Regulus nodded and just assumed they were going to the kitchens. Where else were they going to get tea? Glumly, Regulus walk mostly in silence, lost in his own thoughts for the most part.

For them, from their current location in the castle, they had to go up a few flights of stairs until they reached the level under the Great Hall. At the right painting he tickled the pear and it turned into a knob.

At the very least, the scene before them was cheerful and energetic. House elves were treated rather well at Hogwarts as far as treatment for House elves went- they all acted like this was the greatest work in the world.

Almost immediately, they were greeted with happy elves willing to pause their work to come say hello. This was not out of the ordinary for Regulus' experience in the Kitchens, he just said hello back to the elves greeting them, even addressing them by name.

When the chorus toned down, and they could finally say anything other than a greeting, Regulus asked, "Is there any tea available?" If he was more polite than usual, well, he didn't comment on it. Again, this was very par for the course for him in the Kitchen.