Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction / Peter Pan Fan Fiction ❯ Never ❯ Chapter Four – Operation: Rescue Tiger Lily ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter Four - Operation: Rescue Tiger Lily

 

Peter jerked awake as a loud horn resounded throughout Neverland. He immediately recognized it as the horn the mermaids had. They only ever used it in the case of an emergency. Pushing away the feeling of sleepiness, Peter quickly got up, grabbed two swords, and flew out of the hideout. Harry was outside, clutching his ears. Without so much as uttering a word, Peter swooped him up into the air. Harry let out a little squeak of surprise.

 

“What's that noise, Peter?” Harry called, wincing at the loud volume.

 

“That's the mermaid's emergency horn,” Peter responded, practically yelling so he could be heard. “They blow on it whenever they have a serious problem that they need help with and you can hear it all across Neverland.”

 

“Something happened to them?” Harry asked, scared for his new friends.

 

“I don't know.”

 

They arrived at Mermaid Lagoon and Harry quickly ran to the edge where the mermaids were. “Are you alright? Are you hurt? Can I help you? What happened?”

 

“Oh, Harry dear, don't worry about us. We're perfectly fine. It's Tiger Lily we're worried about,” Christy said immediately.

 

“Who's Tiger Lily?” Harry asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

 

“Tiger Lily is the Indian Princess,” Peter explained before he turned to look at the mermaids. “How do you know this?”

 

“Oh, it was awful! I had woken up and came to the surface; you know how I like to sunbathe every morning,” Christy began. “Well, I laid upon my rock and that's when I saw this note.”

 

Peter took the note handed to him and read aloud:

 

Pan,

 

We hav Tigr Lily. If u want her 2 sta aliv, com to Skul Rok.

 

Smee Hook

 

Harry looked at Peter. “Why'd Hook take Tiger Lily?”

 

“He probably took Tiger Lily away so he could get her to tell him where our hideout is,” Peter murmured.

 

“He's going to kill Tiger Lily?” At Peter's nod, Harry grabbed his hand and jerked him into the air with surprising force for someone so small. “Come on, Peter, we have to save her!”

 

Peter nodded his head and led Harry to Skull Rock. He gave the other boy one sword and motioned for him to duck. Peter whispered some instructions to him and flew away silently. Harry chewed his bottom lip and prayed Peter would be alright. He turned around and screamed in surprise. There were skeletons hanging from the side of a wall, and Harry had a feeling they were real ones. Quickly, having heard something, Harry hid behind a rather large stone. At the very edge of Skull Rock, a mean-looking man stood. He had obviously just come from the path leading down near the water, and Harry gulped silently as the man's hook gleamed menacingly.

 

The small boy studied Hook silently and carefully. The pirate captain had curly black hair that traveled down to the middle of his back. Hook stood tall and proud, his cold blue eyes searching around for something. Harry stared at him breathlessly, mesmerized at the powerful figure in front of him. His large green eyes couldn't help but look at the man in awe. Now he understood why Hook was Peter's enemy. Something radiated off of him—something dark, and for some reason, Harry felt the bad feeling focused mostly on Hook's arm.

 

Hook walked around quietly, looking for whatever had made the noise. He seemed to be getting closer and closer to the rock where Harry sought refuge, and Harry squeezed his eyes shut. He wished his heart would stop beating so loud, and just when he thought Hook would discover him, a loud noise came from near the edge of the water. Hook quickly spun around and nearly ran down the little path. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and carefully came out from behind the rock.

 

The sound of metal clashing against metal led Harry to believe that Hook was fighting Peter. Hoping Peter would be alright, Harry quickly walked down the path that led to the water. He was right; Hook was angrily thrusting his sword about, trying to seriously harm his boy nemesis. Peter laughed as the swings never connected and taunted the pirate captain, adding more fuel to the fire. Harry noticed a girl with markings on her face sitting on a boat all tied up. Assuming it was Princess Tiger Lily, he wondered how she could remain so calm at a time like this. Next to her was an elderly-looking pirate with grey hair and a red cap. He was, more-than-likely, stationed there to make sure the Indian Princess stayed put. Harry narrowed his eyes.

 

`I have to help her,' he thought. `But, how?'

 

He frowned, contemplating possible scenarios before a grin spread across his face. He had an idea, and while he wasn't sure if it would work, he had to try. After all, Harry couldn't just leave Princess Tiger Lily to fend for herself. Besides, she was obviously a friend of Peter's, and a lady. Isn't it the boy's job to rescue the girl? Harry clutched his sword tightly and quickly disappeared into the shadows. A moment later he charged at the pirate, sword over his head, screaming like a maniac. The pirate jumped in fright and looked at Harry with wide eyes before he began flailing his arms. Knowing that the pirate was close to falling into the water, Harry let himself bump into him. The pirate immediately fell over the edge of Skull Rock, shrieking.

 

Turning around, Harry made his way towards the boat. He didn't count on the pirate's hand grabbing his foot, trying to pull him into the water. Letting an indignant squeak of protest, Harry fell to the floor. His sword landed uselessly a few feet away. Struggling, Harry tried to find some sort of leverage. He hurriedly flipped onto his back and kicked the pirate in the face, causing the man to let go with a loud yelp. Harry used the moment to crawl away from the edge and grab his sword. Without a moment's hesitation, Harry leaped onto the boat and used his sword to cut the rope that bound Tiger Lily.

 

She smiled thankfully at him and accepted his hand. Harry pulled her to her feet and was getting ready to leave the boat when the pirate climbed onto the boat, causing it to shift and wobble. Gulping, Harry moved Tiger Lily behind him and pointed the sword at the pirate. He was not going to let the princess get hurt after he tried so hard to save her.

 

“Come any closer and I'll hurt you,” Harry warned, his eyes filled with determination.

 

“Look here, little boy, put the sword down right now,” the pirate responded, looking at the sword and Harry with a hint of nervousness.

 

“No,” Harry said, glaring at the man. “You were going to hurt Princess Tiger Lilly. How do I know once I put the sword down, you won't try to hurt or kill us?”

 

Everything seemed to freeze as a ticking sound filled the air. Harry scrunched his brow and looked around, trying to see where the noise was coming from. Where there clocks in Neverland? Harry looked at Tiger Lily, but she was looking elsewhere. Confused, Harry turned around and his eyes widened. In the water was a very lethal looking crocodile. Harry gulped audibly as he saw the resilient skin and the sharp, white teeth. The crocodile's mouth opened wide and it struck. Harry let out a strangled cry when he realized the crocodile was heading towards Peter and Hook. The sick feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach was gone as soon as he saw Peter fly in the air. The crocodile didn't seem to care and went after Hook, who screamed and desperately tried to get away.

 

“Smee, help me!” Hook yelled, dodging another one of the crocodile's attempts to devour him whole.

 

The other pirate, now revealed as Smee, hurriedly sat down and started rowing. Peter quickly grabbed Tiger Lily before she fell in the water and motioned for Harry to follow him. Harry wanted to smack himself in the forehead; he could have just flown away from the pirate and taken Tiger Lily with him. Jumping into the air, Harry looked back and bit his lip. Hook was still desperately trying to get away from the persistent crocodile and Smee was furiously rowing away. A part of him felt sorry for the pirates but he quickly shook his head. They deserved it; Hook tried to kill Peter and they were going to hurt Tiger Lily.

 

Satisfied with his reasoning, Harry looked away from the pirates and followed Peter, who was looking at him curiously. “Yes?” Harry asked.

 

“Oh, nothing, Harry,” Peter responded, smiling at him. “Um, you two have never been really introduced. Harry, this is Princess Tiger Lily. Tiger Lily, this is Harry.”

 

“Hello,” Harry mumbled, a little flushed.

 

“Hello, Harry. Are you another Lost Boy?” Tiger Lily asked, looking at his clothes curiously. “You're certainly not dressed like one.”

 

“That's because Harry isn't a Lost Boy,” Peter said before Harry could reply. “He's way too smart to get lost.”

 

Tiger Lily cocked an eyebrow at Peter. “Oh? Then what is he?”

 

“He's, well, my friend,” Peter said quietly. His face turned a bright red when Harry smiled at him.

 

“You're my friend too, Peter,” Harry informed him happily. Tiger Lily looked at the two of them with slightly narrowed eyes. She managed to suppress the wide smile that wanted to spread across her face as the wheels in her mind began to spin wildly.

 

`So, Peter has a crush on this Harry, eh? Well, he'll have to pass my test first. And then we'll see if he's worthy of Peter's affection,' the Indian Princess thought to herself.

 

While she didn't think Harry was a bad person, she just wasn't going to believe instantly that he was all sunshine and daisies. People can be very deceiving, and Peter deserved better than that. Tiger Lily remembered when Peter first came to Neverland. He was so happy and loved playing around. Tinker Bell taught him all she had known about human magical theory and how to survive in the Neverland Forest. The fairy showed him around Neverland so that he wouldn't always need her to know where he was. When they first met, Tiger Lily instantly liked Peter. He had a charming personality and she found him to be very cute.

 

The first time he stayed over at the Indian Camp was a night she would never forget. Mostly everyone was sleeping when Tiger Lily was ready to go to bed. She was almost in dreamland when she heard something. Being the curious princess she is, Tiger Lily got up to go investigate. The source of the noise was coming from Peter's teepee and Tiger Lily peeked inside. Peter was hunched over, his shoulders shaking, and soft sobs coming from his form. He rocked himself gently until he fell asleep. Peter probably never knew that Tiger Lily had found him crying. He tried being so tough, but Tiger Lily knew that deep down inside, despite the fact that Peter didn't want to grow up, he missed his family dearly.

 

Ever since that night, Tiger Lily decided that she'd help protect Peter. Seeing him so vulnerable had pulled at her heartstrings and it was not something she had wanted to experience again. Peter was very strong and had come a long way since that day, but he was still only human like she was. He could only take so much on his own, and Tiger Lily didn't want him to feel like the weight of the world was on his shoulders—especially when it wasn't.

 

“We're here,” Peter announced, setting Tiger Lily on her feet. Harry landed next to them and Peter immediately grabbed his hand to lead him away. “Come on Harry, I'll show you to some of my friends here!”

 

“Um, alright,” Harry said as he was dragged away. “What about Tiger Lily?”

 

“I'll be fine,” the Indian Princess immediately responded. “I'm just going to go to my father. He's probably worried sick.”

 

Peter nodded his head and motioned for three Indians to come over. “Harry, this is Abhay, Bhadrak, and Anita,” he said, pointing to each Indian respectively.

 

Abhay was a tall Indian with his black hair styled in a Mohawk. He had tan skin and his green eyes shone with joy. His face had no baby fat and was covered in face-paint. Bhadrak was a couple of inches shorter than Abhay and had his long hair in a braid at the back of his head. He had broad shoulders and some muscle. Anita was the only girl of the group. She had long silky hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was pale and had an earthereal glow to it.

 

“It's nice to meet you,” Harry said, flushing lightly and nodding to each of the Indians.

 

“Likewise,” Anita said smoothly. “Are you another Lost Boy?”

 

“No, I'm not,” Harry responded, slightly confused. Why did everybody ask if he was a Lost Boy?

 

“Oh?” Bhadrak cocked an eyebrow and looked at Peter curiously.

 

“Harry came with me willingly,” Peter explained.

 

“So, Harry, what do you like to do for fun?” Abhay asked Harry, changing the subject.

 

“Oh! Well, I like to garden and cook.”

 

“No, no,” Abhay shook his games. “I meant what kind of games do you like to play?”

 

“I haven't really played any games,” Harry confessed, flushing deeply when the small group stared at him. Games were for Dudley; not freaks like him.

 

“We'll just have to show you some games, then,” Anita said, effectively breaking the long silence.

 

“I know! We should play `Follow the Leader'!” Abhay suggested excitedly, his eyes lighting up. He turned to Harry and said, “Have you ever heard of the game before?”

 

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “How do you play?”

 

“It's just like what the name says,” Peter explained. “We pick somebody to be the leader and then we have to do everything that person does.”

 

“That's it? Alright, let's play it.” Harry felt excitement bubble within him and could barely control his nerves. He kept shifting from foot to foot, waiting anxiously for the game to start.

 

“Who will be the leader?” Abhay asked, looking at the small group.

 

“I'll go first,” Bhadrak said. “After that, we can take turns. Ready?”

 

Harry watched as everybody got in a line behind Bhadrak before quickly following. This shouldn't be so bad. Bhadrak started walking, paused, scratched his head, and then began to sprint. They all followed him and Harry laughed. He was having so much fun and seeing Peter in front of him following their leader was hilarious. Peter winked at Harry and continued to make a fool out of himself. The loud beating of drums had them stopping their game and turning to the source of the noise.

 

The Indians were all gathered around a bonfire. Tiger Lily stood next to a very tall, proud-looking man. Harry scrunched his eyebrows. “What's going on?”

 

Before Peter could respond, the tall man spoke. “Big Chief thanks Pan and Pan's accomplice for returning Princess Tiger Lily,” the man said loudly.

 

Peter gestured for Harry to come with him. “Pan and accomplice accepts Big Chief's thanks,” Peter replied, bowing lowly. Harry hurried to bow down as well, looking at the Chief through the fringe of hair. The Chief clapped his hands twice and two small children came over, carrying head garb made of feathers. Grabbing the largest of the garbs, the Chief placed it on Peter's head. Peter nodded his head and stepped aside. The Chief then grabbed the last garb and placed it on Harry's head. Following Peter's example, Harry nodded his head and stepped aside. The Chief whistled, causing the Indians to cheer loudly. Drums were beaten loudly and dancing began. Harry watched excitedly as Anita and Tiger Lily danced with Abhay and Bhadrak respectively.

 

“Harry, come with me,” Peter whispered, holding out his hand.

 

“Where are we going?” Harry asked as he was led further and further away from the Indian Camp.

 

“You'll like it, trust me,” Peter responded, evading the question. Harry pouted but didn't push any further. “Now, close your eyes.”

 

Harry closed his eyes and relaxed when Peter put his hands over his glasses. He let the other boy lead him, trusting Peter completely. When he felt them stop, Harry barely managed to stop himself from jumping up and down excitedly.

 

“Can I open my eyes now?”

 

“Yes,” Peter replied, taking his hand away. Harry slowly opened his eyes and gasped. They were surrounded by many fairies of all different sizes. Mesmerized, Harry watched a couple of them slow dancing. He hummed slightly and flushed when Peter asked for him to dance.

 

“I don't know how to,” Harry replied sadly.

 

“Don't worry; I'll teach you. Just follow my lead.”

 

Hesitantly, Harry accepted the hand offered to him. Peter put one of Harry's hands on his shoulder before holding the other and placing his free hand on Harry's waist. Slowly, the two of them began to dance. Harry never felt more nervous and continued to mutter apologies every time he accidentally stepped on Peter's foot. Eventually, he got the hang of dancing. After a while, he began to feel tired and gingerly laid his head on Peter's unoccupied shoulder. A smile came to his face; this felt really nice. He had no idea why, but Harry definitely wasn't complaining. Peter flushed and grinned madly. His heart was pounding more than it usually did and he found he didn't mind a lot. Peter switched their position so that both of his hands were on Harry's waist and Harry's arms were wrapped around his torso. Harry yawned snuggled into Peter's warmth, sighing contentedly. They continued dancing, enjoying each other's company and feeling more calm than they ever had before.

 

***

 

â—¦You made it?â—¦ Winter Chime said, his eyes widening slightly before his grin nearly split his face. Tinker Bell flushed.

 

â—¦Well, I had nothing better to do, so I decided to…â—¦ she trailed off and stood in front of the other fairy awkwardly.

 

â—¦Great! The party was starting to get a little boring,â—¦ Winter Chime said, standing up and bowing slightly. â—¦Will you do the pleasure of dancing with me?â—¦ Tinker Bell's face flushed a deeper red as she nodded her head and accepted his offered hand.

 

â—¦I thought you said chivalry was dead,â—¦ she teased as Winter Chime led the dance.

 

â—¦It normally is. Tell me, every time you go to the human world, how often do you see men holding the door for women? It happens, but rarely now-a-days,â—¦ the white-haired fairy said.

 

â—¦True,â—¦ Tinker Bell agreed.

 

They were silent for a while, just enjoying the moment they were caught in. Tinker Bell felt her heart flutter slightly when Winter Chime smiled at her. Was her inner fairy right? Could he be the one to make all the loneliness she felt go away? Or, more importantly, would she let him?

 

`Don't think too much; just relax and enjoy being in his arms,' her inner fairy nagged.

 

`Go away,' Tinker Bell mentally muttered. `Just leave me alone for tonight.'

 

For once, her inner fairy didn't reply. Tinker Bell was pulled from her thoughts by Winter Chime.

 

â—¦Having fun?â—¦ he asked, smiling at her.

 

â—¦Yes,â—¦ Tinker Bell smiled. â—¦I am. It's very relaxing here and I don't know, there's something about this place that makes me very happy.â—¦

 

â—¦Happy enough to come again tomorrow?â—¦ Winter Chime asked, grinning.

 

â—¦I think so,â—¦ Tinker Bell responded, flushing. The white-haired fairy hummed happily and continued dancing. Tinker Bell sighed happily and hesitantly laid her head on Winter Chime's chest. Winter Chime didn't say anything, but his eyes hardened slightly.

 

`I can't do this to her,' he mentally cried.

 

`You have to! Have you forgotten about Summer Chime? What do you think Hook will do to her if you fail?' his inner fairy practically snarled. Winter Chime mentally flinched at the reminder. His heart clenched tightly when he remembered how Hook got his clutches on his dear, sweet little sister. It was, after all, partly his fault.

 

His mom, Spring Chime, had warned him not to leave Pixie Hollow that day. She had had a bad feeling and begged him not to go. Normally those gut feelings she got were right, and she was worried. Winter Chime merely brushed off her warning and left their cozy little hideout in the canopy. He had been planning to look for some things to get his little sister for her birthday. When Winter Chime returned, he found he hideout in total disarray and his parents dead. There was a note on her bed that said, basically, that Hook had taken his little sister and murdered his family. If he was to see her again, he would have to do whatever Hook asked, whenever he asked it.

 

Winter Chime closed his eyes tightly, remembering his vow to do whatever possible to keep Summer Chime safe. When he opened them, they were completely hard.

 

`I'm sorry Tinker Bell, but my little sister comes first,' he thought to himself. When Tinker Bell looked up at him, he smiled brightly at her. She returned the smile and he felt his heartstrings tug a little before he viciously squashed the feelings of guilt.

 

If Hook wanted him to find out Peter's hideout and seduce Tinker Bell, he would. Even if it meant breaking her heart in the process.

 

A/N: Alright, this just felt right to end it here. Sorry about the lateness; my computer is being a fucktard. There are so many things wrong with it. Problems include, but isn't limited to, the browser shutting down, the sound going away, and my chapter on Microsoft Word getting deleted. I'll just have to hike it to the library, which is three miles away, in order to write and upload chapters. Let me know how you like it. And the next chapter will be slightly longer.