Before starting the story, there are a few things you should know:

-The story takes place in Draco's & Hermione's seventh year at Hogwarts.

-The Events in Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince never happened.

-Rough & Delicate is my first fanfic so don't be too bad with me.

Note:All of the characters, spells, scenes, etc. Belong to JKR, except some I created myself & you should be seeing them as the Story goes on. I thank JKR for creating this magical world.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Sparks at Platform 9 & ¾

Furious, Draco turned away from his father into Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross station in London. To his right lay the Hogwarts Express that had many doors open for its dozens of students that came up loaded with trunks & pets. The platform was crowded with them & their families who were leaving or helping students uploading their stuff on the train. There was no space even for a wand & Draco was making his way violently, hitting & pushing students here & there, leaving a trail of frightened students, shocked or upset to those who he occasionally gave a "Get out of the way. " But none of them dared to say anything, & Draco was sure they would not. He was Draco Malfoy, people feared or envied him & he loved that.

The arrogant grin that surfaced on his face had faded as he remembered the argument with his father & he felt the fury increasing inside. He quickened his pace & in his anger, Malfoy did not even see a girl standing on the platform, almost making her fall. At the same moment his body hit the girl, he felt a spark, like an electric current running through him completely & he walked away as if repulsed by that energy. Like two magnets.

"Be more careful, Malfoy," said the girl gently rubbing her arms. Draco looked up sharply, even shocked by what had just happened & then he saw her. It took a few long seconds to recognize the young woman who stood before him looking calm but upset & when he did he was stunned. She had grown a few inches more since the last time he saw her, her brown hair tousled & messy falling beyond the middle of her back, framing a face that had sharpened, losing the child's roundness & the muggle clothing she wore, especially her jeans, adhered perfectly to her body that, Draco noticed, had gained new & interesting curves. She had ... changed.

"Granger," he muttered in astonishment. She looked at him blankly wondering about his puzzled expression. Draco, regaining his composure, raised his face proudly & then he saw Harry Potter & Ronald Weasley flanking the girl. Draco looked at them & pursed his lips into a sneer of disdain & superiority.

"I'm surprised to know you've made it to seventh year, Weasley." he said referring to the redhead who blushed

."As to the Know-it-All & the Great Potter, Dumbledore's favorite, was expected ... but I was hoping not to have to endure so many blood traitors this year…luckily the last.

"You can always go home to your mother, Malfoy." Harry replied dryly. "I bet that way, she can stop looking like she smells shit when you're around."

Draco narrowed his eyes angrily. He quickly pulled his wand from the folds of his cloak & pointed it at Harry. He had done the same & now the two were face to face with the wands held high in the middle of Platform 9 & ¾, their bodies tense & ready to attack, shooting sparks from their eyes.

"Guys, please." Hermione began looking around nervously for the approach of an adult. "You could hurt someone."

Neither of them seemed to listen to the girl, they were too busy murdering the other with their eyes. She wrung her hands nervously & approached Harry, took him by the arm that wasn't holding the wand.

"Harry, we haven't even arrived at Hogwarts, do not get in trouble yet. Here you could hurt a student & ..." The girl looked over Harry's shoulder. "..Here comes Ms. Weasley, I think she could've seen you."

Given this statement, Harry looked at Malfoy for a long, tense moment, but finally gave up to the pleas of her friend & slowly lowered the wand without breaking eye contact with the Slytherin, who threw fire from his eyes. Draco continued pointing his wand at Harry for a few seconds, torn between casting a spell or not. But when he saw that Ms. Weasley was too close, he hid his wand quickly & gracefully in his coat. Before leaving, he said "At least I have a mother, Potter." & he threw one last look of disgust & disappeared into the scrum of students.

Hermione had not released Harry's arm yet & she had to grab him harder to prevent him from going to split Malfoy's head in the muggle style.

"Is everything all right, guys?" asked Mrs. Weasley reaching out to them & watching them with suspicion.

Harry just grunted, getting himself free of Hermione.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley." said Hermione quickly & glanced at Ron to warn him from speaking. "I think it's time for us to get on the Express."

Hermione quickly said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley, & while Harry & Ron did the same, she boarded the Express. She unconsciously looked at both sides of the aisle that ran in front of her & felt some disappointment at not finding something. She wondered what she was looking for & at that moment, the image of a platinum-haired boy & icy blue eyes came to her mind. Ron & Harry had followed Ginny & they were all boarding the train.
"Let's find a compartment," said Harry still angry about the encounter with Malfoy.

"Ronald & I have to go with the prefects for a while, & then we'll go with you." Hermione said softly.

"Well." Harry growled & walked away without another word. He strode down the aisle followed by Ginny. Ron watched his friend & his sister away with sorrow, & then he looked at Hermione.

"This time, Malfoy's crossed the line." he said. Hermione was quiet as they went into the prefects' carriage.

The prefects' carriage was the last of the Hogwarts Express, with wood walls, black leather-covered seats with rosewood tables here & there, & stamped with the insignia P everywhere. The two Gryffindors entered the car already occupied by almost all the other prefects of Hogwarts. Hermione discovered herself looking around the place to see where Malfoy was. She saw him sitting in an armchair, his legs casually crossed, feet resting on a table, lost in thought staring at the window & with his wand pressed strongly in his hands. She assumed that he was still angry about the encounter with Harry. As if sensing her gaze upon him, Malfoy looked at Hermione instantly. She blushed & turned her eyes elsewhere.

"Hello Hermione." Ernie McMillan greeted her with reverence. "How was your summer? You look tan."

"Oh, it was good, Ernie. I went on vacation with my parents to Marseille." said Hermione while looking through the corner of her eye as Pansy Parkinson approached Malfoy. "& how was yours?"

Ernie did not respond, in fact he didn't seem to hear her, he was too busy watching. Ron glared & nudged Ernie to reality.

"What? Eh ... ah, yes, mine was well ... well, yes." she managed to stammer, blushing a little & avoiding Hermione's gaze. "I think I'm going to sit with Hannah. Glad to see you, Hermione." he added, smiling foolishly. Ron coughed. "Huh ... & you too, Ron, of course."

& without another word & red as a tomato, he got away from the chairs in search of her companion Hannah. Hermione turned to Ron.

"It was very strange, don't you think?"

"He has always been a fool." said Ron grimly.

A few yards away Draco watched the scene with a barely concealed sneer. That stupid Ernie had behaved like a slob in front of that mudblood. It was true that she had improved slightly but he could never find her attractive or even interesting. Instead, sitting next to Pansy who was blinking through her thick lashes, he thought she was a much more tempting view. Trying to imitate her smile, he lay his arm behind Pansy's shoulder. She happily curled up against him while he glanced at the Gryffindor girl who had her back to him. "Draco, what are you looking at?" Pansy inquired watching with bright eyes.

"Nobody." he said looking out the window now.

Pansy paused, thinking that she had not asked who he was looking at, but what he was looking at. She was too happy in the arms of the Slytherin to continue thinking about it.

Hermione walked thoughtfully in the corridors of the Express with a bag of chocolates filled with love potions on one hand. The bag had been confiscated from some third-year students who roamed around Harry's compartment. Hermione suspected that the girls wanted to give his friend some candies, hoping he'd fall in love with one of them. He had gotten very popular with everything about Voldemort going on. She looked up from the bag & saw Draco Malfoy, coming out of a compartment with a bunch of chocolate frogs in his hand. He was smiling mischievously & the girl suspected that he had taken them from a student, abusing his authority as a prefect, something typical of Malfoy.

A small student who must be a first-year by her appearance collided with the Slytherin, throwing a couple of chocolate frogs in the process. He glared in a way that made the girl be in the verge of tears & Hermione approached them at full speed sensing what was coming.

"Be more careful." That stupid brat Malfoy snapped. "Ten points from your house to learn to look where you're going."

"We have not arrived at Hogwarts yet." Hermione said putting an arm over her shoulders to comfort the girl. "So you cannot take away points, plus I think she's a first-year, she may not even have a house yet."

"Do not tell me what I can & can't do, Mrs. Know-it-All, & mind your own business. Shouldn't you be comforting Potter? He's probably crying over what I said about his mother."

Hermione looked as if she saw him for the first time & her eyes were sad.

"You're so cruel." She said as if surprised about it.

"Oh," he said faking a melodramatic wince. "You offend me, Granger."

"Let's go, I'll walk you to your compartment," said Hermione, addressing the child & she turned around without taking a look over at the Slytherin. But as they prepared to leave, Hermione saw Crookshanks walking down the aisle.

"Crookshanks, what are you doing here?" she asked in amazement. She thought he could have escaped the compartment when he went to visit Harry. She bent down & called him, but the cinnamon cat walked past & went to Slytherin. Draco stood there looking at Crookshanks the cat while he stared at him. Malfoy could have sworn that cat with a squashed face, was studying & measuring him, but he didn't think that was possible. As if he had taken a verdict on him, the cat meowed softly & stood between the boy's legs, rubbing gently against him, almost affectionately.

Hermione was stunned to see Crookshanks so kind to a stranger, & also not a stranger either, but with Draco Malfoy. Your cat proved to be very good at judging people & often had known before her, who were her friends & those who were enemies. & judging by their behavior, Crookshanks approved Malfoy.

Hermione didn't know what to think. First that spark she had felt when she hit Malfoy now that Crookshanks was behaving so strangely with him. She shivered & decided she did not want to keep thinking about it, so she nervously approached Malfoy, picked up her cat & without looking at the boy, walked quickly through the aisles.

Draco leaned against the wall of the train & stood staring at her until she disappeared.