A/N: Grace's story began with my short (compared to some of my others) fanfic called "For the Love of Grace". I fell in love with her character, and the way she interacted with the Blacks and the other pureblooded families. I decided to continue by exploring how she would get on with the last remaining member of her adopted family, her brother-in-law: Sirius.
Grace (n): unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification
"I'm warning you, Moony, this place is probably disgusting. No one's been in here since my parents died." Sirius Black looked over his shoulder at his best friend as he unlocked the door to his old family home at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. "It'll take a lot of elbow grease to get this place up to par for the Order."
Remus Lupin grinned and followed his friend into the house, looking around in amazement at the gloomy hangings and dark shadows in every corner. "You weren't exaggerating."
"Yuck." Sirius swiped at a cobweb that had gotten caught in his shaggy black hair. Fifteen years had gone by since that fateful day when Harry Potter survived an attack by the Dark Lord. Voldemort had since returned, and the Second Wizarding War was in full swing. Sirius had offered the use of his family home to the Order of the Phoenix, which had re-assembled after the death of Cedric Diggory the previous summer at Hogwarts.
Remus frowned. "Where should we begin?" he asked, surveying the dark hallway.
Sirius shrugged unenthusiastically. "The kitchen, I guess. Then we have somewhere to sit and eat while we're working." He led the way down the hallway to the kitchen, a large room paved with flagstones and with one wall dominated by a large fireplace. A long wooden table sat in the middle of the room. Remus conjured up a bucket with a simple wave of his wand, and walked over to the tap to fill it with water. He paused as he passed the fireplace. He had noticed something odd.
He turned to Sirius. "Hey, there's hot coals in here, Padfoot."
Sirius looked up for a moment before shrugging. "Probably Kreacher. Our house elf. I'm shocked he hasn't kicked the bucket yet. He's ancient."
Remus gave the fireplace one last, suspicious look before beginning to wipe down the wooden table methodically. He paused when he heard a floorboard creak directly overhead. "Sirius?"
"Mmm?" Sirius was on his hands and knees, digging in a cupboard and seeming to be completely unsuccessful in locating anything but a family of mice.
"There's someone here."
Sirius chuckled. "I told you, mate, Kreacher's probably creeping around spying on us. Don't be such a scaredy cat."
Another floorboard creaked, and Sirius sat up so quickly he cracked his head on a shelf. "What the-?" He gasped, holding his head with one hand while scrambling around in his pocket for his wand with the other.
Remus already had his wand drawn and was advancing on the door. "That's human, Sirius."
His friend looked bewildered. "My parents are dead. Reg died before I even left for Azkaban. There's no one left here, Moony."
"Who's there?" Remus called, his voice a deep growl. Sirius nodded his approval.
A female voice answered. "I could ask the same of you!" Remus and Sirius met each other's eyes, both of them completely baffled.
Sirius found his voice first. "My name is Sirius Black. I'm master of this house, so if I were you, I'd get going!"
There was a very pregnant pause. "Sirius? That can't be- he's in Azkaban!"
Remus looked mystified. Sirius cleared his throat. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked, arrogance creeping into his tone. "I escaped two years ago!"
The disembodied voice laughed. "Now I know I've gone mad. You can't escape from Azkaban."
Sirius looked annoyed that he was being laughed at. "Can too! I'm standing here, flesh and blood!"
Another pause filled the air before the two men heard the distinct sounds of someone descending the stairs. A petite form entered the doorway into the kitchen. Grace's robes were old and worn, but clean, and although she had aged, she was still beautiful. Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, and she hadn't lost the aristocratic bearing that had been drilled into her from birth. She stared at Sirius, wide-eyed. "It can't be."
Remus looked to Sirius, completely at a loss as to who the woman might be. Sirius was squinting at the woman, his grey eyes narrowed. Suddenly, they widened with recognition. "Murdoch? Holy shit, is that you?"
She lifted her chin, looking more like her younger self as she straightened her shoulders and looked Sirius over coldly. "Mrs. Black, thank you."
Sirius blinked. "So, Reg did marry you."
"Of course he did," she said impatiently. "He married me as soon as he became of age."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, forgive me for being out of the loop as far as family gossip goes. I was disowned, you know."
Grace's eyes skimmed Remus with a complete lack of interest before they settled on Sirius again. "What are you doing here?"
Sirius had the decency to look embarrassed. "Cleaning up my house. I gave it to the Order."
Grace took a small step backwards. "The Order? Why is that still around? Voldemort died years ago."
Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. Had she been holed up here for the last fifteen years? "He's back," Sirius said bluntly. "Has been for several years now."
Grace looked as if Sirius had struck her. "How?"
Sirius shrugged. "No one knows."
After a moment's pause, Grace asked indignantly, "Who says it's your house? I'm the one that's lived here all this time!"
Sirius made a face. "Well, pardon me if being locked up in Azkaban for twelve years isn't a valid enough excuse for you. I was a bit preoccupied."
"Reg left this house to me," Grace said bluntly. "After your mother died-"
Sirius shook his head at the mention of his mother's death. "God, sometimes I feel like I tripped into the future. I missed so much."
Grace studied him for a moment. "She missed you, you know. It broke her heart when you left."
Sirius' expression made it clear that he did not think his desertion had that strong of an impact on the daily routine at Grimmauld Place. "That old bird hated me."
Grace shook her head. "No, she didn't. Don't say that."
"Reg was the favorite," he countered. "He was a better son than me because he was soft enough to go along with their pureblood mania. He was an idiot."
Remus knew immediately that his friend had gone too far. Grace pulled herself up to her full height, which wasn't very intimidating, and glared at Sirius. "How dare you come into my home and insult the dead!" she said loudly. "Just who do you think you are?"
"The heir, love," Sirius rejoined. "My blood trumps yours. This is a Black house."
"You're not a Black anymore," she spat. "You gave up any right to claim this place when you left."
Remus had heard enough. He stepped in between them, frowning at Sirius, whose mouth was working furiously as he tried to word his next outburst. "Stop this, Sirius! It's been fifteen years, none of this matters. Old family quarrels can wait until after we get this place cleaned up." He turned to face Grace, his tattered robes swishing across the flagstones. "Unfortunately, we've already given our word to the Order. They'll be moving in as soon as this place is ready. You are welcome to help us, if you like, but if not, I understand."
Grace looked Remus up and down curiously. "I remember you. You're Lupin- the boy that always hung out with Sirius and Potter. You're a half-blood."
Remus regarded her with barely concealed disdain. "I hardly think my blood matters here."
She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I'm not judging you." She gave him a small smile. "It would kill Walburga to know her house was being used for the Order, you know that?"
Sirius snorted. "My brother wouldn't have been too pleased, either."
Grace stared him down. "Don't talk about things you don't understand."
Before Sirius could reply, Remus shook his head. "I appreciate your cooperation, Mrs. Black. I promise, the house will be well taken care of."
"Grace," she said softly. "My name is Grace."
Remus slowly advanced, bending down to kiss her hand in a manner reminiscent of her pureblood upbringing. He was pleased to see that his instincts had been correct; her pride assuaged, Grace smiled at him. "What's your Christian name, Lupin?"
"Remus."
She nodded. "Nice to meet you." She peered over his shoulder at Sirius. "Give me a moment to pack my things?" She paused. "May I take some of Regulus' belongings, as well?" Her voice shook a little on her dead husband's name.
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked, perplexed.
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want me to leave? This is your home now."
Sirius shifted uncomfortably, feeling distinctly guilty for the way he had spoken to her earlier in defense of his claim. "You don't have to go," he said finally. "Remus and I will stay out of your way."
She considered him for a moment before nodding. "I'll take my supper in my room. Have Kreacher bring it up." Her tone had regained the tinge of arrogance that had expressed itself earlier.
Sirius bent a little at the waist in a polite bow. "As you please."
With a final look in their direction, Grace swept out of the room, leaving a shell-shocked silence in her wake. Finally, Remus met Sirius' eyes. "That was bizarre."
Sirius ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. He had earned a few grey strands over the years, but age had only served to magnify his good looks. After his time in the wizarding prison, he was not as strong as he once was, but the weight loss had accentuated his high cheekbones and angular chin- marks of his aristocratic birth. Remus- who from a young age had been plagued with a weak constitution- was jealous that his friend had aged so well. Sirius sank into one of the dust-covered chairs by the table. "I forgot Reg was married."
"You two didn't talk much," Remus observed wryly.
Sirius gave him a look that made the laughter die in his throat. "He was my baby brother, Moony," he said heavily. "How could I have forgotten about Grace?"
"You were in prison," Remus reminded him gently. "No one can blame you."
"It was my duty to care for her after my parents died," Sirius explained. "That's the way it's done. She's my brother's widow. I should have-"
"Leave it alone," Remus advised him. "She looks well enough."
"She's been alone all this timeā¦" Sirius seemed to be talking to himself now, so Remus shrugged and went back to scrubbing the wooden table. After several minutes of deep contemplation, Sirius stood and went back to cleaning out the cabinet wordlessly.
