Title: Perfection

Fandom: Harry Potter

Author: Natalie J

Rating: R

Category: Romance/Horror

Pairings: HPTR, HPBL, TRBL, HPBLTR, GWHG

Keywords: Dark!Harry, Slash.

Archived: FFN, LiveJournal.

Disclaimer: It goes without saying that this would NEVER EVER happen within canon. I do not own Harry Potter, I'm not making any money from this. Sadly.

Prologue

Harry stormed out of Dumbledore's office and along the corridor towards Gryffindor tower. He was surprised that Dumbledore even kept him here – though Dumbledore had proved only minutes ago that he needed Harry. It was the only reason Harry was in Hogwarts still: Dumbledore needed the Boy Who Lived.

All because of this stupid prophecy. Harry was sure that had it not existed he'd be happier. If he was not… 'contracted' to fight and needed to win he'd have left. Ran away. He had the money to do so, and it wasn't like he had anything to stay for or look forward to…

But it was all based on a series of 'ifs'. IF Sirius hadn't died, IF the prophecy hadn't existed, IF his parents hadn't died, IF, IF, IF. Harry looked down to his watch – it was late, after curfew. Not that he adhered to the curfew. And in his preoccupied-state he'd walked right past the portrait of the Fat Lady; she was a good few metres behind him. Sighing, he swivelled on the spot and retraced his steps.

"Expositus et adamo," Harry murmured when he reached the guardian of Gryffindor House, walking through the arch as it was opened. Immediately, three pairs of eyes turned to him: Ginny, Hermione and Ron. They didn't say a word, merely watching as Harry raised an eyebrow and walked up to the sixth year boys' dormitory. He closed the door, just as conversation between the trio below started up again.

"He's under a lot of pressure," Harry heard Hermione say, not really troubling to keep her voice down.

"But we're his best friends – he shouldn't be dismissing us like this!" Ron exclaimed angrily.

Harry sighed and walked over to his bed in the farthest corner. They didn't know the half of it. He still hadn't told his friends about the prophecy, though in his defence, it had only been a matter of weeks since he had learned of it himself. Long, dragging weeks in which he'd changed so dramatically, his friends had every reason to be worried.

Dumbledore had asked all four of them to remain at Hogwarts for a little longer after the end of fifth year to "tie up loose ends". Whatever in hell that meant, Harry thought. So tomorrow, a week before his birthday, he was returning to the Dursley's.

In all his musing, he'd yet again lost track of what he was doing: he was half in and half out of his jeans. "Bugger," he whispered needlessly, removing them completely and walking off to the bathroom to brush his teeth before bed.

It was when Harry was finally settling down under the covers – so close to sleep – that there was a tapping at his window. Usually, he'd have been inclined to blame it on the wind and curl over, but it was like someone was whispering in his ear that he had to get up and see what it was, 'it's important'.

It was an owl. And an unfamiliar one at that.