hope you enjoy this as well. This is going to be pre-slash with the Harry/Peter pairing. Any feedback would be great. This chapter has been beta-ed by Maxim. Many thanks to him.
