A/N: This bit of fluff is the result of a bit of writer's block. Characters may seem a bit OC but enjoy anyways.

Oh and I have an image uploaded for this also, check it out for an idea of what the drawn picture might look like. It should be the cover art for the story.

Harry didn't know what to think as he stared down at the letter that had been thrown at his face by some random owl at breakfast one morning during his eighth year.

Coming back for an eighth year had been just about what Harry had expected.

Hermione harping on both him and Ron about N.E.W.T's, Ron complaining about the constant studying, and a ton of fan mail constantly streaming at him each morning during breakfast as well as the constant staring of just about everyone in school.

The first two were welcome, it made everything feel normal. Like Harry finally had a chance at a normal school year. There were finally no Dark Lord's out after his life.

It was the other things that came with his coming back that made him wish that he had stayed holed up in Grimmauld place and never emerged.

The constant staring of the students and hero worship that seemed to follow him wherever he went was starting to really get to him.

Just the other day he had ended up snapping at some random second year that wanted his autograph. What made it worse was that it had been in the middle of the great hall and his outburst has caused just about every head to turn and stare at him.

Thankfully there were still a few students among the school that didn't stare at him or were hero worshiping him. The seventh and eighth year students who had been around Harry since forever and were used to such things barely batted an eye at him.

He had taken to hiding away in the eighth-year dorms and common room recently to get away from all the stares.

But back to his main worry, or confusion, it really wasn't anything to be worried about.

A letter, or note, as it were, had made its way through all the blocks Harry had to put on his mail to him. It wasn't signed or anything that he could see, so Harry was left wondering how it had gotten through.

"What's that mate?" Ron asked leaning over.

"A letter." Harry replied still staring at the parchment.

"From who?"

"Don't know."

"Are you going to open it?" Ron asked now looking at the letter also.

"Harry's not going to open it before scanning it, right?" Hermione spoke up giving the two a look making them remember the last time Harry had accidently opened an unknown letter before scanning it.

It had made him see floating hearts and the flashing name of the sender for hours before the charm had worn off. It had given him a severe headache for hours afterward, completely ruining his day. He had been lucky it hadn't been laced with anything worse.

"Of course, I'm going to scan it." Harry snapped at Hermione and waved his wand.

He gave a small frown when nothing came back. It was just a letter. Picking it up he decided to open it, Ron leaning in unable to help being curious.

-I hate how the masses swarm at you. after everything you've been through you deserve to be left alone and enjoy your life for once. That's when I see you really shining, surrounded by the people you care about and doing the things you love. Though I won't say it doesn't give me a thrill to see you get angry and tell them off.-

Bellow the message there was a drawing of the outline of a stag's head. The inside completely white, and tendrils of smoke surrounding it. Harry sucked in a breath, the stag was breath taking. The dark edges of the smoke almost made it look like it was glowing. Almost like his Patronus.

"Wow mate, whoever wrote this must really like you." Ron commented reading over the message.

Casting his eyes back up to the message, Harry reads it over again and tries to fight a smile. He folds it gently and tucks it in his robes.

"You're keeping it?" Hermione asks.

Harry just nods and goes back to his food. The note seemed more genuine that the thousands of others he had received.

He still wondered how it had gotten to him. His mail was monitored, only pieces from those he knew or were from something official usually made it to him. Otherwise there was a room set up in the castle that the mail was sorted through. Kreacher liked to oversee this since he didn't have a lot to do during the school year.

If Kreacher was ever unsure about something a pile was made and sent to Harry in the evening.

But it seemed this had made its way either past the elf or the elf had let it through. Either way, Harry found he didn't mind all that much.

It was a few days later that he received the next letter.

Harry barely reminded himself to check the parchment before snatching it up quickly and opening it. Something in him had been really looking forward to another possible letter coming.

Right away he knew it was from the same person as the stag was still nestled into the corner. This time instead of just the silhouette, the stag was running across the bottom of the page. Smiling he tore his eyes away from the drawing to see what the message was.

-I know how you say you want to be an Auror, but at times I wonder if that is really Harry saying those things or Harry Potter. Is it something you really want for yourself, or it is the parroting of something that everyone else expects you to do. Though I must say, while you do take the role of an Auror in some of my fantasies, that is not always the case (and may I say, I think you would file out those Auror robes very well). No, there are a great many other careers I think that would also suit you, or did you want to be chasing the bad guy for the rest of your life? I however, got the impression that you were happy that part of your life was over.

No, I can see you being a teacher, I heard you did very well doing that in fifth year. Or, you could be a speaker, chose something that truly interested you and just speak your mind. Did you know that you are extremely hot when you not only start lecturing someone, but then begin teaching them also? I'm telling you, I started to get hot under my robes and had to leave to the loo the other day when you started telling off those two third years that were fighting in the corridor. Or, how about a care taker. I can just see it, Harry Potter, paragon of all things good and just, adds to his life by opening an orphanage for those damaged by the war. There are scores of other things I could see you do, but I think it would take too long to name them all. I just, want to see you happy. Even if that means standing on the side looking in. No matter what I say, seeing you happy would be enough for me.

If you didn't get all that, I don't think Auror is the right fit for you. Give it some thought, but don't let me influence your decision.-

Harry was fighting the blush that threatened to rise as he read the letter. Not only was there so many telling things in the letter, helping him at least get a better idea who in the school might be writing to him, but the care and thought that was hidden in the flirting was not something that he had seen to this level.

No one had really expressed to him their concerns about him becoming an Auror. Or for that matter talked to him to even see if that's what he wanted to do. Granted that was one of the few jobs that he could think about that might interest him. Giving it some thought, Harry realized that he had not really given his career choice much thought.

At least not since fifth year when he had said Auror in part because of Moody, but mostly to spit Umbridge.

But maybe now he might. He actually had a future to look forward to and not the war preventing him from seeing further. This person clearly cared about what he might do with his life, even if it was in part just to fill his or her fantasies.

"Another secret love note?" Ron asked teasingly.

Harry hummed and folded the note slipping it in his robes again.

"What did they mention this time?" Hermione asked curious.

"Me being an Auror or not being one, various jobs they think I would do well in, and the fight I broke up the other day." Harry replied thinking back on the fight.

It had been in the entrance hall, and two third years, a Hufflepuff and Slytherin had gotten into an argument. Harry had honestly been surprised to see that it hadn't been a Gryffindor that had gotten in the fight.

Tension had been high between the other houses and Slytherin when they had come back, but a few lectures from the teachers and Harry and his friends over the first few weeks had put a stop in the most serious of issues.

Harry had arrived on the scene just as two disarming spells had been launched. He and Neville had immediately broken the two up and demanded to know what was going on. Turns out the Hufflepuff had said something about the Slytherin boy's younger sister and the kid had just been standing up for her. It had resulted in more harsh words said and drawn wands.

Harry had actually been impressed at the spell work, and after chastising the two, complimented the boys on their disarming and corrected them in a few mistakes. The scene had drawn quiet the crowd.

Harry didn't get another long note for a few days. He found he kind of missed the long messages.

But he did get short little notes that would show up during meals sometimes, either with the post or just appearing on his plate when he sat down.

He wondered how his mysterious messenger was getting these to him, maybe they had worked something out with the house elves to get the notes to appear on his plate. Harry half wondered if he should ask Kreacher about the notes, but decided he kind of liked the mystery factor in the whole thing.

He loved the little notes that would appear and would save each and every one of them. They went into the moleskin pouch that Hagrid had gotten him for safe keeping.

At dinner one night, Harry smiled to see a note on his plate and picked it up doing his customary scan. He thought back to some of the previous small notes he had gotten over the past few days.

-I love how your green eyes seem to sparkle and light up when there is something you are passionate about.-

-It took forever for me to see the true strength in you, and each day I truly notice it I can't help but marvel at it.-

-Does it ever get to you how nauseatingly but amazingly sweet you're your friends relationship is? Sometimes I imagine the two of us like that late at night and find myself unable to stop grinning and smiling goofily.-

A few more had been on the more racier side on his mystery writers part, detailing a few fantasies, that left Harry with little doubt after the first one as to the gender of his writer.

The explicit way the writer wrote about wanting to suck Harry down while fisting himself after all left little to the imagination.

That one had led to Harry quickly rushing out the great hall and having a quick wank in the bathroom before returning flustered much to Ron and the others amusement.

"What is it this time?" Ron asked seeing the new note.

"None of your business." Harry responded keeping the note close. With how personal some of the letters were getting, Harry didn't particularly want Ron reading them over his shoulder.

"I'm worried, how safe are these?" Hermione asked leaning in.

"They're not cursed if that's what you're asking." Harry said tensely feeling protective of his notes.

"Look at yourself Harry, your entirely to invested in these letters. Do you even know who the girl is?" Hermione asked in concern.

"It's a bloke for one." Harry said with a frown. "And while I don't know who exactly, I have narrowed it down quite a bit from all the clues given to me."

"Well, what about Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"What about her?" Harry responded confused. It wasn't like he was with her anymore. He didn't see how any of this had to do with her.

"Well don't you think it's unfair to her to keep accepting these letters?" Hermione replied.

"It would be if I had any intention of getting back with her. But seeing as I'm not, I don't see what difference it makes to her." Harry said stiffly.

He had been putting off talking to Ginny, but he had figured that she had gotten the picture when he had avoided her the entire summer and made no move to bring their past relationship up in any conversation.

"Really mate? Why not?" Ron asked surprised if not a little relieved. As much as he preferred Ginny going out with Harry, it was still weird, his little sister going out with his best friend.

"Considering I had a very explicit dream over the summer that shifted from a guilt dream with Snape to him buggering me senseless, I would say the reason was I realized that I didn't want to get back with Ginny who is a female and didn't exactly have the right parts." Harry snapped not liking that this conversation had to be had over breakfast.

With a derisive snort at Ron and Hermione's gob smacked expressed, Harry pushed his plate away and got up from Gryffindor table. Perhaps he would spend the remaining time before classes started down by the lake.

Sitting down by the lake Harry was finally able to pull out the note from this morning. He smiled as once again the stag graced the parchment.

Tracing his finger over the drawing, Harry once again wondered just who his secret admirer was. He knew that the person was a guy. They make an effort to see the real him. Don't particularly want him to be an Auror, and fantasized about him quiet a lot. He was also in Harry's year.

He knew that it wasn't any of the guys in Gryffindor. Harry had to think about the guys in the other houses his year.

Hufflepuff had Justin Finch-Flectchley, Ernie Macmillan, Wayne Hopkins, Roger Mallon, and Kevin Entwhistle. Of the puffs he knew, he had only ever really interacted with Justin and Ernie, and even then, he barely knew them. Added to the fact that only Justin and Roger had come back this year, Harry didn't think they were his mystery person.

In Ravenclaw there was Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstien, Micheal Corner, and two others, a Stephan and an Oliver. Those last two Harry had only heard in passing that they weren't here this year, and unfortunately didn't remember much about them. Micheal was straight, Goldstein passive at best and Boot was a smart know it all that didn't really seem like the type to write letters to Harry about how in love with him he was.

Harry smiled. It was obvious after a few letters that the bloke was in love with him. And not just Harry Potter, but actually Harry. The bloke never once bringing up the war or his hero status It was such a surreal thought that he didn't mind that the most likely candidate for his admire was a Slytherin.

Which, after thinking about it was obvious. All the other boys would have gotten up and talked to Harry if they were interested. And the other boys, some had been involved in the D.A. durning fifth year. No, his admirer was a Slytherin, of that Harry was sure.

That left two likely choices if Harry was being serious. Crabbe was dead, Goyle didn't have the mental capacity that Harry was aware of to write these letters, and Nott hadn't come back this year. leaving only either Draco Malfoy or Blaise Zabini to be the person so invested in Harry.

And Harry had a strange fluttery feeling that he knew who, and he didn't mind all that much. Because while Zabini was a possibility, he had heard that the bloke would shag just about anything, and Harry had caught him necking some sixth year Hufflepuff just the other day.

So that left Mal…Draco.

Harry thought about the other boy. Draco had been quiet since coming back. He had kept his head down and focused on his classes, only drawing attention to himself when defending a younger Slytherin student that was being picked on. the only time Harry would see him come to life like he used to be was when he was telling someone off for mistreating a younger student or verbally defending himself against some of the taunts directed at him. Never once taking his wand out showing that he was above all that now.

He had been worried when coming back to see the other boy so seemingly defeated and had watched him closely. Harry had been relieved when he had seen that Draco was not entirely defeated and still had some of that fire in him. He was just hiding it well and making sure that he didn't get in trouble.

With how often Harry had stared at Draco this year, it wasn't surprising that he had started staring in his late-night dreams.

The Snape dream had been odd and slightly horrifying to think about. Thankfully after only one or two dreams, they had started to take on the form of unknown men that joined Harry in bed. But once he had gotten to school and started thinking about Draco more often, his dreams had started to feature the other boy more and more often.

If he thought about it, it made sense, just a bit. Harry had always been concerned about the other boy in some way, he was just glad that now it was starting to make a bit more sense, even if it didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense.

Though, how Draco had come to fancy him, Harry was honestly curious about. And sincerely hoping that his hunch was right.

Looking down he decided to actually read the letter.

-Harry, it thrills me to see that you keep accepting these letters. I don't know if I will ever get the courage to actually approach you and tell you how I feel, but just seeing that you take the chance with these letters and read them mean so much to me. When I first started this I had no idea how you would react. My heart almost stopped when I saw you pick up the first one. I think it started going only after you scanned it and actually opened the letter. I don't think I calmed down until I saw you smile and pocket the note.

I love the fact that even though you know that the letters are coming from me you still check and make sure they are safe. It shows caution and understanding in your character. With the way I grew up, I learned to be cautious with every piece of mail I got. My father liked to stick in the odd tickling curse here and there to make sure I was always paying attention.

I've found it to be a nice practice because my mail is not always safe, and I have seen over the past year that yours is not always that way either.

Love from the one who wishes he could be by your side.-

Harry was unable to keep the blush and smile from his face. He had worried that he might offend the other by constantly checking the mail, but was glad that it didn't seem to bother him. This letter was a first though, it was the first time his mystery writer had ever signed it, even if it was just a small line and not his actual name.

Harry was caught by surprise when another note floated down next to him and settled down on his lap. It was a small paper butterfly.

Surprised Harry hesitantly touched it and watched in amazement as the paprer unfolded itself and laid out for Harry to read it. A stag was curled up in the corner asleep.

Touched Harry smiled at the suddenness of the next note. He made sure to check the letter before picking it up and reading it.

-I once heard a great man say these words

"It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to our enemies, but even more so to stand up to our friends."

(I doubt I got the exact wording right, but you understand my point)

It was amazing seeing you defend me to your friends, even though they are right that you do not know who I am. Although I am curious to see if you have really figured out who I am, I don't know wither to be scared that you might confront me or elated that you might confront me.

Although, it is a bit of a boost to my ego to know that you are gay and that this endeavor is not entirely hopeless. And a bit worried that you are dreaming of Snape, I hope that doesn't happen too often.

I will admit at this point that I might have been dreaming about you in some extent since fourth year. Though nothing too steamy till sixth year, had to release some tension somehow.-

Harry found himself laughing out loud and smiling like a loon.

It was a few days later when things changed.

Ron had been avoiding him in embarrassment, and Hermione was not talking to him for the rude comment and snapping at her the other day.

Just as well Harry thought, he could use a break from the constant studying.

So, he had decided to take a walk around the lake.

Chance would have it though, that he would happen upon Draco Malfoy on his way.

Of course, Draco hadn't noticed him yet, engrossed as he was sitting on a large rock by the lake working on something. Curious Harry found himself shooting a spell at his feet to muffle his footsteps and crept closer.

He had gotten quite close to the other boy when he noticed that Draco was working on something, a drawing. Harry's heart felt like it stopped before speeding back up in anticipation.

Harry couldn't help but let out a soft gasp when he saw the beginnings of a stag standing tall at the bottom of the page.

"Potter?!" Draco exclaimed in surprise almost falling off the rock.

Reaching out Harry grabbed the other boy and pulled him back up. Wide eyes stared back at him. Fear and what Harry prayed was hope shone in them.

He gently pulled Draco to his feet before bringing a hand up to cup his face. Harry saw Draco's eyes close as the boy leaned slightly into his touch.

"You know, I was really, really hoping that it was you." Harry whispered leaning in and bringing their foreheads together.

Draco's breath hitched as he shuffled closer, eyes still closed. "You did?" he asked breathless.

"Mmhh. You know, I love your drawings, they're what made me keep your letters at the start. But I also loved the messages." Harry told Draco wrapping his arms around the other. He could feel the slight tremors as Draco shook in his arms.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Come on love, show me the fire I know lies in those eyes, you can't imagine how I've missed them." Harry urged tilting Draco's head up.

Draco's eyes flew open in surprise as he stared at Harry.

"You love me?" he asked in a breathless whisper disbelief and hope warring in his tone.

"If I hadn't already half loved you before, those notes were definitely enough to tip the edge." Harry replied smiling. "Of course, you git I love you."

Grinning the arms that Harry hadn't noticed snake around him neck tightened pulling them flush together.

"Good, cause I'm not letting go Potter." Draco said smugly. Harry laughed at the abrupt change in attitude but was quickly silenced by the insistent press of lips against his.

Oh well, that was just fine, he had been dying to kiss Draco ever since he had seen the stag.