Narcissa accepted the flowers with a smile of thanks and proceeded to pour the tea. "Oh, I quite agree. There really is something to be said for tradition." Or a semblance of tradition, as was only possible these days. "In any case I daresay I cannot pair a tea of that sort with much proficiency. It seems far too exotic for the world of parlours and gardens."
She paused to slice the cake. "But really, you must tell me how your winter has been. The Daily Prophet has been booming, I presume? I hope you have not been working far too hard." Talking about other people was a much easier way to pass time at this point; Narcissa would rather not dwell on her gloomy Christmas (which had followed a thoroughly miserable autumn and a less-than-spectacular summer).