Again I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters, I mean no harm with this Fanfic.

Chapter 19, Hermione Taken Ill

As Harry, Ron, Hermione and Reverend Ewls were now traveling in the woods, fields, and hills of Southern France, the climate was beginning to get warmer. Hermione was beginning to exhibit signs of struggling through the journey. Even though she rode atop Buckbeak, she was constantly tired and sweating. Occasionally she would be found having difficulty breathing. After five days of walking at a quick-pace, the four arrived at the Mediterranean coast.

It was evening when they finally made it to the coast, the sun was just barely visible on the horizon, as was a castle about half the size of Hogwarts. Right before the beach, laying some distance from the castle was a small cottage. The four were significantly closer to the cottage than they were to the castle as the castle was at least three or four kilometers away. The cottage however was less than a kilometer.

The four stood at the edge of a wooded area as they beheld these two buildings and rejoiced at their site. Soon they would have another hippogriff, soon they would no longer have to walk. The only trouble was that the cottage lay in an open field.

"That must be Beauxbattons," said Reverend Ewls pointing to the castle in the distance. "The cottage is to the east of it. There are no trees to hide behind, so be careful."

Right as he finished saying this, he, Ron and Harry heard a large thumping noise. When they turned behind them, Hermione, who had dismounted Buckbeak to stretch her legs lay unconscious on the ground at Buckbeak's feet.

"Hermione!" came Ron's alarmed voice as he dashed toward her, kneeling down beside her, shaking her awake.

She came to quickly, drowsily opening her eyes, looking at Ron with an expression of exhaustion. Harry and Reverend Ewls stood just above her and Ron with expressions of deep concern. Ron held her in his arms, stroking her hair. She tried to give a face lacking concern, as if to say that she was alright.

"Are you alright?" asked Harry.

"Yes, fine, just fainted."

Reverend Ewls knelt down next to Ron, he placed his hand upon her head.

"You have a fever, Hermione," Ewls told her in a concerned voice.

"Really?" came back Hermione, trying to sound brave. "I feel fine actually."

Reverend Ewls looked unconvinced. "Hermione, we only have about a Kilometer's hike left till we reach the cottage, and this gentleman knows we're coming. Can you make it?"

Hermione tried to appear nonchalant, with Ron's help she rose to her feet.

"Of course, Reverend I'll be alright."

"Ron, be ready to help her," Ewls instructed.

Immediately after Ron had finished helping her to her feet and letting go of her hand, she attempted to take a step forward but gave a drowsy expression and then fell back into Ron's arms.

"Woah, on second thought, I feel faint."

"let's get her atop Buckbeak," Instructed Reverend Ewls.

She didn't have any strength to mount the hippogriff herself, it therefore took all three of the others to help her mount Buckbeak. When she finally sat atop the hippogriff, she rested her head upon its neck.. After she was secured on Buckbeak's back, they continued on toward the cabin. As they moved through an open field with tall grass, they walked ahead cautiously. Ron and Harry had their wands drawn, while Reverend Ewls' sword was unsheathed and carried in his right hand. Hermione's wand was also drawn and at the ready, though her eyes were faint, she appeared to be fading in and out of consciousness.

"Are you alright Hermione?" asked Ron in a concerned voice.

"I don't feel so good," she came back, tears were now appearing in her eyes.

"We're almost there Hermione," Harry comforted.

As the cottage came more and more into focus, it's color was, oddly enough, a flat black, as if it had been burnt. The structural integrity of it had apparently been ruined as it's windows were charred with small jagged holes in them, and an absolutely awful smell emanated from it. When they finally arrived, laying in the tall grass were two human bodies, one of a middle-aged man, the other of a middle aged woman. Neither appeared to be wounded but both were quite dead. It was also clear that the house had been burned, and had halfway collapsed.

After checking both of the bodies, Reverend Ewls gave a look of frustration. The faces of Hermione, and Ron were ones of hopelessness. Harry had begun to follow a trail of feathers lying in a shorter section of grass. The trail lead him to the beach where there laid a body of a large hippogriff, dead in the sand.

"I don't believe it!" Harry sounded in frustration.

"I do," said Reverend Ewls, his voice one of despair. "How could I have been so stupid, every government in Europe knows that I'm a Nasserite, and that all the other Nasserites in the world would support me." Ewls' voice turned suddenly alarmed. "We have to get out of here now, Harry take Buckbeak and Hermione back to the woods, we'll meet you there."

"You want me to fly?" Asked Harry.

"We have seconds to act, go!" said Ewls who was looking off at the distance, in the direction of the wooded area they had just left. As Harry mounted Buckbeak with Hermione and the Hippogriff took off quickly, Ewls' gaze fell upon Ron. "Ron run!"

Both he and Ron took off in the direction of the woods from which they came, which were at least half a kilometer's run from their current positions. Seconds after Buckbeak had become airborne, as if out of nowhere, several broomsmen appeared, firing stunner curses at Buckbeak. Alongside them, to Harry and Hermione's shock, were Dementors which also pursued the Hippogriff as it flew toward the woods. At this sight, Reverend Ewls stopped running.

"Dementors," he muttered.

"Bloody hell," came Ron's shocked voice.

"STUPEFY... AVADA KEDAVRA!" Came voices in the distance.

"Get Down!" shouted Ewls as he took Ron by the shoulders, threw him to the ground and covered him with his body.

Ewls looked up to see, in the same field only fifty meters or so ahead of them, Wizards in British and French Auror Uniforms, joined by other Wizards in black, Death Eater robes. Several stunners and various curses passed just above Ron and Reverend Ewls. Reverend Ewls and Ron got back to their feet, Ewls immediately started Running, Ron followed him. With his sword, Ewls deflected many of the oncoming curses, the others missed the two of them.

"Keep Running!" shouted Reverend Ewls as he deflected several more curses.

Ron fired several stunner curses at the attacking wizards, even managing to hit one of them who fell to the ground. After this, Reverend Ewls, as if not exerting any muscular effort at all, suddenly leapt a good twenty feet into the air, successfully drawing the fire of the attacking wizards as Ron continued to run straight into their lines. Reverend Ewls deflected their curses, even hurling a killing curse back into an unsuspecting Death Eater.

Ewls landed amidst two French Aurors and a Death Eater, without warning he thrusted his sword into the Death Eater's chest, as he fell to the ground, the Death Eater's mask fell off, revealing his identity as Walden McNair. Ewls drew his sword from McNair's chest and deflected two stunner curses from the two Frenchmen who now surrounded him, one of the stunners was deflected right back into the chest of the wizard who conjured it. Not wanting to kill the French Auror, Reverend Ewls drew his wand with the hand not clutching his sword.

"Stupefy!" shouted Reverend Ewls; the French Auror fell to the ground unconscious.

With all of the attackers' attention focused on Reverend Ewls, Ron had almost made it back to the woods, when out of the tall grass arose three British Aurors who held him at wand-point. Realizing his defeat, he laid down his wand and put his hands slowly into the air. There was a long pause, the voice of screams still emanated from the Aurors and Death Eaters being fought by Reverend Ewls. After the pause, one of the Aurors began to speak.

"kill him," he ordered.

The three Aurors began to raise their wands, before Ron could even give the sign of the cross, a man leaping, nearly soaring in midair came into view. The Aurors turned their wands at him and fired various curses at him. He landed directly in front of one of them, realizing his unfortunate lack of options, with an expression of reluctance, he thrust his sword into the Auror's stomach, then pulling it out and slashing another charging Auror in the right side of his torso. As the third Auror, who stood several feet behind Reverend Ewls raised his wand for the killing curse, Ewls quickly turned around, extended his hand and, like before, hurled a lightning-like substance which caught the Auror directly in the chest, sending him back unconscious several feet.

Ewls then turned to face a stunned Ron.

"Run!"

Ron picked up his recently dropped wand and the two of them set off into the woods together. As they ran through the woods, they began to search for any sign of Harry, Hermione, or Buckbeak. Ron put his hands to the sides of his mouth and began to shout…

"HERM…"

"No!" scolded Ewls. "You'll draw the enemy's attention."

At that precise second a person arrived from out behind a tree holding a wand directly at Ron, Ron and Ewls returned by holding their weaponry at him in standoff posture before recognizing the man as Harry. With this revelation, Ron lowered his wand while Reverend Ewls lowered his sword.

"Where's Hermione?" asked Ron.

Hermione then emerged out from behind the same tree. She was holding onto the tree for balance, her wand was drawn, she was breathing hard and sweating. At this, Reverend Ewls became extremely concerned.

"Hermione, you're not…"

"No," said Hermione, immediately knowing what he was referring to. "It's okay.

"And Buckbeak?" asked Ewls as the Hippogriff appeared out from behind another tree.

Tied to Buckbeak's torso with magically conjured Ropes was the firebolt Harry had acquired during the chase over the English Channel. Ewls walked to the hippogriff, untied the rope and threw the broom to Harry.

"Buckbeak can't carry all four of us, Harry," said Ewls. "We won't fly just yet, but when we do, stick close to us, let's get out of here."

Harry, Reverend Ewls, and Ron helped Hermione mount Buckbeak, and then proceeded East-Northeast. As they continued, they heard occasional voices and footsteps nearby. They immediately took Hermione off of Buckbeak and placed a disillusionment charm on him. They were constantly forced to take cover behind trees or fallen logs in order to avoid detection from the people who were undoubtedly the broomsmen that had previously been chasing Harry and Hermione.

Much to Hermione's discomfort, they proceeded like this for hours, eventually they stopped hearing their pursuers. It was One O'clock in the morning before Ewls decided that it was safe to settle down for the night. Ewls conjured a single cot and blanket from his wand, for Hermione alone. Harry and Ron helped Hermione, who was now crying because of her discomfort onto the cot and placed the blanket over her. Reverend Ewls placed his hand upon her head for a second and then retracted it.

"It's starting," he said. "She'll be gravely ill until she goes into labor."

"How ill?" asked Harry.

"Harry, Healer Ewls said that there was a chance I wouldn't make it past this part," Hermione told him.

With this, Harry could not avoid the shock which came upon his face. Ron knelt down and took her hand.

"No, no you'll make it," was all he could bring himself to say through the tears which were forming in his eyes.

"We have another problem," said Reverend Ewls. "Harry you saw the Dementors following you."

"Yes, and I'm sure I saw a deatheater on one of those brooms."

"Voldemort must know about Hermione," Ewls said. "He's motivated by the prevention of death, judging by that I would say that he doesn't want this child to be born anymore than the Ministry does."

"But I can't believe that the Ministry would align itself with Voldemort against us."

Ewls' expression was one of deep frustration. Nothing seemed to be going right, in fact nothing had seemed to go right since the moment he had arrived at Hogwarts, right down to the Pensieve investigations to find the last Horcrux and the mysterious R.A.B.

"It doesn't make sense to me either, something must have gone seriously wrong back in England, something beyond our ability to detect," he reasoned aloud in his frustrated tone of voice. "Well, we have one downed Hippogriff, the other one couldn't carry all of us. Even with your recently acquired broomstick we'll be slowed down significantly. We're running out of time."

"Reverend, I say we risk it," said Harry boldly. "We've got to get her to the Order fast, if we don't, it won't matter whether or not they catch us, she'll die before we even get her there. I say we forget taking the long way around the Mediterranean, and just mount Buckbeak and make a run for it across the sea."

"What if we were to travel as Muggles?" came Hermione's struggling voice.

With this suggestion came a momentary silence as Ewls' frustrated expression suddenly dawned into a newfound one of hope.

"Interesting idea Hermione," said Ewls as if he should have thought of it himself

"But we hardly know anything about Muggle Culture," protested Ron.

"Not true," said Harry. "Hermione and I were raised as Muggles, they'd never expect it."

"Perhaps," said Ewls whose voice now assumed an expression of renewed pessimism. "But we don't have any Muggle currency."

"Actually that isn't exactly true," came Ron's voice as he reached down into his robe pockets. "I don't know how much this is, my dad told me to take it just in case. He collects Muggle stuff"

Ron pulled a wad of paper money out of his pocket and handed it to Reverend Ewls. Ewls was shocked at this positive turn of fate. A smile grazed his lips as he gave a chuckle.

"Ron this is five hundred pounds," said Ewls.

"Is that not enough?"

"It's almost fifteen hundred US Dollars, this won't last us long in France, but in Eastern Europe we could live weeks off of this if we were careful," Said Ewls. "They'd never expect us to fly north,"

Ewls pocketed the wad of Muggle paper money, and drew from his other pocket his map of Europe. He studied it for a few seconds before addressing the other three.

"We'll fly northeast to Prague, then to southeast Sofia, from there we can get train tickets to Istanbul; wonderful Idea Hermione. The whole trip to Istanbul from here should take us a week and a half, from Istanbul I estimate it should take us a few hours to get to Jerusalem."

"How do you figure a few hours?" asked Harry.

A new grin came upon Ewls' face. He was obviously excited about something.

"We'll fly there."

"What?" came Harry.

"If we save, this'll be more than enough for all of us."

"You mean, on an airplane?" Harry asked in clarification.

"Sure, you've never been on one?"

"My father would absolutely go nuts if he knew that I flown on an airplane, he's always wanted to," said Ron.

"Well don't worry its safer than flying a Hippogriff."

Harry, Ron, and Reverend Ewls did not sleep that night, Hermione could not help but fall asleep. When she awoke the next morning, she was no better off. The three got an early start, flying out with Reverend Ewls, Ron, and Hermione atop Buckbeak, and Harry atop his newfound broomstick at about Six O'clock AM.

As they flew, Reverend Ewls sat in front holding Buckbeak's reins, while Hermione sat between he and Ron. She was drowsy the whole flight, shivering to boot.

"Are you alright Hermione?" asked Ewls.

"I'm cold," she said barely above a whisper; Ron's arms rapped around her body did not seem to do anything to help.

"It won't be too long."