Chapter Twenty-Six

Hermione wasn't sure what was going on. She was almost certain that she was dead but surely, she would have felt some kind of pain from the flames lit beneath her feet. All she could see was black nothingness. Confused, she tried to move her limbs but they were just so heavy that she couldn't even make them twitch. Trying to look around, she hoped to figure out what was going on. That was when she could hear someone crying. Frowning, she tried to turn her head to find who it was.

Her thoughts immediately went to Clopin. Hoping that he wasn't crying over her body or anything like that, Hermione pushed against the fog that clouded her mind and tried to move. It was when she was able to make her hand jerk that she realised that she wasn't actually dead. Almost sighing in relief, Hermione wondered what happened. She could hear voices next to her.

"You killed her." Quasimodo. She was sure that was him

"It was my duty, horrible as it was. I hope you can forgive me. There, there, Quasimodo, I know it hurts. But now, the time has come to end your suffering."

Urgh! Frollo. Hermione tried to move again and was glad that her fingers continued to move. Slowly but surely, Hermione came to consciousness. She hoped that she could open her eyes quickly. She could hear a struggle and really didn't like the thought of Frollo attacking her friend. Hermione was finally able to open her eyes.

"Now, now, listen to me, Quasimodo."

Turning her gaze to her right, she frowned when she saw Frollo cowering in the corner whilst Quasimodo stood above him with a dagger in his hand.

"No, you listen! All my life you have taught me the world is a dark, cruel place. But now, I see that the only thing dark and cruel about it is people like you!"

Hermione was proud of him for standing up for himself against the man he had once thought of in high regard. When he threw the dagger down she attempted to sit up properly.

"Quasimodo?" Hermione reached out towards him, pleased to see an ecstatic smile on his face.

"Esmeralda!"

She hadn't spotted Frollo stand up and take out a sword until Quasimodo scooped her up. She clung on tightly, despite still feeling rather weak.

"She lives!" Quasimodo spotted the sword and cried out in horror.

"No!"

Quasimodo carried her out of the room swiftly and out onto the balcony. She did her best to remain as quiet as possible but as soon as he threw them both over the edge, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a small squeak. Hoping it wasn't loud enough to draw Frollo's attention, Hermione tightened her grip on Quasimodo. She did her best not to look down since they were literally swinging in the air, with only Quasimodo's hand keeping them from falling.

It was all in vain. The arsehole just had to look over the edge of the balcony. The smug look on his face said it all.

"Leaving so soon?"

Hermione gasped as Frollo swung his sword towards them. Luckily, Quasi was able to dodge the blows and swung them to various different spots. Hermione could hear someone shout from below but she didn't dare look down.

"Hang on!"

Hermione was tempted to give a sarcastic response but decided that it was in her best interest not to. Quasi was able to keep them both moving and was able to manoeuvre them so that a gargoyle was in-between them and Frollo. He pushed her up onto the edge of the balcony and stood on the gargoyle, still dodging Frollo's attacks. Quasimodo then pushed her onto the balcony just as another sword swing came their way. Landing roughly, Hermione could do nothing but stare in horror.

"I should have known you'd risk your life to save that gypsy witch. Just as your own mother died trying to protect you."

That was one hell of a bomb to drop on someone, and it was clear that it had startled Quasimodo.

"What?" It was a distraction that Frollo used to his advantage.

"Now, I'm going to do what I should have done twenty years ago!"

Hermione tried not to scream when Frollo used his cape to cover Quasi's head and throw him off the edge. Gasping, she was relieved when Quasimodo ended up pulling Frollo off as well. Running to the edge, Hermione grasped Quasimodo's hand as tightly as she could, trying to pull him back up. Hermione could feel her eyes water from all the smoke and fire around but she clenched her hands around Quasi so hard that her hands throbbed from the effort.

Frollo was able to hoy himself onto another gargoyle and pulled himself up. He stood up on it with a maniacal look in his eyes. Hermione felt her eyes widen when he lifted the sword up over his head and was about to swing for her. Fear boiled in her chest at the pure madness the judge had sunk into. With her grasp on Quasimodo, she wouldn't be able to move them both out of the way.

"And He shall smite the wicked and plunge them into the fiery pit!"

Panting heavily, Hermione could only stare as the gargoyle Frollo was stood on began to crack. Almost losing his balance, Frollo dropped his sword and grabbed a hold of the gargoyle but quickly began to scream as it broke off and sent Frollo falling into the fire below. A bit of pure karma there as far as she was concerned. However, she could feel Quasimodo slipping from her grasp.

"Quasimodo! Quasi!' He slipped through her fingers. Hermione threw herself against the edge and screamed. 'NO!"

Hermione's tears fell down her face in streams. She could not watch another friend die, she just couldn't. Getting ready to perform wandless magic, Hermione hoped it would save her friend. However, she didn't have to.

As luck would have it, Phoebus was able to catch him from several floors down. Heaving a great sigh of relief, Hermione spun around and ran down the stairs. Practically tripping over herself to get to them. Jumping off the last step, she smiled at the sight of the two men hugging one another. Grinning, she ran up to Quasimodo and hugged him so tightly that she wasn't sure if she was going to let him go.

Eventually pulling back, she beamed at Phoebus and hugged him too. The pair of them had fought for her life and she would be forever grateful. Pulling back from Phoebus, Hermione pulled Quasimodo in for group hug with them. The moment reminded her of when she would pull Harry and Ron into a similar hug. Stepping back, Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and beamed at them both.

"Thank you, mes amies. Thank you! I owe you both my life."

Before either could say a word, they all heard a desperate shout.

"ESMERALDA?!"

Hermione's head snapped her head up, just in time to spot Clopin running around the corner behind Phoebus. Her grin brightened quite a bit more at the sight of her husband, alive and well. Taking off in a sprint, Hermione threw herself at him and clung tightly, refusing to let go for even a second. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her even closer. She could feel him bury his face in her hair. What she didn't see was Clopin looking at both Quasimodo and Phoebus as he mouthed 'thank you' to them a few times.

Not wanting to leave his embrace, Hermione stayed put until the two men left the young couple. Nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck, Hermione let out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're alright, mon amour." Clopin stroked her hair, comforting her.

"I'm glad you are as well, chérie. However." He pulled back from her a bit, making her frown. Her fingers dug into his tunic a little more, scared of what he was going to say. She whispered softly.

"What is it?"

Clopin rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. Caressing her cheek, he allowed a tear fall from his eyes, making Hermione panic. Who did they lose? Hermione slowly shook her head, not wanting to believe that they had lost anyone.

"It's Kezia. She was old, mon amour. Her age caught up to her. She's gone."

Doubling over, Hermione sunk to her knees as she sobbed. She knew Kezia wasn't well! Why didn't she check on her? She felt Clopin's arms wrap around her once more as he pulled her close. The pair held on to each other as though they were the only one keeping them sane. For Hermione, it was true. If it wasn't for Clopin, she was almost certain she would have been driven mad by now, if not a lot sooner. Leaning against him, Hermione felt what little strength she had left, leave her.

Wiping her eyes, she sniffed as she brushed the tears off of Clopin's cheeks. Giving him a small smile, she gave a weak chuckle.

"She would kick our arses right now if she saw us." Clopin chuckled lightly and nodded.

"Indeed, she would."

Slowly standing up, Clopin held out his hand to her. Smiling softly, Hermione accepted the help. She was still quite weak from her extremely close brush with death, making her sway a little. Clopin pressed a kiss to her fingers, just below her wedding ring. Looking him in the eye, she smiled.

"Catch me if I fall?"

"Toujours."

Arm around his waist whilst his was helping to keep her upright, Hermione slowly made her way down the stairs and through the cathedral. Clopin had to carry her over a few of the steps but over all, she thought she did as well as she could. She did send him a strange look when he started chuckling.

"So, my spitfire of a wife. What did Frollo say to you whilst you were on the stake?"

Thinking back, Hermione immediately shuddered in repulsion. Pure disgust written all across her face, she shook her head.

"I had the choice between him and the fire. I would have taken the fire any day of the week!"

Hermione expected him to chuckle but instead found him stopping them just before the door out of the church. Frowning, she waved at Phoebus who was waiting for them, alongside Quasimodo. Clopin cupped her jaw and forced her to look him in the eye.

"Please don't say that, amour. Can you please promise not to get into so much trouble again?"

Despite seeing the amusement in his eyes, she knew he was being serious. Smiling softly, she pecked his lips before shrugging.

"I promise to try." Clopin chuckled before he led her towards the door.

"That's the best I'm going to get, I suppose."

Hermione nodded with a small smile. Turning back to the door, she kept her gaze on Quasimodo. He looked incredibly hesitant to step outside the church, and she honestly couldn't blame him. It hadn't gone very well the last time he did. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she smiled when he looked up at her. Nodding her head, she stepped outside with her husband and Phoebus.

A loud cheer echoed through the square when the people spotted her. Smiling, she chuckled when Phoebus and Clopin raised her hands up in the air in victory, causing another loud cheer. She was sure her eardrums were going to burst if they kept that up. Shaking her head, she looked up at Clopin as she released his hand, hers resting on his arm for a brief moment. He smiled back, knowing what she was about to do.

Turning back to Notre Dame, she went back to the doorway and held out her hand. Waiting patiently, she was thrilled when Quasi accepted it. Slowly pulling him out, she led him towards the crowd and waited as he flinched at the bright sunlight. Everything would be alright, she would make sure of it. The crowd went silent when they saw him, unsure what to do. Holding her breath, Hermione slowly released it when a little girl cautiously made her way towards him, unafraid but uncertain.

The young girl looked at Quasi for a long moment before reaching up to cup his face. He flinched at first but soon gave in as she moved to hug him. Grinning widely, Hermione was relieved when the crowd cheered for him after the girl pulled Quasimodo into the crowd. He slowly entered into the crowd, just to be lifted up onto the people's shoulders, and Hermione beamed up at Clopin. The loveable idiot stepped forward and shouted to the crowd.

"Three cheers for Quasimodo!" Djali came bounding towards the couple, launching himself into their arms and licked Clopin's cheek, much to his disgust.

As the crowd cheered, Hermione looked up at Clopin, waiting. Putting Djali back down, he knew what she wanted and slowly led her away as the towns people celebrated Quasimodo's heroic actions. Leading her by the hand, Clopin took Hermione through the square. She bit her lip, not knowing what to think, feel or do when she saw Kezia. She really had hoped that they would all get out of it alive. Djali had darted after the couple, pleased to see they were both okay but was unaware of the sombre atmosphere.

Spotting the strange position a nearby cart was in, she noticed several gypsies gathered around it. Hermione gulped loudly and tightened her grip on Clopin, not letting him go anywhere. Seeing Kezia look so peaceful filled Hermione's heart with a strange mixture or pain, sorrow and relief. She was glad her dear friend wasn't in any pain. Just as they were about to step forward, Hermione stood still, refusing to budge. She could feel Clopin's confused stare on her but she kept her gaze on the ground.

She shouldn't be there. It was her fault after all. None of this would have happened if she had simply left after Clopin told her where she was and what time period she was in. Biting her lip, Hermione tried to stop the tears through sheer force of will but was unable to. Watching them fall and land on the cobbles, she wondered if she even had the right to cry for Kezia.

Hermione was snapped out of her thoughts when she was hit by a large impact. Barely remaining upright, Hermione was more than grateful for her grip on Clopin's hand, since that was the only reason she was still standing. Looking slightly to her left, she realised that Selina had thrown herself at her. Feeling the tears prick at her eyes once more, she gave in and wrapped her arms around the gypsy woman. Sobbing into Selina's shoulder, Hermione whispered apologies.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Selina didn't bother to raise her head for the whispered conversation, and neither did Hermione.

"What for, mon amie?"

"It's all my fault. She would have been fine if I had just left." Hermione felt Selina shake her head vigorously.

"You stupid woman! Don't be daft. It was her time to go, Esmeralda. It would have happened whether or not you had stayed. She would want us to be happy for her though." Hermione sniffed slightly.

"I told Clopin she would kick our arses if she saw us like this." Selina let out a watery giggle and nodded in agreement. Slowly pulling back, the two women continued to let their tears fall.

"She would, no doubt about it."

Giving each other a weak smile, Selina pulled Hermione closer to the group who were mourning one of their elders. Falling to her knees, Hermione let her tears roam free as she stared up at her dear friend. She felt Clopin join her but she couldn't remove her gaze from Kezia. She did feel his hand entwine with hers though. Squeezing his hand tightly, Hermione took the comfort offered whilst she sat back.

Sending up prayers for Kezia, Hermione led her tears run until she had no more to cry. Clopin seemed to know when she needed to go and pulled her up to her feet. Sniffling, she gave him a small smile before watching as a couple of gypsies covered Kezia with a large sheet of fabric. Choking down a sob, Hermione leaned her head against her husband's shoulder. He rubbed her arm as though trying to warm her up.

"You're tired, mon amour. We need to let you sleep." Shaking her head, she looked up at him.

"Non, we need to figure out where our people will stay first. Unless we continue to use the Court of Miracles?" Clopin looked hesitant but slowly nodded.

"At least for now, we'll continue to use the Court. It will probably take a few days to get everything sorted anyway."

Nodding in agreement, Hermione slumped into his arms, no longer having the strength to stand. Luckily, Clopin had been expecting it and was able to catch her easily. Scooping her up, he carried her off. Smiling, Hermione looked up.

"I wonder what we'll do now." She spotted Clopin's warm smile.

"Whatever we like, mon amour. We're gypsies after all."

Grinning at the statement, she couldn't help but agree. Closing her eyes, Hermione allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep, knowing her husband would watch over her.