Adeline threw herself into her work for the next six months. She spent every moment that she could with Fabian and Gideon, trying to get every bit of knowledge from them that they'd share. She innocently asked if they could show her some of the more well protected vaults, so that she could get experience with recognizing protective charms; they took her down to the lower levels of Gringotts, so far down that she learned that some of the rumors regarding the lengths Gringotts has gone to protect their treasures were true. She passed as much information back to Dumbledore as she could; she was fairly confident that with some help, she'd be able to break into the Lestrange's vault. Dumbledore, however, wanted her to wait. He wanted her to wait until they had discovered the location of some of the other horcruxes, to lower the chances that Voldemort would realize what they were up to and create more.

She sat at her desk, much later than she'd planned on staying at work, going over some runes that she was hoping would help her unravel the spells cast on the Lestrange's vault. It was late; most everyone had already cleared out for the day. Fabian came out of his office, whistling merrily. He paused when he saw her, dropping into the chair next to her at the large table she'd taken over as her desk.

"Weren't you supposed to be drunk by now?" He asked her, raising his red eyebrows. "Isn't Lily going to be pissed you're late?"

Adeline shrugged her shoulders. "I'll get there when I get there," she said, distracted by the rune she couldn't quite understand.

Gideon dropped down on her other side, having come out from the office behind Fabian. They were both carrying their briefcases, obviously on their way out. "She's trying to avoid Black, Fab."

Adeline sighed, closing her eyes briefly, before opening them back up and turning to glare at Gideon. He was right, of course, but she wished he hadn't announced it so blatantly. "I'm not trying to avoid him, I just promised Lily that I wouldn't ruin her wedding, and I think getting in to a screaming match with the Best Man at her rehearsal dinner may start the whole thing off on a bad foot."

"You're the Maid of Honor," Fabian chuckled. "You're going to have to interact with him."

Adeline pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nope."

"Aren't you walking down the aisle with him?" Gideon asked, pulling the parchment closer so he could see what she was working on. She tried half-heartedly to cover it, but he gave her a bemused look, and with a final tug had pulled it from her hands.

"Nope," Adeline said through her teeth, pulling the parchment back towards herself. "Lily thought I might strangle him if I had to touch him, so he's going to stand up with James, and I'll walk in alone. Stop trying to peek!"

Gideon ignored her, looking down at the parchment. "This is…"

Fabian peered over Adeline's other shoulder, their heads so close to hers that they looked like a three-headed monster. "The Lestrange vault? That's the only one I know of that has protections this ancient."

Adeline didn't say anything, her heart constricting slightly. She felt heat brush down her neck; a reminder of her vow. She couldn't reveal anything more to the twins; in fact, she'd already revealed too much. She'd known it was silly to work on this here, where the twins might see – but she'd needed the many reference texts that they kept in their office. She never knew which book she might need, and she was tired of hitting a wall right when she was figuring something out and needing to pause until she came back the next day to get the correct book.

The twins looked at her questioningly, but noted the steeliness in her eyes. "This is what you and Black argued about, huh? You're doing something secret for Dumbledore?" Gideon asked quietly.

Adeline nodded. "I can't tell you anything more. I literally can't tell you anything more," she said, rubbing the side of her neck subtly.

"No worries from us here," Gideon said, gesturing towards his brother with his head, his blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. "We're not stupid enough to get involved when Dumbledore wants something to stay hidden."

"Thanks," Adeline said, letting loose a deep breath. "If only certain other people felt the same way."

"He'll come around," Gideon said, in an uncharacteristically gently voice. "And if he doesn't, then he's the biggest tosser I've ever met, and I'll just have to marry you myself to prove a point." Adeline rolled her eyes, but chuckled weakly, wiping her eyes which had started to water slightly.

"You, however," Fabian said, pulling the parchment from her completely, and sliding it into the filing cabinet she kept underneath the table, thankfully ignoring her tears. "Need to get going. I'm not going to be on the receiving end of a Lily Evans hex when she finds out we knew how late you were here. I swear, I saw Him shudder when he saw her fighting last week."

Adeline felt her heart fall. Last week, while on a mission, the Order had come face to face with Lord Voldemort himself. It wasn't the first time, either. Two days after her and Sirius had broken up, Lily had showed up at her apartment in tears. She, James, Sirius, Alice and Frank had been ambushed while on a reconnaissance mission for the Order. After a while of fighting, Lord Voldemort had shown up. He'd tried, and failed, to recruit the lot to his side. It was only through a lucky bombarda hex sent by Sirius that they'd been able to escape. It had taken everything inside of her not to go running to him; not to check with her own eyes that he was okay. But she'd held her ground; at the end of the day, it was better for them to be broken up because it meant he wasn't in any added danger. Plus, she was so angry at him for saying he no longer loved her, for not trusting her, that just as soon as she knew that he wasn't hurt, she was just as likely to hex him as she was to kiss him.

Adeline pushed herself out of her chair, nodding at Gideon and Fabian. "I'll see you lot there, right?"

"We're going to pop home to change, drink a quick firewhiskey, and then head over," Gideon said. "Care to join us?"

Adeline hesitated. She had her dress with her in her bag, and all she planned to do was a quick touch up to her hair and makeup. Plus, she figured if she was going to see Sirius, she might as well have a bit of a buzz going. "Sure, what the hell."

Fabian whooped, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "You continue to surprise me, Delle, every single day."

Adeline apparated to headquarters, arm in arm with both Gideon and Fabian. They entered Elphias's house together, and were greeted by cheers from the rest of the Order. Lily and James stood in the center of the drawing room; James was holding a glass of firewhiskey in one hand, the other wrapped protectively around Lily's waist. Lily's red hair was long and curled beautifully over one shoulder. Her green dress had a plunging neckline, cinched at her waist and flowed down to the ground. Her green eyes, which matched her dress, were sparkling with joy as she took a sip from her glass of champagne; they met Adeline's from across the room, and she immediately broke into a wide grin.

"Delle!" She yelled above the noise, elbowing James lightly in the side. James broke from his conversation with Mad-Eye Moody, looking down at his fiancé with a slightly harassed look in his eye. She gestured over to where Adeline, Gideon and Fabian stood, and he grinned. He gestured for them to come over, excusing himself from Moody, who huffed, but wandered over to where Alice and Frank were standing.

Adeline pulled Gideon and Fabian with her, apologizing to the crowd as she pushed her way through. "Sorry we're late!" Adeline giggled, leaning heavily against Gideon, who threw his arm over her shoulder to steady her. "Worked late."

"Nearly had to pull her away," Fabian said.

"That's okay," Lily said dismissively. "I'm glad you're here now. There's champagne and firewhiskey going around."

As she said it, Tildy appeared, her little tray held high in the air. "Drinks?"

"Tildy!" Adeline shouted, dropping down to pull Tildy into a hug. Tildy smiled indulgently, tapping her small hands against Adeline's back.

"Hello, Miss. It's good to see you again, even if you did break Master Sirius's heart," Tildy said disapprovingly, pursing her tiny lips.

"Tildy," James warned.

"Sorry, Master."

Adeline grabbed three firewhiskeys, and thanked the elf, who disappeared into the crowd. She stood back up, awkwardly, passing the drinks to Gideon and Fabian, who took them gratefully.

"Charming elf you've got there, Potter," Fabian said jovially, taking a sip from his drink. Adeline took a sip from her own, leaning in to Gideon as she swayed in her heels. The drinks were definitely already affecting her.

"She's opinionated," James agreed. "How's work been?"

Adeline allowed her attention to wander as Gideon and Fabian explained what they'd been working on, before asking Lily and James about their own work. The drawing room was packed with Order members, mingling, drinking and having a wonderful time. She saw Moody barking at Alice and Frank, who looked trapped; Remus and Peter were in the other corner of the room speaking with Emmaline Vance. Standing next to them, but not engaging in conversation was Sirius; Adeline locked eyes with him and froze. He was leaning against the wall behind him, one foot on the wall, his long hair hanging messily down to his shoulders. His shirt was unbuttoned, his tie loosened and thrown over his shoulder. His eyes were dark, guarded, but Adeline swore he was glaring at Gideon's hand, which had snaked it's way around her waist.

Adeline took another sip of her drink, leaning further into Gideon, leaning her head against his arm. He looked down at her – he was so much taller than her – and smiled slightly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, just happy, you know?"

"Drunk, you mean," he laughed. She shrugged. "And sad," he pushed.

"Not sad," Adeline said, locking eyes with Sirius once more. She threw her drink back in one gulp, before putting it down on a table next to them, and pulling on Gideon's hand so she could find another. "Just ready to forget."

"Well that, my dear, I can certainly help with," Gideon said, closing his hand around hers.

Adeline woke up the next morning in a bed that was not her own. The sheets were a dark grey and smelled of musk; the pillow was much softer than the one that sat on her bed – the bed that Sirius had bought her. Before panicking, she did a quick assessment – she still had on her bra and underwear, and was wearing an oversized jumper and pair of lounge pants. Her feet had been stuffed into warm, woolen socks. She turned her head, opening her eyes hesitantly; the bed was empty.

With a sigh of relief, she sat up and got out of bed. She walked out of the distinctly masculine room, into the Prewett's living room. Gideon and Fabian were sitting at their kitchen table, a spread of food laid out in front of them, both grinning from ear to ear at her.

She smiled abashedly, accepting the cup of coffee that Fabian pressed into her hands. "Morning, sunshine," Fabian sang brightly. Adeline groaned, pressing a hand to her head.

"Not so loud, please," she begged, slumping down into a chair at the table. "What happened?"

Gideon and Fabian exchanged amused looks. "You downed three firewhiskeys, started a drinking game, got James way too drunk, then stole a bottle of firewhiskey and passed out on the floor. Mary passed out on Elphias's couch, so Lily made us promise to make sure you make it to the wedding this morning. So…here we are," Gideon said, gesturing to the food in front of him. "Eat up, and drink your pumpkin juice. I slipped a hangover potion in there for you."

Adeline pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Merlin, if I hadn't already slept in your bed, I might have really kissed you; but I wouldn't want to give you the wrong idea."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "I tried to put you on the couch, but you plopped right into my bed and refused to move," he joked.

"Oh, please," Fabian said mischievously to his brother. "I had to pull you out of bed next to her with my bare hands."

Gideon blushed slightly, but didn't disagree with his brother. Adeline laughed, brushing off the awkwardness of the situation. She knew, deep down, that neither of the Prewetts would have done anything to her in the state that she was in. She trusted them.

"Well, thank you for the clothes," Adeline said with a wink at Gideon. "Next time, I promise to let you cuddle."

"Get out of here, Yarbury," Gideon said playfully, throwing a bit of toast at her. "You're more trouble than you're worth."

She finished eating her breakfast, before she went into Gideon's room to get her dress. He knocked before coming in. "Delle…" he began, nervously, wringing his hands together.

Adeline turned to face him, noting his face which looked slightly panicked. "Gideon it's okay. I know nothing happened."

"I gave you the clothes and left the room while you changed. Yeah, Fab did have to pull me from the bed, but I swear, I wasn't going to touch you."

"I know, Gid. I know you wouldn't do anything like that," Adeline assured him. She stepped up to him, taking his hand in her own. "Not that it wouldn't be fun," she said, smirking.

Gideon looked flabbergasted, his mouth dropping open. "You little minx," he growled, taking a step towards her, pinning her against the wall, with one hand making its way onto the wall next to her head.

She felt her body heat under his glare. She ducked under his arm, winking at him seductively before rushing from the room. "See you at the wedding."

She heard him groan as she used the floo to travel to Potter Manor.

The girls were all already there, getting ready in one of the rooms off of the ballroom. The ceremony and reception were to take place on the grounds; it was a beautifully warm day, with a slight breeze to keep everyone cool. It was going to be a beautiful day.

Lily was already in her dress; her hair and makeup were already done. She was so stunning that Adeline actually froze in the doorway, looking at her best friend. Mary and Alice fussed around her, making sure every piece of hair fell perfectly, while Dorea hovered and oversaw.

"Wow," Adeline said, her dress from yesterday falling from her hand onto the floor. "Lil, you look…wow."

"Thanks, Delle," Lily said, turning to smile kindly at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fine. Gideon gave me a hangover potion this morning."

Lily's eyebrows raised at the mention of "Gideon" and "morning" in the same sentence. "So…"

"Oh, no," Adeline said quickly, bringing her arm to hold her other awkwardly. "Nothing like that. He just made sure I woke up this morning. He was…sweet."

"Well, then get the hell over here so we can fix you up," Mary said impatiently, putting her hands on her emerald green-dressed hips. "You're late."

Dorea came to stand next to Adeline while the other girls did her hair and makeup, and pushed her into her maid-of-honor dress. Dorea took hold of Adeline's hand, and didn't let go until the other girls had wandered away to put the finishing touches on their own makeup. "Are you alright, dear?" Dorea asked her quietly, pushing a piece of hair out of her eyes gently.

Adeline looked up at the woman who had become a mother-figure to her. She felt her eyes water, and looked up to stop them from falling and ruining the makeup that Mary had just meticulously applied. "I'm exhausted, Dorea."

Dorea nodded. "And Gideon?"

"Nothing more than a distraction," Adeline admitted. "He's a nice guy…but…"

"But, he's not Sirius," Dorea finished for her. Adeline nodded. "Are you willing to wait for Sirius to come around while you help his brother with whatever it is Dumbledore has you doing?"

Adeline looked at Dorea, her eyes wide, Immediately, her hand came up to her throat, expecting a burning sensation that did not occur. The vow wasn't being agitated by this conversation. She looked at Dorea, confused, but Dorea just laughed lightly. "How do you…"

"Oh, sweetheart," Dorea said warmly. "It's always been clear to me that a large part of you feels that by befriending Sirius's brother, you're protecting a part of Sirius that he believes to be dead – the part of him that loves his family; or at least, pieces of it. I think you see something in him that is redeemable – something that you wished you saw in your own brother. I think that there are very few people who could convince you to make an unbreakable vow; but I think Regulus Black is one of them."

"The information that he has is very important," Adeline said, in hushed tones, choking up. "I can't say much more, but it warranted making the vow. It was worth losing Sirius over. At first it was just about protecting Sirius – Regulus thought the information he knew could end up coming back to Sirius if Voldemort found out, especially if he kept digging. But now, I know how important the information is…more important than my relationship. It could save people's lives. And I can't tell Sirius that his brother is involved – not until Regulus tells me that I can. Please don't say anything to him."

Dorea leaned in close to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Oh sweetheart. You two don't even know how lucky you are to have each other. You'll figure it out. You're meant to be together. You'll find your way back to each other, even though it feels like everything is pulling you apart."

"How do you know?" Adeline asked tearfully.

Dorea reach out to wipe a tear that had made its way down Adeline's cheek. "Because I know my son. And I know you." She smiled kindly at Adeline, holding her gaze for a moment, before she turned and clapped her hands primly. "Now, are we ready for a wedding?" She asked loudly to the room at large. Mary, Alice and Lily cheered back their enthusiasm, and walked out of the ballroom towards the garden. Adeline took a moment, watching her friends walk out of the door and smiling at their joy. With her own heart in the pit of her stomach, she followed them.

Dorea left the group with brief words of encouragement before finding Charlus so she could take her seat in the front row, to the right of the aisle. Peter and Remus came from another side room to join the group, both greeting Lily and telling her how beautiful she looked. Adeline took the opportunity to sneak a glance outside.

Everything looked magical – a gleaming white tent had been set up, with rows of white chairs lined in rows on the grass facing the pond. Adeline recognized several Order members filling those seats, as well as some acquaintances from Hogwarts. A simple aisle lined with lily petals led to a raised dais, where James stood in brilliant emerald robes, his hands held behind his back and his face stark white. Behind him stood a Ministry official, who would officiate the ceremony. Adeline noticed, immediately, that Sirius wasn't where he was supposed to be.

She turned behind her to ask Remus if he'd ever shown up today or if he'd been too hungover to make an appearance, when she locked eyes with Sirius, who'd just closed the door to the side room the boys had used to get dressed. His eyes were slightly downcast, but he walked over to Lily confidently.

"Sirius, why aren't you with James?" Lily asked, panicked. She got up on her tip toes, looking over Remus's head to see if James was waiting for her. When she saw that he was, she turned back to Sirius, her brows furrowed. "What's going on?"

Sirius held something out to her; with a jolt, Adeline realized that it was one of his signature charmed flowers – a magnificent blue rose. Lily held her hand out to accept the crystal flower, its petals moving in an invisible wind, her eyes wide with wonder. "Oh, Sirius, it's wonderful!" Her eyes darted over to Adeline's briefly, but Adeline pretended not to notice. She knew that Lily knew that she had a collection of similar flowers; ones that she cherished and that Sirius had been sending her since their 5th year. "I heard that it's a muggle tradition, something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Well, I'd like you to borrow this as your something new and something blue. I'll be needing that back though, at the end of the night," he said playfully, giving her a pointed look.

She nodded, though she still looked confused. She allowed Mary to place the flower in the back of her plait; it made a beautiful adornment to her simple hairdo. "Thank you, Sirius. I love it. But what's my something old?"

Sirius grinned at her, offering her his arm. "How about an old friend, to walk you down the aisle? If you'll do me the honor of allowing me…"

Lily's eyes watered, and she threw her arms around Sirius, her tiny shoulder shaking slightly with sobs. Adeline turned, her own throat closing with emotion. Mary saw her and stepped away from Remus to come to her side. "Are you alright, Delle?" She asked quietly.

Adeline nodded. "She was so upset. About not having her father to walk her down the aisle. I never expected…"

"I know, love," Mary said, understanding. "I know."

They didn't say anything more. They didn't have to. Adeline couldn't.

It was a beautiful ceremony. There was hardly a dry eye in the entire tent; Adeline found it hard to keep her own tears at bay as she watched two of her best friends pledge their love to each other. It didn't help that she kept glancing at Sirius, who's own joy for his best friend was plastered on his face throughout the entire ceremony; Adeline thought that she had never seen him look so happy, not once in the entire time she'd known him. His smile lit of his face; he looked so handsome. Adeline turned away from him.

When Lily and James kissed, officially sealing their marriage bond, the officiate raised his wands and the tent immediately transformed the ceremony seating into a reception. The chairs raised and fit themselves around the tables that appeared out of nowhere. The aisle that Lily and Sirius had just walked down turned into a dance floor. Servers appeared from nowhere, trays laden with glasses of champagne balanced on their arms.

Adeline pressed a kiss to Lily's cheek, and hugged James quickly. She offered her congratulations, sincerely, before she took off to find a quiet corner. She found one, behind one of the bars, and she let the mask she'd been wearing all day fall. She gave herself exactly two minutes to feel all of the nasty thoughts she was thinking – about how jealous she was of Lily and James, how she wished Sirius had never said he didn't love her anymore, how it should have been her getting married – before she pushed them back down where they'd come from, and turned to rejoin the party.

Adeline thoroughly enjoyed herself at the reception. She drank champagne, danced with the Prewett twins, laughed with Mary and Alice, and grinned as James and Lily held each other close on the dance floor the entire night. Eventually, Gideon and Fabian disappeared with two of James's female coworkers, winking back at Adeline as they left; Adeline had made it clear to Gideon that even if the possibility of something happening between them wasn't off the table, it wasn't going to happen that night. Alice wandered over to Frank to chat with some coworkers, while Mary and Andrew Long had wandered off to compete to see who could drink the most firewhiskey without passing out. Adeline knew she'd be taking both of them back to the apartment at the end of the night, and nursed her own champagne in preparation.

When she found herself alone, she looked around the tent to see who she could join. She saw Peter and Remus sitting at a table with Dorea and Charlus. She made her way towards them as Dorea and Charlus stood from the table.

"Oh, darling," Charlus said, slurring slightly. "I'm so happy to see you before we go. We're going to head back inside and get some shut eye. It's been a long day for us old folk."

He pulled Adeline into a hug, holding her tightly. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "We're so proud of you."

He pulled away, looking as though he hadn't said anything; he turned to his wife, offering her his arm. "Goodnight, dears," she said to the table, smiling at them all as she linked her arm through her husband's. "Tell the happy couple that we'll see them in the morning, yeah?"

"Of course, Dorea. Goodnight!" Adeline said, sliding in to the seat that Charlus had just abandoned, next to Remus.

She spent the rest of the night with Peter and Remus, until they left her to refill their drinks one last time before the bars closed. She twiddled her thumbs, picking at a piece of cake that was left on her plate. She noticed that something blue lay in front of her plate suddenly; the flower that until just now had been holding Lily's plait together now sat in front of her, a note attached.

She picked it up, her hand shaking. Attached to the flower, written in Sirius's familiar handwriting, the note said:

Thanks for letting Lily borrow this tonight.

You looked beautiful.

-S

Adeline brought the flower to her nose, taking a deep breath. It smelled of rose and summertime and happiness. She brought her eyes up to where she knew Sirius was; for, she'd known where he was the entire night. She inclined her head with a tight lipped smile, which he returned. It wasn't an apology, and Adeline knew that. But for tonight, the night that their two best friends had gotten married, it was enough.