Dark Waters Require Warmth

Chapter 1 - Summer plans await...

Hermione Granger had been studying at the university of Oxford to become a marine biologist for six years now; her enthrallment for this career had been present ever since her parents brought her on a cruise when she was only 6 years old.

That one week out at sea would shape the rest of her life. Little Hermione did not know it at the time as the whales waved hello at her, but she would devote her life to being apart of the conquest to hope to save and understand all types of ocean life.

It was May 14th, and it was an obnoxiously hot last day of college. She only had one last science exam and then her summer plans would only be determined by one single email. She pressed on through the exam and when she finished, she didn't wait for the rest of the class to be dismissed. She packed up her backpack and went up to the professor's desk and handed in her exam. The weight of her world seemed to dissipate as she said a small goodbye and raced out of the classroom.

The sun immediately beamed down on her as she left the building and decided to sit in the sitting area shaded by the trees. She sighed as the cicadas filled the air with their shrills and she quickly opened her phone, only to see no new messages.

She woke up abruptly to the sound of her ringtone, which was a quote by her favorite author. She glanced at the screen and saw the name of her best friend and picked up instantly.

"Don't tell me that's you outside sitting on the bench with a sunburn... you look like a tomato hun" her friend stated.

"Oh god, Ginny I did it again!" She thought it was a well shaded area on the bench, but of course the spot she decided to fall asleep on was conveniently broken up by a gap in the trees. She palmed her face and then instantly regretted it when her face began to sizzle from the impact.

"You better get some aloe on that skin or you're going to look like a piece of raw salmon soon.." Ginny added as she giggled quietly.

"I can hear you giggling Gin!! It's not fucking funny and of course this happens on the day I was supposed to go out for drinks with you and everyone!" Hermione set down her phone on speaker and grabbed some water to sip.

"Whoa calm down tiger, it's not like we're going to be in a well lit bar. Just go home, keep your email open on the computer and prepare yourself for tonight. You'll be fine!"

"Thanks Gin. What would I do without my wonderful wingwoman?? Have fun on your last few exams. " She chuckled and hung up the phone after Ginny said a quick goodbye.

Hermione thought to herself that maybe that nap was well needed. She would have been pretty exhausted partying tonight if she didn't have some shut eye beforehand. She walked up to her car and turned the air conditioning on as soon as possible and then picked her favorite playlist to listen to for the ride home.

She hummed along with the last song and finally pulled into her driveway. She had been renting this place with Ginny for a couple years now. They both had decent paying jobs at the school which not only reduced their student loans, but also let them have some good connections with the admin they had met.

The person who stood out the most was the executive of the program called "Feared Beauties", who only wanted to be referred to as Captain Exavier. The program only selected a few recommended honor students who would be able to live out on sea for a month or two and perform research on sharks in the area. The entire process seemed simple enough to get into the program, but actually being chosen for Feared Beauties was considered as one of the most competitive routes for marine biology at Oxford. It was a good thing though that Hermione was the most stubborn person ever and would get admitted even if it took her years to accomplish.

She decided to order some pizza as she applied some aloe to her red skin and checked her emails every so often. She had a whole week until it would be confirmed for sure that she hadn't been accepted, but that meant that she had a whole week of waiting to see if she did get accepted.