Harry's hand hovered uncertainly over the doorknob that led to Madam Pomfrey's office. He touched the knob, drew his hand back, then touched it again.

Finally, sucking in a deep breath, he grasped the knob and pulled the door open.

"Evan?" Madam Pomfrey said as Harry stepped into her office. "Do you need something?"

Harry pulled the door closed behind him. "Madam Pomfrey." His voice faltered for a moment. "Will…will you ask Professor McGonagall if it would be possible for her to talk to me?"

Harry felt the tingle of magic as Madam Pomfrey whispered the words to a privacy spell. "Is there a problem, Harry? An emergency of some sort?"

Harry shook his head. "No, ma'am," he said, twisting his hands together in front of him. "She talked to me a few weeks ago, right after I first got here, and she was telling me about my parents. She…she told me about when they were in school and I have some questions I wanted to ask her."

He felt Madam Pomfrey's hand on his shoulder. "Of course I'll ask her," she said gently. "I'll let her know at lunch that you want to see her. I think she has a couple of free hours this afternoon, perhaps she'll be able to talk to you then."

"Thank you," Harry said and left the office to go sit back at his desk. He was grateful that she had not asked him why he wanted to talk to Professor McGonagall and not to Uncle Sev. He wasn't sure he could explain it to himself, much less someone else, but he thought that since his parents had been in Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall would be able to help him best with the decision over his name. It was something he'd been thinking about ever since his first Saturday with Uncle Sev, when he'd asked for a family.

By the time Madam Pomfrey led Harry to Professor McGonagall's office that afternoon, he was nearly in a panic. What if she thought that he was stupid because he couldn't decide what to do about his name? What if she laughed at him, or worse told him not to talk to her again? His hand tightened on Madam Pomfrey's arm and he had to force himself to continue walking when he really wanted to run away.

"Evan, what is it?" Madam Pomfrey asked, prying his fingers off her arm and enfolding his hand in both of hers.

Harry stopped walking and dropped his chin to his chest, shaking his head. "Nothing," he said in a whisper. He felt her crouch down next to him and he shuffled his feet, not sure what to do.

"Evan, nothing you want to ask Professor McGonagall will make her angry or upset with you," she said. "She wants to talk to you."

"Are you sure?" His voice was small and quivering a bit.

"I'm sure," Madam Pomfrey said and it sounded like a promise.

Slowly, Harry raised his head and took a deep breath. "I need to stop being afraid so much of the time," he said determinedly as he hid his hands in the sleeves of his robes to conceal their shaking.

"Everyone is afraid sometimes, little one," Madam Pomfrey said. "Eventually you'll learn to tell the difference between fear you should ignore because it's holding you back from doing something you want, and fear that you should listen to because it's telling you that you're doing something bad or dangerous."

Harry considered this statement for a moment. "It's like being angry," he murmured with a sudden flash of insight.

"How so?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Sometimes," Harry said slowly, trying to think while he was explaining, "I get angry about things I can't control and I have to realise that being upset doesn't help. That's really hard because all I want to do is yell and stomp my feet to get things the way I want them to be." He dragged his bottom lip into his teeth and chewed on it for a moment. "Then other times, I get angry because someone's done something that I don't like and I have to tell them so that they can fix it."

Harry nodded to himself, not realising that Madam Pomfrey was silent beside him. "Yes," he said softly to himself, a smile bursting out of him. "I figured it out."

"That's a very interesting bit of logic, Evan," Madam Pomfrey finally said in a strangled sounding voice. "I never would have thought of it that way."

"It was hard for me to understand," Harry said seriously. "Before I came to live with Uncle Sev, I was afraid all the time, but never allowed to be angry. Now that I don't have to be afraid so much, there's room inside me for other things, like happiness and laughter, and…and anger. I just have to try and get rid of the fear and then discover where all the rest go."

Madam Pomfrey laughed. "I'm sure you'll eventually figure it out."

He pulled his hands out of his sleeves and grasped Madam Pomfrey's arm. "Come on," he said. We don't want to make Professor McGonagall wait anymore."

~HPSSHPSS~

When Severus walked into the Infirmary late that afternoon to take Harry to dinner, the room was empty. Wondering where the boy had gone off to this time, he knocked on Poppy's door, entering at her call.

"Ah, Severus, just the person I wanted to see," she said with a smile. "Sit down."

"Where's Evan?" he asked, closing the door behind him and settling in the chair opposite the desk. "It's nearly dinner time."

"I took him to Minerva a couple of hours ago. He asked to see her and she had some time this afternoon." Poppy leaned back in her chair as she waved her wand to erect a silencing spell.

"What did he want to talk to her about?" Severus asked.

"I have no idea, I didn't ask him," Poppy replied. "He was very nervous about the whole thing."

Severus started to rise. "I'll just go fetch him then," he said.

"There's no need," Poppy said. "I want to talk to you, and Minerva said she would bring Harry to the Great Hall when they are finished with their visit."

Severus sat back down. "What was it you needed?"

"I wanted to go over the latest scans that I ran on Harry this morning. I also had a very interesting conversation with him on the way to Minerva's office."

Severus nodded. "Shall we discuss the scans first?"

Poppy brought out several sheets of parchment. "The scars on his body are healing nicely, which of course you already know. I think that in six or eight weeks we should be able to re-break his leg and fix the bone."

"Yes, only the largest scars on his hip and shoulder are left. The rest are just white lines, which should disappear in a couple of years," Severus said agreeably. "The muscles on that side are also getting stronger and his limp is less noticeable."

Poppy handed the parchment over to him. "Harry has grown an inch in the last six weeks and gained nearly a stone. He's eating better, although he's still not consuming the quantity he should be. The nutrient potions are helping quite a bit and I'll want him to stay on those until he's eating normal portions and weighs more."

"That's fine," Severus said, looking over the pages carefully. "What about the organ damage?"

"His liver and kidneys are not fully functional, and his heart rate is still too high, although it is getting better. I think that maybe by the new year the issues with his liver and kidneys should be taken care of. His heart may take a little longer." She paused. "All evidence of brain damage has completely disappeared. If we hadn't run the scans on the first day, I would never have suspected he ever had it at all."

"His magic had to have healed the brain damage," Severus said. "I have no other explanation."

The room was quiet for a few minutes while Severus continued looking at the test results.

"What are you going to do about the scars on his face?" Poppy asked, finally breaking the silence.

Severus grimaced. "I haven't decided. I may start applying the salve to the scars on his cheek and ear, but leave the ones around his eyes and forehead for the time being. I don't want to give anyone a reason to suspect that he's someone other than Evan Snape."

"And when he's completely healthy?" Poppy inquired curiously.

"I think that decision will depend on whether or not we can repair his sight. If we can't, then it may be better to leave a few of the scars and keep him as Evan Snape permanently."

"Are you certain that the paperwork at the Ministry won't be found?" she wondered.

"Not entirely," Severus admitted. "It's one of the things that concerns me most. Albus assures me that the file is completely lost in the Ministry records room, but with him, you never know. If he decides he needs to control the situation, he could have the paperwork suddenly be discovered."

"Quite a bit of this will also rest on what Harry wants," Poppy warned. "He may decide he doesn't want to be Evan Snape forever."

Severus frowned. For some reason, the thought of Harry not wanting to be Evan Snape bothered him. "I realise that," he said snappishly, "but for the next year at least, I would rather his identity remain hidden. As I am his guardian, I can make that decision for him and hopefully keep Albus out of it." Severus handed the parchments with Harry's tests back to Poppy.

"Has he had any more episodes like the one on the stairs a few weeks back?" Poppy asked as she put the paperwork away.

"No, nothing. His nightmares got worse for a day or two, but there have been no other incidents," Severus said. "I want to believe it was just a one-time incident and not tied to…" He scowled.

"I hope so, too," Poppy said, her face creased with worry. "I'd hate to think that not only was You-Know-Who returning, but that he could reach a student inside Hogwarts."

Severus's face looked green at that idea. "God, if that happens…" he stopped, unconsciously rubbing his left forearm. "I don't know what I would do at that point."

"Run," Poppy said. "Take the boys as far away from here as possible."

Severus nodded reluctantly. "That would probably be the best solution."

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

"Hopefully," Severus muttered sarcastically.

"Stop that," Poppy admonished.

"Stop what?"

"Being a pessimist."

"Oh yes, that's going to happen," Severus sneered. "Because good, positive things happen to me all the time."

"Yes, such as Harry and Draco," Poppy said glaring at Severus as he looked at her impassively. After a moment, Severus sighed and dropped his gaze, muttering about nosy medi-witches.

Poppy smiled and let the subject go. "Harry came to some interesting conclusions this afternoon, about fear, and anger," she said.

~HPSSHPSS~

Draco was in the middle of his dinner, sitting with Millie and Daphne at the Slytherin table, when Harry walked in with Professor McGonagall.

"Where were you?" he demanded as Harry sat next to him. "You were supposed to come in with Uncle Sev."

"I was talking to Professor McGonagall about some things." Harry held his plate out for Draco to fill. "What's for dinner?"

"Shepherd's pie," Draco said. "Or chicken, if you'd rather."

"Shepherd's pie," Harry said firmly. "It's my favorite."

"I knew that," Draco laughed, scooping some onto Harry's plate. "You're so predictable."

"Am not," Harry pouted.

"Okay," Draco said with a snicker. "Keep telling yourself that."

"What were you talking to McGonagall about?" Daphne asked and Harry got a wary look on his face.

"Um…mostly about school," he said with reluctance and Draco knew that he didn't want the girls to know whatever it was he had been discussing.

"You should have seen what we were doing in Transfigurations today," Draco interrupted. "It was really cool. We finally finished learning how to turn a matchstick into a needle and now we're trying to turn the needle into a spoon."

Harry relaxed and took a bite of his dinner. "Did you manage it?" he asked.

"No," Draco admitted. "But Millie got close."

"Yeah," Millie laughed. "I had the handle, but no bowl."

"Are you going to go watch the Quidditch tryouts on Saturday?" Daphne asked Draco.

"Evan and I are planning on it." Draco said. "I can't wait for next year so that I can try out."

"Why don't we all go together?" Millie said excitedly. "We could spend the day outside if it's nice."

"That's a great idea," Harry said. "I don't get to go outside as much as I used to and I miss it."

Uncle Sev came by the table at that point. "Draco, Evan, I have some work to see to so I'm leaving now. Do not dawdle after you finish eating and come directly back to our rooms."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, rolling his eyes behind Uncle Sev's back, making Millie and Daphne giggle.

"What did you do?" Harry asked.

"Nothing," Draco said with a smirk.

"Riiiiggghhht…" Harry said as the puddings appeared on the table.

"Treacle tart?" Draco asked.

"Of course," Harry said with amusement. "What else would I have?"

"Predictable," Draco muttered and Harry slapped his arm, which made the girls laugh more.

On the way back to Uncle Sev's rooms, after Millie and Daphne had turned off to the Slytherin common room, Draco asked Harry, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," Harry said softly, grasping Draco's arm, even though they both knew he didn't need to anymore. "I'll tell you later."

~HPSSHPSS~

Draco and Harry were settled onto their side of the sofa with the newest book they were reading. It was a Muggle paperback book about a spaceship that had crash-landed on another planet. There was magic and dragons along with other beasts that liked to have humans on the menu. Harry loved the story and Draco was utterly fascinated with the Muggle idea of magic and magical creatures. Severus found the whole thing amusing.

The boys had spent all of one afternoon in Severus's personal library, going through his collection of fiction both Muggle and Wizard that he had acquired over the last twenty years. Draco had read the teasers on the back of each book and had described the covers to Harry. After much loud discussion, bordering on arguments, they had finally narrowed the selection down to four different books, two of Harry's choice and two of Draco's. They were now about a quarter of the way through Harry's first choice.

"Do you want to tell me what you were talking to Professor McGonagall about this afternoon?" Severus asked after Draco had put the book away.

Harry looked uncertain. "Yes, but can we do it after my shower, while you're putting the salve on?"

"Of course," Severus said. "We don't have to talk about it today at all, if you don't want to."

"No," Harry said hurriedly. "I want to, just not right now."

Harry was distracted for the rest of the evening. Severus had charmed the deck of cards after Draco's unsuccessful attempt and Draco was trying to teach Harry how to play a simple game.

"Harry," Draco finally said with exasperation. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry," Harry said, putting the cards down and hanging his head slightly. "I'm just not in the mood for this."

He got to his feet and went to stand next to Severus's chair. "I'm going to go shower now."

Severus touched his shoulder. "Go ahead."

Draco's eyes followed Harry into the bedroom. "Is he okay?" he asked Severus.

"Yes, he just talked to Professor McGonagall about his parents today. I think he's trying to process whatever she told him."

~HPSSHPSS~

Harry climbed onto his bed and let the towel slip off his side. He felt the bed dip as Uncle Sev sat next to him, then the cool tingle of the salve as Uncle Sev's fingers worked it into his scars.

"I asked Professor McGonagall about my parents," Harry started hesitantly.

"They were both in Gryffindor," Uncle Sev said. "She would have known them best."

"No," Harry disagreed. "You knew my mother best. Professor McGonagall talks about the things they did in school and she knows a lot about my father…" Harry felt Uncle Sev's hand tighten on his hip. "I know…I know you hated my father," Harry continued. "It's why I thought it might be best to talk to her about what I was thinking."

"And what were you thinking?" Uncle Sev asked, his voice even more gruff than usual.

Harry scrunched his face up and tried to beat back the fear. He didn't need to be afraid of Uncle Sev, he didn't. "I…I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep being Harry Potter, or if I want to become Evan Snape permanently." Harry turned his head into his pillow, waiting for…something.

"What did you decide?" Uncle Sev's fingers paused as he asked and then continued their firm stroking over his ribs. Harry was vaguely surprised at Uncle Sev's lack of reaction.

"I thought that…because she knew my father so well that she might know how he would feel about all of this." Harry raised his hand and waved it between himself and Uncle Sev. "You and me and Draco, you know, becoming a family."

"And?" Uncle Sev asked. "What did she say?"

Harry sighed. "She said that my parents would have wanted me to be happy. That Dad might not have agreed with my choice, because…because you and him didn't like each other, but if I was happy, he would learn to live with it."

"I see," Uncle Sev's voice was back to its normal rough bass. "What did you decide?" he asked again.

"I think…" Harry paused, then brought his hand up to cover Uncle Sev's which was now working on his shoulder. "I think…I want to stay Harry Potter for now, at least in private." He took a breath. "I know I can't be Harry in public, and once it's safe, I may not want to be anyway. Eventually, I…I…" He stopped, "I don't know," he finally admitted.

He felt Uncle Sev's hand close around his. "Whatever you decide, Harry. When it's safe, the decision will be up to you." His hand pulled away and Harry got out of bed to put on his pyjamas. "You will remain Evan Snape until then," Uncle Sev said firmly.

There was a sudden clanging that made Harry momentarily regret that he could hear again. "What is that?" he yelled over the sound, then sighed in relief when then abruptly stopped.

"That," Uncle Sev said, "is the wards in my office."