Author's Notes: There don't seem to be many stories continuing the Grabiner path starting the next year. Adventures over the summer are common, and there are a couple that start at the date where the divorce would happen, but just a normal continuation of the end of the game, with no major extra elements, seem to be rare, I think. I'll try one. ;)

As implied above: I'm not planning on introducing many 'new' story elements. There are some new characters - a whole new freshman class, for one - but they are all people who would likely have been in the background of the game, and just never mentioned. There is one new class to study, but it's speculated on in the main game. I do have a couple of things planned for the second semester, but nothing big, and nothing that would expand the power of the magic in the game in major ways. I'm just trying to continue the story.

This also means they pick up where they left off, mostly. No major revelations happened over the summer, the MC and Grabiner have continued their relationship but not deepened it significantly, etc. This is intended to be a sequel in the same style, covering the same span of time (if not the same time period) as the game. Hopefully the year will be as eventful - not more, and not less - than the year before.

What I have expanded considerably is the backstory: Many things are explained to Sophomores that would not be explained to Freshmen, for various reasons. (And I even have a reason for why that is.) If I make a mistake and contradict something in canon (any path), please tell me and I will attempt to correct it. I try to explain and expand canon, not supplant it.

I'm working in the same continuity as my 'A Failure of Defense', for reference. 'A Night of Truth' may or may not be in continuity; I haven't decided yet. I certainly don't intend to redo that scene in this story. On the other hand, this story (unlike 'A Failure of Defense') is intended to stand alone; someone who has not played Magical Diary should be able to understand it, usually. For those of you that have, I beg your patience when I explain what the game has already explained.

One further note: This story is written from Susan's point of view. One of the effects of this is that it makes Grabiner seem more open than he would appear otherwise: His moods are an open book for her to read, but that doesn't mean they are easy for anyone else to read. He also is more open around her (slightly more open than he would have been at the end of the previous year, due to their summer correspondence) than he would be around anyone else.

"Almost there, honey. You sure don't want us to drop you at the base of the hill this time?"

Dad's voice said he was kidding. "I'm sure, dad. Sorry about last year."

"Hey, I remember how embarrassing having parents can be…"

I slugged him in the shoulder, just soft enough to make sure he didn't lose control of the vehicle.

"Be nice dear." That was mom, from the back seat. "Looking forward to another year of school?" She asked me.

"Mostly. But I will miss you, mom." I turned in my seat to give her a smile.

In truth, the question was harder than that automatic response. On one hand, yes, I would miss my parents, and my home. Where I grew up. Exercising the horses, walking through the woods, my own room, all those little things that said 'you belong here.'

On the other… Well, they weren't asking about classes, and there was a reason for that: My parent's couldn't think about what I was studying. And not being able to discuss it was… well, it was worse than trying to keep a secret from them.

I mean, one of my class-mates had dog-ears, and a tail. Another sported butterfly wings. And packed into my bag, hidden from where my parents would run across it, was my wand.

It wasn't magical, or at least not much. I was. And my parent's weren't.

It had been harder to deal with that then I'd thought.

Magic was fun: There was this whole other side of the world that I got to see, and be a part of. I could in the blink of the eye teleport myself hundreds of feet away, or conjure up balls of fire that would destroy, well not everything in their path, but a lot of things. I could read thoughts, or emotions. Or send my own.

I was looking forward to getting back to that, getting back to being who I truly was: A witch.

And, I was looking forward to seeing someone… Someone who I hadn't told my parents about. Well, not really, at least.

The magical world had it's own complications, and it's own rules. School wasn't entirely safe from them, and I'd made a blunder which had entangled me in one.

"How about me? Aren't you going to miss your dad?"

"No one could possibly miss you, dad." Ok, I'd set him up for that straight line. I have no regrets.

It got the laugh I'd expected, and I leaned over to squeeze his shoulder a moment. "Yes, I'll miss you too, dad."

"Well, good. We'll be expecting more letters this year, not just a few at the beginning." Mom pretended to scold.

"Sorry, I'll try to be good — It just got complicated towards the end of the year."

Understatement of the year territory that.

"No excuses. And tell Ellen she's welcome to write as well. Maybe one of you will be able to remember."

"Yes mom. I'll tell her."

And Ellen's parents were a whole other complication…

"Here we are." Dad pulled up outside the school gate. Iris Academy.

I'd missed being here.

"Who's that, one of your teachers?" Mom was asking, as she got out of the car.

I turned, to see a figure sitting reading a bit inside the gate. Apparently at the sound of my mom's voice, he stood up and tucked the book under his arm.

My stomach did a flip-flop. Had he been waiting for me? If he had, was that good news or bad?

Was I blushing or not?

Obviously noticing our attention, he came forward to be introduced. "Uh, mom, this is one of my teachers: Mr. Grabiner."

Not added: My husband. That was one of the effects of the complication I'd run into — to save my life, I'd needed to become his wife, in name at least. Which explained the marriage between a 16, now 17, year old girl and a man nearly twice her age.

What it didn't explain was why he'd kissed me, on the last day of school, and why we'd been writing letters back and forth all summer. A correspondence which I'd been much better at keeping up than I had with the letters to my parents the year before.

None of that had been mentioned to my parents. The plan was to divorce a year and a day after we'd married — that was enough for it to save my life.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Rose, Mr. Rose." His rich British voice spoke, as he gave a slight bow in their directions, and extended his hand in greeting.

I'd missed that voice.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Grabiner. It's nice to meet you. Are you waiting out here to visit all the parents?"

He gave that wry smile I knew. "A pleasant side effect, I assure you. My main purpose is to warn incoming freshmen not to rush about like headless chickens." He gave me a friendly glare as he finished that.

Now I was blushing. "I… uh, ran straight into him last year."

My dad laughed, and my mom looked embarrassed. "An inauspicious beginning, I'll admit, but Susan did distinguish herself as one of our more promising students, eventually. I'm glad to see her return this year."

An actual compliment, from Grabiner. And 'I'm glad to see her'. The first would have made any student here gape with astonishment, and the second…

"Welcome back, Susan." He addressed me directly, looked at me directly.

I looked back, and for a moment… "Thank you, sir. It's good to be back."

He nodded acknowledgment, and stepped back and away. I turned back to my parents. "So…"

"Have a good year. We'll be expecting you for Thanksgiving. Ellen too, if she wants."

"Thanks. I'll tell her. And… You too. Have a good year."

We stood awkwardly for another moment, then I swept them both in a hug. "I will miss you, both of you, and don't you forget it."

"We won't. And we'll miss you too. Make us proud, but I know you will."

"Thanks mom."

We broke the hug, but she didn't let go, and leaned in to touch foreheads instead. "And don't moon over your professors too much, ok?"

"Mom!" I wanted to say it wasn't like that, but…

He was my husband, so it kinda was.

She laughed, and pushed me away. "Have fun. Have a good year."

"You too. Bye, mom. Bye dad."

They didn't need to say anything else, they just watched me pick up my bags, and piled into the car. I stood there and watched them drive away before walking into the school.

Hieronymus — my husband, the professor — was back where he'd been sitting, though he hadn't sat down or opened his book. "You know, if you didn't want students to run into you, you could just stay in your rooms."

"However, that would not stop them from running."

"Ah, so this is you trying to establish your reputation as a scary monster."

His smile quirked again. "I'm not the scariest monster on this campus."

"No, but you are the one they'll see every day." I scanned the few students as we walked. "And you do want them to fear you."

"The dangers the rules keep them from are real, as you well know."

"True."

"And, that is not my only reason to be out here: Someone has to keep the parents of Wildseeds from seeing things they shouldn't."

Wildseeds like me: Witches who came into magic without magical parents. "And to make them forget things if they do?"

"The standing wards will take care of that, as long as they don't stand and stare."

I nodded, at took a deep breath, taking in the atmosphere. "I've missed this."

"School?"

"No, well sorta. Being able to talk about things without worrying about how to keep magic from coming up."

"You did have an invitation to stay here over the summer. A personal one, from the Headmaster, no less."

Yeah, the Headmaster, Professor Potsdam, who was fully in favor of my marriage, and never missed an opportunity to encourage me to make it be more than 'In name only'. We both knew why she'd encouraged me to stay over the summer.

"I would have missed my parents, and we do get along, even if it's odd not to talk to them about what I'm learning here." I mused a moment. "They didn't even ask what you taught."

"What would you have said if they had?"

"Physics and History." I answered, instantly. I had thought about it, just in case it ever did come up.

"History I can see, but physics?"

"The study of forces, and how objects interact. Heat, action, and how to get things to react."

He chuckled. "I see. A unique view of Red magic, but not an inapt one. What would you have said if they'd met Ms. Potsdam instead?"

"Biology, Chemistry, and International Relations."

He thought a moment. "Green, Black, and White magic, I take it?"

"Yes."

"And Blue? What would you call that? Or is that history?"

"No, it's still physics. The history is so you have something you'd actually be able to talk about."

"And you think I wouldn't be able to talk about physics?"

"I'm sure you know the basics, but you would sound impressive in history, I think."

"Well, then I thank you for your efforts to make sure I can impress your parents, Susan."

"You are welcome, Hieronymus. And I will see you in class."

"You are welcome to visit me anytime, as you know. I will see you in class."

He walked off, as I opened the door to my dorm room; the same one I'd had last year, and with the same roommates. I could have requested to move, but we'd gotten along just fine.

"Did Grabby just walk you to your door?" Was Virginia's welcome.

Ellen at least acknowledged that we hadn't seen each other for a few weeks. "Hi Susan. Good to see you again." She gave a quick hug, as I set down my bags.

"Nice to see you too, Ellen. Mom and Dad say you are welcome to come for Thanksgiving, by the way, and implied that if you wrote them, they might actually know what I'm up to."

"I'll think about it. It was nice to visit you this summer, but I'm still not sure…"

Ellen was a fellow Wildseed, but unlike me she'd decided to take the option to have her parents forget all about anything magical — including her. They hadn't gotten along very well even before magic, and then the fact that they'd forgotten the real reason why she was away at boarding school had made them make up their own — which hadn't helped them get along at all.

It was probably better this way, but she was still deciding whether she wanted to be reminded what life was like before she'd learned about magic.

As for Virginia… "Sorry, I was just… Welcome back. It's been so long since I've seen you!" And finally she gave me a hug as well.

"I've missed you too." Virginia wasn't a Wildseed; her whole family was magical, but it didn't mean she didn't miss her friends.

On the other hand, she'd never been one for sentimentality. "Ok, preliminaries are out of the way, Mrs. Grabiner. He did just walk you to the door, didn't he?"

Yeah, the whole school knew about my marriage. It could be explained to them; they knew about the costs of magic. Not that it didn't make my live any less awkward around the other students.

"I guess he did. We were talking when my parents dropped me off, and…" I shrugged.

"He met your parents too?"

"Yeah, he was in the courtyard when we drove up, terrorizing freshmen."

Virginia was looking at me like I was some strange species of exotic bug. "Was he waiting for you?"

I managed a laugh, despite the fact that I'd wondered the same myself. "No way; someone has to scare the parents of Wildseeds away, and can you imagine Potsdam doing it?"

That got a laugh. "I'm sure she'd scare a few away, but we might have to worry about the police checking to make sure this wasn't some hippie cult." This was Ellen, this time, with an accurate description of our Headmaster. She would have fit right in during the 60's, but she didn't look anything like a serious teacher.

Not that she didn't know her subjects, but… Well, I preferred Hieronymus's classes.

"So, since I'm sure you've heard about most of my summer from Ellen already," She'd spent most of it with me, before going to stay with Virginia for the past few weeks, "what have you been up to?"

We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up and swapping stories. It wasn't until I was in bed again that I returned to the question Virginia had asked, and I had wondered about.

I mean, sure he needed to keep non-magical people off the grounds, but… He hadn't been that close to the gate last year.