Chapter 4
James seemed to go through the day in a daze. The only time he actually seemed alert was ironically in History of Magic, which was easily the most boring and pointless class in all of Hogwarts. Remus watched as James squinted through Professor Binns at the chalkboard behind the ghost for a few minutes and then ruffled around in his bag for a clean piece of paper. He shook his quill vigorously for a few seconds and then began scribbling on a piece of parchment. He wrote a line, then crossed it out, then wrote another, and then crossed some more out. He kept chewing on the end of his quill and ruffling his hair compulsively. After a while he began to fidget in his chair, as if he was sitting on hot coals, oblivious to the heads that turned and looked at him curiously, aroused out of their slumber or pre-slumber states. Remus stared at James bug-eyed, and then turned sideways to get Sirius's take on the situation.
The skin cells on the right side of Sirius's face were becoming very friendly with the molecules of the surface of his desk. His eyes were softly shut, eyelids gleaming, and his arms hung limply down his sides, fingers curled slightly. His mouth was slightly parted and a tiny pool of bubbly spit was forming near his mouth on the desk.
Remus gagged and then rolled his eyes. He turned back around and watched James aptly for the rest of the period instead of paying to Professor Binns. Not that he ever paid attention, but at least he wasn't taking a snooze.
As soon as class ended, James stuffed the parchment in his bag and hurried out the door. "See you guys at lunch!" he called before his head disappeared out of sight.
Remus stared at the door vacantly and then turned towards his sleeping friend. He gave Sirius an impatient little shove and was greeted with a nasally snort. Sirius opened his eyes groggily and said "Wha....?" in a deep, Neanderthal-like voice. "Uhh?" he then grunted and blinked a few times, looking around the classroom and rubbing his face. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Sirius no sleep," Remus said, gathering up his books and standing up. Sirius continued to stare at him blankly.
"For the love of Merlin, Sirius, wake up !" Remus cried, annoyed. He was tired and hungry and the last thing he needed was the village idiot staring at him drooling.
Lily found that her day was unnaturally peaceful, and she couldn't figure out why until halfway through dinner. She had just finished her portion of shrimp cocktail Hogwarts style (they HAD to be magical shrimp, Muggle shrimp had never tasted this good), and was about to move on to desert when James burst into the Great Hall, hair fluffing up as he ran, and sprinted straight to where his friends were sitting. He sat down breathlessly, not noticing he had caught the attention of many students, and began whispering to Remus, Sirius, and Peter. They all leaned forward in a little huddle across the table; Peter kept lifting his head and glancing around the Great Hall. No one seemed to notice them; probably because this was pretty typical Maruader behavior. To Lily's surprise, an angry looking Remus began yell-whispering at James, who then smacked himself across the cheek. Lily was confused and curious; she did not like being out of the know.
She turned back to her new friend Ted, who most certainly was not her boyfriend, despite the rumors. At least, not yet. She looked at him with wide eyes and whispered, "Do you see them? Whispering. They're up to something." She narrowed her eyes at them again and bit her bottom lip.
"Ugh, Lily, who cares...They're always up to something. Just ignore them," he said. "Hey, did you know the Gryffindor Quidditch team has a spot open for a chaser. I think I might try out. I'm actually quite the chaser. I play on a summer league, scored about 500 goals last year," he said smugly as he waited for Lily to "ooooh" him. After a few unresponsive seconds he shook his head and blinked almost disbelievingly. "Lily?... Hey Lily... I'm sitting right here! Not there. Here ," he said and waved a hand in front of her face, looking quite annoyed. To Lily's ears, his slightly nasally voice had faded into the low murmur of voices and clinking of forks on plates in the Great Hall. She was still staring at the Marauders with a look of loathing on her face, her desert forgotten. She unclenched her teeth and took a deep breath.
"They better not be up to any trouble. I am sick of putting up with their nonsense. Although... he hasn't bothered me all day... " She mused to no one in particular while staring at James. She then shook her head after a few seconds. "Head boy? Head boy? What the hell was Dumbledore thinking?" Lily spat out incredulously. "He's a stupid git!" A reddish tinge began to creep up her cheeks and her eyeballs started to bulge out of their sockets. Her nostrils flared and her mouth looked like it was fighting with itself to stay closed. A couple students behind her later swore that a very faint swirl of steam floated up from her head towards the fake dark cloudy sky above them.
" STUPID! " she shrieked out suddenly; her body convulsed slightly at the force put into this one word. Her shrill voice shot through the huge room and reverberated off the cold brick walls. Stupid... stupid... stupid....
It was like someone pressed pause and the whole entire scene froze, save for every single pair of eyes that turned to stare fixedly at her now mortified face. Her mouth was open and she was staring straight at...James, her face devoid of any color. She stood up wildly in a flail of arms and legs, grabbing her books and bag in a few fluid motions, and then tore out of the Great Hall in a blur.
Ted stared at the empty space next to him, his chin practically touching his neck. After a couple minutes he looked at Wilona and Alice, who both looked as mortified as Lily was, and said "I...I didn't know she had issues ..." The two girls just glanced at each other frantically, but neither moved. Many, many eyes in the Great Hall were still focused on their table, although most of the teachers had already resumed eating. Ted began to look extremely embarrassed, as some of the eyes began to shift to him.
"Maybe we should go after her...?" said Wilona slowly, her own food forgotten.
"No. No, she has to cool down. Just leave her alone... finish your dinner," Alice said quickly, waving her hand at the food on the table. She picked up her fork and dug back in, trying to gain her composure and shrug off the incident. Ted cowered down in his seat, and Wilona looked at him disgustedly. Slowly, the huge room began to fill back up with murmurs and clinks, with only a few curious faces occasionally flicking back in their direction.
Back down at the other end of the Gryffindor table, the Mauraders were engaged in quite a heated discussion, when a loud high-pitched shriek met their ears. Peter hastily threw his hands over his head as Remus winced, his head pounding with the echoes. James turned to the direction it came from and met eyes with a ghostlike, shuddering Lily. Her eyes were so cloudy, so dark, and for once he couldn't read them as they stared right at each other. He didn't even realize she had disappeared until Sirius tugged his arm and pulled him back to the anxious expressions of his friends.
"Did anyone happen to catch what she yelled out?..." he said thoughtfully, trying to recall the echoes.
"Stupid," Sirius answered with an annoyed tone, and then he tried to divert the conversation back to what it was before they were interrupted. "But it doesn't matter. What were you saying before, James? I could hardly understand-"
"Wait did you just call me stupid?" James interjected, finally back to his senses.
"No, you idiot, she said the word 'stupid'. But seriously, what the hell were you saying? And why the hell did you sprint in here, late and all?" Sirius said, smashing his fist into a slice of apple pie. Remus and Peter both nodded. "And you forgot about tonight!" he hissed. They all threw dark looks at James.
"You're lucky no one ever pays attention to us like this anymore, else the teachers would be over here in no time because of you running in here like you'd just seen that Voldemort guy or something," said Remus, his voice back to an angry whisper.
James shook his head, as if clearing it, and said "Let's go to the common room, no one'll be in there now. We can talk there." He stood up, wrapping up a couple of chicken legs in a napkin and putting them in his bag. His friends followed suit, a little surprised at the urgency in his voice. Sirius tried to put the whole plate of chicken in his bag, but ended up doing the same as James. All four Marauders walked down the length of the Gryffindor towards the entrance of the Great Hall. They neared the spot where Lily's friends were sitting, and James noticed that Alice was leaning back, staring at him intently. He looked away as he passed her, but he felt a hand reach up and slide down his arm, pulling him back. His head shot towards her, alarmed, her soft hand resting on his wrist. Her light brown eyes pleaded with him and she whispered softly so no one else could hear. "Leave her alone..."
James, still surprised, only nodded his head, his eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't planning on talking to her anyway. Alice let his arm go and turned around without another word. James caught up with his friends quickly; no one had noticed he was behind them.
"Alright, spill it, big boy," commanded Sirius. He crossed his arms and leaned back into the fluffy maroon armchair in the Gryffindor common room, giving James a this-better-be-good-because-I'm-missing-desert-face. Remus and Peter had settled down on a couch and wore similar looks on their faces, though Remus looked slightly more concerned than annoyed. James inwardly thanked Merlin for a friend like Remus. He took a deep breath.
"Something funny's going on," he started nervously. He glanced around the common room at the shadows dancing eerily on the walls from the rippling fire before them. Grotesque shapes lurked in the far corners of the room, and he could faintly glimpse the milky, full moon through the curtains of a fogged-up window. He turned back and watched the black ashes in the fireplace swirl around and float upward before they disappeared into the chimney. He licked his lips slowly, tasting a spicy chicken flavor, and began to fidget with his hands. "I'm not sure what it is, and I might be overreacting. Actually, I really do hope I am overreacting. I didn't really think much of it before. But...this could be big."
Sirius stared at him for a second before he rolled his eyes and threw his head back. "I knew this was coming. You've finally realized that you're in love with her. I knew it. What, so are you gonna profess your love in the Great Hall? Do you want us to plan some elaborate scheme for you?" He grinned mischievously at the thought. "Ahh, I can see it now..." James smacked him across the head. "Ooh, feisty, are we? She'd like that..." Peter snickered.
"SHUT UP!"
"Hmm...then that would explain the letter you were writing in History of Magic today..." Remus began thoughtfully, looking questioningly at James.
"NO! You guys, I'm not in love with her! That's NOT what I'm talking about," he said, running his hand through his hair. He leaned back against the sofa and sighed. He began to massage his head with the palms of his hands, once more staring at the fire. The common room was silent, but Sirius still had a happy little grin on his face.
After a few seconds, James started up again. "It's a lot more serious than that. I'm not sure how much. He didn't really tell me. I didn't really listen to him much at first-"
"Wait, who?" interrupted Sirius, looking confused.
"My dad. Anyways, I wrote him back telling him we weren't interested-"
"We?"
"Us."
"Us Marauders?"
"YES!"
"The hell you talkin' about?"
"Well if you shut up and let me finish maybe I could tell you. Seriously, Sirius," James said, looking immensely annoyed. He glanced around the room again, checking to make sure they were alone. Empty chairs revealed imprints that were now filled with only the shadows of students, and tables that were unnaturally tidy. A light wind coming from a cracked open window in the corner whispered softly as it glided through the extra space in the oddly empty room. It brushed past his ears and drifted on, beckoning to him. He shivered and followed it back to the open window, its fingers ruffling his hair softly. He slammed the window shut and exhaled. James walked back towards his friends and the warm fire, feeling relieved, but he suddenly felt an icy coldness creeping up his legs, swirling around his body, and caressing his cheeks. It kissed him on the nose and disappeared.
Remus craned his neck and looked at the giant, mahogany grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "Better hurry up, people will be coming back soon."
"Right..." James exhaled. "So...Moony, that letter I wrote in history of magic was to my dad, not to...her," he shot a dirty look at Sirius, who had remembered the chicken in his bag and had started eating it hungrily. "He wrote me on the first day of school, I never told you guys because I didn't think it was important. But today, right before dinner...you know who I saw talking to each other? Snivellus and Malfoy. Snivellus and Malfoy. " he paused. Sirius's mouth had dropped open, and Remus had raised his eyebrows. Peter looked lost.
"Snape and Malfoy?" Peter repeated. "But they hate each other... I'm confused."
"That's the point, Peter," James said patiently, ruffling through his book bag. He pulled out a notebook and shook out its contents. He picked up a gray piece of paper and handed it to Remus. "Here, read. This explains everything." He bent down and cleaned up the papers and stuffed his notebook back into his book bag before sitting back to watch Sirius and Peter crowd around Remus.
Dear James,
I trust that your last year of school will be excellent, as usual. I wish you good luck on your first day of school and the beginning of your life as Head Boy of Hogwarts. Go easy on the girls.
But on a much more serious note, James, do you remember what we discussed at the end of summer? I wasn't sure if it was necessary then, but now I know. I am going to tell you all of this because I trust you. I trust you with my life, as well as Sirius and Remus.
Yesterday, Alan Locklear intercepted an encrypted letter that we believe is from a prominent family in the wizarding community, the Malfoys. The code is difficult to break; its seems there are several different codes within the one letter. I and the other Aurors have been working on it since it entered the department. We think we may have snatches of it broken, specifically the words: "mudbloods", "spies", "son", and "recruit". The Dark side is gaining strength, as I have told you. This new "Voldemort" seems to be seeking support, and receiving it. Through this letter and other sources, we think he might be attempting to recruit within Hogwarts. We are unsure of many things now, but as the muggle saying goes: "Better safe than sorry."
This is where you come in, James. You and your Marauders. Remember, I trust you and your friends deeply, as this is a matter of utmost secrecy. If we had other resorts, we would turn to them. Somewhat reluctantly, we are asking you to spy for us. It may seem silly, but we cannot afford to place anyone within Hogwarts without arousing suspicion. All you need to do is report anything suspicious to me. We can arrange a safe communication method later on. It is up to you whether you want to accept or not. To an extent, we are counting on you. I know I need not even bother to stress the dangers you will be put in if anyone finds out what you are doing because I know you know.
Well. That is all I have to say for now. Thank you, son. Love you always.
Your mother says hello and that she can't wait to see you during Christmas.
With much love,
Father
p.s. Burn this letter. That was a command. You will obey.
James seemed to go through the day in a daze. The only time he actually seemed alert was ironically in History of Magic, which was easily the most boring and pointless class in all of Hogwarts. Remus watched as James squinted through Professor Binns at the chalkboard behind the ghost for a few minutes and then ruffled around in his bag for a clean piece of paper. He shook his quill vigorously for a few seconds and then began scribbling on a piece of parchment. He wrote a line, then crossed it out, then wrote another, and then crossed some more out. He kept chewing on the end of his quill and ruffling his hair compulsively. After a while he began to fidget in his chair, as if he was sitting on hot coals, oblivious to the heads that turned and looked at him curiously, aroused out of their slumber or pre-slumber states. Remus stared at James bug-eyed, and then turned sideways to get Sirius's take on the situation.
The skin cells on the right side of Sirius's face were becoming very friendly with the molecules of the surface of his desk. His eyes were softly shut, eyelids gleaming, and his arms hung limply down his sides, fingers curled slightly. His mouth was slightly parted and a tiny pool of bubbly spit was forming near his mouth on the desk.
Remus gagged and then rolled his eyes. He turned back around and watched James aptly for the rest of the period instead of paying to Professor Binns. Not that he ever paid attention, but at least he wasn't taking a snooze.
As soon as class ended, James stuffed the parchment in his bag and hurried out the door. "See you guys at lunch!" he called before his head disappeared out of sight.
Remus stared at the door vacantly and then turned towards his sleeping friend. He gave Sirius an impatient little shove and was greeted with a nasally snort. Sirius opened his eyes groggily and said "Wha....?" in a deep, Neanderthal-like voice. "Uhh?" he then grunted and blinked a few times, looking around the classroom and rubbing his face. Remus rolled his eyes.
"Sirius no sleep," Remus said, gathering up his books and standing up. Sirius continued to stare at him blankly.
"For the love of Merlin, Sirius, wake up !" Remus cried, annoyed. He was tired and hungry and the last thing he needed was the village idiot staring at him drooling.
Lily found that her day was unnaturally peaceful, and she couldn't figure out why until halfway through dinner. She had just finished her portion of shrimp cocktail Hogwarts style (they HAD to be magical shrimp, Muggle shrimp had never tasted this good), and was about to move on to desert when James burst into the Great Hall, hair fluffing up as he ran, and sprinted straight to where his friends were sitting. He sat down breathlessly, not noticing he had caught the attention of many students, and began whispering to Remus, Sirius, and Peter. They all leaned forward in a little huddle across the table; Peter kept lifting his head and glancing around the Great Hall. No one seemed to notice them; probably because this was pretty typical Maruader behavior. To Lily's surprise, an angry looking Remus began yell-whispering at James, who then smacked himself across the cheek. Lily was confused and curious; she did not like being out of the know.
She turned back to her new friend Ted, who most certainly was not her boyfriend, despite the rumors. At least, not yet. She looked at him with wide eyes and whispered, "Do you see them? Whispering. They're up to something." She narrowed her eyes at them again and bit her bottom lip.
"Ugh, Lily, who cares...They're always up to something. Just ignore them," he said. "Hey, did you know the Gryffindor Quidditch team has a spot open for a chaser. I think I might try out. I'm actually quite the chaser. I play on a summer league, scored about 500 goals last year," he said smugly as he waited for Lily to "ooooh" him. After a few unresponsive seconds he shook his head and blinked almost disbelievingly. "Lily?... Hey Lily... I'm sitting right here! Not there. Here ," he said and waved a hand in front of her face, looking quite annoyed. To Lily's ears, his slightly nasally voice had faded into the low murmur of voices and clinking of forks on plates in the Great Hall. She was still staring at the Marauders with a look of loathing on her face, her desert forgotten. She unclenched her teeth and took a deep breath.
"They better not be up to any trouble. I am sick of putting up with their nonsense. Although... he hasn't bothered me all day... " She mused to no one in particular while staring at James. She then shook her head after a few seconds. "Head boy? Head boy? What the hell was Dumbledore thinking?" Lily spat out incredulously. "He's a stupid git!" A reddish tinge began to creep up her cheeks and her eyeballs started to bulge out of their sockets. Her nostrils flared and her mouth looked like it was fighting with itself to stay closed. A couple students behind her later swore that a very faint swirl of steam floated up from her head towards the fake dark cloudy sky above them.
" STUPID! " she shrieked out suddenly; her body convulsed slightly at the force put into this one word. Her shrill voice shot through the huge room and reverberated off the cold brick walls. Stupid... stupid... stupid....
It was like someone pressed pause and the whole entire scene froze, save for every single pair of eyes that turned to stare fixedly at her now mortified face. Her mouth was open and she was staring straight at...James, her face devoid of any color. She stood up wildly in a flail of arms and legs, grabbing her books and bag in a few fluid motions, and then tore out of the Great Hall in a blur.
Ted stared at the empty space next to him, his chin practically touching his neck. After a couple minutes he looked at Wilona and Alice, who both looked as mortified as Lily was, and said "I...I didn't know she had issues ..." The two girls just glanced at each other frantically, but neither moved. Many, many eyes in the Great Hall were still focused on their table, although most of the teachers had already resumed eating. Ted began to look extremely embarrassed, as some of the eyes began to shift to him.
"Maybe we should go after her...?" said Wilona slowly, her own food forgotten.
"No. No, she has to cool down. Just leave her alone... finish your dinner," Alice said quickly, waving her hand at the food on the table. She picked up her fork and dug back in, trying to gain her composure and shrug off the incident. Ted cowered down in his seat, and Wilona looked at him disgustedly. Slowly, the huge room began to fill back up with murmurs and clinks, with only a few curious faces occasionally flicking back in their direction.
Back down at the other end of the Gryffindor table, the Mauraders were engaged in quite a heated discussion, when a loud high-pitched shriek met their ears. Peter hastily threw his hands over his head as Remus winced, his head pounding with the echoes. James turned to the direction it came from and met eyes with a ghostlike, shuddering Lily. Her eyes were so cloudy, so dark, and for once he couldn't read them as they stared right at each other. He didn't even realize she had disappeared until Sirius tugged his arm and pulled him back to the anxious expressions of his friends.
"Did anyone happen to catch what she yelled out?..." he said thoughtfully, trying to recall the echoes.
"Stupid," Sirius answered with an annoyed tone, and then he tried to divert the conversation back to what it was before they were interrupted. "But it doesn't matter. What were you saying before, James? I could hardly understand-"
"Wait did you just call me stupid?" James interjected, finally back to his senses.
"No, you idiot, she said the word 'stupid'. But seriously, what the hell were you saying? And why the hell did you sprint in here, late and all?" Sirius said, smashing his fist into a slice of apple pie. Remus and Peter both nodded. "And you forgot about tonight!" he hissed. They all threw dark looks at James.
"You're lucky no one ever pays attention to us like this anymore, else the teachers would be over here in no time because of you running in here like you'd just seen that Voldemort guy or something," said Remus, his voice back to an angry whisper.
James shook his head, as if clearing it, and said "Let's go to the common room, no one'll be in there now. We can talk there." He stood up, wrapping up a couple of chicken legs in a napkin and putting them in his bag. His friends followed suit, a little surprised at the urgency in his voice. Sirius tried to put the whole plate of chicken in his bag, but ended up doing the same as James. All four Marauders walked down the length of the Gryffindor towards the entrance of the Great Hall. They neared the spot where Lily's friends were sitting, and James noticed that Alice was leaning back, staring at him intently. He looked away as he passed her, but he felt a hand reach up and slide down his arm, pulling him back. His head shot towards her, alarmed, her soft hand resting on his wrist. Her light brown eyes pleaded with him and she whispered softly so no one else could hear. "Leave her alone..."
James, still surprised, only nodded his head, his eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't planning on talking to her anyway. Alice let his arm go and turned around without another word. James caught up with his friends quickly; no one had noticed he was behind them.
"Alright, spill it, big boy," commanded Sirius. He crossed his arms and leaned back into the fluffy maroon armchair in the Gryffindor common room, giving James a this-better-be-good-because-I'm-missing-desert-face. Remus and Peter had settled down on a couch and wore similar looks on their faces, though Remus looked slightly more concerned than annoyed. James inwardly thanked Merlin for a friend like Remus. He took a deep breath.
"Something funny's going on," he started nervously. He glanced around the common room at the shadows dancing eerily on the walls from the rippling fire before them. Grotesque shapes lurked in the far corners of the room, and he could faintly glimpse the milky, full moon through the curtains of a fogged-up window. He turned back and watched the black ashes in the fireplace swirl around and float upward before they disappeared into the chimney. He licked his lips slowly, tasting a spicy chicken flavor, and began to fidget with his hands. "I'm not sure what it is, and I might be overreacting. Actually, I really do hope I am overreacting. I didn't really think much of it before. But...this could be big."
Sirius stared at him for a second before he rolled his eyes and threw his head back. "I knew this was coming. You've finally realized that you're in love with her. I knew it. What, so are you gonna profess your love in the Great Hall? Do you want us to plan some elaborate scheme for you?" He grinned mischievously at the thought. "Ahh, I can see it now..." James smacked him across the head. "Ooh, feisty, are we? She'd like that..." Peter snickered.
"SHUT UP!"
"Hmm...then that would explain the letter you were writing in History of Magic today..." Remus began thoughtfully, looking questioningly at James.
"NO! You guys, I'm not in love with her! That's NOT what I'm talking about," he said, running his hand through his hair. He leaned back against the sofa and sighed. He began to massage his head with the palms of his hands, once more staring at the fire. The common room was silent, but Sirius still had a happy little grin on his face.
After a few seconds, James started up again. "It's a lot more serious than that. I'm not sure how much. He didn't really tell me. I didn't really listen to him much at first-"
"Wait, who?" interrupted Sirius, looking confused.
"My dad. Anyways, I wrote him back telling him we weren't interested-"
"We?"
"Us."
"Us Marauders?"
"YES!"
"The hell you talkin' about?"
"Well if you shut up and let me finish maybe I could tell you. Seriously, Sirius," James said, looking immensely annoyed. He glanced around the room again, checking to make sure they were alone. Empty chairs revealed imprints that were now filled with only the shadows of students, and tables that were unnaturally tidy. A light wind coming from a cracked open window in the corner whispered softly as it glided through the extra space in the oddly empty room. It brushed past his ears and drifted on, beckoning to him. He shivered and followed it back to the open window, its fingers ruffling his hair softly. He slammed the window shut and exhaled. James walked back towards his friends and the warm fire, feeling relieved, but he suddenly felt an icy coldness creeping up his legs, swirling around his body, and caressing his cheeks. It kissed him on the nose and disappeared.
Remus craned his neck and looked at the giant, mahogany grandfather clock in the corner of the room. "Better hurry up, people will be coming back soon."
"Right..." James exhaled. "So...Moony, that letter I wrote in history of magic was to my dad, not to...her," he shot a dirty look at Sirius, who had remembered the chicken in his bag and had started eating it hungrily. "He wrote me on the first day of school, I never told you guys because I didn't think it was important. But today, right before dinner...you know who I saw talking to each other? Snivellus and Malfoy. Snivellus and Malfoy. " he paused. Sirius's mouth had dropped open, and Remus had raised his eyebrows. Peter looked lost.
"Snape and Malfoy?" Peter repeated. "But they hate each other... I'm confused."
"That's the point, Peter," James said patiently, ruffling through his book bag. He pulled out a notebook and shook out its contents. He picked up a gray piece of paper and handed it to Remus. "Here, read. This explains everything." He bent down and cleaned up the papers and stuffed his notebook back into his book bag before sitting back to watch Sirius and Peter crowd around Remus.
Dear James,
I trust that your last year of school will be excellent, as usual. I wish you good luck on your first day of school and the beginning of your life as Head Boy of Hogwarts. Go easy on the girls.
But on a much more serious note, James, do you remember what we discussed at the end of summer? I wasn't sure if it was necessary then, but now I know. I am going to tell you all of this because I trust you. I trust you with my life, as well as Sirius and Remus.
Yesterday, Alan Locklear intercepted an encrypted letter that we believe is from a prominent family in the wizarding community, the Malfoys. The code is difficult to break; its seems there are several different codes within the one letter. I and the other Aurors have been working on it since it entered the department. We think we may have snatches of it broken, specifically the words: "mudbloods", "spies", "son", and "recruit". The Dark side is gaining strength, as I have told you. This new "Voldemort" seems to be seeking support, and receiving it. Through this letter and other sources, we think he might be attempting to recruit within Hogwarts. We are unsure of many things now, but as the muggle saying goes: "Better safe than sorry."
This is where you come in, James. You and your Marauders. Remember, I trust you and your friends deeply, as this is a matter of utmost secrecy. If we had other resorts, we would turn to them. Somewhat reluctantly, we are asking you to spy for us. It may seem silly, but we cannot afford to place anyone within Hogwarts without arousing suspicion. All you need to do is report anything suspicious to me. We can arrange a safe communication method later on. It is up to you whether you want to accept or not. To an extent, we are counting on you. I know I need not even bother to stress the dangers you will be put in if anyone finds out what you are doing because I know you know.
Well. That is all I have to say for now. Thank you, son. Love you always.
Your mother says hello and that she can't wait to see you during Christmas.
With much love,
Father
p.s. Burn this letter. That was a command. You will obey.