The Kitchens
Elizabeth finished pulling her hair up, looking to Anne and Henry for approval. They both nodded and Anne handed her a pair of shoes.
"Enjoy yourself, Elizabeth. And don't go looking for reasons it won't work out." Henry said. Elizabeth widened her eyes innocently.
"When have I ever done that?"
Henry and Anne snorted.
"Your whole life. If you focus on the things you don't like about James, you won't have a good time. Just relax and enjoy yourself, and don't let your thoughts ruin it for you." Anne said. Henry nodded, and Elizabeth sighed.
"Alright. I'll try."
Her siblings smiled and she rolled her eyes.
"But I'd better get going. You two also need to go back to your own common rooms. You're not allowed in here without me." She said. Henry nodded and stood up.
"I have some homework to do anyway. Anne, you come and do yours with me, if you'd like." He said, giving Elizabeth a mischievous look. Elizabeth smiled, and Anne tried to hide her excitement.
"Sounds like fun!" She said casually. Elizabeth and Henry smirked. Elizabeth checked the clock on her nightstand.
"All right, let's go. I'll see you two later"
"I want all of the gruesome details when you get back." Anne said. Henry grimaced.
"I don't. Please do not share any details with me."
Elizabeth laughed and led them down the stairs.
"Not that there will be any gruesome details to share, but I'll spare you, Henry."
Henry nodded and opened the common room door.
"We'll catch up with you tonight."
Elizabeth nodded and waved as they parted ways.
"Sounds good!" She said. She made her way to the Great Hall, like James had told her. As she grew closer to the doors, she saw James standing there. He smiled when he caught sight of her and waved. Elizabeth waved back, unable to hide her amusement. They met up in front of the doors, and James held out his arm, Elizabeth taking it.
"So, since it isn't a Hogsmeade weekend, I have decided to give you my best tour of the castle, with some important stops."
"Are you implying that I don't know my way around the castle?" Elizabeth asked. James's eyes twinkled.
"Not the way I do. First up is the kitchens to grab a snack. It is almost time for lunch, anyway." He said. Elizabeth furrowed her eyebrows.
"How do you know how to get into the kitchens? Students aren't allowed in."
James winked.
"Well, you'll come to find that the Marauders are no regulars students. We know all kinds of secrets."
Elizabeth nodded.
"Right. And do the teachers know all of the secrets you know?" She asked, trying to gage how dangerous this date was going to be. James laughed.
"Of course not. That'd ruin the fun, wouldn't it?" He said. He stopped near the Hufflepuff common room in front of a painting of fruit.
"Is this one of the treasured secrets you hold so dear?" She chuckled. James smiled and reach ed up, tickling the pear in the bowl. The pear giggled, and turned into a doorknob. Elizabeth's mouth fell open. James glanced at her and chuckled.
"Yes, it is." He said, obviously proud that Elizabeth was wordless. He turned the doorknob and opened the door with a flourish, earning an eye roll from Elizabeth.
"Ladies first." He said, gesturing to the open door. Elizabeth stepped up and looked inside. There was a massive kitchen with house elves running around. It was nothing like what Elizabeth had expected, but much better. She carefully walked in, surprised when a dozen or so house elves ran up to her, offering their services. She felt James come up behind her and close the door.
"Master Potter! We has been expecting you! We didn't know you was bringing a lady friend with you, sir, or we would have made you some food." One of the house elves said, looking down, seemingly ashamed of his failure. James chuckled and leaned down, patting the house elve's head.
"That's alright, Banky, I wanted it to be a surprise. I wouldn't mind if you made us a basket of food, though." He said. The house elf nodded quickly and ran away from them into the kitchen. Elizabeth turned to James.
"What other surprises do you have in store for us?"
James winked at her.
"It'd ruin the surprise to tell you, wouldn't it?" He said, smiling mischievously.
Elizabeth laughed and let him lead her to a counter where there were stools that they could sit on. They were immediately presented with glasses of water and house elves asking if they needed anything. Once Elizabeth had assured them that she was fine, she looked at James, who was talking to the same house elf from earlier. He was so sweet with them, and treated them like equals, it made Elizabeth wonder why he had treated the Slytherins so badly for years. James turned back to her, holding a large basket full of food.
"You ready to go? We can stay here for a bit if you'd like." He said, noticing her cast a look around the room. Elizabeth shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I'll definitely be coming back here, though. I'm excited to see what else you have planned." She said. James smiled and led her out of the kitchen, saying goodbye to the elves and thanking them.
"Okay, next, there's a room I want to show you." He said. Elizabeth could see the excitement in his eyes as he told her.
They walked up to the seventh floor and stopped at a blank wall. Elizabeth, hesitant to judge too quickly again, stepped back to let James do his magic. He started pacing in front of the wall, and Elizabeth watched, amused. After he had walked in front of the wall two or three times, he stopped. A door had appeared where the wall had previously been blank. Elizabeth gaped at the door. James smirked at her and opened it, dramatically gesturing for her to enter.
She walked cautiously, peering in the door. There was a movie screen, with two large chairs set up in front of it. Elizabeth turned back to James, still shocked. He chuckled.
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement."