"Who in their right mind would send a letter with nothing on it?" muttered James.
"Maybe it wasn't meant for you," suggested Peter.
"The bloody eagle landed *on* me, Wormtail! I'm pretty sure it was for me," Sirius shot back.
"Maybe we're missing something," Remus interjected thoughtfully. "It could be like those secret messages that appear when you hold them up to fire."
"Remus, we're not Muggles. Why would anyone use *that* method?" James replied, shaking his head. "Let's go to the library and look up some spells to reveal hidden messages."
"Are we sure it's not just a prank?" asked Peter, skeptically. "I mean, we could be on a wild thestral chase here. I can't see a thing on this parchment."
"One thing is certain," Remus said, leaning in.
"What's that?" asked James.
"Someone *has* written something on this. It's not a prank. Look here—there's a seal in the bottom corner."
Sirius inspected the mark closely. "That's odd. It doesn't look like any of the crests from the twenty-eight noble houses in Britain."
"Not even in Europe," James added, frowning. "I had to study all the noble house crests, and I know this one isn't among them."
"It might be in a different language," Peter suggested. "If we can figure out which language, we might get closer to an answer."
"It's already late. We can look into it after lunch; we have Charms now, and we're already running behind," Remus reminded them.
Sirius held the scroll up to his nose and sniffed it again. "You know, I like this smell."
As they walked toward class, he continued, "It smells like…home."
"Really? I'm pretty sure Grimmauld Place didn't smell anything like that," Remus remarked.
"Neither did the Potter mansion," added James.
"Ahh, you wouldn't understand," Sirius replied, shrugging it off.
"You're late again!" Professor Flitwick called out as they slipped into the Charms classroom.
"Oh, come on, Professor. It's those stairs—they're murder!" James protested.
"Exactly! How does anyone expect us to climb those monstrosities every day?" Sirius chimed in, feigning exhaustion.
"Nevermind! Good day, students! Today, we will be learning the Impervius Charm," Professor Flitwick announced with enthusiasm. "If you're ever caught in a rainstorm without an umbrella, the Impervius Charm will repel rain and keep water out of your eyes. Now, before you learn by doing, watch me demonstrate the charm!"
The class watched closely, though Sirius's attention drifted, his thoughts still on the mysterious scroll he had found. After the lesson, James lingered behind, approaching Professor Flitwick with a question.
"Professor, are there any charms that reveal secret messages?" James asked casually.
Professor Flitwick raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes, there are a few… but why do you ask?"
"Oh, just for extra credit, Professor," James said with a grin.
"Hmm… you might try *Revelio,*" Professor Flitwick suggested.
"Thank you, Professor!" James called over his shoulder as he dashed out before Flitwick could ask further questions.
Professor Flitwick watched him go with a bemused expression. "What are they up to now?" he muttered to himself.
As James rejoined his friends, Remus looked thoughtful. "Do you think we could head to the library to research a bit more?"
"But don't we have Potions now?" Sirius pointed out.
"I'd rather solve the mystery of this scroll," Remus replied. "I mean, you know I love a good puzzle."
"Agreed!" James added. "And besides, it's just Potions."
"James, have you realized you haven't proposed to your Lily-flower yet today?" Peter teased.
"I know, right! Let me just—" James began, but Remus cut him off.
"James, we have work to do. You can do your romance later."
Sirius laughed. "You know, I never imagined there'd come a day when James would put me before his beloved Lily. I'm… speechless."
"All right, knock it off," James replied, grinning as they all laughed and made their way to the library.
They spent hours scouring spellbooks, looking for anything that might reveal a hidden message, but to no avail.
"Maybe it's nothing," Sirius sighed. "Maybe someone's just pranking us."
"Could be," James agreed.
"But we saw the family crest on it," Peter reminded them. "Didn't we narrow it down to India?"
"Yes," Remus said thoughtfully, "but it might not mean anything. Sanskrit and Tamil are ancient languages, and both are from India. That's common knowledge."
"Still, maybe we're missing something," Sirius said.
"Sirius, I really think someone's just playing with us," James replied.
"Maybe we should try Remus's original suggestion," Peter chimed in. "You know, the Muggle method—showing the scroll over fire to reveal hidden ink."
James shrugged. "Couldn't hurt. Let's give it a try."
"Great, to the common room!" Sirius announced, already heading out.
"Hey, Sirius, wait up!" James called, as he and Peter hurried after him.
Meanwhile, across the hallway, Lily Evans and her friends Marlene McKinnon and Alice Fortescue watched them go, curiosity piqued.
"What do you think they're doing in the library?" Marlene asked. "And skipping Potions, no less."
"Maybe it's some kind of attempt to attract attention," Lily said, crossing her arms.
"Oh, come off it, Lily. You know you like him and his attention," Marlene teased.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I do *not!* I'm glad he hasn't bothered me today! Who would want to be pestered by that arrogant toe-rag? They're obviously up to something—they wouldn't be in the library otherwise."
"Oh please," Marlene replied with a smirk. "Stop pretending you don't like him."
"Honestly, Lily," Alice added, "I mean, the boy practically worships the ground you walk on, and you keep chasing after guys who don't even respect you. Take my advice—James is different."
Marlene shot her a look. "You could've been a bit more considerate in saying that. How does Frank manage you? You can be sharp when you want to."
Alice just shrugged, unbothered. "Darling Lily, James Potter isn't just any boy. He's the heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. You don't know what that means yet, but trust me—they don't play around. He has real power, and him bending to your will… well, that's something."
Lily fell silent, lost in contemplation, while Alice and Marlene exchanged knowing looks and shared a laugh.