"Rhea, please don't cry anymore. I'm sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn't have acted like that," Professor Snape said in a raspy, gentle voice.
Seeing Rhea like this tore his heart apart. He wanted nothing more than to slap himself right now. She was still a 'child'; he shouldn't have treated her that way and made this young girl frightened once again. He was truly despicable! He hadn't meant to, but for some reason, whenever the moment came, he always ended up hurting her unconsciously!
So he knelt down, gently stroked Rhea's cheek to wipe away her tears, looked at her tenderly, and then pulled her into an embrace.
Chapter 55