Although her life was far from feeling like it would be anything resembling normal for a while, Grace admitted that she was feeling slightly more at ease with the direction it was going after her talks with Fauna and Bombay, although her talk with the former had been much less adversarial than the latter.

If asked, she probably couldn’t say with confidence what was in store, but she was no longer wallowing in self pity or allowing her fear of failure (and other inner demons) consume her. She was determined to move forward towards something positive. Her mother would have wanted that.

Usually when she was unsure about something going on in her life – even the magical aspects of it – Grace had been able to turn to her mother for some sort of advice on how to deal with it. Eugenia Eddy would listen patiently and calm Grace’s nerves and help her to formulate a clear plan of action. Unfortunately, that comforting balance was no more and so Grace was forced to find another sounding board for such a task.

Even though she had only really known her Uncle Jonas for a relatively short period of time, Grace felt a certain closeness to him that was hard to explain. Perhaps it had been his attentiveness to her leading up to and during her mother’s passing, but he had certainly proven to be someone on whom she could rely. He had many of her mother’s qualities and her gut instincts told her that he would be able to help her in much the same way that her mother did.

Grace had found his home address when going through some of her mother’s correspondence (in particular a batch about herself) and set time aside in her schedule to pay him a visit. She approached the building cautiously at first but after double checking the number to piece of paper she carried, she confirmed that it was correct.

Stuffing it into her shoulder back, Grace walked up to the door and knocked. As she waited for someone to answer, she worried that she should have called…or owled….or something. She glanced at her watch and realized that she hadn’t really given much thought to the time of day she was visiting and if she might be disturbing her uncle’s home routine.

Grace cursed under her breath in her native Cornish and then also thought, This is what I get for being an impulsive Gryffindor…

"I'LL GET IT!"

If it hadn't been for the fact that Jonas was several rooms and a whole flight of stairs closer to the front room, he wouldn't have stood a chance of beating his daughter to the door.  As it was, he nearly set the skillet in the kitchen toppling as he dropped the spatula, swore, and bolted for the entryway, a jolt of pain stabbing through his knee as the price of the unusual speed.

Even with Macduff gone and Tawse seemingly lying low, unexpected visitors always made him assume the worse.  Dreogan and Adon both always called ahead.  Tamis and Lexus would have done the same.  None of his other coworkers knew where he lived.  There was always a chance it could be Rosier, lacking trousers in some other of his weird games, but Jonas didn't exactly want his daughter coming face to face with his boss even if the man had remembered to fully dress himself.  With his luck, Gwenna would manage to sink her teeth in and give the poor bloke rabies or something.

The stairs thundered as Gwenna came pounding down them.  Even with his advantage of distance, Jonas was a full step behind -- he swore again as he grabbed for the back of his daughter's blouse.  The next spell he was going to practice, he thought grimly as he wrapped an arm around the girl's middle, hoisting her over his shoulder as he limped the rest of the way to the door, was going to involve subduing unruly children.

"What did we tell you about opening the door for strangers?" he hissed at Gwenna, keeping her balanced over his shoulder.  She tried to snap her teeth at his elbow.  Jonas, who had let his guard down as he'd tried to dig for his wand with his free hand, jumped as she nearly connected.

"Gwenna."  He put every ounce of parental fury that he could muster into the word.  His daughter froze for a split second, clearly struck by the warning.  A slow beat later, she began wriggling again, but much less convincingly than she had done mere moments before.

Jonas sighed.  That was the most obedience he was going to get for now.  With Gwenna still slung over his shoulder, he managed to locate his wand, freeing it from his back pocket.  That unfortunately left him without a hand to open the door.  Swearing again -- although this time, with child-appropriate vocabulary -- Jonas tucked the wand under his right arm, grumbling under his breath as he stepped forward to lift the wards and unlock the door.

Whatever he'd been expecting to see -- whomever he had expected the visitor to be -- his eldest niece wasn't it.  Jonas froze, his forehead creasing as he stared at her, the panic showing through his expression for a split second.  As far as he could remember, Grace had never visited their home before.  Had someone gotten to her?  Was this Tawse under Polyjuice once more?

"Grace."  He attempted a smile at her, although the worry in his eyes -- and the fact that Gwenna was still trying to kick her way free -- somewhat dulled the expression.  Jonas gritted his teeth, and then gave up and lowered his daughter unceremoniously to the ground.  If this was trouble, he'd need his hands free.

He didn't bother to hide his frown as he regarded his niece warily, taking his wand in his hand as he rolled his shoulder back to work out the kinks.  At nearly eleven, Gwenna was getting too big to hoist around like he once had.  It made him feel a bit like an awful parent to admit that he was looking forward to her departure to Hogwarts.  But despite Gwenna's enthusiasm and he and Anna counting down the days, that wasn't what was important right now.

"Is everything alright?"  He hesitated in the doorway, his eyes shifting cautiously past Grace to the street, and then flicking back to follow her movements again.  "I didn't realize you were planning to stop by tonight."

Grace was startled by the sudden commotion from behind the door of her uncle's home. It sounded like yelling and the thunderous approach of a herd of hippogriffs. She almost felt as if she should turn and run in the opposite direction.

She glanced down at the address again and then back to the door, suddenly uncertain if this was the right place, much less a good idea to visit without first sending word.

But the door opened and all thoughts of fleeing disappeared when she saw her uncle standing there with one of her young cousins. Regrettably she had not spent that much time with them over the years, but Grace fleetingly thought that now that she was becoming closer to Jonas, a closer connection to her cousins would also follow.

Grace's brown orbs looked from uncle to cousin and then back again and when Jonas spoke, it occured to her that he was worried about what had brought her to visit. Afterall, she had been a bundel of emotion since her mother's passing. She wasn't sure if either her brother or her father talked to him regularly, but it wouldn't have surprised her if someone had mentioned that she seemed to be floundering a bit in the aftermath.

As if a lightbulb went off in her mind when she truly registered her uncle's cautious gaze. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Uncle Jonas. I guess I should have called first before coming over," she began sincerely. She gestured behind her and suggested, "I could always come back if you're busy." Her eyes fell to the young Gwenna who he had let go and she was now standing before her. Immediately Grace wondered if her cousin had the magic touch like she and Jonas did.

Grace grinned at the pint sized Trevelyan and said in greeting, "Hey there, Gwenna."

Looking back to Jonas, her smile faultered slightly. "I didn't mean to just drop in like this. Everything's fine, really. I guess I just....wanted to talk to you about something." She paused, realizing how cryptic that sounded. "I could use your advice....if you have the time?"

Jonas studied her expression cautiously for a moment, and then let out the breath he hadn't been holding.  "Yeah, come in," he said, stepping back from the door.  There was appropriate caution, and then there was paranoia worthy of the Eleors.  He wasn't about to start turning away every friend or relative who came to the door without calling ahead.  It might not mean that he was willing to let go of his wand, or turn his back on Grace until he was sure of her identity, but he wasn't about to chase her off.

"Anna's got to work late tonight, so I'm --" He paused.  The aroma emanating from the other room was distinctively unappetizing.  "--probably burning dinner," he finished, giving a resigned sigh as he looked to the kitchen.  This was why he usually got take out.    "You're welcome to stay for it, though.  Or we can talk while the kids are eating.  I've, uh --" 

Was that smoke?  How did you even get smoke from stir fry?  Jonas sighed.  "Just a minute," he said distractedly to Grace and Gwenna, starting for the kitchen with a singular purpose.

Gwenna aimed a half-hearted kick at her father's shin, but she didn't otherwise try to stop him as he went by.  Heaving a loud sigh, she looked up at her older cousin, eyeing her with obvious unhappiness.  "So you just came to visit?" she asked, squinting suspiciously up at her.  "You didn't bring a letter or anything?"

Grace warily followed him inside the Trevelyan home, unsure of what she was going to encounter but imagined the worst case scenario was something close to a diaster zone. She eagerly took in the surroundings, as by doing so she would be able to glean some insight into her uncle's family life. The place did look a bit rough, like two children had full run of it.

That coupled with the smell of burning food reaching her her nostrils made Grace doubt that Jonas was the absolute ruler of his Kingdom. She silently wondered if her uncle was one of those husbands who never quite had a handle on homelife like their wives did.

Grace wrinkled her nose and followed his gaze in the direction of the kitchen. Seeing that her uncle looked overwhelmed by her aunt being away for the evening, she helpfully offered, "Well....um....I could help, Uncle Jonas. I mean, mum did teach me how to cook....most of Grandma Trevelyan's recipes."

She let the offer hang in the air and instead looked down at Gwenna. Grace had anticipated feeling awkward and incredibly uncomfortable at her uncle's house. But oddly enough, as she grinned down at her cousin, she felt a familiarity there and it set her more at ease.

Realizing the significance of Gwenna's question, Grace wryly told her, "Nope. No letter. Just me." She paused. "Not too disappointed, I hope? I promise the next time I come I will bring something more exciting..."

Gwenna gave a loud, long-suffering sigh, as if her cousin's denial of her suspicion had caused all the weight of the world to land on her shoulders, and rolled her head back, letting her posture slump as she looked up at the ceiling.  "No.  That's...okay," she said dejectedly.  She raised her shoulders up and then let them drop again dramatically.  "I just thought --  ... You know.  Maybe one letter..." 

"Owls don't knock, Gwen!" Jonas called exasperatedly from the kitchen.  "We've talked about this before!  And, uh, Grace?" he added, a bit more uncertainly.  "You know any good charms to put out fires?"

Considering his friendship with Adon Eleor, that was one that he was going to have to learn quickly.  Although it wasn't as if it were a fire fire, Jonas thought in aggravation as he transferred the smoking pan to the already-running sink.  That proved to be a mistake.  White billowing steam replaced the nauseating black smoke that had previously been emanating, billowing at him quickly and hot enough to scald.

Jonas let out a yelp as he jerked back, letting the pan drop under the running water with a clatter.  The steam continued to billow up; overhead, the electronic fire alarm began to sound.  With a sigh, the red-haired Auror looked up at it, and then reached for his wand.  At least Silencio was one of the first spells he'd decided to practice and add back into his repertoire, although he was still trying to convince himself that using it on the children or Adon was morally justifiable.

"Never mind," he told Grace sheepishly, as he ended the electronic ringing with a jab of his wand.  The steam was still rising from the sink, but at least nothing was on the verge of burning or scalding anyone now.  "I reckon we might be ordering out for pizza again instead.  You're still welcome to stay, though," he added, as he reached distractedly for his iPhone.  "What was it that you wanted to talk about, then?"

Grace eyed her cousin with interest, briefly wondering if she had caused this much terror with her parents when she was the girl's age. She liked to think not, but one's point of view was always relative. Thinking of something though, Grace bent down so that she was eye level with Gwenna and said, "Well, I don't have a letter, but maybe when your letter comes, it will be brought by an owl named Tymerek. He was my favorite from the Owlery when I was at Hogwarts. I actually kinda miss him and even contemplated smuggling him out of school when I was done. But I didn't get to....for various reasons." Grace shot a quick look in the direction of the kitchen where her uncle was. Then she looked back at her young cousin. "Do you think when you get to Hogwart's you can look after him for me? And maybe you could send me letters and I can send you some so that he can deliver them and I'll get to see him every now and then."

Grace hoped her suggestion might distract Gwenna from her disappointment. But she had little chance to dwell on whether it worked or not when her uncle asked if she knew any charms for putting out fires.

Grace warily approached the kitchen and said, "Oh sure, Uncle Jonas." She unbuttoned her jacket and fished her wand from one of the inside pockets. She told him, "It's just an extinguishing spell. But you could also use the flame freezing spell too."

But with Jonas taking care of things, there wasn't much else for Grace to do but to cough and back out of the kitchen. She tried to hide an amused smile at her uncle's woes when he mentioned pizza was in order. She simply nodded. "Pizza sounds fine to me."

She watched him for a moment as he looked about for the phone and absently took to answering his question. "Well....like I said, I kinda wanted to ask your advice on something. And I guess just not any somehting, but a specific something regarding career paths." She paused and thought of the best wording for the next part of what she wanted to say. "For the past....oh, I don't know...three years or so, I thought I wanted to be a healer. But what if all along I wasn't meant to be one and me missing my herbology exam was a sign that I was meant to do something else?" She looked at him expectantly and finally said, "Like...be an Auror...."

Whatever Gwenna had responded in the other room, it was lost to the ages as Jonas fumbled for his iPhone.  It had taken some finagling with the Eleor brothers' protective charms to finally find a balance between security and modern conveniences.  Even though he was still considerably out of practice, having his magic back meant that they didn't need to be quite so paranoid as they'd been, which meant that he no longer had to depend on multi-hour offsite lunch breaks to be able to use his phone.  It was nice to be able to order out for pizza without having to walk down the street until he was out of range of the protective charms.

As he fumbled through the touch screens to find his pizza-ordering application, Grace's words barely registered.  Years ago when he'd first gotten married, Jonas had mastered the ability to recognize pauses in a speech and unconsciously insert an appropriate-sounding noise of agreement into the gap.  Nowadays, it took an effort not to slip into the habit.  Even with Anna and Adon regularly calling him out on it, he tended to zone out during conversations, especially when he had the distraction of multitasking.  But her last few words -- "Like…be an Auror…" -- rang out with sudden clarity, even if Grace's tone hadn't sounded nearly so confident.

Jonas looked up with a startled expression on his face, his fingers hovering over the unsent order.  It took him a moment to run over the last few sentences in his head.  Something about career paths…missing an exam…

"Well," he began cautiously, and then stopped.  How was he supposed to respond to a statement like that?

"You've been planning to be a Healer for a while, haven't you, Grace?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably as he lowered his phone.  Not that he'd known his niece well for very long, but that was what she had told him in the past.  "Seems a bit, ahh, sudden, doesn't it?  A switch like that?  You're dropping quite a bit of planning just because you missed one exam."

Grace tried to contain a smile of amusement as she watched her uncle trying to recover from his cooking fiasco. And though she had grown up in the Muggle world and its technology, now that she knew her uncle in the magical world context, it was a little odd to see him using an iPhone; it just seemed  out of place.

She anxiously waited for his opinion on what she had just thrown out there. He might not fully realize it yet, and maybe given the ties to her mother he might not exactly revel in it, but he had become an important person in her life as far as opinions and advice were concerned. And for someone as headstrong and determined as Grace to actively seek out and plan to listen to someone else's insight on what she should do was significant.

She expected some skepticism on his part. Even when her mother had not known the full scope of something Grace sought her advice on, playing Devil's Advocate was often a part of the routine. Eugenia Eddy had a way of getting her daughter to look at aspects of a problem or situation that she had not fully considered before. And her opinion and approval ultimately became quite important in making a final decision or plan of action.

Already, without intending to do so, Jonas was serving in a similar role. Grace saw the surprise in his expression and she immediately heard the confusion and quiet concern in his questioning.

She didn't respond right away and a strange silence filled the void as she tried to piece together an explanation for him. She moved to take a seat at the kitchen table and clasped her hands together on top of it.

"I thought I really wanted to be a healer too, Uncle Jonas," Grace began quietly, looking down at her intertwined fingertips on the table. "But maybe I was wrong. And maybe I wasn't and the idea of being a Healer now just feels so...heavy." The last word was accompanied by Grace releasing a heaving sigh as her shoulders tensed upwards and then dropped again. She raised her brown eyes to meet his and there was sadness and resignation in the look.. "It shouldn't be such a chore or a burden to do something you love. And I know that  a lot of jobs are never really that easy, but that's not what I mean. Doing someting challenging is not really new to me. But this is a different kind of hard. Does that make sense?" she asked with a frown. "I think this is just.....too close to home and I need a break. It  was so much easier wanting to be a healer and wanting to explore things like cancer in our world and in mum's world when I thought she was going to live."

Grace paused, her voice choking up a bit. "I....its hard to look at all of my notes about healing and feel confident that I can do something significant when nothing could really help her. I'm not saying that there will never be another time when I will want to be a healer and it won't feel so....difficult. But I just don't know if I can do it right now. And maybe missing my exam is a way for me to see if I can do or be something else just as well. Until that lunch at the career fair, I never really let myself consider anything different."

Grace suddenly felt self conscious, worried about how much justifying she had just done in such a short space of time. Her uncle had a valid point, didn't he?

Her brow furrowed deeply and she asked with concern, "Do you really think I should just stick it out? I guess I must sound like like such a quitter for wanting to give up that easily, huh?"