Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Nope, not me.
A/N: Yay for reviews!
And the child is…
…not revealed in this chapter!
However, I promise you that sometime in the next five days, the identity of Psyche Lupin will be known!
Another note on Psyche - she is Psyche Lupin not Psyche Black because Sirius and Regina were not - and never have been - married. Therefore she has her mother's name not her father's.
Now that Sirius Black is back in the real world, he can have chapters to himself instead of just interludes. Today is a Remus chapter, but tomorrow, you have an Aemilia interlude to look forward to!
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She was, of course, in the library.
Remus leaned against the doorjamb and watched her for a moment. She was writing furiously, her quill making angry scratching sounds as she scribbled, flicked pages in books, then flicked more. She had pulled her hair out of her face and twisted it into a knot on the back of her head. She had stuck her wand through it to keep it in place.
"How did I know I'd find you here?" he asked gently.
Aemilia looked up and smiled as she saw him. "Hello, Remus," she said. "What's up?"
He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. "I left Sirius and Reggie to talk," he replied. "And I want to make sure you get some sleep."
"I'll get sleep," Aemilia answered distractedly, scribbling notes feverishly. "But this has to get done. If my father doesn't get removed from office tomorrow, we have to wait a year before we can try to impeach him again. That's the law."
"Where is your father?"
"McGonagall was at the hearing today and Dumbledore conned her into coming back to Hogwarts for a while. She's guarding my father in her office. Dumbledore's up there now too, telling my father that he's got to be in court tomorrow."
"He'll be defending himself?"
Aemilia grinned. "Sure will. But he doesn't get access to the library tonight, seeing as he is an accused criminal."
Remus raised his eyebrows. "So he's an accused criminal?"
"Yes," Aemilia replied, flipping pages in a monstrously large book called The Colossal Compendium Of Wizarding Law. "Ministers can be impeached if they commit a crime worthy of a prison sentence. Accused murder is one. Cruelty to non-humans is another."
"Cruelty to non-humans?"
Aemilia picked up a magazine. "Read this," she told him, eyes still fixed on the book.
Remus flicked through it. "This is that edition of The Quibbler that he submitted as evidence today!"
"Yes it is," Aemilia answered, pushing a stray strand of black hair back behind her ear. "And there is more truth to it than you think."
"The goblin thing?"
"Yes. While he may not go as far as having them cooked in pies, the Gringotts have been complaining for ages that he's been withholding their pay."
Remus was aghast. "He hasn't been paying the Gringotts goblins?"
"He's been demanding extra privileges and things in exchange for their pay. In short, it's fraud."
"How did you know?"
"Asked 'em," Aemilia replied promptly. "You know that goblin we had in today?"
"Slipnog?"
"Yes. I pulled him aside in the chaos and asked him about it. My father's quip about it when he was interrogating Luna Lovegood reminded me. He confirmed all my suspicions."
"But where did you get the suspicions from to start with?"
"There are distinct advantages to being a Fudge," Aemilia answered. "For one - before you get kicked out of the house and disowned - you do notice some things. Like the stream of angry goblins at the back door."
Remus snorted. "That's -"
"- ludicrous? I know." Aemilia sighed. "My father is ludicrous."
Remus smiled. "How much have you got to go?"
"Of this impeachment case? Not much. You know, for being unemployed, I've got an awful lot of work these days."
"Of course you do, Corporal."
Aemilia grinned. "That's right, I'm Corporal Fudge now, aren't I? I must remember to get them to change my title in the Registry of Lawyers."
"There's a Registry of Lawyers?"
"Well, they do have to keep track of us somehow," Aemilia answered. "Can't have unqualified people doing law work now, can we?"
Remus looked at her suspiciously. "Just how long has there been a Registry of Lawyers?"
"Since August last year. Just after Harry Potter's hearing. In which he was defended by someone who is now an unregistered lawyer."
"But Dumbledore passed the Bar Examination!"
"Ah, but he passed it in 1876, I believe," Aemilia answered. "It was the opinion of one Cornelius Fudge, who created the Registry of Lawyers, that only lawyers qualified after 1900 could be registered lawyers, and registered lawyers are the only ones allowed in courts these days." Aemilia allowed herself a grin. "Unfortunately, he forgot to make provisions to scrap registered lawyers off the Registry. Hence Entry #323 still being one Aemilia Nasica Fudge."
Remus quirked an eyebrow. "Just why is your middle name Nasica, anyway?"
Aemilia sighed. "The same reason my first name is Aemilia. My father's dreadfully proud of his Scipio heritage."
"Scipio?"
"Roman family - great generals. Anyway, Cornelius was a favourite name with the family. There were about five Cornelius Scipios in a century, I think. And anyway, generally, all their women were either called Cornelia - obvious choice - or Aemilia, because the political faction the Scipio family belonged to was the Aemilian faction."
"So your father wasn't just being narcissistic when he named your sister Cornelia," Remus mused aloud.
Aemilia snorted. "Believe me, he probably was. That's why she's the older sister. The Scipio thing was just an excuse."
"Anyway - Nasica?"
Aemilia shrugged. "One of the other Scipios - a famous politician - was called Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica. My father liked the sound of the name, I guess. Scipio Nasica was called the best man in Rome when he was alive. Anyway, enough of my impromptu history lesson. I've got to get this done."
There was the sound of applause from the door. "Would you like a position as a History of Magic teacher, Aemilia?" Dumbledore asked.
Aemilia snorted. "I'm afraid I can't compete with Professor Binns on the soporific scale, Professor."
"That's quite all right, Aemilia," Dumbledore said mildly. "Now, I think you should listen to Mr. Lupin and get some sleep."
Aemilia was still scribbling feverishly. "I'm almost done, Professor," she answered. "I just have to work out the last bit of my closing statement."
"Professor," Remus asked Dumbledore curiously, "if Fudge is impeached… who are you going to appoint the new Minister for Magic?"
Dumbledore didn't appear to hear the question. He was reading over Aemilia's shoulder. "Your work is admirable, Aemilia," he told her, "and I hardly think you need to draft your closing statement a seventh time."
Aemilia sighed. "But I want it to be perfect!"
Dumbledore smiled gently at her. "It will be perfect," he said. "And the library will still be here in the morning if you want to check anything else. In the meantime, I suggest you follow Remus's admirable advice and go to bed."
"It will be even more perfect if you're awake," Remus told her.
She smiled wearily. "I suppose you're right." She took her wand out, causing her knot of hair to fall down, black tresses loose around her shoulders. "Evanesco!" The papers disappeared.
Remus got up and extended a hand to her. "Come on," he told her, and, hand-in-hand, they left the library.
*
"Tea?" Remus asked her when they were back in his rooms.
She laughed tiredly. "Don't give me caffeine, I'll be up till two in the morning."
Remus checked his watch. "It is two in the morning."
"All the more reason not to give me caffeine, then." Her eyes were closed and Remus took advantage of her vulnerable state just to stare at her. Sweet Merlin, she's beautiful, he thought.
She opened one eye. "I'm sleeping on your couch tonight, Remus," she told him. "I really couldn't be bothered to walk all the way to my own room."
"You can have my bed, if you like."
Aemilia yawned. "No, it's all - Remus! Put me down!"
In two strides, Remus had crossed the room and picked her up. He put her unceremoniously down on his bed. "You," he told her, grinning, "are going to let me be a gentleman. I shall sleep on the couch. You shall sleep on the bed."
She grinned mischievously at him. "The bed's big enough for two."
He kissed her temple. "That's your tiredness talking."
"No, it's not."
Remus, who had turned away, turned back. "What?"
She was sitting up, suddenly lucid. "I mean it, Remus," she told him. "Come here." She patted the bed beside her.
Remus was slightly confused. "I'm not sure I understand."
She looked up at him, and he saw her eyes were full of tears. "Now that I'm part of the Order," she said sincerely, "I realised… just how ephemeral human life is. It's here… and it's gone. When I looked at Harry Potter today, I realised it." She was shaking slightly. "I don't want to have to go through this life without you, Remus. Either of us could be killed at any time. These are dark days. And… time's too short for wasting."
"Aemilia…"
"Don't talk," she whispered. "Just… be with me." She kissed him, her lips lingering, and then drew back. Her dark eyes met his. "Please?"
As he kissed her, as he laid her down on the soft pillows of his bed, Remus thought he understood very well indeed.
Outside the window, the moon set.
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