The sun was rising. The warm, golden hues touched her skin, uncaring of what had just conspired. That's something she didn't think she'd see again.
It had started with a simple vacation, of sorts, that led to her meeting of the single most remarkable man she's ever known. Staring at the ash and scorch marks, she imagined that if the vacation had been so simple, it would have ended with a sweet summer romance. But, as it goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. For all the progress mankind has made, there is the inevitable regression to its primitive state. That was a rough lesson to learn. She even surprised herself with what she was capable of.
Everything that happened had been her fault. That was the hardest part to accept, that there was blood on her hands when her life calling was to help people.
Her senior year of medical school had been right around the corner. Katherine Daring spent her days lost in her studies. Quite literally. Never mind time for a social life, platonic or otherwise since the very idea of maintaining a romantic relationship was laughable (though her friends didn't seem to have much trouble). She drank with friends from time to time if exams were particularly rough, otherwise she was in her PJs day and night trying to memorize the pharmacodynamic effect of medication that led to severe side effects or the very similar signs and symptoms of different afflictions or practice EKG readings. There were days the stress induced panic attacks had to be rescheduled simply because she did not have the time to panic (it begged to question if she was human or really an android that functioned on caffeine). Needless to say after 7 years of intensive studies, she was burnt out beyond recognition.
So off to England she went. After devoting all her previous summers to volunteering at the local clinic, this was to be the first and most expensive vacation she'd taken since… ever. It wouldn't be a true vacation at any rate. Through her school's connections, she'd arranged to volunteer at a hospital there. Her mother insisted that Uncle Jon Granger would take her in for the summer.
Nimble fingers pushed through the tangle of somewhat frizzy curls as she uncrossed and recrossed her legs. On the plane over from her little home in Florida, she was hard pressed to think of why she was doing this. Her friends had cooed at the supposed 'culture' and 'sophistication' that they were sure she'd find. She could have spent the summer at home on the beach with a book in her hand (gasp) for leisure. England was known to be drear and rain. There wasn't anything overwhelmingly attractive about this trip.
Speaking of attractive. Kat had to double take before she shrieked, "Hermione Jean Granger! Who the hell are you and what have you done with my bushy haired cousin?" The enviously thin girl had grown to be lovely. They had spoken on the phone a few times a year since the last family gathering over 10 years prior. Hermione grinned and hugged her. "Bet you have all the boys— or do you say lads around here— chasing after you," she ended with a laugh.
The younger girl shook her head incredulously. Picking up one of Kat's bags, she walked them over to the car that waited outside the airport. "Don't be ridiculous. I do, however, have a boyfriend."
"Which is more than I can say." She cleared her throat, "Not that I'm salty. I've resigned myself to a life of desolation."
"Salty? And I hardly believe you'll be alone. You could always get a cat." Hermione raised a brow as if she hadn't heard that term. "Here's my car. Well, dad's. I don't have my own."
"Salty as in salty. As in that delicious taste of tomato soup mixed with tears and broken dreams." As if to prove her point, she licked her lips which earned an eye roll from her cousin. Kat climbed into the passenger side. "Why don't you have your own car? Don't you work? Now that I think about it, Uncle Jon didn't mention anything about what you've been doing outside of high school." Remembering the cat comment, she added, "Hermione, I am a dog person. If I had a dog, poor thing would die of neglect while I work my shifts."
The girl shifted uneasily in her seat. She seemed to be bracing herself for a reaction. "I didn't go to college. I'm trying to find a job."
Now that earned an uncharacteristic shocked silence from Kat before she launched into an increasingly melodramatic rant, "You? You never went to college? What does that even- I think I'm getting dizzy. The world is growing dimmer. No, no. It's too late for me. You've literally killed me with the way you've wasted your intelligence."
Her cousin snapped back in self-defense, "I certainly have not wasted my intelligence. I'm simply using it in ways you wouldn't understand."
"What does that even mean? How are you using it then?"
"Charity." Hermione pursed her lips, clearly unwilling to say anything beyond, "I've helped a lot of people."
Kat, despite her tendency to be overaggressive and curious, decided not to question her younger cousin any further. It would only upset her more. No, she ask Uncle Jon for an explanation. It's not that Kat would have been unsupportive if Hermione had decided to pursue a passion outside of medicine, but to have her pursue nothing at all? That was the real shame. Switching topics to British customs, she asked if there was anything she needed to know. They chit chatted until they reached the Granger residence.
A/N: it starts off slow, but it'll pick up pace. Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed :]