Chapter Thirty-One

The group made their way down the bell tower and out into the square where the circus had paused long enough to show the people what they were. Clopin spotted the confused looks on the children's faces. Smiling, he kissed his wife's cheek before heading towards them.

"Come, mes amies. As a part of the festival D'amour, a circus has come to Paris!"

Considering his job done when the children got excited and ran towards one of the carriages, he moved back and wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist. He smiled softly when he spotted Daniel had fallen asleep with his head tucked into the crook of her neck, drooling down her chest. Pulling a piece of cloth from Hermione's beaded bag, he mopped it up before taking him from her. Hermione kissed him in thanks before sending the circus a wary look.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She whispered to him. He gave her a small smile and shrugged.

"Who knows, mon amour? However, look at how excited Blake is."

The couple looked down at their eldest son and grinned. He was practically bouncing with excitement. Clopin couldn't help but chuckle when one of the magician's tricks failed but he was able to play it off. Rolling his eyes, he spotted the small smirk on Hermione's face, knowing she found it amusing as well, forced the laugh out that he had tried to smother. Hermione promptly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shh!"

Even as she was trying to silent him, she was chuckling. Pressing a kiss against her hair, he spotted Selina and Duke heading their way. Watching the circus move on, Clopin bit back a groan as Rosella and Luca came running straight into his and Hermione's legs, almost sending them both back on their arses. Sending them a stern look, the twins quickly looked sheepish and apologised.

"Sorry, Mama."

Hermione chuckled whilst Clopin pouted. The twins spotted his look and widened their eyes.

"Sorry, Papa." He shook his head, devastated.

"It's alright, I'm only your Papa. At least Daniel likes me." Rosella giggled.

"That's because he likes to sleep on you, Papa. He's always awake with Mama."

Making his pout more pronounced, he turned with a huff, knowing the twins would try to make it up to him. He was proven correct when they tried to climb up him.

"We're sorry, Papa." Rosella smiled at him with her arms around his neck.

"We love you really." Luca grinned as he leaned over Clopin's head from his perch on his shoulders. Although the pair of them were careful with Daniel, despite knowing he was in a deep sleep. Daniel was always in a deep sleep.

Shaking his head, Clopin chuckled at them before smiling. Helping them back down to the ground, he saw Hermione chatting with Selina and Duke. He could see Phoebus wondering off whilst Quasimodo had disappeared. Frowning, he moved to stand beside his wife. Hermione looked up and smiled at him.

"We're going to meet up later and go to the circus. See what it's about."

Nodding, Clopin spotted Rosella and Luca chasing Blake and running up and down all the stands in the square. Sighing heavily, he raised a knowing eyebrow at Hermione and passed Daniel back to her. He heard her chuckling before he jogged off to stop them from potentially harming themselves or ruining the decorations.

"Hey, hey! What's all this?" Blake beamed at him.

"Are we really going to the circus, Papa?" Clopin tapped his chin as though he was thinking about it, pretending not to see the begging faces his children pulled.

"Well...' He drawled before smirking at them. 'I don't see why not. However, you must be on your best behaviour or we'll leave you at home."

"Thank you, Papa!"

The trio hugged his legs tightly before running off again, only this time they were careful of their surroundings. Smiling tenderly as they played, Clopin wondered what he did to get so lucky. He felt Hermione stand next to him. Looking down, he smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, cradling Daniel between them.

"I love you, mon amour." Hermione grinned up at him, making his heart beat faster. No matter how many years of wedded bliss they shared, she made him feel like a teenager.

"I love you too, chérie. Shall we?"

He offered her his arm and watched as she shifted Daniel to accept. Calling to their children, Clopin grinned as they immediately came running. Strolling through the streets of Paris, the couple and their children headed home until it was time to meet their friends and attend the circus.

Clopin did wish that they had chosen an earlier time though when Blake continuously talked about the circus and what it would be like to join them. Exchanging a concerned look with Hermione, she shook her head. Clopin waited until the three children ran upstairs before saying anything. He sat down at the table, next to Hermione.

"What is that all about, mon amour?" Hermione sighed.

"He grew up on stories of what it was like to be an outcast, Clopin. He likes to think of the adventures rather than the dangers. He wants his own adventure. It doesn't help that we told him about my own adventures back in my time."

Clopin sighed. Removing his hat to brush his hair back and pop his hat back on, he bit his lip as he stared at Hermione. She looked positively shattered. Frowning, he took her hand.

"Perhaps you should just go to bed, chérie. You need the rest."

Hermione shook her head and rubbed her eyes, making his frown deepen as she yawned.

"Non, mari. We promised to take them to the circus. Besides, I find myself curious."

Knowing he wasn't going to be able to talk her out of it, Clopin simply shrugged.

"Alright, but why don't you have a nap with Daniel? We've got plenty of time."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before pouting.

"Promise you won't leave without me?" Clopin smiled and nodded.

"Promise."

She smiled softly at him and nodded. He watched as she stood up with Daniel and proceeded to head upstairs. Just as she closed the door to their bedroom, he heard Blake, Rosella and Luca rush downstairs. Raising an eyebrow, he waited to hear what they wanted. Blake bit his lip.

"We heard Mama go for a nap, can you tell us some stories, Papa?"

Grinning, Clopin nodded. He moved towards the kitchen and grabbed them all some milk before he had them crowd around him for their stories. He told them all sorts, stories he knew and would tell the children of Paris, stories he had heard from Hermione, stories they had made together. He even told them the story of how he met their mother.

The couple had quickly realised that Blake was in fact a wizard when he changed his bath water to a lime green before their eyes. After a few sleepless nights, the pair had decided to raise their children knowing about magic but would stress the importance of keeping it a secret. So far, everything had gone well. Blake and Rosella had had a few accidental magic mishaps but nothing too bad. Hermione believed that Luca would also be magical but was just a late bloomer.

It wasn't long before Clopin looked out the window and saw that it was almost time to meet up with their friends. Sighing, he stood up and made his way up to his and Hermione's room. Easing the door open gently, he smiled softly at the sight before him.

Hermione was curled up on her side of the bed, fast asleep, with Daniel carefully cuddled in close to her stomach. Sitting on the edge of his side, Clopin noticed that Daniel was wide awake. His youngest son gave him a gummy grin as he raised his arms up to him. Beaming, Clopin picked him up.

"Well done, mon fils. You know not to wake mummy up, huh?"

He cooed a bit more at Daniel before looking back at his wife. Resting his hand on her arm, he gently shook her awake.

"Hermione? Hermione? It's time to wake up, amour."

Hermione slowly stretched out before opening her eyes and giving him a sleepy smile. She slowly sat up before resting against the wall behind their bed. It took a few moments before she appeared a bit more awake and crawled across the bed towards him. Careful of Daniel, Hermione pressed her lips against his. Softly brushing their lips together, Clopin was considering giving the circus a miss but knew that they had three very excited children down stairs. Sighing, he pulled back and kissed her forehead.

"Come, mon amour. Time for the circus."

Nodding, Hermione stood up and took Daniel from him before grabbing her beaded bag and wand, making sure to shove them down her top for safe keeping. Clopin smiled at the habit, some things never change.

Bounding down the stairs, Clopin was greeted by three very hyperactive children whilst Hermione stood by the door, waiting, with their youngest. Sighing, he called out to them.

"Come on then, let's get going."

He could have sworn the cheer that came from his children was loud enough for all of Paris to hear. Shaking his head, he held his hands up in surrender at Hermione, making her send him a confused look.

"You're right, they get their energy from me. I'm so, so sorry."

Hermione chuckled as she shook her head at him. Leaving the house, the family made their way towards the agreed meeting spot with Phoebus and Quasimodo. Selina, Duke and Bartley had agreed to meet up with them later on.

Spotting Phoebus, Rosella and Luca sprinted towards him, arms wide open. Clopin noticed the chuckle as he picked them both up, one on each shoulder. Well, that would certainly make it easier on them at the circus. Clopin had no doubt that Blake would go with Quasi, leaving him and Hermione with Daniel. Mentally shrugging his shoulders, the King of Gypsies figured that it could have been a lot worse.

Quasimodo caught their attention immediately, although, Clopin wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. He was all dressed up in a mixture of browns, reds and purples. Clopin looked at his wife, silently asking if he had missed the memo of dressing up. A small shake of her head told him that this was all Quasi.

"Well, how do I look?"

Clopin was sure that even Djali was stunned by the hunchback's appearance. Grinning, Clopin nodded.

"Fantastique, mon amie!" Quasimodo seemed to take that in a self-conscious way, making Clopin pout since he was being sincere.

"Uh, too much?"

Hermione and Phoebus were quick to reassure him.

"No, of course not!"

"No, not at all. It's a new you!"

Hermione squeezed Clopin's arm, knowing he was pouting despite not looking at him. Chuckling lightly, he wasn't surprised by how well she knew him. Blake charged towards Quasimodo.

"Wow! Great hat, Quasi!" Hermione chuckled.

"Quasi, don't worry. You look dashing!"

The large group proceeded to make their way to the circus. Hermione and Clopin watched as Blake took off with Quasi and Djali whilst Rosella and Luca remained up high on Phoebus' shoulders. Shrugging at his wife, Clopin grinned as he held out his arm. Smiling gently, Hermione accepted.

Leading her around, Clopin made sure to get a good look around. He wasn't sure why but there was something about this circus that set him on edge. He was glad that his wife agreed by the way she stepped closer to him and tightened her grip on Daniel. They were glad that the children were so happy though, based on the grins that refused to fall.

Clopin spotted the scowl on Phoebus' face and couldn't help but wonder what crawled up his ass and died. Shaking his head, he continued to look around, hoping that the Captain would shake it off before his children got upset. Phoebus shook his head and muttered under his breath.

"I don't trust these people." Clopin closed his eyes as he felt Hermione tense. Whilst they may not feel comfortable at the circus, didn't mean they didn't appreciate the outcast life, they had lived it themselves after all.

"Oh? What's that supposed to mean?" Clopin quickly took a hold of Daniel, allowing his wife to glare at the soldier. Phoebus put Rosella and Luca down, allowing them to look around with Clopin keeping an eye on them whilst listening to the argument.

"Well, just look at them. I mean they travel from town to town, like, like, like-." Hermione raised an eyebrow as she stared him down.

"Like gypsies?" Clopin groaned when Phoebus fell for it.

"Yes! NO! I mean..." He shut up after that, which was probably a good thing considering how pissed off Hermione looked.

Clopin just shook his head at Phoebus. He may not agree with him most of the time, but he knew that the circus was different. However, the soldier just had to say the wrong thing to the wrong person. Sighing, Clopin had a feeling that he was going to be getting an earful later on whilst Hermione went on a good rant. Mentally giving the soldier a sarcastic thank you, he moved on with the others.

Rosella and Luca knew their mum was pissed off so remained close to Clopin. He couldn't help but smirk at that but he also knew that Hermione was trying to calm down and let the children have a nice evening out. Sighing, he clasped her hand in his and proceeded to look around as though nothing had happened. He chuckled as he overheard Phoebus move on to Quasimodo, who was still watching Blake.

"So, Quasi, where's this Madelaine of yours?" Quasi sent Phoebus a knowing smirk but played along, making Clopin chuckle.

"I don't know, but I'm sure she'll be out soon."

Clopin watched silently as the group moved towards a large stage. Squeezing Hermione's hand reassuringly, he spotted Rosella and Luca climb up Phoebus once again whilst Blake was on Quasi's shoulders. Smirking, Clopin knew his children had their godparents wrapped around their little fingers. Luca certainly had Bartley wrapped around his, as did Daniel with Duke. Chuckling, Clopin's attention was soon grabbed by the smoke appearing on the stage. He hated to admit it, but the man had style.

He observed as the magician made his welcoming speech, making some juggling balls land right in Blake's lap. Clopin's lips twitched in a slight smile but wondered if this would just make Blake even more determined to have an adventure. He felt Hermione tighten her grip on his hand, trying to silently reassure him. Sighing, he pressed a kiss to her hair as he continued to watch Sarousch perform his tricks.

The second Madelaine turned up, Clopin noticed the soft smile on Quasi's face and the loving look in his eyes. Turning to Hermione, he smiled knowingly before pressing a kiss to her temple. Their dear friend was in love, Clopin could recognise that look instantly. He smirked when Phoebus nudged Quasi with his elbow, just to make the man blush.

Clopin frowned as an elephant was brought to the stage. What the bloody hell was Sarousch going to do with that? Frowning, he looked to Hermione who simply shrugged. Clopin wasn't sure what to make of it but his children were having a good time so didn't comment.

He chuckled along with Hermione as they watched the magician make the elephant disappear. They both knew that he wasn't a true wizard but were still surprised at how he was able to make the animal vanish. Clopin had a feeling that Hermione knew how but she refused to let him in on the secret. He did have to roll his eyes at how Sarousch welcomed all the flowers though and he could practically hear Hermione roll her eyes at the woman who grabbed Sarousch's sweaty hanky.

Chuckling, he whispered in her ear.

"Are you like that during my performances?" Hermione smirked at him.

"Nope. I was more like that guy."

Clopin followed Hermione's finger and spotted a man fast asleep on a chair, head back snoring. Bursting out with laughter, Clopin pulled his wife close and shook his head. Sighing, they turned from the stage and moved on, enjoying the circus for the time being.