This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 24 November 2020.
When I decided to change my original plans for a story, I reached out to starnobella for an idea. Well, she gifted me a plunny I never expected to adore and so this is a gift for her. I do plan on expanding this, but it won't be until late 2021 at the earliest... Either way, I love this so much and i hope you do too! Happy reading! Much love, xxDustNight88!
Huge thank you to starrnobella and SquarePeg72 for reading this over, and for GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription! Any other mistakes are definitely my own..
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. Peter Pan belongs to Disney. No copyright infringement is intended.
Prompt: #CastTheDice20 09/05/20 - Fours: Magical Accident
Something had gone wrong, Luna thought as she took in her surroundings. She'd been flying around London chasing a lead on a Phoenix when she was suddenly distracted by Nargles. It was always the Nargles that got in the way, wasn't it? Slowing her broom, Luna took in the strange sky. There were indeed a lot of stars and constellations that were far different than the ones she was used to back home.
Squinting in the dark, Luna spotted an island in the distance. Certainly not London then. She had no idea where she was, but intended to find out as soon as possible. Angling the broom toward the island, Luna began to fly lower through the clouds, smiling as the damp air caused the ends of her blonde hair to curl. Her hair had grown quite long in her years since Hogwarts, and it flowed behind her as she flew downward.
As she cleared the clouds, Luna spotted a wooden ship anchored in the harbour. Tilting her head at the sight of the flag clearly depicting a skull and crossbones, Luna realized that this was a pirate ship. Perhaps steering clear of there until she knew more about this strange place would be best, she thought as she flew lower still.
Soaring past some mountains, Luna decided it would be safest to land in the forest and away from the shore. It didn't appear that there was much civilization, if any, on this island, and so that is what she did. Landing in a small clearing, Luna dismounted and glanced around. There were a significant number of trees with all the regular animals. Frowning, Luna noticed that there was no sign of magical creatures at all. Not even a single Wrackspurt!
Taking her wand from the inside of her jumper, Luna whispered, "Lumos," and tried to see more clearly. The trees were thick, but there was an area that appeared to be worn down from overuse. Knowing this was the route that whoever lived on the island used, Luna slung her broom over one shoulder and started down the worn path. Making sure to grip her wand tightly in case someone attacked, she tried to think of places this could be.
Eventually, Luna started to hear voices, but they were voices of children. Not wanting to startle the children, Luna crept slowly closer to the sound. She reached a thicker patch of bushes and hid behind then, peering through to see what was on the other side. A group of young boys were playing in the clearing where a campfire was lit.
There was a tall tree with an old noose hanging from it with cutout windows. Inside the tree, a light illuminated the darkness of the night. This was clearly where the boys lived and played leaving Luna to ponder now where their parents were. Glancing back and forth, Luna got so caught up in her observations that she forgot she was supposed to be hiding.
Behind her, a stern voice said, "Turn around slowly, or I will gut you like a codfish."
"A codfish?" Luna asked, incredulously as she slowly turned around with a confused smile on her face. "What an interesting insult."
Standing there in the trees was a young man, who appeared close to her age. He was wearing green tights and a tunic, as well as a green hat. His brown eyes were glaring at her down the length of his sword, which was pointed at her chest.
"Who are you?" the young man asked, wielding a sword at her.
Luna held up both hands and backed away, still gripping her wand. "I'm Luna. I mean no harm."
"Luna?" the man questioned, narrowing his eyes. "How did you get here? I've never seen you before, and I've lived here most of my life."
"I'm lost," Luna admitted, frowning. "I was flying my broom in London, and then suddenly I was here."
"London?" The young man dropped his sword slightly, but his tense shoulders showed that he was still clearly on guard. "How did you get here from there?"
"I don't even know where this is," Luna admitted, dropping her hands and putting her wand away for the moment. This man did not appear to be a pirate, so she hoped that he wouldn't hurt her. "Can you tell me? Maybe then I will be able to figure out how to get home."
"We're in Neverland." The man finally lowered his sword completely, apparently surprised she had no idea where she was. "You really have no idea how you got here?" he asked, and when Luna shook her head, he added, "Oh, okay. Um, I'm Peter. Peter Pan."
"It's nice to meet you," Luna said with a smile. "You're not a pirate, are you?"
"No," Peter said, again narrowing his eyes as he examined Luna. "Are you?"
"No," she said, with a giggle, "but I am a witch."
"A witch?" Peter looked stunned at this news. "With magic? Was that a wand you had? I've only ever heard of witches in stories. Wendy used to tell this one about a witch…" Trailing off, Peter shook his head and refocused on Luna.
"I'm not like witches in stories. I'm nice, and I promise I won't hurt you or your children." Luna gestured to the boys, still playing around the fire.
"My children?" Peter asked, glancing at the boys. Smirking, he shook his head. "They're not mine. They're the lost boys. I take care of them because they have no one else to."
"Did you adopt them?" Luna asked, feeling sad about the boys.
"In a way," Peter replied, taking off his green hat and rubbing at his head. "I find them orphaned, and then I bring them here to Neverland. I let them live here with me and then eventually ask them if they want to try to and find a new family. Sometimes they stay, and sometimes they go."
"What about you?" Luna asked, her heart aching for the little boys.
"I was lost once too," Peter explained, a smile slowly forming on his face as he remembered a time long ago. "Then I met Wendy, and everything changed. She showed me that I don't have to be lost, and that's when I started helping the boys find new homes if they wanted them."
"You don't look like a lost boy," Luna pointed out, eyeing up Peter. "How old are you?"
Shrugging, Peter said, "I'm not sure. I've forgotten my birth year. I was tiny when I came here. Although time stands still here, it still moves outside of Neverland. Each time I return to the real world, I begin to age again."
"You don't age here?" Luna looked around and then down at her hands in wonder. "If I stay here, then I will never grow another day older… Wow… That's magical."
Laughing, Peter stepped forward and grabbed her hand. "Come on, Luna. It's nearly dinnertime, and you should meet the boys. I think they'll like you. After we eat, I'll help you get back to London."
Tugging her gently, Peter led Luna through the bushes and into the clearing. "Peter!" the boys cheered, rushing forward and tackling him to the ground.
Luna stood to the side, watching in awe as Peter wrestled with the boys for a few minutes. When at last, winded, he rolled onto his back, he said, "Lost Boys, meet Luna. Luna, these are the Lost Boys."
"Hello." Luna waved a little at boys who all wore animal fur hats and carried sticks shaped like rifles. It was almost like the make-believe world she had imagined when she was little after her mother had passed away. Suddenly, she worried that maybe she had died too.
The group of boys rushed at Luna and hugged her legs. "Hi, Luna!" rang in her ears as they all said hello and then dispersed to play again.
Peter had jumped to his feet and wandered toward the fire where he was preparing food from cans. Luna watched as he poured beans into pots and then maneuvered them onto a little grate that sat over the fire. The boys were off washing their hands in buckets of water while Peter cooked in a routine that was clearly well practised.
Settling onto a log near the fire, Luna said, "Is it safe here?"
"Of course it's safe," Peter said, stirring the beans. "Well, you should probably stay clear of the mermaids, and sometimes Tiger Lily's tribe likes to hunt in our part of the island, but it's rather a nice place to live."
"I saw the pirate ship when I first arrived," Luna explained, remembering the ship lit from within with its black flags billowing.
"You saw Hook's ship?" Peter exclaimed, accidentally knocking the pot of beans. When he'd steadied it, he added, "And they didn't shoot you from the sky?"
Slowly shaking her head, Luna said, "No, it looked like everyone was inside."
"I didn't know Hook was back from their trip out to sea. He and Smee must have been busy with dinner if they didn't notice you nearby." Peter grew quiet, concentrating on making dinner for the boys. After a while, he called them over, and they all appeared, bowl and spoon in hand. "Now, don't scarf it all down at once. Eat it slowly and make sure to chew with your mouth closed. Got it?"
"Got it!"
Peter dished out the beans to the boys and then prepared a bowl for him and Luna too. "Thank you," she said, scooping some into her mouth. "I was supposed to have dinner with my father tonight. He will be worried when I don't arrive home."
"We'll get you back to London as quickly as possible," Peter said, picking at the beans.
"Is everything okay?" Luna asked, resting her bowl in her lap.
"I was in London today too," Peter began, dropping his voice so the boys sitting under the tree would not hear. "I was looking for homes for a couple of the boys but didn't find anything. Wendy and her daughter, Jane, used to help, but they have been gone for many years now."
"Did they live here too?" Luna asked, taking another bite.
"No, they never lived here," Peter said, setting aside his half-eaten dinner. "They had lives to live in your world. They grew up and eventually passed away."
"I'm sorry," Luna whispered, staring into her lap. "I lost my mum when I was little. I had to watch her die. It was… I miss her."
"I didn't get to say goodbye," Peter said, eyes closing. "I missed out on a lot by being here instead of out there in the real world."
"Didn't you ever want to grow up and move back to London?" Luna asked, instantly regretting it. Peter looked as if he was about to shut down, his eyes growing dark and frown forming on his features. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked that."
"It's okay," he replied, patting her knee. "I have thought about it often. I've spent more and more time away from Neverland. That's how I've been able to grow older. I expect I could pass for my late twenties."
"I'm twenty-six," Luna pointed out, smiling. "We could be the same age."
"I'm nearly one hundred, probably," Peter said, his eyes going wide.
"You've seen a lot in your time, I expect," Luna mused, eyes going glossy as she thought of the life Peter lived. "I bet you have a lot of stories to tell."
"I've never been that great at telling stories," Peter said, waving away Luna's comment.
"You tell the great stories," a little boy dressed as a fox said as he came over to return his freshly cleaned plate to the pile. When Peter gave him a startled look, the fox boy giggled and ran off into the tree.
"The Lost Boys seem to like your stories," Luna said, standing and using her wand to clean her plate and return it to the pile with the others.
"I guess." Cleaning his plate by hand, Peter waited until all of the lost boys had done their dishes and gone into the tree before returning to Luna. "I think we should be getting you home. How did you get here anyway?"
"I flew in on my broom," Luna explained, reaching into the bush to retrieve her hidden broomstick. "I can use this to fly."
"You really are a witch," Peter breathed, eying up her broom. Then a mischievous grin grew on his face. He held up both hands. "Watch this," he said and then hopped into the air.
Luna thought he was going to come back down, but he didn't. Peter hovered in the air some six feet above her head. She gasped in surprise and awe. "You can fly too?" Luna asked, mouth agape. "How are you doing that?"
"Faith, trust, and pixie dust!" Peter explained, zooming around in the air above Luna. He did a couple of flips and zipped around a tree before dropping down in front of the witch.
"Pixie dust?" Luna smiled and shook her head in wonderment. "That is amazing… Where are the pixies?"
"They mostly hide at night so Captain Hook can't find them. They live in Pixie Hollow," Peter said, pointing off in the distance. "My friend, Tinker Bell, she's the one who keeps me afloat with pixie dust. She is busy with the harvest this time of the year though."
"We have pixies where I am from, but they are not always the nicest." Luna frowned remembering the Cornish Pixies Professor Lockhart set loose in the castle back in her first year at Hogwarts. "We actually have a lot of different magical creatures. That's what I like to study. I was looking for a Phoenix when I accidentally ended up here."
"A Phoenix?" Peter asked sighing. "That sounds pretty amazing. Maybe you can show me your magical creatures sometimes. "Wendy had a story about a Phoenix too."
"You miss her the most, don't you?" Luna asked, reaching out and placing her hand on Peter's arm.
"She made my heart feel full."
Luna understood. Peter had loved Wendy, and it must have hurt something fierce to find out when she had passed. Then her daughter was gone too? Being alone here with a bunch of orphaned little boys had to take a toll on Peter after so many years. Without a word, Luna stepped forward and put her arms around Peter, gently embracing him.
She expected him to push her away, but instead, he wrapped his arms around her too. They stood there in the clearing, hanging onto one each with everything they had lest they fall apart. For the first time in a very long time, Luna felt at home, and Peter seemed to feel similar as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.
When at last they separated, Peter said, "I am glad you found your way to Neverland tonight, Luna."
"It was quite a marvelous accident, I do have to admit," Luna said, blushing. She tried to hide her rosy cheeks by bending to retrieve her broom. "Will you show me the way home to London now?"
"Sure," Peter said, flying high into the air. "Follow me! Keep up if you can!"
As he laughed and flew through the air, Luna couldn't help but laugh too. She was far from home in a strange world, but she wasn't scared. Something about Peter made her feel safe, even if she did worry this was all a figment of her imagination. Sliding onto her boom, Luna kicked off into the air and raced to follow Peter into the cloudy, night sky.
They flew high over Neverland, the only light from below the twinkling of pixies as they harvested by the light of the stars. It was more brilliant than Luna could have ever imagined, and as Peter took her hand and guided her even further into the sky, she felt her heart pounding with renewed life. This was more exciting than hunting Phoenix even.
At some point, Luna realized they were back in London. "Show me the way to your house!" Peter shouted to her over the wind in her ears. She nodded and took the lead, weaving them through the city and then out into the countryside. Further and further they flew together, dancing through the sky as if they were dancing together in the middle of a ballroom floor. Luna couldn't remember ever having as much fun flying as she did this night.
Finally, and yet all too soon, they arrived at her house. Showing Peter the window to her bedroom, she climbed inside and turned on her lamp. Seeing Peter illuminated in the light from her bedroom made her feel sad in a way. Setting her broom aside, she stepped back to the window and met his gaze. The sadness from back on Neverland had returned to his eyes.
"Peter?" Luna, asked, glancing away from the window. Her knuckles were white as they gripped the edge, worry making her stomach turn.
"Yeah?" Peter asked, his head tilted slightly as he watched her curiously.
"Am I alive?"
"What?" Peter blanched, confusion etched on his features.
"It's just that… I worry that I've dreamed all of this up in my head," Luna explained, gently touching her temple. "What if I fell off of my broom and I died. Is this real? Are you real?"
Floating closer to the window, Peter carefully cupped Luna's face in his hands. "This is all real. If witches and mermaids are real, then so am I." Shrugging one shoulder, he added, "You're alive, Luna, and I know you will be for many years to come whether we meet again or not."
"Will we?" Luna asked, staring into Peter's russet-coloured eyes. "Meet again?"
"If you want to…" There was an unspoken question in his eyes, a yearning that made something stir deep within Luna too.
"Of course I want to," Luna replied softly. "I haven't felt so at ease in a place for a long time. People look at me differently here. They call me odd, loony."
"I think you're magical," Peter said, flashing a toothy grin. When Luna laughed, he crossed his arms. "I'm different too. We can be different together."
"I like the sound of that," Luna told Peter, tucking her blonde hair behind both ears. A quiet settled between them, but Peter didn't let it last for long.
"The next time you want to come and visit," Peter said, a smile playing on his lips. "Just find the second star to the right, and fly straight on until morning. You'll find yourself back here before you know it."
Luna leaned forward, out of Peter's touch, but closer to him and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back soon. I promise."
"Really?" Peter asked, stunned as he still hovered outside of her window.
"Oh, yes! I can't wait to come back and explore Neverland with you," Luna said, her blue eyes shining in the starlight. "I can't wait."
"Until we meet again," Peter replied, nodding goodbye as he began to float backwards.
"Until we meet again," Luna whispered as he began to float away. "Lost boy."
Peter smirked and then turned toward the sky. He flew into the night, leaving Luna wondering how long she could wait until she jumped on her broom and followed him back to Neverland. Downstairs her father could be heard pittering around in the kitchen, but Luna's mind was miles and miles away in Neverland with her Lost Boy and an adventure that made her feel more alive than she had in years.
Finally shutting her window, Luna decided to put away her broom and go and check in with her father. He'd be worried about her, and she had a new story to tell. Then again, she thought as she tucked her broom in the closet, maybe Peter and the Lost Boys were better kept to herself. Enjoying having a secret, Luna left their bedroom, already making plans for her next trip.
She couldn't wait.