Hogsmeade: Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop

[Wilber Winterbottom]

Madam Puddifoot's is laid out in a typical English tea room fashion. Lace doilies cover each table on top of the flower patterned table cloths. In the middle of each is a contained candle, ready to be lit for those on a romantic retreat. The windows are half covered by fancy net curtains, leaving just enough room at the top to see over and down Hogsmeade's High Street. Little flower and heart covered cushions are on each seat awaiting your arrival.

The shopkeeper, a descendant of the original owner, keeps the shop this way because she has to. She has no desire to look upon all the fancy decorations herself, which is why you'll most likely find her in the back room. She'll come and serve you when you ring the bell on the counter, but make sure you know what you want to order as she doesn't have all day. Keep your snogging to a minimum unless you want to be kicked out.

Text Cut: Menu & Prices

The Menu

Welsh cakes - 2 knuts per cake
Rock cakes - 3 knuts per cake
Victoria sponge - 1 sickle for a slice
Cream teas (scones plus clotted cream, jam & pot of tea) - 2 Galleons
Custard slices - 3 knuts per slice
Chelsea bun - 1 sickle per cake
Carrot cake - 4 knuts per slice
Toasted teacakes - 4 knuts per cake
Crumpets - 2 knuts per crumpet
Fruit cake - 2 knuts per slice
Cheesecake - 3 knuts per slice
Scotch pancakes - 1 sickle per pancake
Coffee (Black or white – cream or milk) - 2 sickles per mug
Pure orange/apple/pineapple juice/pumpkin juice - 3 knuts
Water/Milk - 2 knuts per glass
Apple pie/crumble (with ice-cream cream or custard) - 4 sickles
Rhubarb pie/crumble (with ice-cream cream or custard) - 3 sickles
Bananas/peaches & custard - 3 sickles
Fruit salad - 2 sickles
Croissants - 1 sickle each
Cheese & crackers - 1 sickle & 2 knuts
Banana split - 1 Galleon & 2 sickles
Ice-cream sundaes - 1 Galleon & 3 sickles
Spotted dick (with ice-cream, cream or custard) - 4 sickles
Sticky toffee pudding (with ice-cream cream or custard) - 4 sickles
Custard tart - 3 knuts per slice
Rice pudding - 2 sickles per bowl
Marmalade/Marmite/Jam - 1 knut
Bread & Butter Pudding - 4 sickles per bowl
Sausage roll - 3 sickles & 1 knut
Bacon sandwich - 4 sickles & 2 knuts
Cornish pasty - 4 sickles
Pork pies/vegetable pies/steak & kidney pie - 2 sickles
Cheese on toast/beans on toast/cheese and beans on toast - 3 knuts per slice

[sweetpinkpixie]

A strange calmness surrounded the situation, their table, and it was certainly not of the unpleasant variety. It was akin to sitting with a cup of his favorite brew of matcha in the quiet of the evening while he sat on the raised porch surrounding the dojo just beyond the zen garden and the smell of fresh rainfall on the leaves of the surrounding trees. The ease and comfort with which conversation flowed was something he had not experienced in quite some time - though he had been told that his charisma meant he could carry conversation and charm even an enraged banshee - and it felt his heart drum dreamily. A rhythm he dare not dance to just yet, however.

"Nature versus nurture, isn't it?" he chuckled while running his finger up and down the condensation on his glass. "I a sense, I believe that to be true," he nodded. Though at age 11, Kurumi would have had no idea of the horrors their mother had been through at the hands of pureblood fanatics from their incredibly Slytherin lineage. "But as fate would have it, one of her sons was Sorted into Slytherin and, apparently, he rejected Gryffindor. I think though, my sister and her husband are doing something right...they have children in each house." Kurumi being a Gryffindor and Lewis a Hufflepuff and resulted in two Hufflepuffs, a Ravenclaw, A Slytherin, and a Thunderbird who Ryu felt confident would have been a Gryffindor had he attended Hogwarts like the other two in the set of triplets. "Ah, so you possess the butterfly persona," he chuckled again, her mannerisms and the way she spoke coming into focus more clearly. "You can see the beauty in others but not how beautiful your own wings are."

Ryu was doing a lot more than chuckling at her prediction of him as a student. "If...only," he mused. While not a bad student, he was certainly a handful. Away from home and the weight of the responsibilities he had there had been a lot for him and his budding adolescence to handle. "I was...quite the Gryffindor, brawn and all. Though not quite as thick as the house is often assumed to be. Quidditch and dueling, both of which encouraged my eventually stint in Magical Law Enforcement but...a was quite the handful when I wanted to be." Hogwarts had been a place to unburden himself and be himself for himself, whereas when he returned to Japan and home...he had no choice but to slip into another version of himself and those two sides were only recently becoming harmonious with one another.

Dork would suffice - he was certainly feeling as such himself and now with a hand burning and tingling in the memory of where it had just been.

"Well, I will simply have to have you out to campus sometime," he nodded with an almost impish sort of grin creeping across his lips. "Though, due to it being unplottable, you will require an escort...unless you fancy trying a ride upon a giant storm petrel." Which he could not say he entirely recommended - he would rather ride a Hungarian Horntail. His invitation was a sincere one, though perhaps a bit too much considering this was their first meeting and to ask her to travel across the Pacific just to see plum blossoms and cherry blossoms felt like a might exaggerated request. Still, he would be glad to give her a tour. Some suave was wipe away with the gentle callout, but not enough for his face to fall - there may have been a glint of something in his eyes, however. "I have more now than was allowed previously," he replied with a soft smile. "Though, it has been my story since I was very young to take care of other's needs long before considering my own."

Thankfully, conversations involving food were much lighter and worthy of laughter. "Suppose you'll be needing to prepare the holy water should my strides meet the ground there," he mused while leaning back a bit in his chair and, certainly, no longer practicing his calligraphy on the top of the table with condensation he had removed from the side of his glass. "Why jam before cream? Or is that a silly question, like whether or not to use a microwave to make tea?" He had no qualms with simple teas, sometimes simple was best and the scramble to create something unique resulted in convoluted brews with no soul. Waving down a waiter (that was how this establishment worked, yes?) Ryu put in an order and added the request for a bowl of fresh fruit as well.

[Lottiepot]

The ease of conversation and the miraculous dissipation of the awkwardness that had been painfully present on the first meeting, was working wonders to distract Ruby from the other much younger patrons enjoying their own dates. It was helping to contain the bubble surrounding the pair, to drown out any instances of judgment or watchful eyes and lessen the intimidation that only a teenager could cause. In fact she had barely taken heed of them since the conversation had flowed, thank Merlin. She had been told much the same, that she was warm and personable and that despite her own feelings of insecurity, she did a marvelous job of making others feel heard. It was a juxtaposition of personality traits gained from each of her parents.

“That’s correct. My father is rather scientifically minded, I’m sure he’d have something to comment but I regret that I am not well versed enough in psychology to make my own decision.” She supposed that was the biggest difference between muggle and magical school, they didn’t touch on biology or the other sciences when magic could effectively solve their problems. “I’d like to think that we aren’t completely influenced by who our parents are, that we are capable of change particularly positive change and—” She paused, aware that the tangent she was heading towards was likely not the usual fodder for a date. “—and this is terribly boring isn’t it?” Her lip caught the side of her cheek upon the realisation of her lack of reading the situation. Back to the conversation about his family which was far more interesting. “A diverse family is lovely, I think that’s what I’d wish for too. Looking back, Tabitha could’ve easily been a Gryffindor and we would’ve just been missing the Hufflepuff.” The Sorting Hat hadn’t even debated Ruby’s assignment but she would’ve been the most likely candidate for the Badgers amongst her siblings.

As for being a butterfly, Ruby would’ve thought herself more of the Ugly Duckling who hadn’t quite figured out how to be a swan. The irony being that she had always been the figure of serenity and grace but her opinion of herself hasn’t caught up. There were definitely butterflies in her however, a swarm of them fluttering within her stomach. “I-” she stuttered, the butterflies finding her way to her mouth and taking away any comprehension of words. “It’s hard to compare when the world is full of such beautiful things.” she admitted.

Ryu was evidently the opposite of Ruby in school, quite surprising considering the similarities that they possessed now. She was quiet and studious, kept to herself the majority of the time, had a small group of close friends but who despite not being a sociable butterfly would put the needs of everyone else first. “I could not imagine you having such brawn, you seem far too serene for that lifestyle” she laughed back. “I am a firm believer in channeling your energy to find your path. You seem to be well accomplished in every aspect.” A headmaster, a professor, a law enforcement officer. A truly remarkable man with so many strings to his bow that she couldn’t help but to be in awe. He felt too important to be with her and yet Ruby could not, or did not want to pull away.

She’d always wanted to travel but the thought of being away from her family for long periods of time was painful. She’d regretted not doing so when she was younger, instead throwing herself into work and philanthropy and now stuck in a situation in her late thirties that so many people relied on her that it would break her heart to disappoint. “I’m quite the rider” she smiled, an admission that she would love to come visit. “My mother owns a stable, I’ve grown up riding and flying horses. A winged horse shouldn’t be much different from a giant bird should it?” she grinned, knowing fully well that the difference was likely immeasurable. Ryu might have been merely a stranger but the way that his father had spoken so fondly of him, he already had her full trust, especially as someone as altruistic as she was herself. “I understand that.” This date was perhaps the first time in over a year she had allowed herself the freedom to enjoy herself without the guilt.

“Thankfully for you, the Cornish are a very forgiving group of people. I’d just avoid those with pitchforks and tractors” she teased. The true origins between the battle of the West Country had been vastly changed throughout the centuries that nobody really knew why they were different. “I honestly don’t know. It is a tradition that in Cornwall we spread the jam and dollop the cream whereas the Devonians do the opposite. It’s a silly argument really but it can get rather heated should you do one or the other in the wrong place.” Which was why Ruby would stick to her Cornish roots. “However microwaving your tea is abhorrent and quite frankly unforgivable!” she laughed.

[sweetpinkpixie]

Ryu’s brush with psychology came through with his training in the art of interrogation and criminology - which did not always have the most empathetic lens depending on who the instructor and mentor was at the time. Being a professor and headmaster had provided him with a more nurturing introspective that fed his soul because now, as the idealist in him like to think, he could spot those early warning signs and redirect instead of catching criminals that were often too far gone. The Third Wizarding War and reading up on their leader who to this dad his dad still grieved for reinvigorated the spark and showed him just how deep the nature versus nurture rabbit hole could go. “I’d say that that change is still inspired by who our parents are and their influence,” he proposed with a rub of his scruffy jawline. “Speaking from personal experience, at least. But, just because one may be inspired by them, does not mean one always has to live under their veil.” Though breaking certain cycles could be quite difficult. “Not boring at all,” he assured her with a chuckle. “Though perhaps a conversation that may be best suited for a more private setting in the future.” At least if he was to divulge in his own upbringing. Besides being a particularly private person, Ryu would not want any hearsay getting out to the wrong sorts of outlets and then blow up in the tabloids to paint the Minister in a questionable light. They had all been through enough of that rubbish with his nephew and girlfriend a couple years back.

“Even more difficult when the butterfly cannot see their own wings,” he encouraged softly, a smile one again gracing his features as he found his footing a bit more in that charm his father had boasted to her about and in doing so offered a coy little wink.

“Well, if it is any consolation, my sister does ride on a dragon from time to time and notes that the petrels are remarkably tame by comparison,” he chuckled. Himself having only a broom to compare the flight to and that was completely within his own control. “[b]They are certainly more easily won over than a hippogriff as well, so I imagine you would enjoy the journey. I’ve always found their feathers more pleasant than the mane of an abraxan in my face. They will also, on occasion, escort you to the campus with a serenade./b]” Their song could not compare to the more traditional songbird types but the ones that flew between his school and elsewhere had received some training - he found it helped calm the nerves of first time students.

“Pitchforks and tractors? How…quaint,” he mused, his nervous fingers finding their way into his hair to comb through for a few moments. Nervous not because of the topic of conversation but rather because of the uncertainty for what to do with his hand and the phantom throb teasing his skin. “What a peculiar thing to become so cross about.” Truly, of all the things in this world to want to start an argument over, the order of cream and jam was surely far down on the list if it should be even on it at all. “People will certainly focus on interesting oddities in the quest to be different from others.” Or at least how he identified such arguments. Ryu laughed again and raised his hands in the air in a submissive gesture. “I promise you, there are no microwaves involved when I prepare tea. I do not even own one.”

And, speaking of tea, their spread of tea creams and pot of tea (and bowl of fresh fruit) had arrived at the table.

“So, where do tea creams in Hogsmeade lay within this heated debate?”

[Lottiepot]

Thankfully the ‘art of interrogation’ was not necessary for her career, unless you were trying to pinpoint the cause of pain in a particularly despondent patient. Even then Ruby much preferred to take the gentle approach, they were scared individuals and not criminals after all. “Would you say that you took after your father then?” she asked, noting that his musings rarely mentioned his mother, a subject that she would not push. “It is a little difficult to escape the veil when your mother seems to know anyone and everyone,” she chuckled quietly, a sentiment she imagined that Ryu could relate to too considering who his father was. She was momentarily reassured that an intellectual conversation was not boring but felt a twinge of sheepishness when he suggested it was better suited to a private environment. The problem was that creating a fact file of herself, complete with likes and dislikes and other trivial information you were probably expected to present on a first date, was difficult and seemed so fake. She’d hate to make a decision about a person based on whether they liked the same thing as compromise and seeing things through someone else’s eyes was always an option.

Notoriously shy at receiving compliments, even when spoken by the sincerest of sources, the woman’s eyes redirected to candle at the centre of the table as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. The wink did nothing to aid in her insecurities, in fact it made her feel rather like a ridiculous schoolgirl unable to control her crushes. How she had managed to survive approaching forty years on this planet without embarrassing herself with her lack of experience she did not know. “I’d argue that I’m more of a moth but I’d rather avoid the light.” Metaphorically she meant, her sister loved the spotlight whereas Ruby preferred the wings.

“I don’t think you’d find me on the back of a dragon.” They were incredible creatures who deserved the respect that they were given but she couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated by their presence. Horses she had grown up around, she’d been nervous around them initially but now could ride along the sandy beaches of Cornwall saddleless. “Well.. I’m sure that I would enjoy the journey but perhaps on my first visit an escort would be greatly appreciated.” Which could imply that visiting more than once was on the agenda, if not for budding romances but because they had developed a friendship, the story of her life it had seemed.

Quaint was an oddly accurate description for Cornwall, full of pretty fishing villages and dramatic coastlines and farming communities who were rightfully proud of their heritage. “I am only teasing, the people are charming I promise” Although they DID take the cream tea debate rather seriously for their rivalry with the neighbouring county. “I suppose if that’s the only thing that they get annoyed with then they must be generally relaxed people.” In her experience that statement was mostly true. Ruby was also not the owner of a microwave purely because magic was much more convenient but her father was muggleborn so her knowledge of the muggle world was extensive. “Good. It wouldn’t be just one county revolting against that, you’d have the whole of Britain” she grinned, a hint of cheek glinting in her eye.

The Mediwitch politely thanked the waitress for the food as it arrived, giving her a brief respite from the distraction of the way that his fingers were running through his hair. “I wouldn’t think that the people of Hogwarts feel strongly either way. However, I’d remind you of whose company you are in and where she was born” she laughed brightly, nudging his leg gently with her foot under the table. And there fell the barrier of nerves she had built around herself.