Title: Artistically Drawn

Author: ellaurora

Genres: AU, drama

Pairings: HP/DM

Rating: M

Warnings: language, violence, sexual situations (this is SLASH)

Summary: Harry Potter is set to attend Hogwarts School of the Arts, but his first year of school is disrupted by a dangerous and mysterious blond…

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or any of the characters. If I did, I probably wouldn't resort to fan fiction to get my kicks out :]

A/N: This is part one, mostly serving as a prologue (a very lengthy one at that). This story will mostly be un-betaed, but I might get one. So, sorry for any grammatical errors. I don't always pick all of them up. If you do notice anything big, leave it in a review and I will attempt to fix it. There will be HP/DM slash eventually, later down the road. This story is just for fun so who knows where it will go, though I have a pretty clear plot line in mind.

One last note, I must give a shout out to The Wykkyd's fan fic "Thirteenth to Fifth" where I got the idea of placing HP characters in an art school, however, my plot line will be completely different from hers as you will already be able to tell with the first chapter. Hope she doesn't mind too much! Check her story out if you haven't, it's pretty awesome!

Enjoy and review please!

Part One

Overature

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The sleeping boy lying atop the old rickety bed let out a groan as he rolled over towards the sound coming from the alarm clock on the bedside table. With the slap of his hand on the snooze button, the beeping ceased. With another groan, the boy rubbed his sleep filled eyes to better adjust to the morning sunlight streaming in through the lone window inside his room. He opened his eyes, squinting from the brightness.

Suddenly, a loud banging resonated from the door, shaking the tiny room and all of its contents.

"Oi! Boy", shouted the voice of a grouchy man from behind the door, "Get your lazy arse up and make us breakfast!"

The boy, still lying in the bed, let out another weary groan as ran a hand over his face, not yet fully awakened. "I'll be down in a second!" he called back in irritation.

"No, we want you down there NOW!" the man from the door yelled in fury. With one last loud pounding of his fist on the door, the man's footsteps could be heard retreating back downstairs.

Harry Potter let out a sigh as he flung the covers off of his stiff, tired body. He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed until his bare feet hit the cold wooden floor. Stifling a yawn, he reached his arms up and his legs out to stretch his sleep worn muscles, and at once, memories of an erotic dream the night before came running back to him. Harry smiled to himself, thinking of the blond in the previous night's dream and wishing he were real.

A shout of "BOY" from downstairs brought him back to reality and away from the beauty in his dreams. Standing up at last, Harry grabbed his glasses from his nightstand in order to take everything in clearly. The tiny bedroom he lived in was dull and lifeless. It only housed a creaking bed, a nightstand, an old, tarnished closet with a door falling off at the hinges, and a few sparse belongings. Dust coated the air and the entire room smelled as though it was rotting. It was obvious that the room belonged to someone unloved and neglected, as the room appeared to be in the same condition. After throwing on an old pair of jeans and a dirty t-shirt, Harry made his way downstairs to meet the growling man's demands.

Where Harry's bedroom appeared to be close to abandonment, the downstairs area of the house appeared to be in no such state. The hall, parlor, kitchen, and dining room were all furbished elegantly with the latest in modern furniture. Pictures of the family littered the walls and shelves, giving the house a personality and a sense of purpose.

Harry entered the kitchen seeing his aunt scurrying about and his uncle already sitting at the table, newspaper in hand.

"Well it's about time you got down here!" his Aunt Petunia exclaimed, roughly putting the two coffee mugs she held in her hand into the sink.

Uncle Vernon, still seated at the table, threw down his paper and glared at Harry. "I've been calling you to get you arse down here for over an hour now!" he growled, baring his teeth from underneath the gray moustache.

"It's only been five minutes not over an hour!" Harry bit back irritably.

"It doesn't matter what it is!" Aunt Petunia shrieked. "You're late and you have to make breakfast for Dudley's special day. We have to leave in an hour and Dudley's upstairs changing into his good suit. I want breakfast ready by the time he's down here."

Harry rolled his eyes and walked further into the kitchen to grab the eggs from the fridge. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and pancakes—Dudley's favorite breakfast meal. Cracking the eggs into the frying pan, Harry said scathingly, "Special day? It's only his school orientation! Though how he managed to get in at all is some miracle from the gods!"

"He got in on MERIT!" his fat uncle roared from where he still sat at the kitchen table. His fists scrunched around the newspaper in his hands and his face began to turn purple in rage, a temple bulging on his forehead.

"Merit," Harry scoffed, "Yeah if merit these days means you're as smart as a toothpick and graduated from high school with a C- average." Grabbing the spatula, he started to scramble the eggs in the frying pan, ignoring the appalled look on his aunt's face. "Tell me," he continued, taunting Vernon, "how much did you have to pay the president to let him into that school or how much black mail did you have to dangle over their heads to get them to admit Dudley to their university?"

Suddenly, the paper Vernon was clenching ripped in half as he flew out of his chair and towards Harry. Putting a chubby finger in Harry's smirking face, he yelled, seething, "That's enough out of you! If I hear one more word come out of your mouth, I'll stick you back in that cupboard we put you in when you were little for the rest of your god damn life!"

Harry only continued to smirk at his uncle's livid face. This was the part he enjoyed most- when his uncle would get so furious that he would scream and yell and make threats. Harry had once been afraid of this part of their banters, but now that he was older, he found them rather funny. Though his uncle was as fat as a whale, Harry could take him down in a second if he ever tried something. He was quite strong with a bit of sly cleverness. Harry thought that his uncle probably knew this and that was why he never did come after Harry anymore, only making threats he didn't intend to keep. Vernon's intimidation tactics no longer created fear in Harry as he couldn't be bullied by Vernon anymore.

"I'd look to see you try," Harry spat in his uncle's face, clutching a spatula in his right hand in case Vernon should try anything.

Realizing that his threat had not worked on Harry, Vernon stepped back and just scowled. "You're just jealous that he was admitted to a prestigious academic university and you were not."

"Oh yeah, prestigious," Harry mused sarcastically, turning back to scoop the scrambled eggs onto a plate. "I'd hate to burst your bubble Vernon, but that place is no Cambridge. It's about as close to a community college as you can get."

"Well at least it isn't the faggot school that you'll be attending," Vernon sneered, a malicious smirk coming to his face.

Harry's body went rigid and his veins started thrumming in anger. He turned around to face his leering uncle. "What did you say?" he growled.

Vernon's smirk only spread, for once having the upper hand in their bickering. "I said," he drawled, "that at least my son won't be going to a school for fags. A school for the arts? You might as well just call it a school to teach faggots how to whore themselves."

"You better take that back and go wash your mouth out Vernon," replied Harry calmly, biting back his anger, though his body was shaking and his knuckles white.

"Or what," Vernon leered, taking a step closer to Harry in a challenge.

"Or I'll wash it out for you." Harry too took a step toward his uncle, ignoring the squeaks and protests coming from his aunt behind him.

"I'd like to see you tr—"

Before Vernon could finish his statement, Harry had punched the fat man in the jaw, knocking him backwards as he screamed in agonizing rage. After steadying himself on his feet, Vernon took one look at Harry and screamed as he held his now broken jaw, "You'll fucking pay for this boy! I want you out of my house now!"

"Fine then," Harry said casually with a farewell smirk, "Enjoy your breakfast." And with that, he threw the plate of eggs to the floor and walked to the stairs to go and gather his trunk, ignoring Vernon's yells of pain and Petunia's weeps. It didn't matter to him that they threw him out of the house. They had before but always let him back in. They liked having him as their slave and Harry having nowhere else to go had stayed. They would probably allow him to stay this time too, but it didn't matter to Harry anymore. He was finally going to escape for good. He was leaving tomorrow for the university he would be spending the next four years and it no longer mattered whether the Dursley's threw him out of their house or not.

As soon as Harry got back to his room, he threw the remaining things into the trunk he already had packed and swept out, not even caring to look back at the prison room he had been locked in. Before he descended the stairs, he glanced back down the upstairs hallways and saw Dudley, his cousin, standing there open-mouthed.

"See ya Dudders!" he called back gleefully with a wink and the bounded down the stairs, dragging his trunk along with him, ignoring the still gaping expression of his cousin.

Before he could reach the door, Vernon had grabbed him from behind and pushed him up against the wall. "So you're really leaving this time, huh?" he snarled, his face still an ugly shade of purple and one side of his jaw significantly distorted.

"You know I am," Harry sneered back, pushing Vernon off of him all too easily and laughing inwardly at how the man recoiled.

"Well what are you waiting for? GO!" he barked, throwing his fists up into the air. "But if you ever come back onto this property again I'll skin you alive or call the police! You hear me?"

"Perfectly, uncle," Harry replied mockingly, his smirk beaming. With one final glare to his uncle that said 'I won', Harry opened the front door and walked outside, continuing down the street and not looking back. He couldn't stop the smile from overcoming his whole face.

It had taken eighteen years, but finally, Harry Potter was free of the Dursleys and Number 4 Privet Drive and he would never have to go back there again.

Dusk was starting to roll in and a late summer chill swept through with the breeze, but that didn't bother Harry. Nothing could ruin this day for him. As he jogged down the quiet street, blasting the music out of the mp3 player he had gotten from a friend, all different emotions coursed through him—excitement, anxiety, peace, worry, happiness, but most importantly, he felt alive. It was a new feeling, one he never felt before. He was no longer caged in a prison he was forced to be in ever since his parent's fatal car accident. He had escaped and now he was free to begin the next chapter of his life. All of this made him feel alive.

Harry stopped as he came to the Little Whinging Park. Seeing a familiar body atop the rocks by the pond, he pulled the ear buds out of his ears and made his way over.

The crunching of his trainers on the ground alerted his friend of his arrival and he felt a smile emerge upon his face as he took in his friend's beaming face.

"Harry!" the young man said, his hazel eyes shining bright in greeting. He jumped down off the rocks and jogged over to meet his friend halfway, throwing his arms around him in a welcoming hug as soon as he was close enough. "I haven't seen you in a while," the young man said as he pulled away from Harry, "where've you been?"

Harry looked up into the face of his best friend Christian, admiring the way his tousled chestnut locks waved in the evening breeze and his eyes gleamed in the setting sun. "Oh, I've been busy packing and stuff, getting ready to leave," Harry replied casually, keeping a smile upon his face.

'That's right, you leave for that big, fancy school tomorrow," Christian replied cheerfully, "leaving the rest of us lazy bums here."

They began to make their way to the large rocks on the shore of the pond, each taking a seat on one. Harry chuckled at his friend's way with words and responded, "Oh, I'm sure you'll have a good time with the family business here."

"Oh yeah, it's gonna be a blast working in a factory all day," he joked with sarcasm, chuckling right along with Harry. "Say, you got any fags on you? I'm all out and I haven't had a chance to pick more up."

"Yeah, I got a pack right here," Harry said as he dug into his pockets, taking out the pack of cigarettes. Christian dug out his own lighter and lit both of them up.

"So, you excited for tomorrow and all that?" he asked, staring out over the large pond to the setting sun.

"Yeah, it's gonna be different, but I'm finally doing what I wanna do," Harry replied after taking a drag off his cigarette.

"You bet it will be," Christian agreed, running a hand through his messy hair. "But you'll have fun with all those yuppies singing, tap dancing, and reciting Shakespeare sonnets till you die or whatever it is that you do."

Harry laughed. "Actually, it's called acting, with a bit of singing. Or, theatre to be exact."

"Yeah that," Christian said sheepishly with a shake of his head, making Harry laugh harder. "Just think, you'll be a regular old nancy boy."

Harry continued to chuckle at his friend's humor. "I'll try not to become too flamboyant about it."

Now they were both laughing together, a routine that was common in their friendship. "Yeah, you better not!" Christian exclaimed through his chuckles.

Harry had known Christian since middle school and he soon became the first friend he ever had. After years of being teased and taunted by his peers, Christian had been the first person to ever stick up for Harry. After years of always sticking together, they became inseparable best friends, knowing each of each other's secrets. Harry had told Christian everything from the Dursley's treatment of him to his dreams of becoming an actor after seeing a stage production of Hamlet. Christian had been the one who helped him sneak out at night to see performances at the local theatre and eventually helping him land roles for various productions and recognizing Harry actually had a decent singing voice. If it weren't for Christian, Harry didn't know how he would be where he was now, attending one of the best academies in Europe for the arts.

Christian was also the first person Harry confronted with questions about his own sexuality. After entering high school, it didn't take Harry long to figure out that he was definitely gay. He tried intimacy with girls, but didn't feel anything when he kissed them or even looked at them. They were simply not appealing to him. Boys, on the other hand, drove Harry mad with desire and after a few experiments with Christian's encouragement, Harry had figured out he was gay and was content with it. He didn't try to hide it anymore, although he didn't make it known either. Harry had many liaisons and flings with boys, finding them all pleasurable, but none of them lasting relationships. Harry had even tried a few things with Christian, who was perfectly content with fumbling around with both sexes. A few nights of becoming too drunk or too high to do anything else but snog had resulted in just that. However, the two had remained friends more than anything else, allowing them to frequently joke around about Harry's sexuality.

Now, Harry glanced up at his smiling best friend and realized he didn't know what he would do without him. Christian had been his support system for so long, how would he be able to function in a place where self performance was everything and no one there to boost his confidence?

Overcome with a bit of sorrow, Harry put out his cigarette and stared into his friends hazel eyes, saying softly, "I'll come back you know."

"No, you won't," Christian replied quietly, forcing a small grin on his face as he put his own cigarette out, "You'll be too busy getting groomed and trained to become the next big star to even think about coming back here."

"I will," Harry urged, wanting his friend to believe that he would never forget him. "I'll come back over Christmas break and I'll be back for next summer."

"You wanna come back here to stay with your aunt and uncle on your holiday breaks?" Christian asked disbelievingly with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Harry started, "They kicked me out of the house. For good this time."

"Well that's great Harry," Christian scoffed, "I've been telling you to get out of the house for years! You could have come and lived with me."

"I know, but I didn't want to impose," Harry argued, "It wouldn't have been right for your family to be stuck with me."

Christian just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well whatever, but the fact that you have no place to come back to is just another reason why you don't need to come back here."

"But I have you to come back to," Harry stated matter-of-factly, "and besides, I don't mind this town so much. I'll buy a place of my own."

Christian scowled. "With what money? You quit your job at the store a few weeks ago to go off to school and all that money you made is going towards your tuition."

Harry just shrugged and said, "I'll get another job while I'm living there, I mean for heaven's sakes, the school is in London! There should be plenty of work available."

"Yeah, whatever," Christian said gloomily, resting his head on his arms that were crossed over his bent kneecaps, glaring out at the pond.

Harry desperately didn't want to leave things on a bad note with him, not with the only person he cared about. "Listen, you're my best friend and you always will be," Harry started softly, laying a hand on his arm. He stared at the side of his friend's face, willing those hazel eyes to look back and meet his green ones. "I'll come back. I won't forget who I am because I'm going to some fancy school with lots of big shots and know-it-alls."

Christian seemed a bit more reassured and turned his head to meet his friends gaze. "You promise?"

"Of course I promise you dim whit!" Harry exclaimed loudly, throwing his hands up in the air in an attempt to restore the mood back to its lightheartedness.

"Blithering idiot, yourself!" Christian retorted, going along with Harry's teasing. "Say, where you staying tonight if your aunt and uncle kicked you out?"

Harry shrugged and replied coolly, "A cheap hotel next to the train station. I walked there this morning. It took me all damn day."

Again Christian shook his head and scoffed at him. Like many things, it was a repeating pattern between the two of them. "You could have just called me you know and I would have driven you."

"I know, but I didn't want to im-"

"I know, I know, impose," Christian interjected with a quick roll of the eyes. "You've been saying the same thing since the day I met you."

Harry smiled and said confidently, "Yup and it won't change!"

"I know it won't you stubborn git!"

Harry chuckled back, feeling the uneasiness left of their tense conversation a few minutes ago all drain away and disappear. "I should probably be going. It will take me about an hour to get back to the hotel and I have to catch an early train." The words fell out of his mouth, but he couldn't make himself follow through with them just yet. This would be this hardest thing; turning his back on his best friend to go become someone far superior to him.

Silence erupted between them and both of them felt it. Finally, Christian cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, you better get going then." With a sigh, he stood up on the rocks, holding a hand out to help Harry up to.

He sighed, knowing he had to face the inevitable. They had to say goodbye. "I'll write to you," he whispered, his voice filled with the hope that his friend would agree.

"You better," Christian demanded and Harry's face broke out into a toothy grin. "You have to let me know how you're doing there, whether they're all giving you a run for your money or if there's any decent blokes."

Harry laughed at the last part. "I will."

"Try not to fall in love with too many."

"I won't, don't worry," Harry confirmed. "It's not my intention to be chasing after other men while I'm there." He knew he wasn't interested in meeting someone to get involved with. He didn't think he'd have time for that. Still, one could hope.

"Well, I hope not. You're there to receive a good education," Christian said in his best imitation of their stern English teacher from last year, making Harry erupt in a fit of giggles.

After the laughs between the two of them subsided, Harry knew there was nothing left to say but goodbye. With a deep breath, he said sweetly, "Bye Christian, I'll miss you." After another deep breath to push away the tears that threatened to pour, he continued, "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I wouldn't be going to this school if it wasn't for you."

His friend shook his head in disbelief for umpteenth time that day. However, when he spoke, it was only gentle, kind words that came out. "No, you would have. You did it all yourself, I was just the chaperone." He paused like Harry had, seeming to swallow down his own tears as well. "Take care, Harry. Don't let your confidence fail or your dreams die. You have a gift, and not just in your natural voice. You're a pure blessing to this world Harry, so I want you to make the most of everything while you there, okay?"

Harry nodded before stepping up to wrap his arms around his one true friend in life, the one he would be leaving behind as he went to pursue bigger and better things. After letting go, Harry placed a chaste kiss to Christian's lips, letting them linger there for a few seconds longer than necessary. He would miss this—their closeness. Finally, he stepped away, giving his friend one last bright smile and then turning away in farewell.

He was about twenty feet away from the pond when he heard Christian's voice calling from behind, "Hey Harry! You come back here wearing tights and sparkles and I'll kill you!"

Harry laughed again to himself, thinking that it would be just like Christian to end on a humorous note rather than a sorrowful one. However, Harry couldn't turn around, for he knew if he did, he would go running back to his friend. Keeping the sorrow and emptiness out of his voice, Harry called back over his shoulder "I won't as long as you don't end up eloped to the next woman you pick up while you're half crocked!"

He could hear Christian's laughs erupt from behind him, and then a faint, "Bye Harry."

Indeed, it was goodbye for Harry. He didn't know if he would ever come back to this place to be with Christian again. Maybe he would get swept into the new life he would be living that he really would just forget all about him. Harry didn't think it was possible, but he didn't know. He didn't know anything of what lay ahead at the Hogwarts School of the Arts, but the prospect of it left him feeling invigorated, free, and above all, alive…

Please review and let me know what you think! Or you can give me title ideas. I'm horrible at naming things as you can see. This one is lame, but everything else I thought of didn't work. I'll try to update when I can :)

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**16 days till Deathly Hallows Part 2! :)**