Finally, an update! I know you have all been waiting for a while and I sincerely apologize for that. I actually wrote this chapter four different ways before I settled on this one. I swear, it's true! Also, I have been busy preparing for my exams and am not getting enough time to write these days. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

With each passing day of the next week, Hermione was closer to using the portkey Severus had placed in her necklace. It was a difficult thing to do; the waiting. There was no correspondence from Severus other than his last short e-mail, telling her to wait till they met in person. He wasn't even showing up at the office building, and the secretary upstairs had told her he will not be available for at least a week.

There were times when Hermione was worried about Severus's well being. With no news of him for such a long time, there really was no way for her to know what he was doing or where. But then, he had asked her to wait and remembering his words, she somehow contained herself. On another note, with the announcement for the Conference, the office had been transformed into a gossiping ground and the after hours into shopping frenzy.

Since the upcoming event was a magical one, there was no restriction whatsoever on making use of magical accessories and apparels. The American magical society had no qualms about the no-maj products and the girls had all agreed that when it came to clothing, the no-maj dresses were better than the traditional witches' robes. And so they spent much of their time at shopping malls some even at their lingerie section, much to Hermione's annoyance.

"Come on, guys! What does it matter what I wear underneath my dress anyway?" Hermione couldn't resist commenting, when she was forced into a large shop specializing in branded intimate clothing.

Both Jessica and Lizzy were united for once, as they glared down at her in disbelief.

"It does matter, Hermione. In fact, the lingerie is as important as the dress itself." Jessica told her in a condescending tone.

"And judging by what you've just said, you girl, need to buy a whole collection from here. This shop has a pretty amazing collection." Lizzy said, pushing her towards the lacy brassieres.

"Lizzy, please. I really don't need any of these fancy things." Hermione appealed.

"In fact, you do need these. I've noticed how you've been cooped up into your world these last few days, Hermione. And nothing will make you feel better than to look beautiful from inside. Not to mention, that these will be likely to aid you get lucky, in case you need to. Now, come on. Indulge the fancy of your friend a bit." Lizzy said, in an almost pleading voice which Hermione couldn't ignore.

It warmed her to know how her friend had noticed her behavior and she felt a bit guilty about not giving Lizzy much of her time these days. She had been too preoccupied with planning Severus's birthday and then struggling to come to terms with his unexplained behavior at the occasion. Hermione promised herself that she would remember to give Lizzy more of her time from now on.

That evening, Hermione ended up with her arms full of the new lingerie sets that Lizzy and Jessica had chosen for her. Though she wasn't any more excited over them as she was being expected to, she did appreciate her friends' efforts to not let her sulk alone in her own distress. The night ended with them having dinner together after which Hermione and Lizzy spent some time together at the latter's apartment.

Hermione returned to her own apartment late at night and as she lay alone in her bed, the weight of her invisible necklace made her thoughts wander over to the man who had presented it to her. She debated about using the necklace to get to him, but then decided against it.

What am I going to tell him once I suddenly appear in front of him unannounced? That I was just making sure you were alright? And then, proceed with "Let's talk about the delicious kiss we shared, the last time we met!"

If I ignore what transpired afterwards, it really was quite amazing to finally kiss Severus. I wonder what would've happened if instead of leaving, he had stayed! How much further could we have gone?

I wonder how he's in bed! I'm sure he is excellent in everything he does, sex can not be an exception. What would it feel to have those talented hands wander all over me… Needless to say, sleep never was so scarce to her, than these recent nights.

The girls' next assignment was choosing their dresses for the gala event. Jessica and even Lizzy, were intent on scanning every shop in their knowledge in order to get their perfect dresses. And Hermione was as usual, dragged along with them.

"Come on, Hermione. Don't look so glum. There will be plenty of people at the gala. Do you not want to look great?" Jessica asked her, noticing her gloomy expression.

If only I could be sure that Severus is going to be there!

Hermione sighed, and looked at the two excited faces of her friends. "You know, maybe you could help me with choosing the dress this time? I totally trust your choices."

They both lit up at the suggestion and set off towards their work, leaving Hermione in peace with her thoughts. She never even checked the package they handed over to her and declared that she would open it the night of the gala itself.

Hermione was standing by herself in the office, the day before they were going to depart for the Conference, when Tyler and Andrew approached her.

"Hey, Hermione. Sorry to disturb you, but we had something to ask you." Andrew said to her, politely. Tyler however, appeared very nervous.

"Of course. Tyler, are you alright?" Hermione asked the guy, but he just nodded and said nothing.

"He will be. Once you answer something for us." Andrew said, in a conspiratory tone. Hm, this certainly sounds interesting!

"And what might that be?" Hermione inquired.

This time however, it was Tyler who beat Andrew to the answer. "Listen, I've been thinking about asking Lizzy out, for the dance at the gala. And Drew here, had this idea that since you and her are pretty close, you might know whether there's any chance for me, you know?"

The desperation in the usually composed guy, brought a smile on Hermione's face. It was actually very clear to everyone, other than Tyler and Lizzy themselves, that they liked each other. Well, actually Lizzy might know from her Legillimency! So, she did the only thing that was now needed, which was to calm his nerves enough so that he could ask her himself.

"She'll say 'yes'. Just go and ask her, Tyler." Hermione told him, in her most confident voice.

Tyler seemed a little relieved at her words, and glanced uneasily in Lizzy's direction, who was at her own table reading some papers.

"Come on, Tyler. Just go, already." Andrew urged him on and he finally, though reluctantly made his way over to her.

Hermione and Andrew were watching his every movement from their corner. It appeared as if Lizzy had accepted his proposal, judging by his vibrant smile and they were both sitting together now, enjoying some conversation.

Huh, that right there is a perfect example of a friendship turning into something more. Did I make a mistake in making my move too soon? Was Severus not ready for a relationship yet? Or were my feelings simply one sided?

"Well, that turned out alright. Thank you, Hermione." Andrew told her, distracting her from her train of thoughts.

"I didn't do anything at all. I suppose, Tyler has you to thank for his happy ending. You are a good friend, Andrew." Hermione told him. She knew very well that if it hadn't been for his persuasions, Tyler wouldn't have gathered this much courage to finally ask Lizzy out.

"So, anyone you are going with?" Andrew inquired.

Well, the man I do want to go with, has disappeared from the face of the Earth, it seems.

"Nope. You?" Hermione asked, as it was only polite to do so.

"Me neither. Perhaps we could go together?" Andrew offered.

It isn't like I can dance with Severus in public, even if he shows up. He's the illustrious Mr. Prince and I am but his employee! And Andrew is a nice guy, at least it would be better to go with him than Dylan!

Hermione saw that her silence was making Andrew nervous, probably making him realize that he had made an awkward mistake. So, she told him in an assuring voice. "Okay, we'll go together."

Andrew gave her a grateful smile, before turning away to his own desk where Dylan was busy making paper planes out of his official papers. Yes, loads better than Dylan!

That evening, Hermione found herself at Lizzy's apartment, as the girls were having a quiet night before they set out for Chicago the next day.

"So, Tyler finally asked you out?" Hermione started, conversationally.

"Yes. Finally!" Lizzy exclaimed with a sigh.

"You already knew how he felt, didn't you? Then, why didn't you make the first move?" Hermione questioned her friend. She had been genuinely curious about that.

"I wanted him to come to terms with his feelings for himself. Besides, using my Legillimency for such a reason seemed a little overhanded. Speaking of which, I heard you were the one who gave him the final nudge." Lizzy told her. Huh, maybe she shouldn't have made the first move either!

"Yes. And you are most welcome, by the way." Hermione replied.

"Yeah, it was very generous of you to do that. And to agree to be Andrew's date." Lizzy said, teasingly.

"A date? We are simply going as friends." Hermione shot back, surprised.

Lizzy looked confused for a bit before she asked her in a careful voice, "You cleared that bit for him, didn't you?"

Thinking back now, Hermione could see that it was a mistake on her part to not clarify that point to Andrew. But then, she had thought that must've been clear enough.

"I didn't, exactly. But he doesn't think we have a date, or does he?" Hermione asked, sheepishly.

"So you're saying that you don't fancy Andrew at all?" Lizzy asked.

Wait, where did that come from?

"No. Why would you even assume that?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Lizzy looked thoughtful as she answered. "It's just that, well, Andrew's had a thing for you ever since you joined our little group. I was hopeful you two would, you know, eventually fall for each other. And you had this lost look about you these last few days. Apparently, I was only right about one side."

"What? Andrew? And me?" Hermione blurted out.

Lizzy nodded, a bit guiltily.

"I'll have to clear it up with Andrew, I guess." Hermione mused.

"Yes. But don't just outright tell him about all this, Hermione. Perhaps, you should wait for the gala night." Lizzy advised.

Hermione was against the idea, since she didn't want to drag the thing any further. But, then she thought that the least she owed him was a dance since she had already agreed to go with him. It couldn't hurt to wait a few more days. Besides, telling him now would just spoil the mood for everyone for the whole of Conference.

After a while, Lizzy came around to another surprising declaration.

"You know, Hermione. Jessica hides it rather well, but I think she's always had a spot for Andrew." she confided.

"And you were still hoping for me to fall for Andrew?" Hermione couldn't help retorting.

"Well, you know how Jessica is and then Andrew is just the complete opposite." Lizzy said.

"Love can be an unpredictable thing, Liz. You can never quite predict who anyone's going to end up with." Hermione replied, much from her own experience.

"You're right. I am sorry. Just because I'm a Legillimens, doesn't mean I can play matchmaker." Lizzy said, apologetically.

"You didn't exactly do anything, Liz. You don't need to apologize to me. In fact, thanks to you, now I am finally aware of what is going on with Andrew." Hermione said, sadly.

"Yeah, well. Enough about all that. Lets just enjoy this movie for now." Lizzy said, trying to cheer her up. You couldn't really live in America without getting addicted to movies.

"Which movie is it again?" Hermione asked.

"Skyfall. I guessed you'll like this one." Lizzy said, with a sly smile.

"Ah, a Bond movie! I think I'll like it fine." Hermione said happily and they both spent the next couple of hours watching the famous British spy taking on the villain.

The group, along with their manager, left for Chicago the next day by a pre-arranged portkey which had been specially arranged for them. They were shown to a very grand looking magical hotel, as their stay was of a week's duration. They were all directed to their specific rooms after their manager made it clear to them that any misbehavior on their part which could reflect badly on their company was going to cost them their jobs. That, however did not lessen the excitement of Hermione's colleagues. It seemed, they were all too used to their manager's strict lectures.

Hermione did catch a glimpse of Mr. Prince at the keynote address of the Conference, but she did not get a chance to meet or talk to him. He was seated right in the front row while the employees were all seated at the back. Hermione was however, relieved that he looked well and unharmed.

The Conference rolled on and Hermione found herself enjoying various speeches, presentations and exhibitions. She still couldn't get a chance to clear things out with Severus though. The initial relief had soon turned into frustration and then anger when Severus did not make any attempt at conversing with her, neither in person nor via e-mail. It had been him who had told her to wait till they could talk in person, but somehow it seemed now that Hermione had turned invisible for him these days. As if he was deliberately trying to avoid her. Her heart burned just by thinking about it all.

When the gala night arrived, Hermione had lost any desire of going to the party at all. However, as she had already promised Andrew that she would go with him and it would be rude to ditch him at the last minute, she reluctantly took out the package Jessica and Lizzy had bought for her.

Huh, I am never going to ask them to shop for me again, that's for sure!

Suffice it to say, Hermione herself would never have bought this dress by her own free will. Perhaps, Jessica and Lizzy too had thought the same. The dress was gorgeous, but not in a Hermione kind of way, more like Jessica kind of way! It was a sleeveless dress made of black satin, with a generous neckline. The dress had a snug fit up to the waist, and then it had a slight flair, going well above her knees. And it fit her perfectly!

Didn't Severus tell me once that black was his favorite color? Well, screw him! I'm just going to have fun tonight without thinking of him!

The stunned look on Andrew's face when he saw her and his stuttering voice when he greeted her, told Hermione a lot about how she was looking tonight. She shot him a wide smile before linking her arms through his and making her way towards the ballroom.

As fate would have it, they passed a group of extravagantly dressed gentlemen in the hallway, Mr. Prince among them. He was dressed in the usual black, looking handsome as ever. When Hermione spotted him, she noticed that his eyes were fixed on her arm which was currently linked with Andrew's. Her first thought was, is he jealous? Even if he is, it serves him right!

Hermione found the rest of the group already at the table by the bar. She was pretty sure it had been Dylan's idea.

"Wow, just as we had imagined it!" Lizzy exclaimed when she saw her, sharing a knowing smile with Jessica.

Instead of complaining, Hermione merely gave them a grateful smile. "Thank you. Both of you."

"Did we miss something here?" Tyler questioned. Andrew and Dylan too looked equally confused at their words.

"Nothing, guys. Looks like Hermione here is in a good mood tonight. Let's keep it at that, shall we?" Lizzy said. Hermione noticed that Andrew was looking very happy with her words. Ah, so much for a heart break!

It wasn't hard to find him, even in the dim lights of the ballroom. Mr. Prince was surrounded by a group of Conference officials, absorbed in conversation. Hermione noticed that he was facing towards her, but she never found him looking at her directly.

"You know, he hasn't stopped looking at you since he arrived." Lizzy whispered quietly in Hermione's ears. The others seemed to be absorbed in another converstation.

"What do you mean, Liz?" Hermione whispered back.

"Oh, don't play coy with me, 'Mione. The one you are trying to steal glances at."

Hermione sighed. "I don't care about what he is doing. And you shouldn't either."

And then, excusing herself to get a drink, Hermione made her way towards the bar, only to bump into someone very unexpected.

"Ah, Goodness Gracious! It's you Miss Granger!" came the familiarly cheerful voice of her former potions professor.

Hermione turned around to see Professor Slughorn looking every bit like he did the last time she saw him, beaming at her.

"Hello, professor. It's nice to see you, after all these years." She told him.

"And it's nice to see you too, Miss Granger. And you look lovely, as usual! It's been many years, is it not? You have been hidden from our world for a while. I've always had such high hopes for you, Miss Granger and I know that you'll not prove me wrong. Goodness gracious, do you know my dear girl, when I took up the subject from Severus Snape, he only had good things to say about you and that alone says enough about your abilities. Poor man, he was always so very secretive, dear old Severus was! Even I had no clue what danger he'd been putting himself through, for the sake of the rest of us!

And what a pleasant surprise it is to chance upon you here in a Potions Conference, of all places! I've been avoiding this event for years. But, now I am glad I came this time around." The professor chattered on. However, Hermione's mind was stuck to the part that Severus had praised her. And solely because of my abilities!

"Yes, professor. This Conference certainly seems full of the most famous Potions experts that are presently in the field." Hermione agreed.

"The event itself is very well organized. I've heard that some American company called 'Prince Pharmaceuticals' has taken up the task this time. I must admit, I am impressed. I've been looking forward to meeting the famous Mr. Prince himself, but it seems he's not attending at all." Slughorn went on, gloomily.

Hermione had to suppress her snort with a great deal of effort. I sure want to be present when Professor Slughorn finally meets Mr. Prince! That would be a most interesting encounter. Should I point him in his direction myself? That would be going too far, I guess!

"So, professor? Are you staying here till the closing event?" Hermione asked, changing the topic.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Granger. A man at my age, can only afford so many days abroad. Besides, I rather prefer my quiet retirement. But, then it was a refreshing break from my usual life." Slughorn replied.

And then, they were interrupted by some former students of the professor, and Hermione was only happy to return back to her conversation with her friends with a drink.

"Who was that, Hermione?" Andrew asked, as soon as she returned to their table.

"Oh, that was my former Potions professor." Hermione replied.

"Well, he did do a great job." Dylan winked. Ah great, he's already drunk!

"Huh, Andrew here was almost worried if your ex-Potions professor was going to steal you away from him!" Tyler snickered, to a blushing Andrew.

Lizzy looked down guiltily at that comment while Jessica turned her attention to her drink. Hermione too decided to do the same.

"You just need to know when to stop, or just have me around to help you whenever you are feeling the urge to get intoxicated." Severus's words echoed through her mind as she picked up her glass and she put it back down immediately.

Hermione could see that her friends were not shying away from the alcohol, but she resisted the urge to drink. She will not be left vulnerable again. Andrew had taken quite a few drinks when he asked her for a dance. Inspite of that, she agreed and soon they were both dancing slowly to the music.

... And your eyes, your eyes, your eyes

They tell me how much you care

Ooh yes,

You will always be

My endless love...

Despite his drunken state, Andrew proved to be an efficient dance partner. However, the song brought her memories from the night when she had danced with Severus at the Masquerade Ball and she couldn't help smiling at that. Even though she had no romantic feelings for the man then, she still had an amazing time with him. And now, she felt like she had lost him for good. She glanced over Andrew's shoulders to see Mr. Prince still surrounded by important looking men, holding a glass of drink in his hand. He won't even look at me in the eye!

"Um, Andrew?"

"Yes, Hermione."

"I need a bit of fresh air. Do you mind?"

"No, not at all."

Hermione made her way to the garden area, which was attached to the ballroom and breathed in the quiet night air. She couldn't help but think about Severus. Why was he avoiding her? Will he continue to act like she didn't exist? That their friendship didn't exist? Why?

She was starting to feel sick even without an ounce of alcohol in her system. And it was all because of thinking about Severus! Do people usually feel this way when their feelings are not reciprocated?

"Hermione, there you are! Are you alright?" came Andrew's concerned voice from behind her. Hermione realized that she had spent too much of time outside.

"Yes, I'm alright." She managed to say. However, inside she was almost on the verge of crying.

"Hey, since we are alone here. I wanted to say something. I really like you, Hermione." Andrew started.

Oh, no! Not this! Not here!

"And I have a feeling that you feel the same way about me. Well, you really made a great effort at showing that tonight." Andrew continued, though his voice sounded a bit slurry.

Hermione could feel his hand on her waist and he was now turning her slowly to face him. Damn, it's too dark! And judging by his breath, he's drunk too!

"Andrew.."

But Hermione was cut off even before she had started to speak.

"Shh.. I know."

And his lips came down on hers. Hermione had cramped her mouth shut before he could press further. She managed to break away from him with some effort.

"No, Andrew. I really don't like you that way. And I definitely didn't want to kiss you. Sorry, but that's how it is." Hermione told him quietly.

But her words didn't seem to have any effect on him.

"You don't even know it yourself yet, Hermione. Just let me show you." Andrew insisted.

"No, Andrew. I don't think you are in a right state to have a proper conversation right now. NO!" Hermione cried, when it seemed he was going in for another attempt at a kiss. Damn it, Andrew! Please don't make me use my wand!

"I think the lady said no." came a deep voice from the darkness. Thankfully, Andrew was too shocked by the interruption and Hermione was quick to steer away from him. And it was a good thing that she did, because a moment later Andrew fell back to the ground with a loud thud, apparently hit by a stunner.

Hermione turned to her rescuer who was now close enough to reveal his face; it was none other than Mr. Prince. Even in the scarce light, she could clearly see the anger glinting in his dark eyes.

"Do you like to kiss all of your friends, Miss Granger?" He asked in a cold voice.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts in the review section! The next chapter is a special one, I promise! ;)