The sun had been peeking through back in London, but it had yet to pierce the clouds in Godric's Hollow.  That was fine, Jonas reckoned; it about matched his mood, which was not particularly appreciative of all of the extra patrols that the Aurors were getting sent on now that Minister Zephyr was calling for immediate action against the Dementor attacks.

He was doing his best not to show it, for the sake of his newly assigned protege for the day.  Ignatius Hallows was the latest addition to the Auror Corps, a trainee so green he was practically photosynthesizing.  The boy was a few years older than their most recent recruits, but with his too-big clothing and shaggy dark hair, he somehow seemed even younger.

Tamis was greatly in favor of getting the trainee Aurors out into the field as soon as possible.  It was a technique that served well for recruits like Farro and Blake, who had the nerves but really just lacked experience; Jonas was much less sure of it than Hallows, who seemed more anxious than anything else.  He hadn't had much of a chance to get a read on the boy, but with the extra patrols they'd been taking at request of the Minister, they needed all of the bodies they could get.  Green or not, Trainee Hallows was getting thrown into the thick of it.  Hopefully he'd remember his Defense spells if they encountered any Dementors.

"So what was it that drew you to the Corps?"  Jonas swatted absently at a fence post as they walked by.  The streets of Godric's Hollow were quiet today; they'd seen few people at all, and there'd been no sign at all of Dementors.  But at least 'taking measures' gave him something to think about besides his encounter from a few days before, and chatting with Hallows gave him something to do beyond the monotony of a quiet patrol. 

"Not that it's unheard of to be starting training so late," he added, flashing a friendly smile at Hallows, "but most seem to find their way to us straight out of Hogwarts.  Has to be a bit of a challenge, coming into it so much later than the others."

Internally he had been debating about his shift with the older Auror, not acknowledging that there was no choice in the matter. Ignatius would notice things better at night, things that just didn’t fit into the picture. It was too easy to miss things in the light of the day, everyone would be going about their business and there was always so much to observe and take in. The dark provided a limited palette of intention and purpose, not many people ventured out of their homes at this time of day and it gave him plenty of time to soak in the surroundings.

The bushes, and the way they moved in the wind, the trees and the darker patches of shadow they projected over the world around them. Everything had its place, and Ignatius was watching carefully for something to be out of place.

But, the boy was concerned that he might be more of a hindrance to the other Auror if something happened. He was new and his experience in the field was hardly worth mentioning. At least the extra pair of eyes might be of some help.

He had taken to picking at his nails, one finger to the other, and forgotten he was with someone else, it was a habit he had not learnt to shake. He glanced over to the other man, watching him tap the fence posts. It must have seemed mundane to him, observing the nothingness and absence of action. He continued the conversation in his head, forgetting that he should be replying to the other Auror. There were plenty of reasons why people would be drawn to the Corps, some people came for the respect and power the rank held and other people just wanted to do their duty and defend. He wanted to defend, to be useful for once.

“Oh,” he breathed “I tried, but they said no… my theory was there, but not the backbone.” he was too nervous and theoretical to get in on the first attempt, but he had made peace with his failure a long time ago. His experience in the wilds with creatures and survival had thrown him into the deep end, and the Aurors were throwing him into the deep end again. Although this time it was different, instead of the fleeting notion that they might not survive the night – he was more worried about other people being caught up in the crossfire, should something actually happen.

“I wanted to serve some time and protect people who have something more to live for.”

The words were not intended to sound as dark as they did, Ignatius was quite happy with his life and had more than enough to live for. But there were people who had families, bigger concerns.   

"I mean-- not, like that... I just don't have much of my own to protect," he stumbled over his words, his voice remained quiet but raised a few times throughout the sentence. Enough for his accent to be noticeable.

"Others have so much to protect and I want to be helpful."

He glanced sidelong at Hallows, studying the younger wizard as he spoke.  Sometimes Tamis Raynor's motives were hard to read, but with this young man, he immediately grasped what she must have seen in the potential Trainee.  Protecting others, not having much of his own; it was easy to imagine the Head Auror identifying with that.

"Well," he said, favoring Hallows with a smile, "I reckon you'll have plenty of chances to be helpful."  Likely he already had; Pratt usually didn't wait long in seizing the newest Trainees for their first lesson as coffee deliverers.  That was one of the benefits of the new training system.  Back when he and Tait had been going through training, they'd spent almost all of their first year in a classroom.  It had certainly been educational, but it hadn't helped them to feel useful.

But now here Hallows was, not even a month into his training and already out in the field.  Jonas gave the young man a considering look while trying not to look like he was eyeing him.  Backbone could be learned just as much as theory could.  Heart and nerve were far more important.

"Don't have much to protect yourself?" he asked, attempting to temper his curiosity with politeness.  "Where's your family, then?"  The boy's lilt was slight; most of the time, it was only barely noticeable.  He might have been born elsewhere, but judging by the way he spoke, he'd spent plenty of time in Britain.  "Not that I'll protest the helpfulness, mind," he added with a slight crooked smile, "but I'd hate to think there's nothing there."