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A/N: Yay for reviews!

Well, it's finally here… the identity of Psyche Lupin is revealed!

And tomorrow, for all you impatient Snape fans, is a Severus chapter…

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Sweet Merlin, Sirius thought, that takes guts.

"Never knew ol' Moony had it in him," he murmured to Regina.

Regina looked up at him and smiled. "I did," she answered. "He runs deep indeed."

Aemilia was gazing down on Remus with a mixture of shock and surprise. "Remus, I - I - I- don't know what to say…"

"Yes or no should do the trick," Remus answered. He had a mischievous glint in his eye. How un-ministerial that is! Sirius thought jokingly.

Tears were pouring down Aemilia's face, but she was smiling. "Yes," she said, pulling Remus to his feet and throwing her arms around him. "Yes, yes!"

Sirius felt himself break out in a huge grin. Regina was crying again, her face buried in his shirt. He kissed the top of her head fondly and she looked up at him, her grey-green eyes swimming. "I'm so happy for him," she whispered.

"Me too," Sirius answered, running his fingers down the side of her face. "Sweet Merlin, me too."

Regina turned back to look at her brother, now kissing his fiancée spectacularly in the middle of the courtroom. "No-one deserves this more than Remus," she said. "No-one."

"Once again, I completely agree, Reggie," Sirius said in reply.

Remus and Aemilia broke apart at last, and, for the third time that day, cheering filled the hall. Regina looked up at Sirius, happiness colouring her face. "You have never looked more beautiful," he whispered to her, and kissed her.

And he knew then, that he too had a sacred duty.

"Sirius!" Remus called up to the gallery when the applause had finally died down a bit. "How do you feel about reviving your position as best man?"

"I'm not sure, Remus!" Sirius called back. "I have a slightly… different idea."

"Which is?"

He glanced at Regina, and saw all the affirmation he would ever need in her eyes. And he too dropped to his knees.

"Regina Lupin," he said ringingly, "will you marry me?"

*

For an instant, she was silent. Then, taking his hands, she drew him to his feet.

"By the Lady Arachne," she said, her eyes still full of joyous tears, "I swear I will marry you, Sirius Black."

It took a lot to make Sirius Black cry, but he knew he was on the brink of crying now. "Oh Reggie," he choked, cupping her face in his hands. "Reggie!"

As he kissed her, one hand travelling down to her waist, he dimly heard more cheering in the courtroom around him, but seemed of no consequence.

It was just as he had dreamed, all those years ago. I cannot see you for a year, Regina had told him. It is a law among the Arachniae, dearest. But after that time…

He had nodded. I understand, he had whispered. Just know… I love you, Reggie.

She had been crying then too. Thankyou, Sirius, she had said softly through her tears. And then… then they had lost themselves in a microcosmic, fleeting paradise among the pillows in Regina's gatehouse.

Was it then, Sirius thought, that Psyche was made?

He had been determined from that moment on. When the year is up, he had told himself, I will ask her to marry me.

But by the time the year was up… Regina was gone. And a year later, Sirius Black was buried in Azkaban.

But now… they had both come back. It was fifteen years later and their daughter might be lost forever, but now… paradise was theirs once more.

It all came right in the end, Sirius thought, as he and Regina broke apart and he gazed as if starstruck into her eyes. James and Lily. Remus and Aemilia. Me and Reggie.

"Remus!" he called down over the balcony. "How do you feel about a double wedding?"

Remus had his arm around Aemilia and looked happier than Sirius had ever seen. "Sounds like a pretty good idea to me!"

"Harry!" Sirius called. "How do you feel about being best man?"

There was an impish gleam in Harry's green eyes. "Oh, I don't know," he called back mischievously. Melodramatically, he threw himself on his knees. "Ginny, will you marry me?"

Sirius couldn't remember how long he laughed. That boy is truly a Marauder, he thought.

*

"Sirius, Reggie," Remus said quietly at dinner that night. "Come to my rooms after dinner. I have to talk to you both."

*

"Knock, knock!" Sirius called merrily.

Remus opened the door. "Come in," he said. He looked tired.

"How's the Minister for Magic holding up in his first day of office?" Sirius asked jauntily as he and Regina came in. He pretended to be shocked at the state of Remus's rooms. "I see you haven't managed to hire a cleaner yet."

Remus managed a weak smile. "No," he said.

It was then that Sirius realised that something really was wrong. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Moony," he said seriously, "what's going on?"

Remus sighed. "Sit down, both of you," he said. "I have something to tell you, and I can't keep it to myself any longer."

Sirius and Regina sat on the threadbare old sofa near the fireplace. Something must be seriously wrong for him to be looking like this today of all days, Sirius thought worriedly. I mean… he's been appointed Minister of Magic! He and Aemilia are getting married… and so are me and Reggie. Something's up.

Remus was pacing. "Reggie," he said, "you have no idea what happened to your little girl, do you?"

Regina shook her head. "No," she replied gently.

There was a knock at Remus's door. "Come in!" Remus called.

The door swung open and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny came in. "What's up, Professor?" Ron asked cheerfully. "Where's Aemilia?"

"Aemilia is signing her father's transfer documents to Azkaban," Remus answered. "She won't be back for a few hours. Sit down, all of you."

"Remus," Harry asked curiously, "what's wrong?"

Remus sighed and resumed pacing. "It's a very long story," he said shortly.

"Remus," Regina asked tentatively, "what does any of this have to do with Psyche?"

"Who's Psyche?" Hermione asked.

"Our daughter," Sirius replied.

Harry and Ron openly gaped. "You have a daughter?" Harry asked Sirius incredulously.

Sirius nodded. "Yes. She was born in March, the same year that you three were born." He indicated Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"What happened to her?" Ginny asked.

"My mother took her," Regina replied softly, her hand finding Sirius's. "I don't know what happened to her."

Sirius, however, was looking suspiciously at Remus. "Remus," he asked, "do you know what happened to Psyche?"

Remus looked at him for several seconds before sighing again. "Yes," he replied hoarsely. "I know what happened to Psyche." He resumed pacing. "A few days back, I went and visited my mother. And… Merlin only knows I am not proud of my actions, but I force-fed her Veritaserum, and she told me the whole story."

Regina gasped. "Remus…"

"I know it was a dreadful thing to do," Remus said doggedly, still pacing, "but… I had to know. And Merlin only knows that when I found out…" He laughed, but it was a bitter laugh. "When I found out, I cast Obliviate on myself. But… Memory Charms have never been my forte and it broke yesterday in court."

"Remus," Sirius said, "what happened to her?"

Remus sat down in a threadbare old armchair. "This is what I had from my mother," he said.

"After she took Regina and Psyche from the temple - she used the Imperius Curse, I understand -"

"Yes," Regina said. "She did."

"After she took them, they travelled to a small inn for the night. She tied Reggie to a chair - am I right, Reggie?"

Regina nodded.

"She tied Reggie to a chair, and took Psyche," Remus said.

"And pushed me through the veil the next day," Regina finished.

"But… what happened to Psyche?" Sirius asked.

Remus bowed his head. "My mother took Psyche," he said, "and left her."

"Left her where?" Sirius barely dared to breathe.

"On the doorstep of a Muggle family," Remus replied. "She had done her research well, of course. When did my mother ever do anything by halves? She found the most Muggle family she could, the people she thought would be the most non-magical, the most mundane. And she left Psyche on the doorstep, with a letter."

"What did the letter say?" Sirius asked. Regina was breathing shallowly beside him and he could feel her shaking.

Remus shook his head. "Nothing but the baby's name."

"What - Psyche?"

"No," Remus said, meeting Sirius's eyes. "My mother changed the child's name. Regina called the baby Psyche, after the goddess of intellect. My mother… she named the child after the first abandoned daughter of history."

And Sirius understood. "Oh Merlin," he moaned, and buried his face in his hands.

Remus nodded sadly. "My mother called the child Hermione."

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