The rich aromas of baked goods always greeted her an instant before she opened the door, letting the warmth of the small tea house waft into the frozen air outside.  The tintinnabulation of the tiny silver bells sounded the arrival of a guest as Raizel clomped inside, letting the door clang shut behind her as she hurried in from the cold.

Since her reassignment to London, making the rounds through Hogsmeade and delivering notices from the bank had become one of Raizel's weekly routines.  As much as she hated the endless banality of running errands, there were a few bright moments in her schedule, and the stop into Puddifoot's was one of them.  With its elegance ambiance and fashionable aesthetic, the small tea house appealed to the romantic in her: it always seemed like the sort of place where romance was just around the corner, where some perfect gentleman would swoop in out of nowhere and graciously sweep her off her feet, like something out of a Dolly St. James novel only with a happier ending.

That wasn't the most prominent reason why the blonde mage liked to visit, though.  That distinction relied on the proprietor, whom Raizel was happy to see was behind the counter, looking to be doing some straightening in the display case before things closed up for the day.

"Good afternoon," she greeted cheerfully.  It was practically the evening, but Raizel wasn't going to fuss over details.  Any tiredness or irritation at the long, mundane day had fled from her expression as she flashed the other woman a bright smile.

"I've got the Gringotts accounts.  You'll just need to sign off on them."  She sniffed experimentally at the air, eyeing the pastries that remained on display inside the glass case.  That was the real reason that she liked to visit here so late in the day.  With the shop's closing imminent, Pandora Puddifoot could occasionally be kind enough to gift some baked goods on a late visitor.  And even though it might mean a delay in returning to Gringott's, Raizel was never one to say no to free food.

A soft song slipped between the lips of Puddifoot’s owner. “You Splinched my Heart”, by Amortentia, had a catchy tune and the romantic in Dora wouldn’t allow her to just ignore such an emotionally heavy song. Her soft alto could be heard cascading over the mute shop as she cleared up for the day. It had been a busy shift, but in the later hours of the day the shop was bare and empty – which was just as well, because Dora was running the shop all by her lonesome and taking care of everything with limited magic was quite a taxing task.

She was stood behind the display case, rearranging the delicate treats and doing a spot of inventory when the bell of the shop announced a visitor. The music from her lips stopped, replaced by a smile for the visitor. Pandora avoided Gringotts at all costs, if possible. She sent others to make her deposits, withdrew only when absolutely necessary, and waited for the visits from Raizel Cohen to ensure the account was balanced properly. There was just something creepy about the goblins that Dora didn’t like, so she steered clear.

“Ooh! Come in!” Dora squeaked toward the witch. She liked Raizel – she was competent and a friendly face when others were so grouchy. She ignored the witch’s comment about signing off on the accounts, because that would mean that Miss Cohen wouldn’t have any reason to stick around. Instead, she grabbed a couple sheets of wax paper and reached into the display case and grabbing two treats at random. “Why don’t we discuss the accounts over a cup of coffee and a treat?”

Pandora Puddifoot gave the sort of greeting that put other shopkeepers to shame.  There was no doubting her hospitality, even at the end of what must have been a long day; every time Raizel had stopped in to visit, she'd received a reception that instantly made her feel welcome, and she'd never seen the young shopkeeper display any sort of emotion other than a warm smile.

She favored the witch with a warm smile in return this time; Dora was not going to have to ask twice to get her to agree to stay.

"Only if it isn't any trouble," she said politely, even though it was clear that it wasn't.  She'd already started for the nearest place to sit, a cute wooden round table with an elegant candle positioned in the center.  Her leather messenger bag, enchanted so that it could carry all of the Gringotts paperwork she needed without overflowing, went on the ground without a second thought as the mage took a seat.  If she could put off discussing numbers by gossiping for a while, she was more than happy to participate.

"How has your business been?"  She sniffed experimentally in the direction of the pastry.  The owner of Puddifoot's was the only witch that Raizel had ever met who could bake like Akiva Eleor, although the young wizard who made pastries for Alohomocha was close behind.  She certainly wouldn't say no to trying another one.  "It seems like Hogsmeade is very quiet this time of year, yeh?"

One might say that Dora was a very sociable proprietor, and that person would be entirely correct. Truly, Puddifoot’s barely made any profit, due to the owner’s graciousness and friendly attitude toward everyone that walked through the door. If you as much as smiled at Dora, she’d thrust a free pastry toward you, and if you didn’t take it, she’d be infuriated, insulted, and probably would serve you only the stale coffee. That said, when someone was gracious and took her generosity in stride, she’d probably join you at a table and talk your ear off for ages.

Which is exactly what she was doing with the Gringotts Cursebreaker. She followed Raizel to the table and placed the bakewell tarts upon the table before pulling her miniscule wand from her pocket and summoning a couple mismatched cups of java over with a shakily performed summoning charm. Dora was just happy the cups hadn’t exploded – she’d never been a strong witch when it came to magic. “Business is slow, but that’s to be expected. No one likes the cold,” She smiled brightly at her friend as she took a seat. “Valentine’s is coming up soon, though, and that’ll bring in a load of business. I’m trying to book Amortentia for an album signing, but they’ve yet to get back with me,”

“What about you? How are the goblins treating you?” asked the witch, pausing afterward to listen for a response and to take a nice long sip of steaming coffee. She drank her coffee black, no need to add to perfection.

The briefest of flickers passed over the Cursebreaker's face.  But Raizel schooled her expression quickly, flashing a smile at the shopkeeper as she reached for the mug of coffee.

"I have been well," she said, lifting the cup to her lips.  She held it there for a moment, just breathing in.  The warm, rich aroma was strong enough to make her wrinkle her nose.  Sitting here with it in the tea shop, it almost made up for the near-freezing temperatures and frigid weather outside.

"I would be better if it were not quite this cold, though," she admitted, after taking a sip.  Pandora's coffee was like heaven -- flavorful and rich, and not at all like the horrible instant brands that she was usually stuck drinking back home.  She gave the witch a genuine smile, settling back in her chair.  "London is not as bad as it is up here in Scotland, but I am still looking forward to spring.

"So you think February will be busier?" she asked her with a frown.  She knew enough about the shop's finances from the Gringotts records that she wasn't really worried about the state of Pandora's business, but at least in her limited visits, January had seemed much slower than December.  It struck her, suddenly, that there could be a reason for that.  "You don't think business was hurt by that thing in the Three Broomsticks, do you?  The dybbuk? People aren't staying away from Hogsmeade, are they?"