Things gradually returned almost to the way they'd been before the triumph and tragedy of Halloween. Evangeline and Severus began to spend time together doing inconsequential things again, such as bowling and brewing up more of her potions. However, there was a wall there that hadn't existed before.
As they were working on her potions, in his classroom one afternoon, they chanced to reach for the same item at the same time, and as their hands touched, she ran her fingers lightly over the back of his hand. He shivered and gave her an intense look that made her shiver as well. Then, he lowered his eyes and gently pulled his hand out from under hers. It seemed to Evangeline that although the attraction between them was still there, Severus was determined not to act on it.
It seemed to her that although he'd forgiven her for her lack of faith in him, it would take a long time for him to trust her enough to open himself up again to the potential for pain. Trust didn't come easily or naturally to Severus Snape.
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One morning at the end of November, there was a knock on Evangeline's door, just as she was about to begin re-animating a painting. She opened the door to find Remus Lupin standing there, smiling at her.
"Am I too late?" he inquired eagerly.
She frowned in puzzlement. "Too late for what?"
"To watch you re-animate the painting, of course. Ever since you mentioned you were going to do it, I've been thinking about it. I'm fascinated by what you do, and this seems to be by far the most interesting part. Can I watch? Please?" He looked as eager as a small puppy.
She gave him a bemused look. "If you can't think of anything better to do with your morning, Remus, be my guest." She held the door open for him and waved him inside.
The painting she was working on was lying on the table under the window. It was a picture of a shepherd and his sheep. Instead of moving freely about inside their frame, the painted figures moved slowly and jerkily. One of the sheep seemed to be frozen in place. The whole painting had a rather sad air about it, and Remus frowned in concern as he looked at it.
"Does it hurt them to be like that?" he asked curiously.
She shook her head. "No, they're just painted images after all…not flesh and blood." A sad look passed over her face as she stared at the painting.
Remus noticed her expression. "Is anything wrong, Evangeline?"
Dismissing her gloomy thoughts, she shook her head and smiled at him. "No, of course not. What could be wrong? I'll have these figures moving about like new in no time."
He nodded at her, quite ready to be impressed, and took a seat at the table to watch.
As she put on her gloves and started to apply her potion carefully to the painting, he asked her casually, "How's Severus? I haven't seen much of him lately."
She kept her eyes firmly fixed on the painting, but he could see her tense up a bit as she answered him. "I guess he's all right. I haven't seen too much of him either. He doesn't seem to be completely comfortable with me anymore."
Remus nodded sympathetically. "Severus is a very reserved person, Evangeline, but I know he cares about you. He forgave you for what happened on Halloween, didn't he?"
Evangeline sighed and nodded. "Intellectually, yes, but I think he's still sorry that he opened himself up to me emotionally, when the first chance I got, all I did was hurt him. He won't make that mistake again, even if he wants to."
He leaned towards her. "Do you think he wants to?"
She looked up at him and considered her words. "I think the attraction between us is still there, yes. I just don't think Severus can bring himself to take a second chance." She gave him a sad smile. "He's not an overly trusting person, after all, and he's bound to be cautious about taking another chance that could lead to more pain. I certainly can't blame him for that."
Slowly she turned away from Remus and their uncomfortable conversation, and refocused her attention on her work. Without another word, she straightened up and took out her wand. Concentrating on the painting, she began making passes over it in a complicated pattern while murmuring some phrases that Lupin didn't understand at all. The canvas began to glow with a warm golden light. The painted figures began to move more freely. Even the frozen sheep seemed to wake up and move. As the glow faded, the shepherd expressed his deepest appreciation, vowing that he felt 50 years younger and full of energy once more. Accepting his thanks with a smile, Evangeline took a cloth and a mild cleaner and removed the residue of the animating potion from the surface of the painting. When she was done, she placed it on an easel, and she and Remus watched as the figures moved around freely within the frame. Then one by one, they slipped out of the picture to go on visits long denied them.
Remus smiled at her. "That was amazing! You certainly gave new life to the shepherd and his sheep."
She nodded with satisfaction. "Yes. It's like giving him a whole new start."
"If you can do that for a painting, why can't you do it for a real person?" he asked gently.
Evangeline frowned and turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"I think you and Severus need a chance to start over again, too. Don't give up on him. Make him talk to you; make him listen to you."
"How am I supposed to do that, Remus?"
"You'll find a way."