Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was only two years later when Hermione found out she was pregnant again. She couldn't be bothered with messing around and getting as agitated as she had done with Blake's pregnancy so simply blurted it out to Clopin. He had been just as excited as he had been during her pregnancy with Blake but was worried considering what a demon she had been. Hermione would be the first to hold her hands up and admit how much of a pain she had been during her first pregnancy. She knew that it had definitely been a painful one by most people's standards but she was hoping this pregnancy wouldn't be anything like Blake's had been. She really fucking hoped not.
Sighing, she picked up her two-year-old son and headed out of the tent to find where Clopin had disappeared to, Djali following them as always. They had both decided to save up a bit more than they usually put aside to buy their own house, but still had some way to go before they could do so. Huffing loudly, she ended up putting Blake down and watched him carefully whilst she sat down at one of the bench tables in the square of the Court of Miracles. Djali started to play with him, letting her know that he was being watched carefully.
Whilst most of the gypsies had moved out of the Court, it remained a social gathering spot for them. It allowed them all to interact with one another in a place that was incredibly familiar to them. Hermione was just thinking about how she wanted to go and visit Quasi when she spotted Clopin making his way towards her. He scooped up Blake and tickled him before sitting down next to Hermione.
Hermione could immediately tell that there was something wrong. However, she waited for Clopin to tell her. He rubbed her stomach tenderly despite the fact that she was only two months along. They had yet to tell anyone since they wanted to make sure that nothing happened. Kissing his cheek, the couple smirked as Blake let out a loud 'EWW!' just like his auntie Selina would have done.
Selina and Duke had moved up to the surface about a year previous but still made a point to visit them as much as possible. Smiling softly at the thought of her friend, Hermione was excited for her since Selina had announced that she was pregnant the month prior. Clopin chose that moment to clear his throat. Giving him her complete attention, she waited as he rubbed the back of his neck, nervous.
"I've been thinking." He went to continue but couldn't find the words. Hermione just smirked.
"That's a dangerous thing for you to do, mon amour. What have you been thinking about?" Clopin rolled his eyes but set Blake back down on the floor, under the watchful eye of Djali. Frowning, Hermione realised that whatever it was, it was serious.
"We need more money to get a house up above, chérie."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione already knew this but wanted him to hurry up and get to the point.
"Yes?" He actually gulped. Hermione had a feeling she really wasn't going to like whatever he said next.
"So, I've asked Phoebus if I can give him a hand with anything and he said there was one job he needed help with. I would be taking two prisoners with him to Dijon."
Hermione blinked a couple times before taking a deep breath.
"Right, okay. How... how long will you be gone?" Clopin winced when she rested a hand on her stomach but answered nevertheless.
"We won't be back until around Christmas day."
Hermione felt as though the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Tensing her jaw, she shot him a stern glare.
"It's not even Halloween yet! Sweet Maria!"
Hermione cupped her face as she rested her elbows on the table in front of her. Letting out a long breath, she sagged in defeat. She knew he was going to go no matter what she said anyway. Shooting him a stern look, she sighed.
"Just be careful. I refuse to raise two children on my own."
Clopin gave her a soft smile before planting a kiss on her lips. Sighing as he stood up and walked off, Hermione shook her head. She had no idea what she was going to do with him. Twitching a smile, she scooped Blake up once more and tickled him, making him giggle loudly whilst trying to escape.
"I think we need to go and see Uncle Quasi, huh?" The little boy beamed at her.
"Quasi!"
Chuckling, Hermione nodded and the pair of them headed up with Djali by their sides. Waving at various people, the trio made their way towards Notre Dame. Looking up, Hermione smiled for a moment before Blake decided to make his displeasure known. Chuckling as he tried to escape her arms, she shook her head at him.
Entering the cathedral, she gave the Archdeacon a smile and a wave before heading up towards the bell tower. Once at the top of the stairs, she put Blake down to walk on his own but made sure to keep a hold of one hand. As much as she trusted Quasi, there was no way Blake was going anywhere near the bells just to fall off one of the beams.
"QUASI!" Blake shouted rather loudly. Hermione shook her head and rolled her eyes just before she spotted her dear friend make his entrance.
"Blake!"
The young witch watched with a smile on her face as Quasimodo picked her son up gently and spun him around. Chuckling, she knew she had made the right decision in asking Quasi to be Blake's Godfather. She had been very firm about that decision and nothing would have changed her mind. Quasi smiled at her.
"Hello, Esmeralda. What are you guys doing here?" Hermione acted hurt.
"Do we need a reason to come and visit?' Hermione chuckled when Quasi looked panicked and shook her head. 'Non, Quasi, we just came by for a visit."
"Well, I'm glad you did. Look, Blake, I've made more figures!"
Quasimodo led them to his carving table and plonked Blake on top of it before pulling out some of the towns people carvings he did. Smiling at the sight of them, Hermione was quick to send Djali a firm glare. Based on his sheepish glance, he was getting ready to eat more of the figures like he had before. Shaking her head, Hermione walked over when Blake shouted for her.
"Mama! It's Mama!"
Looking at what he was holding, she grinned. Quasi had re-made the carving of her. Smiling warmly at her friend, Hermione, Blake and Djali stayed for some time before they had to leave. Blake had fallen asleep in Quasi's arms. Shaking her head, Hermione took him from Quasi and smiled at him.
"Thank you, mon amie. It's always good to see you." Quasimodo grinned back.
"Don't be a stranger, Esmeralda."
Nodding, she left him to his work, Djali trotting along behind her. She was sure something was weird about that goat. Every time they visited Quasimodo, he acted very peculiar. Shaking her head, she led him back down to the Court, where she bumped into Clopin. He smiled softly at their sleeping boy and took him from her, leading them to their tent.
Watching Clopin tuck Blake into his own bed in their tent, Hermione bit her lip. She wanted to know about the journey and the task he was about to go one, as well as why he felt he needed to in the first place since they weren't doing too badly for money, but she kept quiet. Clopin sighed as he turned and pulled Hermione to his side.
Before she could mutter a word, his lips were sealed against hers. Unable to help herself, she pushed his hat off and threaded her fingers in Clopin's hair, pulling him closer to her. However, he pulled back before she could do anything else. He whispered against her lips.
"I leave in an hour.' Opening her mouth, no sounds came out. Unable to understand what she had just heard, Hermione waited for him to elaborate. 'I didn't realise that I would need to leave today. I thought I had at least another day. Non, I need to go soon, mon amour."
Still unable to say anything, Hermione could only nod dumbly as she sat on their bed. It already seemed so cold without him. A tear trailed down her cheek as he knelt before her and cupped her cheeks.
"I'll be back as soon as I can, mon amour. I'll be back by Christmas." Hermione sighed and rested her forehead against his.
"For fuck sake, Clopin. Be careful."
He nodded before he planted one more kiss on her lips. Standing up, he grabbed his hat and put it back on. Standing up, she watched as he kissed Blake before wrapping his arms tightly around her. He kissed her again and then he was gone. Crying openly now, Hermione sat down on their bed and prayed that he would be alright, just so that she could kick his and Phoebus' arse when she next saw them.
The months passed fairly slowly by Hermione's standards. Her friends and fellow gypsies did their best to keep any eye on her and Blake, as well as try to cheer Hermione up. It was only five days until Christmas and she hadn't heard a thing from Clopin. Not knowing if it was good or bad, she just prayed that nothing had happened. Hermione was out in the square in front of Notre Dame, helping with the decorating when she heard Selina shout out to her.
"Esmeralda! Where's Blake?" Smiling at her friend, she jerked her head towards Bartley. Bartley had become surprisingly soft once Blake was born and was often seen playing with him.
"Ahh! That makes sense. C'mon, help me with these will you?"
Selina held up some banners and Hermione nodded, knowing her friend was trying to take her mind off her husband. The pair were chatting away when some of the women gathered around the two of them.
"How've you been coping, Esmeralda?" Hermione shrugged.
"Oh, you know. The usual. Trying to warm up the bed to stop it from seeming so cold, the dreams of mistletoe!"
Hermione chuckled as some of the younger girls pulled disgusted looks despite her teasing. Shaking her head, she continued to put up some decorations when Selina looked as though she just had the best idea... so, Hermione was worried.
"Oh! Will you sing for us? It's been an age since you sang." Hermione turned bright red. She had only ever sung twice since being sent into the past and she had wanted to keep it that way. However, the women were cooing over her instantly. Sending Selina a quick glare, she was about to tell them no when she heard Bartley pipe up.
"Go on, Esmerelda. Sing about that husband of yours if you must. What do you think, Blake?" Bartley had Blake sat on top of his shoulders, the young boy clapping his hands as he grinned.
"Oui, Mama. Sing about Papa."
Seeing that she had been outvoted, Hermione sighed and rubbed the back of her neck before glancing up at the sky. They were already getting snow, it reminded her of Christmas at Hogwarts. Smiling softly, Hermione looked out at the crowd that had gathered before her. She even saw Quasimodo near the church, encouraging her. She figured she had better come up with an upbeat song. Grabbing some more banners off of Selina, she set to work.
"Snow is falling all around us
My baby's coming home for Christmas
I've been up all night inside my bedroom
He said he'll be with me real soon
So, I wait
And I wait
But I've had as much as I can take."
Hermione stepped up on top of the wooden table before her. They ran along through the square in a way that reminded her of Hogwarts. With a small grin, she raised her hand and counted down as she rocked her hips from side to side.
"'Cause I've got five more nights of sleeping on my own
Four more days until you're coming home
Three more dreams of you and mistletoe
Two more reasons why I love you so
I've got five more nights until you're next to me
Four more days of being lonely
Three more wishes I can barely breathe
If I can make it to Christmas Eve then it's
One more sleep
(One more sleep until it's Christmas)
One more sleep
(Can't believe how much I missed us)
One more sleep
(One more sleep until it's Christmas)
One more sleep."
Hermione leant against one of the wooden pillars that were propped up, ready for a cover in case it rains on Christmas day. Her arms folded, she sighed as she spotted the crowd gathering around her, wanting to hear more.
"Now, I don't think I can remember
A cold and lonelier December
And I find myself singing at the window
Wondering when you're gonna get back home
So, I try
And I try
But there is nothing I can do to pass this time."
She grinned before going back to the chorus.
"I've got five more nights of sleeping on my own
Four more days until you're coming home
Three more dreams of you and mistletoe
Two more reasons why I love you so
I've got five more nights until you're next to me
Four more days of being lonely
Three more wishes I can barely breathe
If I can make it to Christmas Eve then it's
One more sleep
(One more sleep until it's Christmas)
One more sleep
(Can't believe how much I missed us)
One more sleep
(One more sleep until it's Christmas)
One more sleep."
Hermione was rocking her hips from side to side as she danced along the table, a grin on her face.
"Until we're rocking around the Christmas tree
Until I got you sitting next to me
We got a lot of catching up to do
I just can't take this missing you."
Slowly, Hermione stepped onto the seat before her and sat down on the table. A small, sad smile replacing the grin.
"Five more nights on my own
Four more days
Three more dreams
Mistletoe
I can't believe I ever let you go."
Standing back up, she was stunned with the crowd joining in, trying to help cheer her up.
"Five more nights of sleeping on my own
Four more days until you're coming home
Three more wishes I can barely breath
If I can make it to Christmas Eve then it's one more sleep
It'll be one more
It'll be one more (One more sleep)
It'll be one more (One more sleep)
One more sleep."
Bowing to the cheering crowd, Hermione stepped down off of the table just to hear Blake shriek loudly.
"PAPA!"
Snapping her head to Blake, she followed the line of his finger towards the man she had been dying to see. The cocky man was leaning against Notre Dame, arms folded as he stared at her with a grin. Phoebus was stood next to him with a small smile. Hermione didn't pay him any notice as she dashed through the crowd. Running as quickly as she could, she all but threw herself at Clopin. Luckily, he caught her.
Hiding her face in the crook of his neck, Hermione held him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The pair remained like that for some time before they felt Blake attack their legs. Chuckling as they parted, Clopin scooped him up and held him, one arm remaining around her waist.
"I'm home, mon amour. I'm home." Smiling tenderly, Hermione pressed a kiss to his lips, ignoring Blake's disgust. Chuckling, Hermione felt Clopin's hand rest gently on her stomach as she turned towards Phoebus, after a knowing smile with her husband.
"Phoebus?' She waited until she had his attention before asking. 'Will you be a Godfather?"
The soldier blinked a couple of times before he understood what was being said. Selina shrieked so loud that Hermione and Clopin winced before rubbing their ears. Chuckling, Phoebus nodded.
"I'd be honoured, Esmeralda, Clopin."
Grinning, Hermione nodded before turning back to her husband as he lifted Blake up onto his shoulders, making the feather on his hat tickle Blake's face. Gazing around, Hermione let out a small sigh of content. Her family were doing well and she was glad to see that none of them had any fear lurking in their eyes from Frollo's persecution. She would make sure they never felt scared again.