Grace is the child of two muggle-borns who lived through the dark times of the Second Wizarding War. Her parents still share some of the trauma associated with being declared 'usurpers of magical power' and having to go into hiding. Though the subsequent Wizarding government has been progressive, Grace's parents are both still deeply distrustful.

Grace was raised by her mother in rural Cumbria, in an unplottable location, unconnected to the floo network. Her mother has become something of a survivalist and has made contingency plans in case history should repeat itself. Grace was taught survival skills and fed heavy doses of paranoia and constant vigilance. Grace's mother resents Statute of Secrecy and disapproves of how muggles are kept dangerously ignorant of the perils all around them. For that reason, she never sheltered Grace from the truth no matter how frightening. So Grace has had stories of dark creatures, evil wizards, and government corruption mixed in with her bedtime stories, and martial arts, dodging, and evasion exercises mixed in with her childhood games.

Grace was briefly sent to muggle school in the closest village, but despite being warned Grace also had difficulty with the Statute of Secrecy and had a hard time keeping her knowledge of the magical world to herself. It was far too tempting to try to impress her peers with her stories of dragons and unicorns, which she insisted were true even when reprimanded. Ironically it was while being forced to sit next to the blackboard, under the heading "I tell fibs" that Grace's own magic manifested. The words that wrote themselves behind the teacher's head were not spelt correctly, but one got the gist if one sounded them out. Grace was homeschooled after that.

The lessons Grace's mother taught her about the dangerous world had unintended effects. Grace has learned her lessons well, but rather than becoming more cautious, the stories and training only served to pique Grace's interest. She has a fascination with anything dark and dangerous and with stories of good triumphing over evil. She would like nothing better than to become a brave and noble hero herself someday.

All this physical training has made Grace very fit and agile, but her unusually tiny size will prevent her from being as strong or fast as some of her peers. Her build is more wiry than muscular and she has very little body fat. Grace enjoys rough and tumble activities so her appearance is often untidy, her clothing untucked and her long dark hair wild and uncombed. Grace is pale, with a few freckles across her nose in summer, and has intense blue eyes.

Grace's odd childhood has left her poorly socialized. The subjects that interest her make for very poor small talk. However, she is a friendly, cheerful child, and is eager to make friends.