She produces a sober nod.

"I should get back," Batty says.  "Foible is not as good at being in charge as I am.  But you is both welcome in the kitchens if you has any other questions.  Students is not strictly supposed to be down there but you both seems like good sorts.  There is a painting of a pear with a big toothy grin - " and she gives directions.

"Thank you kindly, Miss Batty," Clover says.  Another curtsy would probably be overselling it.

"Oh, no miss necessary," she says, waving her hand.  "I am sure I am seeing you around, Miss Clover Evans-Potter."  And she returns to the other Elves.

Okay, appearances kept up.  Now she can pivot to trying to figure out what Snape's story is...

"I guess I never really thought about House Elves that much," Millicent says, after Batty's departed.  "Mum always talked about them as just a fact of life..."

Oh they are still doing this, okay.  Sober face back on.  Most people who think of themselves as good are actually just stupid unreflective hypocrites, this has always been pretty obvious to her, but what would the bright earnest young girl Clover Evans-Potter say about it.

...What would mother say about it, it occurs to her to wonder.

All these thoughts flicker by wordlessly in a fraction of a second, which is a skill she's pretty sure is left over from Maledict Gaunt - but she does not have time to turn this new idea over in her head, before she starts having paused conspicuously long, so she charges ahead with operation what-would-Petunia-Evans-do.  "I think it must be easy not to wonder if you've been doing something wrong your whole life, or overlooking something awful your whole life, even if you're otherwise trying hard to be a good person.  A realization like that is probably painful."

Ugh.  Something about that makes her feel sick in her chest.  Not a Maledict Gaunt thought, she supposes.  Not what she is supposed to be.

"I guess."

Uh oh she's sad.  Give her an earnest young girl's earnest grin and say something bracing, it'll cheer her up and foster positive associations with you.  "Besides, Batty made it sound like most House Elves are okay where they are.  If your mum's not worried it's probably because she knows that."  She has no reason to believe this but hopefully it'll make Millicent feel better.

Little smile.  "Yeah."

She bumps shoulders with Millicent playfully.  This is something she saw on TV, she can't remember where, but it's the sort of cute affectionate thing she's pretty sure kids do.  "Looks like more people are showing up.  Wanna go meet some?"

Ugh, she sounds like Whitlock.  But Maledict Gaunt could inhabit any identity she wanted, for as long as she wanted, and so can Clover.

"Sure."

She sounds a bit like Whitlock too, but not in a completely insufferable way.

As the morning softens, more kids show up.  She spies a cluster of vaguely familiar redheads, two twins and a younger boy in her year, clustered together.

She leans a bit toward Millicent.  "Can you tell me about the Weasleys?  I have the feeling I'd've heard of them if I were from magical Britain instead of Muggle America, you know?"

She shrugs one shoulder, the one who's hand isn't holding Clover's.  "They're nice?  They're a really big really old family... I think they used to have a Wizengamot seat generations ago but they don't now.  They're mostly in Gryffindor but Fred, one of the twins, is in Slytherin with us."

"Sounds like as good an excuse as any to go say hello!"  And off she marches with her Bulstrode in tow.

"...nicer to Scabbers," one of the twins is saying playfully to the other.

Her eyes flick between their faces and badges.  "You must be Fred," she says to the beSlytherined one.  She turns to George and taps her chin.  "You - now I've seen your face somewhere but I can't quite place it I'm afraid."

(The bright young girl Clover Evans-Potter has a sense of humor, sometimes.)

"Well, that's not the most common one we've ever heard, at any rate."

"That's actually our little brother Ron," Fred says.  "We made him take Polyjuice."  He claps the real Ron on the back.  "This is a House Elf."

"Hello Ron!" she says to the real Ron, and without breaking her sunny tone, "I'm your insufferable older brother's housemate Clover!"

Both the twins

cackle delightedly.

He shakes her hand.  "Just don't encourage them any more than you already have and you're all right in my book."

To trick someone into liking you, get them talking.  She asks the group at large, "So who's Scabbers?"