Rhea had no mind to ponder the implications of what Snape had just said; she only knew she had lost her composure, utterly lost it, and overplayed her hand.
Rhea hurried away from Snape's embrace and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Sure enough, she saw a smudged, messy face. Perhaps she hadn't paid attention to the dust from moving the bed earlier and had forgotten to cast Scourgify, leaving her face covered in grime. Combined with her pitiful crying, thank goodness she was still a child—it might just barely pass for looking pathetic, but it bore no resemblance whatsoever to a delicate, heart-rending picture. How infuriating! What an embarrassment! Ah...
Rhea quickly washed her face, tidied up, cast Scourgify on her clothes, and returned to Snape's side. This time she had no stray thoughts left; she just wanted to get to Hogwarts as quickly as possible and let her busy schedule make Snape forget this cursed afternoon!
Chapter 83