Chapter 20 The Proposal
On Christmas Day, James and Lily got up early to ask the house elves if they could have breakfast in their makeshift hall. He didn't bother to make Lily wear a blindfold this time. Remus had told him about his conversation with Mur, so he knew Lily would keep their secrets. They went over early so she could show him the decorations. When Muriel arrived, she found them kissing under the mistletoe and had to force herself not to let the mirror slam closed to startle them. She waited patiently until they were finished, as they had done for her on the train, then cleared her throat.
The elves had a table set up and food laid out by the time everyone else arrived. It wasn't easy convincing the boys to eat first and open presents later, but they managed to eat a little while it was still hot before they sat down together on the rug that James had brought from the Gryffindor common room.
Peter passed out the presents, and there were many sounds of ripping paper and excited exclamations. Muriel paused as Sirius opened the first of the gifts she'd given him, a small smile on her lips. It was a shiny black motorcycle helmet, which he promptly put on.
"I DIDN'T THINK YOU EVEN REMEMBERED WHAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE BIKE," he shouted, thinking that his voice would be muffled inside the helmet. His friends covered their ears as Mur pulled the helmet off his head.
"You don't have to yell! I charmed it so that you could talk normally and be heard over the motorcycle. And you should be able to hear whoever is talking to you as well."
"Wicked! Thanks Mur!" He hugged her quickly before turning to the matching present and tearing it open as well. He pulled out a black leather jacket. "This is great! What did you charm it to do?"
Everyone laughed as Muriel explained that no matter how cold it got the jacket would keep him warm, and no matter how warm it got, the jacket would keep him from over heating. He threw his robes over the back of a chair and wore the jacket the rest of the day.
Sirius waited until everyone had finished opening their presents before handing Muriel the small gold box he'd been hiding. Everyone fell silent and Remus and Peter, who'd been testing out the latest Zonko's firecrackers away from the others, ran over.
Muriel looked around the group. Everyone was ignoring the rather impressive fireworks display and watching her instead. She felt herself blush as she slowly opened the package. Sirius nervously snatched the paper away when she set it down to open the box.
When she saw the ring she didn't exclaim or gasp. Instead, she bit her lip and waited. Was this really what she thought? If it wasn't, she didn't want to make a fool of herself by assuming. She looked up at Sirius and he met her eyes. He looked worried. Lily and James exchanged glances and Remus was biting his lip too.
Finally Sirius leaned over and whispered his question in her ear. The whole room seemed to sigh in relief as she threw her arms around him.
"Yes! Oh, Sirius!" He pried her arms off, and kissed her, grinning. Then he took the ring from the box and put it on her finger as the Marauders clapped and whistled.
Muriel couldn't ever remember being so happy. They stayed in the chamber all day. James and Lily made two more trips down to the kitchens and the house elves brought lunch and dinner up to them as they tried out their new presents, and tried to plan a good use for their fireworks, preferably a use that wouldn't get anyone detention. Lily had brought an old muggle music box that played Christmas carols. Sirius smiled his thanks to her as he and Muriel danced. The girls made sure to dance with Remus and Peter as well. After the night before, neither of them wanted anyone to feel left out, especially Remus.
"Well, Prongs, you'll be the best man, won't you?" Sirius asked as he pulled a chair around backwards and sat to watch the others dance. James followed suit.
"I'm already the best man." James smirked at him.
Sirius shoved him hard, making his chair rock up on two legs and fall noisily back to the floor. "At the wedding, Prat!"
"Course I will! And you'll be the best man at ours." He looked over at Lily as she danced with Peter, who for once looked like he was really enjoying himself.
"What was that?" Sirius turned to his best friend. "When did you decide this?"
"When she first saw the ring you were giving Mur," he whispered, remembering how his heart had leapt as her eyes widened. "We'll pick out the ring next Hogsmeade weekend. Maybe we should tell the girls that we have to do something with that motorbike of yours and they should just go with Remus and Peter."
"Consider it done," Sirius said at once. He winked at James, then went to cut in as the song ended. Muriel, however, had other plans.
"I need to run down to my room. I want to write to Papa right away," she said as he approached.
"You can borrow my new quill," Peter said. Muriel raised an eyebrow at Sirius before she turned to answer.
"Er - thanks anyway, Peter, but I also haven't owled him his present yet, and that's downstairs." She turned back to Sirius. "Will you come with me?"
When the mirror closed behind them, Sirius laughed. "What did you do to Peter's quill?"
"Nothing, I bought it that way." She said vaguely.
"What way?"
"It writes the opposite of what he means. If he wrote a love note, it would say 'I hate you and you're ugly and I hope to spend eternity without you." They laughed all the way to Ravenclaw tower, and he waited outside while she ran up to find a quill and parchment. She wrote the note quickly and they went directly to the owlery, where she sent it off to her father.
On Christmas Day, James and Lily got up early to ask the house elves if they could have breakfast in their makeshift hall. He didn't bother to make Lily wear a blindfold this time. Remus had told him about his conversation with Mur, so he knew Lily would keep their secrets. They went over early so she could show him the decorations. When Muriel arrived, she found them kissing under the mistletoe and had to force herself not to let the mirror slam closed to startle them. She waited patiently until they were finished, as they had done for her on the train, then cleared her throat.
The elves had a table set up and food laid out by the time everyone else arrived. It wasn't easy convincing the boys to eat first and open presents later, but they managed to eat a little while it was still hot before they sat down together on the rug that James had brought from the Gryffindor common room.
Peter passed out the presents, and there were many sounds of ripping paper and excited exclamations. Muriel paused as Sirius opened the first of the gifts she'd given him, a small smile on her lips. It was a shiny black motorcycle helmet, which he promptly put on.
"I DIDN'T THINK YOU EVEN REMEMBERED WHAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT THE BIKE," he shouted, thinking that his voice would be muffled inside the helmet. His friends covered their ears as Mur pulled the helmet off his head.
"You don't have to yell! I charmed it so that you could talk normally and be heard over the motorcycle. And you should be able to hear whoever is talking to you as well."
"Wicked! Thanks Mur!" He hugged her quickly before turning to the matching present and tearing it open as well. He pulled out a black leather jacket. "This is great! What did you charm it to do?"
Everyone laughed as Muriel explained that no matter how cold it got the jacket would keep him warm, and no matter how warm it got, the jacket would keep him from over heating. He threw his robes over the back of a chair and wore the jacket the rest of the day.
Sirius waited until everyone had finished opening their presents before handing Muriel the small gold box he'd been hiding. Everyone fell silent and Remus and Peter, who'd been testing out the latest Zonko's firecrackers away from the others, ran over.
Muriel looked around the group. Everyone was ignoring the rather impressive fireworks display and watching her instead. She felt herself blush as she slowly opened the package. Sirius nervously snatched the paper away when she set it down to open the box.
When she saw the ring she didn't exclaim or gasp. Instead, she bit her lip and waited. Was this really what she thought? If it wasn't, she didn't want to make a fool of herself by assuming. She looked up at Sirius and he met her eyes. He looked worried. Lily and James exchanged glances and Remus was biting his lip too.
Finally Sirius leaned over and whispered his question in her ear. The whole room seemed to sigh in relief as she threw her arms around him.
"Yes! Oh, Sirius!" He pried her arms off, and kissed her, grinning. Then he took the ring from the box and put it on her finger as the Marauders clapped and whistled.
Muriel couldn't ever remember being so happy. They stayed in the chamber all day. James and Lily made two more trips down to the kitchens and the house elves brought lunch and dinner up to them as they tried out their new presents, and tried to plan a good use for their fireworks, preferably a use that wouldn't get anyone detention. Lily had brought an old muggle music box that played Christmas carols. Sirius smiled his thanks to her as he and Muriel danced. The girls made sure to dance with Remus and Peter as well. After the night before, neither of them wanted anyone to feel left out, especially Remus.
"Well, Prongs, you'll be the best man, won't you?" Sirius asked as he pulled a chair around backwards and sat to watch the others dance. James followed suit.
"I'm already the best man." James smirked at him.
Sirius shoved him hard, making his chair rock up on two legs and fall noisily back to the floor. "At the wedding, Prat!"
"Course I will! And you'll be the best man at ours." He looked over at Lily as she danced with Peter, who for once looked like he was really enjoying himself.
"What was that?" Sirius turned to his best friend. "When did you decide this?"
"When she first saw the ring you were giving Mur," he whispered, remembering how his heart had leapt as her eyes widened. "We'll pick out the ring next Hogsmeade weekend. Maybe we should tell the girls that we have to do something with that motorbike of yours and they should just go with Remus and Peter."
"Consider it done," Sirius said at once. He winked at James, then went to cut in as the song ended. Muriel, however, had other plans.
"I need to run down to my room. I want to write to Papa right away," she said as he approached.
"You can borrow my new quill," Peter said. Muriel raised an eyebrow at Sirius before she turned to answer.
"Er - thanks anyway, Peter, but I also haven't owled him his present yet, and that's downstairs." She turned back to Sirius. "Will you come with me?"
When the mirror closed behind them, Sirius laughed. "What did you do to Peter's quill?"
"Nothing, I bought it that way." She said vaguely.
"What way?"
"It writes the opposite of what he means. If he wrote a love note, it would say 'I hate you and you're ugly and I hope to spend eternity without you." They laughed all the way to Ravenclaw tower, and he waited outside while she ran up to find a quill and parchment. She wrote the note quickly and they went directly to the owlery, where she sent it off to her father.