Rhea stepped forward, ruffled Harry's hair, and then turned to walk toward Severus. Wrapping her arms gently around him from behind, she said quickly, "Professor Snape, if you keep beating him up, your hands will be ruined again. I, Rhea Walker, swear by the Walker family, I will never become Rhea Potter."
Severus stopped the savage blows he was raining down on Black, turned around, and pulled Rhea into his arms. His reddened eyes were swimming with a faint mist. Only Merlin knew what he had felt when he heard Rhea say those words; how desperately he had wanted to tell her that she meant the exact same thing to him. But he could not. He could only channel his inner fury into hitting Black even harder.
It was only when Rhea hugged him and quickly uttered that vow that he finally lost his composure, turning to crush her in an embrace. With reddened eyes and suppressed tears, he said in a hoarse, gentle voice, "Rhea, you needn't have gone this far! I never once thought there was anything beyond friendship between you and Harry!"
Chapter 141