the hat | 𝐬.𝐛

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟯𝟱 || To Figure it Out

Emery dragged Sirius to her favorite place in the library, where she used to sit as a child.

It was near a large window, at the far end of the library, sort of like a hidden nook, away from everyone else. There were two cozy armchairs and a tiny coffee table, as well as a soft, furry rug on the floor.

This was Emery's secret place.

It was so well hidden, that Emery was sure that not even her father knew about it.

She sat on an armchair, while Sirius took the other.

Sirius hunched over the note, looking at it carefully. Beside him, there was a parchment and quill, with half solved letters.

This time, the letter was in the Latin alphabet, but the letters were all jumbled up.

Emery took the note from Sirius, copying it down on her own piece of Parchment.

J EM EMWBE. JR ERHUGNE. HARHNX. FJRD QF. 

OUWM QARPA. RICVAVZ. CUP TLEPG. AUP 73 B.

GMFXI KUOL JRSP CNE MIFX.

Emery looked at the code one more time.

"Any luck?" she asked Sirius. 

"Not much," he replied. "But my conclusion is that one letter can also have more than one meaning. The first letter, J, could either be I or A, since it's a one-letter word," he said. "But when I fill in I and A to replace all the other J's, nothing makes sense."

"Hmm," sighed Emery. "That proves that one letter could have two meanings," she said.

"Wait," said Sirius excitedly. "Do you have a book on codes?"

Emery thought for a moment.

"A book your father used to read, or something?" he added.

"Well, there was one," she said. "He used to use it to make his own codes, then leave for me to solve."

"Bring it," Sirius said. "It might be helpful."

Emery returned ten minutes later, with a thin book in her hand. 

"Sorry I took long, I was looking for the book," she said.

"No problem. I was looking outside. Are those lilies?" he asked, pointing to a bush of white flowers outside.

"Yeah," she said dreamily. "We have peace lilies too, but they're indoor plants."

"Cool," said Sirius, taking the book from her.

Emery moved her armchair close to his, so she could see the book as well.

Sirius opened the book, flipping through a couple of pages. 

"See," he said. "This one's got Morse code."

"Yeah," said Emery. "I found a Morse coded message in my hat."

Sirius nearly dropped the book.

"Wait. He sent a message before?"

Emery nodded. "It was in my hat," she shrugged it off. "I solved it, but it wasn't anything important."

Sirius cocked his head, thinking for a few minutes.

Emery fidgeted, looking at the back of his neck.