If you were to look down upon Paris from high above, you would see that the city's center lies at the Arc de Triomphe.
Twelve grand avenues radiate outwards from the Arc, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Not far from the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe stands, lies the entrance to the French wizarding village, the Place Cachée. Comparable to Diagon Alley in London, it was the most famous wizarding street in France.
Night fell as William and Hermione arrived near the Place Charles de Gaulle. Both wore sunglasses and identical baseball caps, looking like ordinary tourists.
They crossed the square and reached a secluded corner where a magical bronze statue stood. This was the entrance to Place Cachée.
After cautiously scanning their surroundings, William and Hermione stepped into the statue.
Place Cachée bustled with witches and wizards. A dazzling fire-breathing dragon soared through the sky, finally exploding into a brilliant display of fireworks.
William's Time-Turner suddenly beeped.
Hermione glanced down, puzzled. "Is the Niffler causing trouble again? What's wrong with it? It's been fussing all afternoon."
"Didn't we take all the Galleons it stole from the pub?" William said helplessly. "It's sulking."
If a Niffler keeps acting up, it's probably faking it. A good thrashing will fix it!
Hermione said in surprise, "Didn't you give it ten glass balls in exchange?"
"I've given it too many lately. It seems to have realized they're... worthless."
"Then what do we do?" Hermione asked, worried.
"How about..."
"No!" Hermione immediately retorted, a firm glint in her eyes. "We can't return the Galleons. That's our legitimate income!"
Even the righteous Hermione believed they deserved some compensation for running around Paris for old Newt and being hunted by the French Ministry of Magic. It was perfectly justifiable!
The Niffler was their source of exploitation... ahem, payment!
This wasn't a unilateral decision by Hermione. She had been very democratic, even convening a temporary meeting. Attendees: Hermione, William, and the Niffler.
Hermione chaired the meeting, calling for a vote on whether to confiscate the Galleons. Before the vote, she declared it a secret ballot, telling William not to feel pressured and to vote according to his conscience.
What conscience could William possibly have...? Did he dare to have one?
With only two of them, did a secret ballot even make a difference?
Hermione, with her democratic spirit, was wasted not being the Minister of Magic.
Thus, by a vote of two to one, the Niffler's Galleons were confiscated by Hermione, becoming her and William's first joint asset. And legally earned, too.
Therefore, Hermione firmly refused to return them. She intended to deposit them in Gringotts.
The Niffler was clearly unhappy, throwing a tantrum for a long time. Exasperated, William had given it ten glass balls as a compromise. After all, the wool came from the sheep's back.
Unfortunately, the Niffler had already realized the balls were worthless, and it embarked on its long journey of demanding payment and defending its rights.
"I have an idea. Wait for me here," William instructed, running towards a shop in Place Cachée.
Three minutes later, William returned, carrying a large bag.
Hermione pulled the Niffler out of the Time-Turner, and William handed it the bag.
After counting its contents, the Niffler beamed, quickly stuffing the bag into its pouch and returning to the Time-Turner.
"What was that?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Gold coins," William replied with a triumphant grin. "But not real gold coins, just Leprechaun gold."
Leprechauns could produce "gold" that closely resembled Galleons, but it would vanish after a few hours. Many places sold it, and because it disappeared so quickly, it was very cheap.
But that was irrelevant to William. He had given the gold to the Niffler. If it lost them, that was its own problem!
With the Niffler issue resolved, they continued their search for the Circus Arcanus.
William pulled out the flyer. It floated in mid-air and suddenly burst into purple flames. When Fiendfyre burned unchecked, it would spawn Ashwinders. A young Ashwinder emerged from the flames, slithering through the air, leaving a trail of grey ash.
William and Hermione followed the ash trail deeper into Place Cachée.
After about ten minutes, they arrived at an open area with several tents and a large circus tent in the center. A banner read: Circus Arcanus – Monsters and Freaks!
In the open space outside the tents, a half-giant was demonstrating his immense strength with a club. Several grotesque Muggle-borns were led around on chains, begging for money. Squibs, like Muggle-borns, possessed no magic of their own but had a magical heritage.
Half-elves and half-goblins, horns hidden under hats and strange eyes concealed beneath hoods, juggled, tumbled, and jumped through hoops.
William finally understood why this circus was considered illegal. Besides the rare magical creatures, there were various hybrid species... crossbreeds of wizards and other sentient beings. There was even a half-giant... unbelievable!
One or two might be understandable, but William had already seen seven or eight in this short time. It was hard not to suspect the circus of engaging in some truly disturbing activities.
The circus ringmaster, an elderly man named Scander, stood beside a circular platform in the center of the crowd.
Scander announced loudly, "For our next act in our showcase of monsters and marvels, I present to you – a werewolf!"
He dramatically pulled back a curtain. A young woman, seventeen or eighteen years old, stood there in ragged clothes.
The men in the crowd whistled and catcalled.
"This girl is a Muggle, bitten by a werewolf when she was very young," Scander explained. "It's incredibly rare, but she survived and can retain her sanity during the full moon... without Wolfsbane Potion."
It was common knowledge that werewolves lost their minds after transforming, unless they took Wolfsbane Potion. A werewolf who could retain their sanity was truly a rarity. The wizards in the crowd were eager for a glimpse.
"How pitiful," Hermione said, gripping William's hand tightly.
William nodded.
"Tonight happens to be a full moon. Let's give everyone a demonstration." Scander flicked his wand, opening a skylight in the tent.
Bathed in moonlight, the young woman stiffened, her limbs trembling.
Her head began to elongate, as did her body. Her shoulders hunched, fur sprouted on her face and hands, her fingers twisting into claws.
A huge wolf appeared in the cage. It lowered its head, glaring hatefully at Scander, snarling and lunging against the bars.
The crowd jeered at Scander. Was this what he meant by retaining sanity?
Scander pulled out a whip and lashed at the bars, striking the werewolf across the face. Unable to bear the pain, the werewolf stopped snarling and cowered in the corner.
Rather than retaining sanity, it seemed more like prolonged abuse had forced this werewolf into submission.
Scander laughed triumphantly.
Suddenly, a giant snake appeared out of nowhere, leaping from the crowd and sinking its fangs into Scander's arm.
–Nagini!
Scander screamed, his arm torn open, and collapsed to the ground.
Animal handlers rushed to his aid.
Panic erupted. The crowd screamed, trampling each other as they fled towards the exits. Someone knocked over an oil lamp, igniting the circus tent.
The fire frightened the animals, sending them into a frenzy. A Hippogriff reared up, thrashing wildly as its handlers desperately tried to control it. Many magical creatures escaped in the chaos, their handlers roaring in frustration.
"Reducto!" William and Hermione shouted simultaneously, aiming their wands at the cage and blasting a hole in the bars imprisoning the werewolf.
"Nagini's getting away," Hermione said.
William exchanged a glance with the werewolf, then grabbed Hermione's hand and Disapparated.
The female werewolf emerged from the cage and approached Scander, who lay unconscious from Nagini's bite. She stared down at him with hatred, hesitated for a moment, then, instead of killing him, left a single bite mark on his arm.
She glanced in the direction William and Hermione had disappeared, then turned and fled.