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 Kelly Clarkson

Wildest Dreams

Remember all the things we wanted
Now all our memories, they're haunted
We were always meant to say goodbye
Even without fists held high, yeah
Never would have worked out right, yeah
We were never meant for do or die

The next week passed and Hermione found herself actually looking forward to work because Draco would be there. He was always making her laugh and she never realized work could be fun. Against her wishes, he'd posted a copy of their bowling picture on his desk, and she kept trying to steal it and hide it, but he kept finding it and putting it back. It was all in good fun though. Hermione actually liked the picture. It showed the two of them having a blast. But it was a little more complicated to explain the picture to someone like Harry, who happened to stop by one day after he'd returned from a particularly arduous mission. He was hoping to talk with Hermione alone, but he found her and Draco locked in a deep discussion where they were both laughing incredibly hard. He cleared his throat.

"Um, hello?" Harry said feeling weird for interrupting them.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, scooting her chair away from Draco's desk and back over to her own.

"I just got back from a really tough mission and wondered if maybe you wanted to have drinks with me and Ginny tonight?" he offered, completely ignoring Draco.

"Oh. Um. Well I can't tonight, Harry. I have plans," she said regretfully.

"Plans? With who?" he wondered curiously.

"With me," Draco spoke up, not caring what Harry was going to think.

"With you?" Harry finally looked at him and acknowledged his presence.

"Yes, Draco and I were going to go someplace," Hermione said in a small voice.

Harry was disbelieving and he just stood there for a minute and then he noticed the picture on Draco's desk of the two of them. He picked it up and stared at it.

"Looks like you've been going places together for a while. Bowling eh?" Harry said with some confusion.

"Yes, we went bowling," Hermione admitted.

"And tonight we're racing go-Karts," Draco added with a grin.

"Go-Karts? Are you guys dating?" Harry asked making a face at the both of them.

"No! Not at all. We're just friends," Hermione insisted adamantly.

"Yeah don't worry. Hermione has better taste in men than me," Draco snickered, wishing it wasn't the truth.

"Oh. Well that's weird enough that you're friends who go out together. Since when?" Harry wanted to know.

"Since we just do. It's not a big deal. You're always busy! I had no one else to go out with," Hermione said defensively.

"Right, I'm sure she wouldn't consent to spending time with me, if you were around more," Draco said feeling hurt by this whole exchange, but he didn't want to show it.

"Well I'm around tonight. I thought we could blow off some steam and get some drinks. God knows I need them after today," Harry sighed.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad day, Harry. But I can't go out. Maybe another time?" Hermione said not wanting to change her plans.

"Alright. If you're sure you'd rather be with him," Harry said distastefully.

"You know, Hermione, it's okay. If you wanna be with your other mates, we can always do the go-Karts another time. I don't want to stand in the way," Draco said, holding up his hands.

"Don't be silly. I already promised you we'd go. Harry understands, right?" she looked at him hopefully.

"Uh, actually Harry doesn't understand any of this, but it's okay. Another time?" Harry shook his head.

"I'm sorry. Definitely another time. I've missed you," Hermione smiled at her friend.

He smiled back and nodded.

"Okay, another time. You two have fun, I guess."

And with that, he left the office quickly before he said something more he might regret. He didn't understand how or why Hermione would choose to go out with Draco over him. But apparently it was happening. He just shook his head and mumbled to himself about her being crazy as he stalked off.

Draco looked at Hermione who seemed more than flustered.

"You didn't have to blow him off for me. I wager you'd rather spend the evening with him and what's her name, than me," he said softly.

"That's not true. I-I mean I like hanging out with them. But I already made my promise to you. I don't want to go back on a promise," she said trying to reassure him.

"You don't have to feel obligated just because you promised. I can handle a change of plans," he told her seriously.

"Draco, I didn't want to change my plans. I can see Harry another time. But I don't think he really understands our friendship," she admitted quietly.

"I guess it is pretty strange to think of us being mates, isn't it?"

"It really is."

"But it works. I mean, we have fun together right?" he asked hopefully.

"We do. Loads of fun. And honestly I'd rather do the go-Karts than the drinking with Harry," she said trying to ease his mind.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. If I went with Harry and Ginny it'd just be me all night drinking alone while they laughed at inside couple jokes and Harry talks about his work too much. I'd much rather hang with you," she smiled, and meant every word.

"Good. Because I'd really hate to miss the go-Karts. But I was trying to be selfless and noble for a change. I'm not sure I like it," he laughed slightly.

"You being selfless and noble is a strange concept," she admitted with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I don't think it's for me. I'm glad you turned him down. Because otherwise I would have been really insulted and hurt," he confessed.

"Really? You would have been hurt?" she asked quietly, startled by his honesty.

"Yes. I would have been. I mean, it sucks if someone chooses someone else's company over yours. Especially if you already have plans. I'm not a robot. I do have feelings," he pointed out.

"I know you do. I guess I just didn't expect you to admit you would have been hurt by it."

"Well now you know. But it doesn't matter because I win. And I get to spend the evening with the best girl I know," he smiled broadly.

She just smiled back at him and didn't really know what else to say. There was something so human about Draco now. In school he was nothing but a raging bully, and now he was just a person. Like everyone else. And he made himself vulnerable to her on more than one occasion. It was startling to her to realize how much it endeared him to her. But she didn't want to tell him that. It was something she'd keep to herself. But she found herself even more excited for tonight and their quasi friend date. It was going to be a lot of fun. But she couldn't believe she'd chosen Draco's company over Harry's. It was unprecedented. And it really made her question her feelings. The waters were all muddy when it came to Draco. She swore they were only friends, but her heart warmed at the thought of him. She didn't know what to do about it.

Draco was silent contemplating what it must mean that Hermione chose him over Harry. Why would she do that if she didn't really like him? Of course she claimed they were friends, and friends didn't cancel plans at the last minute just because a better friend came along. At least not in polite circles. Maybe she was just being polite? But part of him really wished it meant more than that. He couldn't stop thinking about her and he wanted her to be thinking of him that way too. He just had no idea if she'd ever see him beyond a friend. It was maddening.

But once their working day came to an end, they both headed home to change. A go-Kart track wasn't the place for business suits, so they agreed he'd meet up with her at her place later on. When he arrived in jeans and a t-shirt, she was struck by how utterly Muggle he looked now. His hair was messy and hanging in his face and he had on trainers instead of loafers. She realized that he'd never looked more handsome as he did right now. And she hoped he liked what he saw when he noted her blue top and jeans with holes in the knees. She felt like the old Draco would have made a comment about her looking poor or like a beggar, but the new Draco just smiled and said he liked her shoes. She looked at her shoes and noted they were just blue sandals and nothing special. But she grinned over the compliment anyway.

"I like your shoes too. Are they new?" she asked as she motioned for him to come inside her flat.

"Yeah, they are new actually. I figured this place was even more casual than a bowling alley and I wanted to fit in," he said, almost awkwardly.

"Well you look fantastic. What did you do with your hair this time?" she asked curiously.

"My hair? Nothing. I did absolutely nothing with it. I just washed it and went. Does it look too messy and ridiculous?" he wondered self-consciously.

"No, I love it. In fact, you should wear it like that more often," she noted with a grin. "Do you like my jeans? Do they look hip or just like I'm incredibly poor?"

He laughed and shook his head.

"I think they're hip. I wouldn't know really. But I like them. It's an interesting look. Did you buy them already worn out?"

"Yes, they came this way."

"Muggles and their weird fashions. I noticed some jeans like that where I shopped and they cost more than the intact jeans that didn't look like you fished them out of a Goodwill bin."

"So then I look like I dressed myself from Goodwill?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I didn't mean that! You're twisting my words. It's just it amazed me that the worn jeans cost more," he clarified.

"I guess it takes money to get the holes in the knees just right," she said with a smile.

"Shall we get going? I am really eager to try these little cars out. I've never done anything like this before," he told her.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Just hold my arm and we can go," she instructed him.

They apparated away from her flat and into an alley by the fun center she knew about that had the little cars and miniature golf plus an arcade. It was the ultimate Muggle adventure and she was eager to show Draco parts of her world that she had growing up. And for his part, he was eager to see how it was Muggles spent their time if not in bars. That was really the only places he had gone for the last three years. Bars and nightclubs. But Hermione was showing him a whole new side to life. One that his parents probably never would understand. But he didn't care. In fact, he'd been dodging his father's owls for the last few days. He said he had something important to talk to Draco about, but Draco never responded. He was worried what it would be about and just didn't want to deal with his father right now. But he knew eventually he'd have to. But for tonight, he didn't want to think about his father at all. He just wanted to focus on the fun.

They walked in and went to the little booth where you could buy tickets for the go-Karts, golf, and bumper boats. Draco had never even heard of a bumper boat so he told Hermione that they had to do that too. He wanted to pilot his own little boat. So they bought tickets for all the attractions and went to the go-Karts first. Little kids were waiting in line to go and Draco and Hermione were only a few of the adults who actually wished to do this. But they didn't care if they were the only ones. It was going to be fun. They got up to the front of the line and each got into a go-Kart side by side.

"I'm totally going to win this race," Draco said self-assuredly.

"We'll see about that. Try not to crash into the piles of tires," she stuck out her tongue at him.

And then they were off. Draco had no idea in hell what he was doing. He just knew he had to push down on the gas pedal and not stop, even if he felt like he was losing control of the car. He didn't want to lose. He actually plowed into some kid and the kid went skidding off to the side, as Draco sped past. He didn't even look to see if the kid was alright because he was so focused on the fact that Hermione was behind him. And he had to keep her there. He was not going to lose. But when he rounded a sharp corner, he lost control of his car and it crashed into the dreaded pile of tires that she'd warned him about. He didn't know how to reverse the car at first so he was stuck and watched as Hermione flipped him and sped past him. But he finally got himself out of the mess and came creeping back up behind her. There was someone else in his way though, so he just crashed into them and made them skid out, so he could glide past. He was a brutal driver and would likely never be allowed a real driver's license. But he was having a blast. He finally caught up to Hermione and they were neck in neck going around the track. He swerved over and knocked into her, trying to slow her down. But she just swerved back and hit him hard and he went skidding off into the tires again. She was going to pay for that later, he thought. But he got himself moving again and then one of the kids who he'd knocked to the side came up behind him and crashed into him. He wasn't expecting that. But he swerved around and cut the kid off and sped up faster to get near Hermione. But it was too late. The course had ended and she crossed the finish line with the checkered flag waving and he came in second place. Once again, she smoked his ass at something. But he thought he gave it a good effort.

When they got out of the cars, Hermione was doing her victory dance in his face.

"You lost, sucker!" she gloated.

"You just got lucky. I was driving like crazy. Did you see me hit all those people?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yes! I thought for sure they were going to stop the race and kick you out. You're not supposed to crash into people!" she scolded him.

"Hey you hit me too! Don't act like you're innocent. If I got kicked out, so should you," he said giving her a look.

"You're just mad I beat you," she stuck out her tongue at him.

"You're gonna regret it. Those boat things? That's gonna be my specialty. I can feel it. You'll rue the day you ever crossed me," he said evilly.

"You think I'm scared of you?"

"You should be."

"I'm not."

"Let's go bump boats," he said taking her hand and walking with her through the park. She didn't protest his hand holding and he smiled over the feel of her tiny hand in his. She gripped him tightly as their fingers intertwined and they just glanced at each other and smiled.

Hermione knew she shouldn't let him hold her hand like that, but it felt so nice. And she told herself that friends did stuff like that. It was a friendly gesture. Only both of them knew it spoke volumes as to their true feelings. But they weren't ready to admit that to each other. Not now, and maybe not ever.

When they got to the bumper boats, Draco was disappointed that they didn't look like actual boats. They were more like a round inner tube with an engine and a seat in the middle. But he watched the people purposely crashing into other people and getting them all wet and he realized this was gonna be a so much fun. He liked playing dirty and there was nothing better than ramming someone with a boat. He could barely contain his excitement as they waited in line for their turn.

"You are so gonna regret winning that other race now. I'm gonna splash the shit out of you with these boat things," he told Hermione happily.

"Dream on. I'm gonna splash the shit out of you first," she said haughtily.

Once they boarded their boats all bets were off. Everyone was fair game, but Draco was going to concentrate on getting Hermione as good as he could. Other people were bumping into him though making it much tougher to get going than he wished, but once he broke free from the crowd he jetted straight for Hermione and she gunned her motor straight for him. They collided roughly and both gave themselves whiplash in the process. But a huge wave crashed over both of them so it was rather a draw than a victory. But Draco wasn't giving up. He kept following her around and crashing into her, while she attempted to get away and not crash into anyone else. But other people were after both of them and they both took some hard hits. Draco forgot all about making Hermione pay and just wanted anyone pay for hitting him. So he revved his motor and smashed right into some little kid who had rammed him earlier. He thought the poor kid might fall out of the boat if not for the seatbelt. But he had no mercy. He kept ramming until the boy's father presumably smashed into Draco and sent him careening into the side of the lagoon. Before he could get his bearings, Hermione snuck up on him and rammed his boat again into the side and splashed Draco right in the face. She was laughing mighty hard at that, but he got her back. He zoomed out of the corner and pummeled the side of Hermione's boat sending a huge tidal wave over the top of her. All too soon, the boat ride ended just when Draco was getting his groove. But he hadn't had that much fun since he used to play Quidditch.

They got out of the boats and poor Hermione was soaking wet. Her hair that she'd meticulously smoothed down for the evening was now a bushy disaster. Draco was wet too, but not near as bad as her. She just looked at him and scowled as he smirked.

"You suck the big one, Malfoy," she said trying to dry her hair off with her shirt.

"I told you I was going to annihilate you with these boat things. I'm good at boating," he said proudly.

"You're good at crashing into shit. I'd be scared to be on a real boat with you. Or in a real car."

"Oh come on. I wouldn't crash a real boat or a car. I'm sure you'd be perfectly safe with me," he smiled.

"I'm all wet now. And we still have tickets for mini golf," she noted.

"So? You'll dry. And let's face it. That hair? It's adorable," he laughed at her.

"Fuck you."

"I only wish," he said with a devious smile.

"What?"

"Never mind. Let's go play mini golf," he quickly changed the subject, not having believed he almost gave his true feelings away like that. He did wish she'd fuck him. But that was probably never going to happen. Especially if her shocked expression meant anything.

They went to the golf course and got their balls and their golf clubs. They set out onto the course and neither one of them were any good at this. Hermione had played a million times, but not in years, and she'd never been very good at it. So they were on an even keel with this activity. But Draco was getting bored when his ball didn't magically go in the hole, so she caught him pulling out his wand and making it move to better shots or to get a hole in one.

"Hey, you're cheating!" she said as she caught him red handed.

"I can't help it! I don't know how to play this fucking game. It's much easier to use magic," he insisted.

"But it's not called magic golf. It's mini golf! There's no cheating," she pouted.

"I'll let you use your wand too if you want?" he offered.

"Someone might see us, you realize?" she scolded him.

"Oh fine. No wands. Party pooper. I gotta say the golf part is boring. I liked the boats and the cars much better," he informed her.

"You wanna skip the golf then and go into the arcade? Maybe that's more to your liking? You can win me something," she smiled at him.

"Alright. Let's chuck these stupid golf clubs. Whoever decided this was a sport must have been very high," he chuckled.

"You'd sing a different tune if you were actually good at it."

"True. Maybe? But I'd rather do something else. Show me what's in the arcade place," he said taking her hand once again and holding it as they strolled into the large building that house all the games you could play for tickets that you traded in for prizes.

Once inside they traded their money for tokens and each set off in search of fun games to play. Draco liked the ski ball a lot and he was quite good at it. He kept getting the top score and racked up a bunch of tickets. Hermione was doing her damndest to whack a mole for tickets. She was actually quite good at it because her hand eye coordination was excellent. They met up again in the middle and showed off all their tickets. They had quite a lot but not enough for a good prize yet. So Draco got more tokens and they both went to the ski ball game and played their hearts out next to each other. Hermione wasn't quite as skilled as Draco with this, but she was pretty close. Once they deemed they had enough tickets they went to the prize counter. They had enough for a colored slinky and a small stuffed bear. Draco handed her the bear and kept the slinky for himself at her insistence. She didn't want him to walk away empty handed. But when they got back outside they looked at their little prizes and laughed.

"All that money I spent just for these two pieces of shit?" Draco shook his head.

"I know! But it's the thrill of winning something that's exciting, isn't it?" she told him.

"I could have bought you something better than a rinky dink little teddy bear with the money I spent," he scoffed.

"But wasn't it fun?" she offered hopefully.

"It was fun. I have to admit. This whole evening has been perfect. And I thank you for choosing me tonight," he added softly.

"Draco, I didn't choose you. There was no choice. We already had plans. I'd never break them. Not even for Harry," she said, touching his arm.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"That must mean you kind of like me a lot huh?" he asked with a silly grin on his face.

"I like you a decent amount. Let's not get crazy," she said with her own silly grin.

"Come on, you want an ice cream? I want an ice cream. I'm not ready to leave yet," he said pulling her along with him as they headed for the snack shack.

He ordered up two ice cream cones, chocolate of course, and handed one to her and he took the other. They walked over to a bench to sit down and eat and they sat in companionable silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. Draco had honestly never had this much fun before in his life. He was so crazy about Hermione, he couldn't even see straight. But he had no idea if she'd ever see him as more than a friend. And Hermione kept wondering if she should throw all her rules out the window and just kiss him. It seemed like the thing to do. He obviously liked her a lot, and the feeling was quite mutual. But she was afraid of complicating things at work. What if they didn't work out and they still had to see each other every day? What if her bosses found out and she got in trouble? There were so many reasons to keep it platonic, but her heart kept tugging at her to go for it. But Draco had no idea she was thinking that. He just thought he made her nervous and that's why she got so quiet all the time when they'd share moments together. He was clueless and she wasn't clueing him in. So they were both suffering in silence.

Once they ate their ice creams, it was late enough that it was time to call the night. Draco wanted to go back to her place again, but she told him it wasn't really necessary. She was tired and he should go home. What he didn't realize was that she was scared if he went home with her, she'd jump his bones. So she felt like it was a safer choice to go home alone. He just thought she was sick of him or something and didn't want to spend any more time with him. And that stung. But he bucked it up and smiled at her anyway.

"I guess I'll see you Monday then?" he said hopefully.

"Bright and early. Be prepared to work because we have several trials coming up," she said slipping into work mode because she was so nervous that she was going to kiss him if he didn't leave right away.

"Alright. Well enjoy your teddy bear," he said pointing the sad little thing in her hands.

"Enjoy your slinky," she laughed slightly.

"I will," he smiled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"I had a great time," he said trying to draw out the goodbye.

"I did too. We'll have to do something else soon."

"Definitely. Okay, I'm leaving."

"Bye."

And with that he watched her apparate away from the alley where they stood and he just sighed and realized he was in way over his head. He was definitely falling in love with her. He didn't plan it. And he didn't want it. But it was happening anyway. And that's what he was thinking of when he apparated to his home and landed in the living room. He jumped back though and dropped the slinky and aimed his wand at the sofa.

"Who the hell is there?" he said, noting a shadowy figure the instant he got into the room. His instincts were sharp as ever.

"It's me. Lower your wand," Draco's father said stepping out of the darkness and into the light. "You didn't answer any of my owls so I came to see you. Where have you been?"

Draco felt his heart drop to his knees. He kind of wished it had been a burglar rather than his father. How long had he even been sitting in a dark house? Why didn't he turn a light on? But none of that mattered because apparently whatever Draco's father had to say couldn't wait. But Draco didn't want to hear it, nor did he want to answer any questions about where he'd been. So he just stood there and stared at his father wordlessly and braced himself for something he knew he probably wasn't going to like.

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