Tomorrow Never Came
Chapter 2

The following morning Harry found himself sat at the old wooden picnic bench in the garden of the Burrow, with Ron and Hermione opposite him. The three of them had opted to sit outside as they had their breakfast so that they could enjoy the bright, sunny, but nevertheless, brisk morning (Harry and Hermione had bundled their coats on while Ron was wrapped up in his dressing gown).

Despite his initial worries Harry had found that he had very much enjoyed the previous evening. After arriving at the Burrow he and Sirius had found themselves joined by Remus, Tonks and Teddy along with all of the Weasleys and Hermione for a hearty but delicious meal, and then the family (for that was how Harry saw them all) had flooed directly over to the Leaky Cauldron. Much to Harry's relief Tom, the stooped landlord, had a strict no paparazzi in the pub rule so they had managed to avoid any eager eyes and flashing cameras.

There they had met Hagrid, and proceeded to have a merry evening filled with chatter and laughter in a cosy but private corner of the pub. Tonks had eventually decided that it was long past little Teddys' bedtime and had then made her way home, but not before warning Sirius to avoid getting Remus too drunk as they were meeting Andromeda in the morning ("Would I do that?!" The Animagus had asked in mock offence). Soon after that Mr and Mrs Weasley had also departed, which was when the remaining party had turned it up a notch, and the gathering had gone from merry to downright drunk. Not that anyone had been complaining.

However as a result of this they were definitely all feeling the effect of a powerful hangover that morning. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny had somehow made it back to the Burrow at around two in the morning and the four of them felt something akin to death warmed up (at least he assumed Ginny did, she was still passed out in bed at that moment). Harry dreaded to think of what state Sirius, Remus and the rest of the Weasley boys would be in, for they had shown no sign of slowing down and had instead opted to make their way to Grimmauld Place and make the most of Sirius' lucrative whisky collection.

"Remind me to stick to Butterbeer in the future." Hermione was saying as she spread marmalade onto her toast. Ron chuckled as he rubbed his fingers into his temples.

"I think even that would be too much for me. Merlin I hope Mum hurries up with that hangover potion." He said, looking over to the Burrow longingly. When the trio had descended the stairs into the kitchen that morning Mrs Weasley had taken one look at them and announced (rather louder than necessary if you asked Harry) that she would start brewing a fresh batch of her special hangover potion, which they were all grateful for. "How the hell does Sirius do it?" Ron continued to muse. "I guarantee he won't even have a headache!" He sounded almost in awe of the Animagus.

"Practice." Harry assured. "He's had a hell of a lot more practice than us, that's for sure."

"True." Hermione agreed, flicking over a page of the Daily Prophet which lay before her on the table.

"Speaking of Sirius-" Harry added after a taking a gulp of his tea. "-you'll never guess what I found in his room last night before we left." Ron screwed up his face in what looked like disgust.

"I'm not sure I want to know. With Sirius it could be bloody anything. Remember when we were doing the deep clean of Grimmauld Place and I found a pair of handcuffs in his wardrobe?" He said, and the memory caused Hermione and Harry to chuckle.

"You shouldn't have been snooping!" Hermione insisted with a giggle.

"I wasn't snooping! Mum put me in charge of dusting that level of the house!" Ron defended.

"That's funny I didn't know dusting involved rummaging through wardrobes." Harry pretended to ruminate and Ron let out a dramatic sigh as Hermione's giggles turned into a full on belly laugh.

"Y'know what I don't need to explain myself to the pair of you. What did you find in Sirius' bedroom Harry? And if it's something dodgy I want a full apology!" Ron insisted, trying his best to get the conversation back on topic.

"Well just listen to this. So Sirius had asked me to run up to his room to grab his wand, he'd left it up there again…" Harry began, before launching into the tale of mystery shoebox and what he had found inside it.

"An engagement ring?!" Ron asked when Harry had explained its contents, sounding completely perplexed. His blue eyes were wide with astonishment. "Sirius Black with an engagement ring?! I don't believe you!"

"I swear to Merlin!" Harry insisted. "Then to top it all off Sirius only goes and walks in on me going through his things!"

"Who's snooping now?" Ron muttered under his breath just as Hermione's brows shot up.

"Was he angry?" She questioned, choosing to ignore Ron, and Harry shook his head.

"Not at all. If anything he almost sounded… guilty, I suppose."

"Guilty? Why would he sound guilty?" Ron continued to both look and sound baffled.

"For not telling me about her sooner. Because, get this," Harry took a breath. "This woman, Ren, she's… she's apparently my Godmother."

Both Ron and Hermione's' jaws dropped.

"WHAT?!" They asked in unison, and Harry simply nodded before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the stolen photograph he has kept on him since its discovery the previous evening. Without a word he handed it over to Hermione, who began studying it intently. Ron loomed over her shoulder, doing the same,

"Harry that's…" The redhead began, but he trailed off as he seemed to absorb the whole scene.

"I know." Harry said.

"Wait, isn't that the woman who was in your parents wedding photograph?" Hermione mused, and Harry quickly realised that she was right! The photograph had shown his newlywed parents with a handsome Sirius at James side, and that had always been what had consumed Harrys attention. He had never paid much mind to the young brunette Witch that had stood at Lily's side, assuming it was just a long lost friend. Clearly Hermione, on the few occasions she had seen the wedding portrait, had tended to every detail of it.

Harry just shook his head in bewilderment.

Just like Ron he didn't quite know how to explain it. In all honesty he still hadn't completely absorbed the whole situation. A part of him felt like he had all those years ago in his third year when he, Ron and Hermione had been leaving the Shrieking Shack with Sirius, Remus, Pettigrew and an unconscious Snape. When he had allowed himself to dream for just a moment that he would finally be able to escape the Dursleys. He had more family. More of the thing he had longed for all of his life.

Admittedly his circumstances were different this time round. He was already surrounded by people who loved him. It wasn't like he needed a means of escape. But Harry still longed to find out what had happened to Ren. Where was she now? Was she even still alive? And if she was… why hadn't she tried to find her Godson?

Harry knew it was selfish to compare them but he felt sure had Sirius not been in Azkaban then he would have come for Harry and taken him far away from 4 Privet Drive. What had stopped Ren from doing the same?

No.

It wouldn't do to think like that. If that was the case it would apply to Remus as well, and Harry couldn't deny the Werewolf's love for him. Harry resolved that, like Remus, Ren would have had her reasons for staying away.

"Harry I-" Hermione started, still staring intently at the polaroid, brows creased in concentration. "-I think I know who she is."

That threw Harry off. Of all the things he had been expecting her to stay that was definitely not one of them! How could Hermione possibly have any idea who this woman was? She had disappeared eighteen years ago! Harry knew the bushy haired witch before him was smart but this was simply ridiculous! Ron also seemed just as perplexed as him.

"... How in the the bloody hell could you know who she is?!" He demanded, echoing Harry's astonishment, causing Hermione to look away from the photograph and at the two boys.

"I…" She paused. "Do you know her last name?" She suddenly asked Harry, seeming to change what she had originally planned on saying at the last moment.

"Wha- her last name? No, I mean, I think it begins with a G but other than that I have no idea. I didn't ask Sirius." He managed to answer, not sure where Hermione was going with this. The girl nodded before grabbing her wand.

"Accio bag," She muttered, and seconds later her familiar beaded bag came whizzing through the Burrows' open backdoor towards them. Hermione plucked it from the air when it reached them, untied the drawstrings and began rummaging around inside. Harry exchanged a puzzled look with Ron, who only managed to shrug in bewilderment. Harry couldn't bring himself to say anything. What could he possibly say after all? How could Hermione have any inkling who Ren was? Surely she was mistaken.

Hermione's arm was now elbow deep in the bag, but after a few more moments she seemed to find what it was she had been searching for. Harry watched as she pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"This is yesterday's copy," Hermione clarified. "I'm glad I forgot to throw it on the fire last night now." She lay it flat on the picnic table and rapidly began to flick through the pages. When she reached just under halfway Hermione seemed to find what she was looking for. Her eyes scanned an article on the page before flipping the paper around so that it was facing Harry. "Read that." She instructed, pointing out the article she meant. Harry gave her a final sceptical gaze before lowering his eyes and beginning to read the paper.

"Muggle Melody Welcomes Brand New DJ!

Article by Leanne Nelson

Muggle Melody Radio Station may have been on the air since 1967 but it has only recently soared to mass popularity with the end of the Second War, when the magical community finally felt safe to fully embrace Muggle culture.

However as many readers will know, the radio station has been searching for a new breakfast broadcaster after previous host, Cordelia Campbell, unintentionally left her microphone on and was heard by millions of listeners around Wizarding UK slandering Muggleborn Witches and Wizards. Due to the sheer volume of complaints the station received, this blunder lead to her dismissal and left the primetime 6am till 10am slot (known to Muggles as the AM Drivetime) up for the taking.

There has been a great amount of speculation as to whom would take the job on, but the wait is finally over! This morning Muggle Melody announced that 38 year old Half-Blood Renee Gallagher would fill the position.

Not a whole lot is known about the Witch but the Daily Prophet managed to catch a few words with her, and when asked if she felt prepared she happily responded; "Oh yeah definitely! I mean it's quite a scary job to take on but I adore music, both Muggle and Wizarding, and I think that's the most important thing here. The listeners want someone who cares about these amazing songs as much as they do, so I hope I don't disappoint them!"

Renee will start broadcasting on the 4th of May at 6am. Be sure not to miss it!"

Below the article was a Wizarding photograph depicting a comely woman, with brown curls draped over one shoulder, eyes so dark they almost seemed black and a charming smile sat in a comfy looking armchair with a row of bookcases behind her. Despite there being nearly twenty years difference between this photo and the one that also featured his mother, Harry knew it was undeniably the same woman. She had aged gracefully it seemed, as a lot of magical folk did. Despite a few tell tale lines of age around her eyes there was very little difference.

Ron, who had moved behind Harry in order to read the article for himself, let out a low whistle.

"Bloody hell," The redhead muttered.

"That's her." Harry said. "That's my Godmother."

He didn't quite know what to think. The article didn't exactly give much away, but at least they now knew for sure that she was alive.

"Do you think Sirius has seen it?" Hermione hesitantly wondered aloud, to which Harry shook his head.

"No. Yesterday he said he had no idea what had happened to her, he must not have read the paper. I can't be sure though, he was out of the house for most of the day." He answered.

"Well what are you going to do?" Ron asked. "If he listens to Muggle Melody he'll find out on his own eventually. How do you reckon he'd take it?"

Harry didn't know. Either the radio or the record player always seemed to be on at Grimmauld Place since the removal of Mrs Black's' portrait, but for the life of him Harry couldn't recall whether Muggle Melody was Sirius's chosen station. It seemed like it would be right up his street.

"Oh I don't know," Harry groaned, rubbing his temples. "Personally I can't imagine him taking hearing his lost girlfriend on the radio very well in all honesty. I mean how exactly would it make you feel? I know I'd probably go mental for sure, and we all know what Sirius is like." He speculated.

"Fair point." Ron agreed. They all knew Sirius was dramatic enough on a good day, so it was safe to say that they knew a bombshell like this would probably cause a full tilt booze-fuelled breakdown to incur.

"I think having someone he cares about tell him would probably be easier for him… opposed to hearing her on the radio." Hermione mused.

"But what if she's… I don't know, different now. She might not be the same person that Sirius knew and loved back then." Ron said. "For all we know she could be happily married with a load of kids."

The were both right, Harry reflected, as he grip tightened around his mug of tea, trying his best to absorb the warmth through his chilly fingers.

"I want to meet her, I really do. But her coming back into Sirius' life may not be the best thing for him." He asked, essentially reiterating Ron's point.

"And anyway," Ron went on. "Sirius seems to be doing really well for himself now. I reckon he's really happy."

Harry remained quiet at that. He was right in the sense that Sirius was doing well for himself. With his new found freedom and his career taking off Sirius was certainly in the prime of his life… but Harry, being the only other person living at Grimmauld Place, would occasionally see a side to the Animagus which lead him to believe that Sirius wasn't nearly as content as he made out. Besides Remus, Harry suspected he was the only person who had seen this side.

A particular moment that stood out to Harry was one night, only a month or so before, when Harry had woken up in the twilight hours of the morning needing use the toilet. He had crept as carefully as he could manage down the stairs, hoping not to disturb his Godfather in his room. But it had turned out he hadn't needed to worry about waking Sirius, as when Harry approached the slightly open door of the library he had heard what sounded very much like someone whimpering. Upon peering into the room, which was lit only by the dying ashes in the hearth of the fire, Harry had managed to make out the silhouette of his Godfather in the armchair before the fire, hunched forward with his head in his hands, sobbing.

It had been an eerie, haunting scene. One which had caused Harry, despite everything he had seen in his short life, to back away in fear. He had felt that he had intruded on a very private moment that Sirius would never have wanted to anyone to observe, so Harry had hurried back upstairs, climbed into bed and tried to push the encounter from his mind. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione.

Everyone had their demons, especially since the war. But Harry suspected that even now, after declaring that his traumatic past was behind him, Sirius' demons ran a lot deeper than anyone realised.

"Weeellll…" Hermione suddenly began slowly in a calculated tone, causing both boys to look up at her suspiciously. Oh no. Harry knew that whenever Hermione used that tone of voice it meant that she had had a thought that went against her usual rule-abiding nature. "We could go and meet her first." She went on to suggest with a shrug, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. Harry and Ron both gawked at her from across the table.

"You haven't half changed your tune since we were at school!" Ron declared, sounding shocked, as Harry deliberated the idea. He couldn't deny that he was tempted by it, even if it was for the for the purely selfish reason of sating his own curiosity.

"But how would we find her Hermione, it's not like we know where she lives or anything." He couldn't help but counter, trying to talk himself out of it more than anything. Hermione simply smirked.

"Oh come on Harry," She said with a roll of her brown eyes. "We don't need to know where she lives… not when we know where she's going to be until ten o'clock tomorrow morning."

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed the latest installment (sorry if you spotted any mistakes).

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Eve x