Title: Not so Perfect
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: The Trio (Ron, Hermione, Harry)
Song & Artist: Perfect- Alanis Morrissette (for LJ community ficmix)
Rating: PG (K+)
Warnings: Slightly emo.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or the song Perfect. I'm just using these for fun.
Word Count: 850

Sometimes is never quite enough
If you're flawless, then you'll win my love
Don't forget to win first place
Don't forget to keep that smile on your face
Be a good boy
Try a little harder
You've got to measure up
And make me prouder
How long before you screw it up
How many times do I have to tell you to hurry up?
With everything I do for you
The least you can do is keep quiet

The pressure of being the youngest boy in the Weasley family was getting to Ron. He always felt like he was competing for his parents love. He came from a line of 2 Head Boys, Charlie, the best seeker before Harry and the twins, who never really did well in school but became successful businessmen. How could he not feel the pressure to live up to what they were? Ginny had it easy. Being the only girl and the youngest she deserved to be doted on. Besides girls were rarities in the Weasley family, anyways.

Ron always felt pressure to keep happy. That came from his jokester twin brothers. If he wasn't smiling he always thought that his family would think less off him because he was bloody damn depressed.

Then there was the example of being good and studious. He had to thank Percy for that one. Ron felt like now that Percy had abandoned the family he had to take his place. He had to become the stuffy head boy with good grades. Hermione was helpful there. Ever since he started recognizing his feelings for her he had the pressure of being just as good as her in order to impress her.

When it came to Quidditch, Ron felt the most pressure, He had to impress his, family, not let his teammates down, and he wanted Hermione to think he was the Hero of the game. Ron spent countless hours out on the pitch practicing. He had to be just as good a keeper as Charlie was a seeker.

Sometimes Ron wished he was like Bill, with his long hair and earrings. He was the black sheep of the family. As much as his parents didn't like Fleur he still married her. Ron wished he knew his secret for staying out of his parent's bad side. He supposed it was because he was the first born or something.

His family may not have a lot, but Ron knew they did as much as they could for him. This is why he could never tell anyone about his insecurities.

Be a good girl
You've got to try a little harder
That simply wasn't good enough
To make us proud
I'll live through you
I'll make you what I never was
If you're the best, then maybe so am I
Compared to him compared to her
I'm doing this for your own damn good
You'll make up for what I blew
What's the problem . . . why are you crying?

All the pressure Hermione Granger dealt with was placed on her by herself. She felt so different from her parents. The wizarding world was just something that her parents would never understand because they were muggles. They wouldn't be proud of her for getting into Gryffindor or being the first to master a spell like the Weasley's were with their children. Even being a prefect wasn't impressive. Her parents just didn't understand.

Instead, Hermione focused on the one thing she knew he parents could evaluate- Her grades. Her parents may not understand what transfiguration was but if they were told that she had the top marks in the school it would stand for something. That was the one thing they would understand.

They were the second and third best in their dentistry school. The only way to top them was to be the best. That's why Hermione studied hard and took the extra courses. She stayed above Malfoy and all of the Ravenclaws. She had to be the best so they would be proud.

No one noticed how she cried herself to sleep every night because of the stress.

Be a good boy
Push a little farther now
That wasn't fast enough
To make us happy
We'll love you just the way you are if you're perfect

Harry had the weight of the entire wizarding world on his shoulders. He had to defeat Voldemort. He had to save them all. If he couldn't do it, no one could.

He pushed himself to get this over with. The sooner it was finished, the sooner he could have a better life.

The thoughts of all the people who had died because he couldn't finish Voldemort off also helped him push himself further. Sirius. Dumbledore. His parents. Cedric Diggory. If he had managed to get rid of this evil would they still be alive today? He would never know.

Voldemort had ruined so many lives. Harry sometimes felt like he was part of the cause. When he died to end everything he understood why there was no huge funeral. He just wasn't quick enough.