We Have All the Time in the World, Ch. 2
Rating: T
Synopsis: Hermione is worried about finding her parents while Ron is also worried about finding "their" song. Along the way, they find what's most important.
Disclaimers: No copyright infringement intended, all songs belong to the composers and lyricists, the characters belong to J.K. Rowling, purely for entertainment purposes . . . all that jazz.
Author's Note: This is the second of the two chapters. Characters' thoughts are in italics and lyrics are in boldface. Because of the newness of some of the songs, I have the movie timeline in mind rather than the book timeline, but I've tried to keep all other content consistent with the literary cannon. It may seem like kind of a long buildup, but I've done my best to make the payoff worth it. Feedback is GREATLY appreciated. Hope you like it :D
Neither of them had been on such a long flight before, and Ron was feeling particularly nervous because it was the first time he'd been on an airplane. It wasn't that he hadn't ever flown – but it had been in a car or a broomstick. The difference was, most of those times, he'd been in control. He knew that people flew on these every day, but he wasn't comfortable handing over the proverbial reins to someone he didn't even know, and especially to someone who lacked the power to fly without this oversized, hollowed-out metallic bird-like contraption.
Hermione had been gazing out the window, though the plane hadn't left the ground yet. She turned to her boyfriend to find that his normally translucent complexion was now a pale green color.
"Nervous?"
"Me? Nah."
"Well, in case you feel the urge to vomit, the sick bag is in that pocket right there." She then clasped his hand tighter. He smiled a bit sheepishly at her, trying to silently reassure her that there was not going to be a need for it, but also mentally noting its location in case he was wrong.
Hermione then had a thought. She felt through her bag and pulled out her iPod and headphones.
"Here," she said, offering them to him. "Maybe a little music will take your mind off of things." Ron took them into his hands, and started to place the headphones on. Hermione turned adjusted them on his head, and showed him how the noise-cancelling feature worked. She turned it off so she could explain how to search through and play songs from the iPod. Ron especially enjoyed the part when she showed him how to use the wheel, covering his hand with her own and delicately directing his fingers. It didn't matter that by now they'd already made love – even her little touches drove him crazy with desire.
As she settled back into her slightly reclined seat, Ron started perusing through her playlists. He played the song she'd said was the one that was her parents' song – "Lost in Love" by Air Supply. He agreed the keyboards were a little cheesy, but also a few lines hit a little too close to home.
Lost in love and I don't know much
Was I thinking aloud and fell out of touch?
But I'm back on my feet, eager to be what you wanted . . . .
Ron silently admonished himself for leaving her on the horcrux hunt. He believed he would never forgive himself for abandoning her at such a desperate time, but he was determined to spend the rest of his life being there for her, even though he hadn't said it aloud. He felt the need to get to a different song, and saw she had a playlist titled, "The Evolution of Us."
"I wonder if she's referring to us?" Ron thought.
The first song, "Somewhere Only We Know," was by a band called Keane.
Oh simple thing
Where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on
So tell me when
You're gonna let me in
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin . . .
"It's pretty, but also pretty depressing", Ron thought. "The songs must be arranged according to how she felt at different points in our relationship. She must have thought I didn't feel the same way when she started to have feelings for me –probably when I was wasting my time with Lavender. Maybe the next one will be more appropriate."
The next song had a catchy hook, giving Ron a little more hope. It was "Change Your Mind" by The Killers.
Tragic eyes
I can't even recognize myself behind
So if the answer is no
Can I change your mind ?
"Nope, still the Lavender phase, and a definite buzz kill."
The third one was by Death Cab for Cutie – which Ron thought was a really strange name for a band – was called "A Lack of Color."
I'm reaching for the phone
To call at 7:03 and on your machine I slur a plea for you to come home
But I know it's too late and
I should have given you a reason to stay
Given you a reason to stay
"These are really depressing. This one must have been when I left."
The next song he knew wouldn't be their song, with a title like "Split Screen Sadness," but he wanted to know what John Mayer had sung that reminded her of them. Certain lines stuck out for him.
And I didn't know where you left me when you left but
Says here in the water you must be gone by now
I can tell somehow . . .
Maybe I'll sleep inside my coat and wait on your porch until you come back home all right. . .
We share a sadness
Split screen sadness
And I know it was me who called it over but I wish you had me fought 'til your dying day
Don't let me get away . . .
He realized this was how HE felt when he left – all the foolishness and regret generated by the insecurities he felt before that damned locket came into the picture, but amplified exponentially by the evil powers it possessed. She had fought him, but he had stupidly and stubbornly left them – had left her.
The next song, "Save You," by Matthew Perryman Jones, held a bit more promise. Even the melody had a more healing feel to it.
I wanna rock-n-roll
I wanna give my soul
I'm wanting to believe I'm not too old
Don't wanna make it up
Don't wanna letcha down
I wanna fly away
I'm stuck on the ground . . .
So, help me decide
Help me to make up
Make up my mind
Wouldn't that save you?
While he liked the conciliatory tone of it, he didn't want their relationship to be defined by his mistake. He understood why she included it – it was oddly comforting.
The next tune was definitely more upbeat, but perhaps a little too girly for him – "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callat – but he totally agreed with the chorus:
Lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again . . .
The last one on the list had kind of a jazzy, late-night smoky club feel – or, at least, how he imagined such places are like, never having been in a late night jazz club, but basing it on some of Bill's misadventures. He got an idea of what kind of mood Hermione was in when she heard Jamie Cullum sing "Please Don't Stop the Music," especially this part:
Do you know what you started?
I just came here to party
Now we're rockin' on the dance floor, acting naughty
Your hands around my waist
Just let the music play
We're hand in hand, chest to chest, now we're face-to-face . . .
"Note to self – play this when you want Hermione to feel . . . randy." He didn't want their relationship to be based on sex – though, it was, a VERY welcome addition. He wanted something that said "forever," but none of these songs had that. He felt himself getting sleepy, so he turned it off, temporarily let go of Hermione's hand so he could put the iPod and headphones back into her bag, then reclined his seat and resumed holding her hand as he fell asleep.
Hermione and Ron took a day in Sydney just to recover from jetlag, sleeping like they hadn't since the final battle had ended a couple of months earlier. Hermione had searched public records before they had left, but the trail had grown cold in Sydney. Employing a private investigator after catching up on sleep had only produced one lead: Monica and Wendell Wilkins had decided to become mobile dentists, and had gone to an automotive shop specializing in customizing cars and trucks to create a dental office on wheels. It was a bit hard to understand the proprietor, Jack Scarvey, between his thick accent and his liberal use of Australian slang, but they got at least an idea of what Hermione's parents were doing.
"They got the idea from those food trucks you see all over downtown. The way they figured it, with so many people living in the outback far away from civilization, people don't have much access to proper dental care. That's where they come in," Jack said. "It took me and my men nearly three weeks to install all the bells and whistles, but we kitted it out with the dental chairs and everything. Don't reckon there's another one like it in Australia – maybe even the world! They sent me a postcard a few days ago – said people have taken to callin' it The Tooth Truck!"
Hermione smiled, but Ron could also see a couple of tears in her eyes.
"Can we see that postcard?" Ron asked.
"Let me search my desk," Jack said as he ducked into his office.
"You okay?" Ron asked Hermione.
"I'm fine – it's just, I didn't expect to go on walkabout all over Australia to find my parents. Ron, I need to get back to Hogwarts in three weeks. How can we find them in such a short period of time?"
Putting both one arm around her and the best Aussie accent he could muster, "No worries, love. We'll catch 'em faster than a Tasmanian Devil catches dinner." Hermione had to laugh at Ron's awful impression, but he also reminded her she wasn't alone.
"Here it is," Jack said while handing Hermione the postcard.
"The postmark says Tennant Creek. Isn't that in the desert?" Hermione asked, remembering it from their map.
"Right, love – in the Northern Territory. Told you they wanted to get out of the city. Says here they were working their way south. My guess is they were following the Stuart Highway down to Alice Springs, home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service Base. After this long of being out in the wilderness, they'll be running low on medical supplies. Where's your map?"
Ron reached into his backpack – a little deeper than Jack thought was possible, given its size – and pulled out the road map of Australia.
"Um . . . right," Jack said, shaking his head and writing off what he saw to having one too many bottles of Toohey's New too early in the day. They spread the map across the bonnet of a jeep that had clearly seen better days, and Jack showed them the route he'd take.
"I'd say . . . you'll want to take Hume Highway to Stuart Highway, but it's going to be an awful drive – you're looking at 28 hours."
"We'll take it in shifts," Ron piped up.
"We'll also need a car," Hermione said. "Where can we get one?"
"You don't need a car – you need something with four-wheel drive, like this. If you give me a couple of hours to finish putting on new shocks and brakes, I'll sell it to you."
While Hermione and Jack discussed price, Ron began to think they'd be better off flying on brooms or apparating. George had given Ron the name of his supplier of Australian ingredients for his products in case they needed a wizard down under. It would be a hell of a lot faster, he thought.
"Can you excuse us a minute?" Ron interrupted.
Jack nodded his head, and Ron pulled Hermione by the elbow.
"I think we should consider using magic now," Ron said.
"I think that's too dangerous," Hermione said. "What if we're seen by Muggles?"
"We're in a country with a population density of about three people per square kilometer – I think we're safe."
"Since when did you start keeping handy statistics in your head?" Hermione asked with a note of incredulity.
"I need to keep up with you, don't I?"
"Right," Hermione said with a sly grin. She turned to Jack, thanked him for his assistance, explained they needed to discuss it further, and said if they decided in favor of buying it, they'd be back in a couple of hours.
The couple began looking hurriedly for a place large enough to disapparate from, but was concealed from or at least deserted by the public.
"How about here?" Ron asked as they passed a graveyard.
"Kind of gruesome, don't you think?"
"It's a Tuesday afternoon. There's not a soul in sight – so to speak."
Grabbing Ron's hand, Hermione fixated on their destination.
"Royal Flying Doctor Service Base, Alice Springs."
After the nausea-inducing spinning stopped, Ron and Hermione found they'd landed – on the runway.
"Oi! What are you doin' out there!" a mechanic called out from a nearby hangar.
Ron and Hermione sheepishly grinned and scurried off the landing strip. They found the main office, but learned that while the "Tooth Truck" hadn't yet arrived, it was something the locals eagerly anticipated, though Alice Springs was big enough to have resident dentists. It was expected to arrive either tomorrow or Thursday. All Ron and Hermione could do now was find a place to stay the night, which gave Ron an idea.
"Let me see the map," Ron said.
He found what he was looking for, and it wasn't far.
"Let's go to Ayer's Rock."
"You mean Uluru?"
"Yeah, the same – it's supposed to be fantastic at sunset. We could camp under the stars, and come back in the morning."
"I don't want to miss them, Ron."
"We aren't going to miss them."
"Aren't you worried about the dingoes?"
"If we could ward off Death Eaters, I think we can prevent wild dogs from invading our camp."
With that, Hermione took Ron's hand and they ran into an alley. Ron shouted, "Uluru," and before they knew it, they were face-to-face with the world's second-largest monolith. They temporarily forgot why they were in Australia in the first place, staring in awe at the burnt orange boulder-on-steroids before them.
An aborigine approached them, smiling at their shock.
"You have travelled far, and have seen much, but have not yet seen what is most precious to you."
Ron and Hermione turned towards the old aborigine woman, wearing traditional face paint and garb, uncertain what to say.
"There is no need to fear – it is Piriyakutu, the time when animals breed and food plants flower. It is the start of new life, which you are beginning as well. All of the hardships you have faced thus far are behind you, and there is little more to conquer, which you will." She then took their free hands in hers and put them together. "Rejoice, for you have seen the worst of your Wari, or as you call it, winter." She then removed her own hands and walked away.
"Okay, that was kind of . . . random," Ron said, squeezing both of Hermione's hands and smiling.
"You know I've never put much store in divination, but that old woman was more accurate than Trelawney ever was," Hermione added. "I hope the last part – about the future – is right."
They silently walked around Uluru, avoiding the areas guides told them were sacred to the local aborigines. They rented a nearby campsite, with an unabated view of Uluru. After they set up and ate dinner, Ron noticed Hermione was a little too quiet, so he suggested they go for a walk. About 20 minutes in, she finally spoke.
"There's something worse than not finding them, or them not being able to remember," Hermione said in a voice so quiet Ron almost didn't hear her.
"What's that?" Ron figured what she was going to say, but he knew she had to say it aloud to confront her fear.
"They might not forgive me. Then I will have lost the only family I have by trying to protect them to prevent from losing them." She let out a chuckle dripping with sarcasm, and the tears she'd been holding back broke free to roll down her face.
Ron stepped in front of her and let go of her hand so he could lift her head with both of his hands. She had suddenly become fascinated with the red earth beneath them.
"Look at me." Ron moved his right hand to life up her chin. The setting sun shone in her tear-filled eyes, simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking.
"You are not alone."
"You don't understand – you have this huge, loving family you can go back to at any time. My parents are all I have."
Ron felt a pang of guilt as he recalled telling Harry he didn't understand his concern about his own family because his parents were dead. Here Hermione was, fearing that her parents may now be dead to her and vice-versa, even though she did the only thing she could think of to save them. It was the noblest of sacrifices – to let go of the safety of home to save one's parents from excruciating torture that would've surely been followed by death.
"Your parents aren't all you have. You have my family, and Harry, and all our friends who love and care about you. I'm not talking about the people who are trying to use us one way or another because of our unwanted or unplanned-for fame for their own selfish purposes. I'm talking about those who believed in us and fought alongside of us. Most importantly, though, you have me."
"But friends aren't the same as family," Hermione cried.
"Harry's like a brother to me and to you. But you – you're the most important family I have. You're the one I want to start a family of our own with, the one I want to lay down with every night and wake up to every morning for the rest of my life. When I'm with you, no matter where we are, I'm home. If we can't for some reason make it right with your parents, if all else fails, you have a home with me – that is, if you want it."
Ever since they first kissed, Hermione felt like there could never be anyone else for her – though she hadn't actually said it aloud, even to herself. She didn't want to confuse the euphoria of being free from the specter of Voldemort with being in love, though she knew she loved and was deeply in love with Ron. Even in matters of the heart, Hermione wanted to maintain some semblance of being level-headed, but here they were – in one of the most beautiful places in the world, almost untouched by the chaos of the modern world, where time seemed to stand still – and Ron was offering to share the rest of his life with her, and only her. It was the greatest gift anyone had ever given her, besides life itself.
"Ron, are you asking me to marry you? I mean, not next week, or even next year, but . . . someday?"
Ron smoothed her hair back and held it in place with his left hand so the wind wouldn't whip it back into her face. He caressed her left cheek with his right hand, closed the distance between them, and smiled.
"I'd marry you tonight if you wanted, but I'll wait as long as you like. We've got all the time in the world." They kissed and embraced each other, oblivious to the tumbleweeds brushing against their legs and the dust devils in the distance. The need for air finally overcame their elation, and they broke apart.
"That's a yes, by the way," Hermione smiled while they leaned their foreheads against each other.
Dust was beginning to pelt them, and they ran hand-in-hand into the tent. As Hermione zipped together their sleeping bags, she thought about what Ron had said: we have all the time in the world. That phrase took hold, and she was trying to remember why it meant something more to her. After a few minutes, she remembered why.
"Ron, have you seen my iPod and speakers?"
"They're on the table. Why do you ask?" Ron was peeking outside and looking up at the sky.
"There's something I want you to hear."
"Bring them to the opening. The wind seems to have died down and the sky is amazing tonight. Come and see it."
Hermione grabbed the iPod and charged-up speakers and set them just inside the flap. Ron was sitting with his legs apart, and patted between them so Hermione could snuggle against him yet still get a clear view of the dazzling night sky. She selected "We Have All the Time in the World" by Fun Lovin' Criminals.
We have all the time in the world
Time enough for life
To unfold all the precious things
Life has in store
She thought about what their kids would look like, and how they'd look as they grew old together.
And we got all the love in the world
And as time moves by you will find
We need nothing more
He thought about how they could share a small flat somewhere in London, and how they'd talk about their day after work, and how even if they didn't have money – just like his parents – that it wouldn't matter as long as they had each other.
And every step of the way
Will find us
With the cares of the world
Behind us, yeah
They both thought about how the journey that started on the train to Hogwarts when they were 11 has brought them here, seven years later. Maybe the aborigine mystic knew something, after all.
We got all the time in the world
For love
Nothing more, nothing less
Only love . . .
Hermione grabbed Ron's arms so they'd wrap her tighter, and he kissed the back of her head. Whatever happened tomorrow, they'd face it together – just like everything else, for the rest of their lives. Love would give them the strength they'd need from now on.
They both knew then, without even saying it, this would be THEIR song, as the last line was sung.
Only love . . . yeah, baby.