When Snape returned to his bedroom, he collapsed onto the bed with a splitting headache. What Rhea had said today made him feel as though he were being torn in half:
One half of him, driven by desire, urged him to cast aside other people's opinions and regard for their feelings, to simply declare his feelings to Rhea right then and there—he was done waiting.
The other half of him, called reason, commanded him to endure. Rhea was still young. Even if he didn't care about what others thought or how they looked at him, Rhea couldn't afford to do the same. He could not let Rhea be dragged down with him. A few more years—he could afford to wait that long!
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Snape dug out a bottle of Draught of Peace, which he hadn't touched in nearly a year, to help himself fall asleep. He resolved that tomorrow he must probe Rhea's feelings.
Meanwhile, back in her room, Rhea was already regretting her actions. She shouldn't have tested Snape like that; she had simply been resentful. If she had been born twenty years earlier, would Lily Evans have even stood a chance?
Well, it wasn't really testing him, was she? So what if she had just said those words? If the professor asked her tomorrow, she could easily claim it was out of sheer admiration—that she had simply wished she could have been born sooner to witness his era.
Yes, exactly. It was foolproof. Once again, Rhea successfully talked herself into complete peace of mind.
After Snape fell asleep, the world o…
Chapter 66