Disclaimer: I own none of the characters here. I just use them for my own amusement. JK Rowling and co. own them No copyright infringement intended.

Summary: When two old enemies meet up again, will they be able to look past their differences and get along? What happens if they fall for each other but he's slated to marry someone else? Will he follow his heart or his parents' wishes? Dramione.

Author's note: Lyrics by Taylor Swift

Wildest Dreams

Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice dress, staring at the sunset babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again even if it's just in your wildest dreams

Hermione got herself ready for the dinner with Draco. This time she insisted she be allowed to go home first to change her clothes. She didn't want to wear the frumpy business suit she wore to work. She told herself she wasn't trying to impress anyone, but that was a lie. She wanted to show Draco that she could be a real girl and not just a boring stuffy boss lady. So she did her hair nicely and put on a red dress that she saved for special occasions. He didn't tell her where they were going but he admitted a nice dress wouldn't be a bad idea. So she hoped she was pulling it off. She'd given Draco her address so he was going to pop by her flat to pick her up. She raced around putting on her lipstick and trying to find just the right purse to and shoes for the outfit. She was putting in a lot of effort for a dinner she told herself was nothing special. But the truth was, she hadn't been on an actual date in a very long time. And this was kinda sorta a real date. Or at least Draco made it sound that way. By the time he started knocking on the door she felt ready to present herself. She went to the door and opened it up. Draco stood there in an amazing black suit with a black shirt open at the collar. He had on loafers and he was carrying a bouquet of red roses. She was bowled over.

And so was he. He never imagined her to clean up so nicely. She was stunning in that dress and it took him awhile to actually form a coherent thought. But he finally smiled and thrust the flowers at her.

"These are for you. I figured if your flat was anything like your office, it needed something to brighten it up," he said with a grin.

"They're beautiful. Thank you. You can come in while I put them in water," she motioned for him to enter and turned around and headed for the kitchen.

Draco walked in and looked around at everything, including the orange cat who resided on the sofa. He knew she had some sort of cat, but this one was very ugly. He started laughing at it.

"What's so funny?" she called from the kitchen.

"Your cat. Was it always this ugly or did it get into some sort of accident?" he wondered.

"That's Crookshanks. And no, he always looked like that. He's beautiful."

"Beautiful? I guess we have differing opinions of beauty," he remarked with a snicker.

"Stop making fun of my cat!" she admonished him from the kitchen.

"Sorry. I'll stop. It's just I've never seen anything quite like it," he noted. "Can I pet it, or does it bite?"

"He doesn't bite, but if he doesn't like you, you'll know it. He'll get up and leave."

Draco went over and cautiously petted Crookshanks head. Crookshanks smelled Draco's hand intently and then he started purring and closed his eyes.

"I think he likes me! He's purring. And he didn't snub me. That must win me some points eh?" he asked.

She walked into the room and put the flowers on a table.

"It does win you some cool points. Crookshanks doesn't like a lot of people. He hated Ron," she told him.

"The cat has good taste in people then. I mean, who wouldn't hate Ron?" Draco laughed.

She smacked his arm and gave him a glare.

"Stop it. Ron is perfectly fine. He just doesn't like cats and they don't like him."

"Whatever. I'm just pleased this beast liked me."

"Shall we go now?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I made us a reservation for eight. So we should get going," he said, taking in her radiance. "You look amazing tonight, Hermione."

"Thank you," she blushed slightly. "You look pretty amazing yourself."

"Thanks. I didn't know if I could impress you or not, but I tried," he smiled at her.

"You were trying to impress me?"

"Weren't you trying to impress me too? If not, then you did a bang up job without trying very hard," he noted.

"Let's just go to dinner," she said, avoiding the answer to that. She did in fact try hard to impress him. But he didn't need to hear that from her lips.

They took off into the night and apparated to an alley behind an Italian eatery. It was very nice and exclusive and Draco had used his money to gain them a reservation. That was one of the perks of being rich. Which was why he wasn't eager to lose his money any time soon. Hermione seemed suitably happy with the location as they took their seats at a romantic little table on the terrace with candlelight and roses on the table. They quickly ordered up a bottle of very pricey wine and they sipped that as they decided to what to order to eat. Hermione had so many choices she had no idea what to pick.

"Shall I order for you?" he asked politely, unsure of how a gesture like that would go over with a bossy independent woman such as herself.

But she just shrugged and smiled and put the menu down.

"Surprise me," she said throwing caution to the wind. She'd never had anyone order for her before. But it was a nice change of pace.

When the waiter came back, Draco ordered two of the same meal and hoped that she liked it. He knew she liked chicken wings and this was a chicken dish, so she should be good to go. She didn't complain about the order at least.

"So are you going to bring some real photos to put up in the office?" he asked as he sipped his wine.

"Yes. It's a good idea. I have a few in mind," she told him.

"Too bad we don't have one of us dressed up fancy like this. It'd make a great centerpiece to the office," he grinned at her.

"A picture of us? Now that would be almost scandalous. A boss and her trainee up on the wall of the office," she laughed.

"Hey now, I think it's a good idea."

"You would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he wondered.

"Nothing. It's just you drew that silly picture of us holding hands. So I'm not surprised you'd want a picture of us together. But sorry to burst your bubble, I don't have a camera with me."

"Pity. Oh well. I'll just have to bring one to work and get a photo then," he said surely.

"You're not taking my picture," she protested.

"Why not? You're a great subject," he told her seriously.

"Stop."

He didn't know why he was being so persistent about getting a photo of the two of them, but it just seemed like something he wanted to own. But she wasn't his girlfriend and he knew that. She was his boss. But she was on a date with him. And it had been a long while since he'd taken a girl on a proper date. He didn't want to blow this by being weird. So he decided to tone it down slightly.

"Alright, no pictures. I get it. You don't want photographic evidence of your decision to go out with me," he said observantly.

"That's not it. It's just silly to take a picture. We aren't a couple. Are we?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, we're just two work colleagues on a dinner date. Unless you want to be a couple?" he added with his own raised eyebrow.

"Very funny. Of course not. That would be really weird," she said awkwardly. The truth was, it wasn't near as weird as she was making it out to be. But she wasn't about to ruin the night by saying something she'd regret when he inevitably laughed at her.

"I suppose it would be sort of weird for us to be a couple. We couldn't be more different. But I kind of like that about you," he said wistfully.

"You do?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

He just stared at her over the table and she just stared back. Once again, neither one of them knew what to do with themselves. Finally Draco reached over and took her hand. He held it over the table and rubbed little circles across the top of her hand with his thumb.

"This doesn't feel so bad," he whispered to her.

"No, it doesn't feel bad at all," she whispered back.

But then the moment was ruined when the food arrived and the waiter set their meals in front of them. They let go of their hands and looked away from each other and down at their food. That seemed like a safer place to stare than at each other. But something was in the air between them and neither of them could deny it. They just didn't really want to talk about it. Especially Hermione. She was confused at her own feelings and as to why Draco would want her at all. They were sworn enemies. And while she could understand wanting to put the past behind them so they could work together, she didn't really understand why he'd want more. And she certainly didn't understand why she was considering it.

They ate their meal in relative silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. Draco really didn't know what was happening either except he was compelled to be near her. In some warped way, he'd always liked gaining her attention. Maybe because she seemed so unattainable in the past that he used to hurl insults at her just to get her to notice him. Otherwise she was so aloof and acted like he didn't really exist. He wasn't sure what it was about her that captured him so much, but she definitely had a way about her. And now that he had her attentions without having to insult her, he didn't want to blow it by moving too fast. But part of him really wanted to kiss her. And that surprised him. How did he end up here in such a short time?

Once they were done with the main course, Draco wanted dessert. Hermione said she was full and didn't order anything but Draco insisted on sharing.

"Come on, just try a bite of this cheesecake. It's heavenly," he said holding out his fork with a piece of cheesecake stuck to it.

"No, I'm really full," she declined his offer.

"You can't be that full. Just taste it!" he said practically shoving the fork into her mouth.

She was startled momentarily and began to laugh as she chewed up the dessert.

"Okay, you didn't need to assault me with cheesecake," she giggled at him as she wiped her mouth. "But it is really good."

"I told you it was good. And sorry if I just sort of jammed it in your mouth. I don't know what I'm doing," he laughed slightly.

"It's okay. It just surprised me is all."

"I just felt like you'd miss out if you didn't taste this."

"Well thank you. The whole evening has been lovely, Draco," she said with a smile, and meant every word of it.

"You called me Draco. Interesting. Now that's the first time you've called me that. I must have really impressed you with this dinner," he noted with a happy grin.

"I didn't even realize I'd said it. But yes, you impressed me. Not that I require fancy wine and dinners to be impressed. But it doesn't hurt."

"Duly noted. I don't think you get out enough. Do you?" he wondered aloud.

"No, I really don't. I can't believe I'm admitting it, but I haven't been on a date in a long time," she said blushing slightly at her honesty.

"Me neither. You're not alone. I haven't really taken a girl out like in forever," he admitted.

"Really? I thought you said you shagged lots of Muggle girls."

"I did. I shagged them. But I didn't date them. I met them in bars and clubs. People there are just looking for Mr. Right Now and not a date," he explained. '

"That's a little on the empty side, isn't it?"

"It very much is. Which is why I'm tired of it. It was fun for a while but I'm really over it. I'm ready to be with someone that I actually like," he told her sincerely. "What about you? Are you looking for someone to be with?"

"I hadn't really given it much thought. After Ron, I didn't date much. Then I went through a time where I had a new man every week. Just trying them out, so to speak. But then I gave up when none of them really connected with me. I-I've been kind of a recluse mostly," she explained to him.

"Well that's sad. You deserve to be taken out and treated right. You shouldn't be a recluse. You're depriving some lucky sod of a wonderful girl."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You're smart and kind and funny and beautiful," he told her softly.

She just stared at him wordlessly and didn't say anything. She was lost in his words. He snapped his fingers in her face.

"Did I lose you somewhere?" he laughed slightly.

"Somewhere around beautiful," she confessed looking away from him.

"I only speak the truth."

"You never thought I was beautiful before. In fact I used to feel really ugly near you. Especially when you'd do terrible things to me like hit me with a curse that made my teeth grow out of my head," she said giving him a look.

"Oh God, I'd forgotten that one! Man I was a prat. I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me to do half the shit I did. I was just an asshole," he said knowing he had no good explanation for his prior actions.

"I still got you good though. That time I punched you in the face? You never saw that coming. And I remember you ran away in terror. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen," she laughed at the memory.

"Go ahead and laugh. I was deserving of that one. I had it coming. But damn woman, you hit hard!"

"I didn't even know I had that in me, but it felt so good," she said deviously.

"I was a little scared of you after that, truth be told," he confessed with a slight laugh.

"Good. I'm glad I scared you. You kind of laid off for a while after that. But you never gave up entirely. Why did you live to torment the three of us so much? We never did anything to you," she pointed out, sipping more of the wine they'd ordered.

"I have no good explanation really. I was just a bully. You have to understand that I was raised by the biggest bully on earth. I looked up to my father, so I just did the sorts of things I saw him doing. That is until Voldemort showed up and everything was a mess. My father didn't have anything to say about that. He just bowed down and everything was 'yes, my Lord' and 'whatever you wish, my Lord'. Oh how far the mighty fell. At least in my eyes. And suddenly none of it made any sense to me. I just wanted to stay alive. It was the first time in my life when I was truly scared shitless. I pushed everyone away and suffered alone. And I never really recovered from it exactly. I still have the Dark Mark on my arm," he told her softly.

It wasn't like him to bare his soul like this, but she made him feel comfortable. She was startled at how candid he was about his struggles, and she found herself feeling bad for her old childhood tormentor. She reached over and took his hand again.

"You were coerced into getting that mark. I know you didn't want it," she said surely. "And for what it's worth, you've turned out okay now. Even if you maybe had a few bumps in the road."

"You think I'm okay huh?"

"I think so. You seem pretty okay to me."

"I'm getting there. I don't really talk about any of this with people. So keep it to yourself okay? Just between us friends," he said feeling self-conscious.

"Of course. Nothing you say leaves my lips. I don't know who I'd tell anyway," she assured him.

"How about Potter? You and he could get a few laughs at my expense if you wanted to share my deep dark secrets with him," he pointed out.

"I'd never do that to you. Anything you tell me, stays with me. I'm like a therapist or something," she smiled at him. "And honestly, the same goes to you. Anything I say, I don't want to hear it repeated around work. I'd probably be a laughing stock if people knew how sad and lonely my life really was."

"Nah, it's not that bad. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. All of this can be our little secret. What do you say?" he squeezed her hand and let go as he leaned back in his chair with his wine glass.

"Deal."

"Good."

Then they just stared at each other some more. Hermione couldn't recall ever staring at someone like this on a date. But he was so handsome and he kept surprising her with the things he'd say. She felt in awe of his presence, and he was feeling the same way about her. It rendered them both mute with how powerful their connection was. But neither of them wanted to risk ruining it by taking things too fast. Hermione felt like it was a moral quandary to be having lusty thoughts for her trainee. She could actually get in trouble if the higher ups knew she was on a date with her subordinate. But she didn't really care right now. And neither did Draco. But it was getting late and the waiter had already brought their check. They finished up the wine and prepared to leave the restaurant. But it felt a little sad to call it a night.

"So I had a marvelous time. The food was great and the company was lovely," Hermione said as they stood up to exit the terrace.

"I had a great time too. We'll have to do it again sometime," he smiled at her.

"Definitely. Maybe next time we go out, I can pick the place?" she offered with a devious little smile.

"I'm wondering what you have in mind given that smile," he laughed.

"Nothing that bad! Just I have an idea that might be fun. But we'll wait to see the joy on your face when I plan it. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said wagging her finger at him.

"I will be waiting with baited breath to find out what you'd plan for us. You just let me know when you wanna do it," he told her.

"How about this weekend?" she posed the question to him.

"This weekend? Alright. Sounds like a plan. When are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

"Right before we do it, so you can't back out."

"Is this something insane like bungee jumping or skydiving?"

"No, really not. I'm not crazy. You'll like my plan. You'll see."

"I trust you," he said taking her arm and leading her onto the sidewalk. "Shall I see you home?"

"You don't have to . I can apparate myself there. I'll be fine," she said not wanting to put him out, but also not wanting to admit she wanted him to come with her.

But he didn't realize she wanted him to go with her, so he just nodded and agreed to say goodnight in the alley. They walked over and both were feeling slightly disappointed that the night was ending too quickly. But they'd see each other at work tomorrow. It was already late, so it'd be no time before they saw each other again. But it felt too long. Once they got to the alley, they stopped and Draco faced Hermione.

"Again, lovely time. I'll see you tomorrow?" he said hopefully.

"Bright and early. And I'll bring photos with me," she said dutifully.

"Perfect. I can't wait to see them."

"Goodnight Draco," she said giving him a shy look.

"Goodnight Hermione," he said giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

And with that, he let her disappear first and he followed suit. Once he was back at home he found himself pining over her. It was not something he expected to feel. Somehow she'd gotten under his skin. And a cheek kiss wasn't enough, but he didn't want to cross any weird lines so soon. He was just relieved to have spent the evening with her. And Hermione was just really confused. She shouldn't want anything to do with Draco, but for some reason he was all she could think of. But she wouldn't let this get out of hand. They had to remain friends and nothing more. Anything else would be too weird. Despite her inner longings, she had to keep things friendly. Even if it killed her to do so.

To be continued…. Please leave feedback! I love reviews! They keep me writing faster….