Well, I could sure see Dad's point. If I'd never tried to clear my name of murder, I might not have even heard of the Ring of Everlasting Night. I might not have been forced to make a trade between the ring and my beloved, studly familiar. Of course, I might not have tried to make nice with the Black family, done magic again, or applied to college either. Coulda, woulda, shoulda was often a slippery slope that might just put me someplace I didn't want to be.
Did I want to be in this exact situation I was in right now? Nope. Zero out of ten, would not recommend. Did I like where I'd been before this exact situation? I really did. I was starting to finally feel like the me I was always supposed to be, witch warts and all.
Oh wait, those were just more goose bumps. I was freezing.