Hermione Granger pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders and clutched her book tighter as the wind swept once more across the playground. Her already unruly brown hair whipped in her face quite distractingly from the gust and she swiped angrily at it so that she could once more see the pages of her book.

She pulled her hair back as best she could and turned her attention back to her book. She lost herself once again in a world quite unlike her own - one in which, she thought, she might be very happy. A world where she lived a life of adventure and excitement, where she was brave and heroic and the whole world adored her. A world where she was more than the girl who wasn't allowed to eat sweets and always had her face in a book.

She read several more chapters as the swings drifted to and fro in the wind, creaking and groaning. Several birds had come and gone, but otherwise, Hermione was quite alone.

Until -

"Are you reading Peter Pan?"

Hermione tore her eyes from her book and looked up. A boy stood in front of her, arms wrapped around a tattered copy of Peter Pan.

Hermione didn't say anything. She took in his appearance - short, a little chubby, dark hair and glasses. He was still smiling broadly and kept glancing at the book in her hands. It wasn't likely that this boy would be any different from the others, despite his admittedly decent taste in books. She wasn't all that keen to talk to him if he was just going to run away when she inevitably caused something strange to happen.

So she frowned at him and pulled her book tightly to her chest. His smile faltered at her frown.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "You don't like it?" He pulled his book to his chest protectively and looked aghast at the possibility that he had made a mistake.

She glanced down at her own equally tattered copy of Peter Panand decided to take a chance.

"What? Of course I do."

He smiled smugly. "I thought so." He paused, waiting for her to go on.

"It's my favorite book in the whole world. I want to be just like Wendy and go on adventures to a magical land and I want a dog named Nana but mom said dogs are too much work," she said breathlessly.

She looked up, expecting him to have that look - that look that all the other kids had, the one that they exchanged when she talked too much in class or accidentally made one of the chalkboard erasers fly across the room. But, to her astonishment, he only smiled.

"I have a stuffed crocodile, just like the one from the book," he puffed his chest out proudly. "I can show it to you, if you want."

Hermione nodded excitedly. "Now?"

"Sure. My house is just around the corner that way." He pointed in the opposite direction of her house.

"Hermione!" they turned to see Mrs. Granger making her way through the gate. "It's time to come home now. You've been here all afternoon," she said as she reached them. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh," Hermione started, "this is…what's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Peter." Hermione's eyes widened at his name and she glanced once more at the book in his hands.

"Peter." She repeated, a smile spreading across her face. "This is my new friend, Peter."

Three Months Later

Hermione ran through the gate, struggling to keep hold on the several books she was carrying. Today was by far her favorite day of each week - when she and Peter exchanged books with each other and spent several hours talking about them.

She hurried past the swings to the jungle gym, where Peter was waiting. He smiled and waved at her approach and she felt herself relax to be in the presence of her friend. It was easy to forget the rudeness and ignorance of the other students at school when she was with Peter.

"What did you bring today?" She eyed his pile of books excitedly and settled down next to him.

"Little House On The Prairie was my favorite this week," he pulled the book out and handed it to her.

Hermione hugged the book to her chest.

I am so lucky to have a friend like Peter.

Two more months later

Hermione and Peter sat on the swings, Hermione clutching the chains so tightly that her hands were turning purple. Peter's head was bowed as he absorbed what Hermione was saying.

"They shouldn't have said that to you! Just because you like to read books about girls. That's not fair."

"Life isn't fair," Peter mumbled, his head still bowed. "That's what my mom says. She wants me to go to football tryouts. Then maybe everyone will stop calling me names."

Hermione's hair whipped back and forth as she shook her head in agitation. "You shouldn't have to go!"

"It doesn't matter."

"But…but…" she struggled to find the words to fix this, to fix him. "You're my best friend," she blurted out.

He looked up finally at her words and she saw the tiniest smile creeping at the corner of his mouth.

"You, too."

August

Hermione ran to the playground, her heart pounding from both exertion and excitement. In her hand was clutched a piece of parchment - the piece of parchment that was going to change her life. Her mind swirled with thoughts of magic spells and wands and potions and creatures. It was all real! She couldn't wait to tell Peter that their adventure was about to start.

She pushed through the gate and saw Peter on the swing, his head buried in a book. He looked up as she finally reached him, panting and out of breath.

"Did you get a letter today?"

"No?"

She froze. The rest of the conversation from this morning was suddenly running through her brain.

You cannot tell anyone, Hermione, do you understand? Muggles cannot know about our world. We must keep it a secret to protect them, and us.

Yes, Professor, I understand.

Hermione stared at the parchment in her hand and felt her eyes well up with tears.

"Hermione?"

He can't know. I can't tell him, or I won't be allowed to go.

She looked away and blinked the tears from her eyes.

Then she ran.

September 1

Peter stood on the playground, a letter in his hand.

I'm leaving for boarding school, Peter, and I won't be coming back.

I'm sorry. I hope you find your Neverland. I think I've found mine.

Hermione

PS - You're still my best friend.

He folded the letter and placed it between the pages of Peter Pan. He left the book under the jungle gym.

Then he ran.

Hermione climbed onto the train, hurrying so that her mother and father wouldn't see her tears. She was excited, she really was. But her heart was hurting.

She left her copy of Peter Pan on the platform.

She didn't need it anymore.