Rachel turned and did a double take. She stared at the tiny creature for a few seconds before remembering her manners and saying with a smile, "Hello! Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I've never seen house elves before and I was curious," she said in a shy voice, "I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time..." She trailed off.
She wondered if it was bad manners to ask, but she had heard so many stories about how kind the elves are so she plucked up her courage and said, "And also, I was wondering if you maybe have some leftover chocolate cake, um, or a small piece you could possibly give me?" her voice went higher and quieter with each word.
"But if you don't, it's ok, it's fine!" she added hastily, afraid of sounding really snotty.