pekeleke

they must have been positively scandalized to see Severus accepting the touch without making a fuss of the wand drawn variety.
Whoa, I almost sprayed my laptop with the tea I was originally trying to drink in just that moment.

I’ll turn St. Mungo’s bloody offer down if that means you’ll feel free to punch Potter in the face the next time he tries getting handsy with you, professor.
Ohhhh, oh my gosh. She's such a sweet Hufflepuff!

but he had neither respect nor love for you. I do. Every one of us does, Sir. And we’d rather go back to being social pariahs than see you become someone you are not.
Aww. Severus's Snakes are slowly slytherin into my heart...

Potter is in love with you. Isn’t he, Severus?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, no.”
“Girls-
“This is worse than we feared. We need to contact Draco. He’ll know what to do.”
“Pansy, will you please-
“No. No, Pans. That’s a terrible idea. You know Draco will storm out of here and go rip Potter’s balls off as soon as he finds out. We should call Blaise instead.”
“Daphne, there is no need to-
“Yes, you’re right, Daph. Blaise is a much better choice. He’ll find a way of poisoning that bastard, Potter, on the quiet when he next sets foot at the club, and justice will be served in a way that can never be traced back to us.”
“Will the two of you shut the fuck up, and listen to me for a bloody minute?
Ha, ha, ha! Brilliant scene! I can see Severus's gaze going from the one to the other like in a tennis match, eyes widening more and more the more outrageous their plotting gets. At first he's slightly flustered, then somewhat annoyed and finally he's boiling with anger - complete with raised eyebrow and deep frown and maybe even showing some teeth in a incensed snarl. If I had been there I'd have brought my carrot sticks to nibble, leaning back and enjoying the show. :D

Oh!” The girls gasp in unison and Severus has to grit his teeth to resist the temptation of wriggling nervously in his chair. He wonders when, exactly, did he become so transparent to the children he helped raise and feels both strangely proud of them and incredibly vulnerable. “That’s— wonderful, Sir. Y-you certainly deserve kindness.
They are truly like a tight-knit family, these Slytherins. It's so good and satisfying to see that there are people (except for Harry, of course) who care so much about their former professor that they're not only plotting murder (and getting away with it, too) for him but who understand him to the very core... And who doesn't like to see Severus squirm a bit, now and then? ;)

They are all doing well, and Severus is happy. All he’s ever wanted is for their society to give his precious snakes the chance to shine and, now that it has, he is a hairbreadth away from finally proving his point, for nobody realizes the truth yet, but Severus has always known this: he’s nurtured a generation of Slytherins that is ready to take the world by storm. And none of their peers can outshine them.
Hufflepuffs, the lot of them! <3

So, this was the second gossip-scene you promised. It is indeed very much like I thought it'd be and also so different! Each of the characters has their own personality that shines through. Like Pansy's fierce protectiveness and Daphne's quick grasp and understanding. And also there are these little tidbits that make the characters come alive - even those that are only mentioned during the gossip-sharing, like Greg (like in Gregory Goyle?) or Theo. :)

Thank you for another lovely chapter, dear pekeleke! ^^