"I was simply wandering," Merope said, her voice quiet. A waste of time, perhaps, but she wanted to get the lay of the land before she tried anything much more complex. She wasn't even sure how the muggle world worked outside of what she had observed from within her garden walls. And that... Well, that had been nothing at all like this.
His offer startled her slightly, her eyebrows peeking in curiosity. Father had always said that no one would ever offer her anything without wanting something in return, but she couldn't think off hand what in the world this boy could possibly want. She certainly had very little, and what she did have with her, she wasn't going to give up without a fight.
Lifting her hand to fiddle idly with the locket about her neck, she finally managed to collect her thoughts enough to speak, "I would not mind the company," She replied, each syllable carefully phrased. "I do not have anything to give you in return for such services, however. I did not come here with much."