Yes, I have finally regained internet on my computer! My plans that I would be getting internet after merely weeks after moving was wrong and had to wait. I'm sorry about it, but I worked hard on trying to write this chapter (even if it does not show) I had a chapter all done and then i got this idea and it took me a while to figure it out. Anyhow it is here now, so please read on.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, the things you do belong to J.k.Rowling. And as for "Peter Pan" that is ,also, not mine, instead belonging to James M. Barrie.

Chapter Eight: The Story of Peter Pan

Word that Dumbledore had chosen James Potter as Head Boy spread like wildfire amongst the students the next day. Some where surprised or disbelieving, others congratulating, but no matter their reactions nothing compared to the astonishment of the prefects.

"Potter? Is Dumbledore off his rocker!"

Lily stood in front of the prefects, who all looked at her with expressions of outrage.

"First we have to deal with a mudblood and now Potter," A Slytherin boy named Marcus Grave muttered to the other Slytherins.

"Can he even be Head Boy? He was never a prefect," complained Susannah Covington.

"To be honest, it's more of a tradition for Head Boy to be a prefect then a rule," reasoned another girl grudgingly.

"But if it was, d'you really think it'd stop Dumbledore from choosing whomever he wanted," said Ravenclaw Jack Nicholson, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no," sighed Susannah. "But still, I say we take our complaints to Dumbledore. We can't just sit here and let him give Potter the badge."

"He doesn't deserve it," agreed a boy.

"You must be mad to give Potter that kind of responsibility and freedom," said a Hufflepuff, shaking their head.

"Dumbledore has his reasons for picking James," Lily began before anyone else could speak. "Besides what does it matter if he was ever a prefect or not? What matters is if he's going to be a good Head Boy, and I think he will."

A few prefects snorted with the utmost disbelief.

"Enough! James is Quidditch Captain and has proved he can handle all the responsibilities that it requires; including organization, fairness in setting disputes, and managing his teammates. I expect he'll take on the appointment of Head Boy just as well, so give him a chance."

xxx

"Okay, I've spoken to Professor Dumbledore and instead of going to the last hour of lessons on Thursday we'll decorate the Great Hall for the Halloween feast that night. So, I need all of you in the hall by two o'clock, all right?"

Lily looked up from the detention slips she had been making into a neat pile only to find that none of the prefects where staring back a her, all to busy muttering to each other to even notice she had spoken. She frowned at this odd behavior, the prefects had never been uninterested during a meeting before, they usually sat in their wooden chairs, so attentive and quiet it became uncomfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Remus was looking toward the heavens, shaking his head helplessly.

"What is going on here?" Lily asked loudly.

For an answer she received many fingers being pointed to indicate something behind her. Lily turned around slowly and groaned, her shoulders sagging in exasperation as she was met with the site of a sleeping James Potter, head rested to one side, glasses crooked, and mouth open allowing snores to escape. Lily inhaled deeply and straightened, putting her papers down and extracting her wand from her robe. She pointed it at James and conjured a bucket of cold water over his head. With a sharp flick it tipped and fell like a water fall, crashing down upon his head. James shot up like a bullet with a loud yelp, hands clutching the arm rests, wide awake and drenched. A few prefects snorted and some even gave laughs of amusement. Calmly, Lily cast a drying spell on James and turned to back to the prefect as though nothing had happened.

"This meeting is finished. Remember Thursday at two, meet James and I in the Great Hall. And don't worry, you're all excused from the lessons taking place during that time."

With a great scraping of chairs all the prefects rose and existed the classroom, closing the door behind them. Lily turned around to face James who was now standing and stretching, she waited patiently for him to begin speaking, leaning against the table.

"Well?" she finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"'Well' what?" James asked, stopping his stretching.

"You've only been Head Boy for two weeks, James, and you've fallen asleep during each meeting," said Lily.

"Oh, come off it Lily. That's only twice!" sighed James.

"It's not a good impression for the prefects, James," said Lily. "They're already skeptical about you."

"What do I care what those stuck up swots think of me," James said.

"If something happens, those swots are never going to listen to you if you're not showing them you can be responsible," said Lily.

"Fine. I will try and stay awake next time, alright?" said James, slightly impatient.

"Not next time. All the time," said Lily.

"Right, right. Listen I have to run, I'm already late for Quidditch practice," said James, grabbing his bag and throwing his arm through one strap. He opened the door and said, "See you at dinner." before existing.

Lily ran to the door and called after him.

"Thursday, meet me in the Great Hall at two!"

James gave a signal he heard her and then turned the corner out of sight.

xxx

Halloween arrived, the smell of baking pumpkin pies wafting through the corridors with every soft breeze that would come in through the open castle windows, and, as most of the students finished their last lessons, Lily and the prefect worked in the Great Hall. Streamers were being hung, the armor in the Entrance Hall was being enchanted, a table of pumpkins Hagrid had grown were being carved by hand instead of by magic, and thousands of white candles where being charmed to sit in midair.

"That looks good. Keep the pace up and hopefully we'll get finished sooner than expected," said Lily to Miranda, Kenneth, and Jonathan, three Gryffindors who where hanging the streamers. They nodded and then got back to work.

Lily checked her watch, reading half past two. That only left them another thirty minutes to finish in the Great Hall. She groaned. James hadn't even shown up yet and they where short seven prefects, the six Slytherins and Remus, who was in the Hospital Wing. She turned and let out a shriek of surprise as she accidentally passed thorough the Fat Friar, the house ghost for Hufflepuff, and received the feeling of being dropped into an ice bucket. She gave a violent shiver and turned to apologize to the ghost.

The Fat Friar chortled and said, "Think nothing of it.", before floating away to join the other house ghosts, who where all there to practice their formation gliding, something they would present before the feast started that night.

Lily continued on her way, walking toward the Great Hall doors. She pulled them open and stuck her head out into the entrance hall, and called to a few prefects who where charming the armor.

"Oy! You lot seen James, Sirius, or Peter walk by?"

The prefects shook their heads no in response. Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation and then straightened, closing the doors.

"You know, Lily, I'm quite surprised you actually expect Potter to come," a dreadfully familiar voice behind her spoke.

She turned and faced Daniels.

"Of course I expect him to come. It's his job," said Lily, with forced calm. "Just like yours is to be helpful not bothersome. So if you would please get to work."

Lily walked past him and started walking to check the other prefects progress. Unfortunately, Daniels was not in the least bit effected by her words and followed her, talking as though she had not.

"I mean," he began, "it's not a secret Potter isn't fond of the Head Boy position, what with being a marauder and all. Which makes me wonder why Dumbledore even chose him in the first place."

"Dumbledore chose James because he's—"

"However, what's done is done, and, sadly, Dumbledore is unwilling to consider he made a mistake choosing Potter. I've already tried to open his rather – forgive me – blind eye to the real—"

"Dumbledore is not blind to anything, and he did not make a mistake choosing – wait a moment, you've been talking to Dumbledore about taking the position from — !"

"But, as I've already stated, he's not listening to a word I'm saying, so I think it's best to choose to let Potter skive on his duties of Head Boy, that way he can cause no trouble if he's not part of it. And I'm sure he'll be quite happy with that decision as well. He will still have the position but he won't be apart of anything and then when its needed we can all act as though he has been helping and no one will be the wisest."

Lily stood, inflating with anger and disbelief about what she was listening to. The nerve that he had, the complete and utter —

"Daniels!" she snapped. "This conversation is over. We are not pretending James does not exist as Head Boy and he will not be skiving from his responsibilities. And I don't want to hear that you've been talking to Dumbledore about it! You pick something helpful you want to do and start working or you will be sitting in McGonagall's office."

Suddenly a large creak sounded and the Great Hall doors opened. Lily quickly turned around and was disappointed to find it was not James, but the Slytherins.

"At least they bothered to show up," she muttered.

xxx

Half an hour later the large oak doors to the castle swung open and a very disgruntled Lily exited, having just finished in the Great Hall.

The Slytherins had proved to be as infuriating as ever, refusing to carve pumpkins by hand because they where not "house elves" or "common Muggles" as they had so rudely put it. And after saying a few more things about Muggles and then about Lily and mudbloods, they sat themselves at the Slytherins table and continued to talk for the whole thirty minutes.

Lily walked down the stone steps onto the green grass of the grounds, and began toward the lake, her magnified eyes searching for a mop of messy black hair amongst the other students littered under trees. As she walked a sudden gold glint caught her eye. She stopped at a snogging couple and stared at the gold, trying to identify it, but unable to she began toward it curiously. And as she came closer, she noticed fluttering wings and with a sudden jolt of recognition knew immediately it was the golden snitch. She rolled her eyes, this person went through the trouble of sneaking into the Quidditch shed to nick the snitch and now they where going to sit in plain sight where any teacher could come by and see — suddenly a hand shout out and captured it, and Lily could've kicked herself. For that hand belonged to none other than James Potter.

"Why do you insist on being as frustrating as possible?"

James jumped in the place he sat, startled by the sudden presence of Lily beside him.

"Excuse me?" he asked looking up at her.

"Why didn't you come to the Great Hall?" demanded Lily. "I reminded you three times today there is no way you could've forgotten."

James looked offended.

"I didn't forget. I came and looked in. You had everything under control."

A small pause followed this statement and then Lily let out a snort.

"Well, thank you for doing so much," she snapped. "Was that before or after you nicked the snitch?"

And the snitch that had just been let go from James clutches and was excitedly beginning to fly away was quickly caught again, but this time in Lily's hand. And ignoring James indignant yelp of "Oi!", she began her way back toward the castle. James hurriedly clambered up from his spot on the grass and caught up to her.

"Oh c'mon Lily —" he started.

She whorled around.

"I've been defending you, James!" she cried angrily. "I've been telling all the prefects you'd be a good Head Boy, because you're a good Quidditch Captain. Daniels was saying how horrid you where and that Dumbledore made a mistake and I told him off. The Slytherins claimed to know why you didn't come. They told me that I could find you out here on the grounds. I told them they where wrong. I told them to bugger off and yet here we are. And now you've made me into a liar for promising if they gave you a chance you would take it and like a fool because I actually believed what I said about you!"

"Look, I'm sorry that I didn't come, but you can't act like I chose to be Head Boy and now am not doing anything," James said looking angry himself now. "I didn't choose it. Dumbledore did."

"He chose you, because he thought you'd do something with it," said Lily.

"He thought I'd grow up," said James bitterly, in a tone as though she did not understand anything. "As Head Boy with all the responsibilities and rules I would have no choice but to grow up."

"Maybe he hoped that you would grow up," said Lily. "Maybe that you would see that growing up is not what Peter Pan thought it was."

"Peter?" asked James confused.

"Peter Pan, a muggle tale. He's a mischievous boy that stays a kid forever in a world called 'Neverland,'" explained Lily. "He refuses to grow up thinking it means becoming someone who goes to work and sits at a desk, who has no fun in his life." and lowering the volume of her voice she hissed, "Just because people want you to grow up, James, does not mean they want you to stop having fun."

And after giving him one last look, she began to walk away until she stopped suddenly only a few feet away and called back coolly, "Your idiotic stubbornness clouds not only your brain but your eyes; the reason you need glasses, I expect. However, I suggest a stronger pair; these seem not to be helping at all."

James glared at her, and said loudly in just the same tone unable to help himself, "Perhaps you should accompany me? I reckon you need a new pair as well. I expect they'll be the size of Quaffles, will they?"

Lily scowled at him before marching up the stone steps of the castle, throwing open the doors, and disappearing inside.

Hope you enjoyed chapter eight, please leave a review! -- GoddessoftheMaaN

Thank you Michelle for beta-ing this chapter.