A/N: My first foray into the Magical Diary universe! It's based upon one of the endings of the game- specifically, the ending where you tell Damien to get lost, but still agree to go through with the ritual because you think he needs it to save his life.

I might not have nailed all the characters and their mannerisms to a T, but I've done my best. I just ask that you read, review, and give me an idea if this fandom is something I ought to keep writing for.

Alicia Renwood is my own creation. Everything else is the property of Hanako Games and Spiky Caterpillar.

It was a moonlit night. The full moon above shone down onto the campus of Iris Academy, and most of the campus was dark. Students slept in their dorms, snug and safe in their beds, all awaiting the next day of lessons to fuel their desire for knowledge, to get where they wanted, to shape the future... to be the best witches and wizards they could possibly be.

Two places burned bright with light- and as she looked out over the campus towards the gym, Petunia Potsdam could only shake her head. Staff members were working hard- cleaning, diagramming, and making sure there were no lingering taints from what had happened. There would be no classes tomorrow, that was for sure- complex cleaning and dispelling was always more effective when you could put a significant amount of time into the spell, and when it had anything to do with dark forces, well... she wasn't taking any chances.

Sighing audibly, she quietly poured herself a cup of tea as a knock sounded at her door, before it opened. As the person entered, she removed another cup from an elegant little tea table next to her desk and poured a second cup.

"...it is done, Petunia. She's been moved to the boarding school in Oakridge, and her memory has been modified enough that she remembers absolutely nothing."

Hieronymous Grabiner took a seat opposite Professor Potsdam, simply watching her as she contemplated the cup of tea in front of her.

"Unfortunately, she will have a bit of a checkered past... we went with the idea that she caused an all-out brawl in the school cafeteria. She was hit over the head with a lunch tray, causing memory loss and a bit of a concussion. That led to her expulsion, and, well... all we are waiting for is the morning assembly to be called so we may simply clean her things out of her room and send her on her way back to New Hampshire."

After a few minutes, Potsdam simply twitched her wand over a piece of paper, and watched as a school record filled itself in. The left side of the paper was taken up by a picture of a smiling young woman, with long black hair, violet eyes behind a pair of glasses, and a quiet smile. The right side was filled with notes made by her professors, indicating that while her control over the elements of white, green, and red was not very much to write home about, her control over the blue and black styles of magic- of alteration and movement, of crafting and forming- were well above-average- even if she was somewhat unsure of herself in practical applications.

The overall image one got of this student was that she worked hard to study what she enjoyed, she was generally a good person. She got along famously with her roommates- the three of them had always seemed to get along, no matter the problem.

The angry red stamp that covered the paper diagonally, from top-left to bottom-right, however, told a different story. While the rest of the writing on the paper gave the girl an identity- the name of Alicia Renwood, a freshman student sorted into Horse Hall- and a Wildseed at that- the only thing that mattered now- that would ever be remembered of her officially- was the word in big red letters.

EXPELLED.

"...I should have seen this coming. I knew Ramsey was nothing but trouble, but I never imagined..."

They were the first words that she'd said in hours. Grabiner simply reached down and took a sip of his tea, waiting for the words to come tumbling out. It had been the same for every student that had left them- willingly or not. Wildseeds that could not handle the stress of a new way of life, pureseeds that couldn't control themselves, and most everything in between- each one pushed her to think about what way that this entire mess could have been avoided- some way that she could have saved them, could have kept them going- could keep them growing.

"...I failed her. I knew he was sneaking out, that he was up to something, but he took his precautions tonight. I believed that he was out in the forest, but... it just ended. And when I knew that he was in the gym, well... it was too late."

Her mind wandered back to a few hours earlier...

The doors to the gym had been barred shut, the magical wards holding firm- and even the door latches had been fused together. He'd did most everything to keep himself secure, until he could be finished with his... meal. Damien could feel the power humming through the air, issuing forth as he pulled at everything he wanted below him. Five streams of power, each a different shade, streamed forth from the weakly-struggling girl underneath him- he still couldn't believe his luck.

Her roommates had been a bit of a pain- trying to warn her off, even after he'd done his best to worm his way into her heart. Virginia and Ellen had done their best to keep her away from him, to keep his prey from him- and for a while, well, he'd thought she'd come running when he asked.

But then she'd turned him down, just to hang out with her little pest of a roommate. That had been the day when Damien Ramsey had decided that he was going to need to take what he desired, instead of simply waiting for it to fall into his hands.

Tonight, well... he'd seen his chance. His distraction had worked perfectly- and she had been out like a light. He'd brought her here, to the gym, where he'd already laid out his circles. Then he'd laid the bait- telling her that he was dying, and the only thing that could possibly save him was a human soul, given willingly- and like the helpful, friendly girl he knew she was, Alicia had immediately agreed, and gone through with the ritual.

Even after everything that had happened this year, all the cajoling of her roommates, Alicia just couldn't turn her back upon someone in trouble.

And now, as the last of her power simply petered out from her body, he could feel it raging through his body- struggling, screaming, yearning to be free- before he pushed forth his own power, forcing it to behave, adding it to his own. Her spirit was his- the spark of her magical powers, everything that she might have been, could have been- was his. The only thing that was left in that body was a soul- now, with the spirit gone, it was just an ordinary soul. But it was still enough for him to realize his full powers...

"Goodbye, little Alicia... I ought to have tried the pity play earlier... it could have saved me so much more effort... who knows? Maybe I would have had time to give Pastel the fun she wanted. But now, I'm taking what I desire- revenge. Upon a stupid girl who strung me along, and the two roommates who thought they could deny me what I desired. Maybe when someone discovers you here..."

That had been as far as he'd gotten when the doors had violently blown open- and there she'd stood. Potsdam. It appeared the soul would have to wait- but he'd gotten what he'd really wanted.

"Hmf. Old woman. Whatever is the matter? Did you need to fetch your walker?"

The only answer came back as a gout of fire, one that forced him back and away followed by a blast of ice that did the same thing- but even then, he still kept his grin in place. He'd won this round, and in addition to his power boost, well... he'd shown her that none of her students were safe.

"As much fun as this is, I think it's high time I dropped out. Besides, we both know what you have to do now... she's on the other side of the Secret now. Purely mortal, purely one of them, and not a drop of magical talent left inside her. What she was, she could have been, she was going to be... is mine. Perhaps I will see you soon, Professor?"

Her only response was a blast of lightning out of her wand, and he could see the look of rage on that warm face.- even as he nimbly dodged out of the way and let the spell flicker and rage itself out.

Swooping past her, he dashed out into the night, away from campus, and off to whatever dark corner of the Otherworld he hailed from.

As much as she wanted to chase him down, however... he did have a point. It was almost impossible to return stripped powers to another person- and even as the weakened form of Alicia Renwood weakly struggled upon the gym floor, Professor Potsdam knew what she had to do.

Propping the young woman up into a seated position, she gave her body a quick scan, only confirming what she'd already known, but never wanted to admit- Alicia was dried up. Her Wildseed had been torn away, the soul aching as it tried desperately to fill a hole. The girl began to cough, mouth working as she regained consciousness.

"P-professor? ...what's going on? W-where's Damien?"

With a sorrowful look, Potsdam brought her wand to rest on her knee.

"Alicia... I got here in time to save your life. I fought off Damien, and he is somewhere off licking his wounds. But..."

Those violet eyes got big, even as she weakly brought up her own wand to try to figure out what was going on- but nothing came to her call.

"Miss Renwood, I came here to save you, and I have succeeded with that. But at the same time, I have failed to save you. While I have saved your life, child, I arrived too late to prevent Damien from making off with your powers. You are no longer a witch, and so... I am afraid that you are expelled from Iris Academy. I am sorry, child... but there is now nothing I can do. I pray the rest of your life is good to you, but this is where your path leaves ours."

Summoning up her power- blue mixed with white- Potsdam cast what she believed to be the most horrible spell ever devised- one that quickly enveloped Alicia's head, slowly soaking in through her nose and ears, seeking out her memory. As her eyes closed, Potsdam watched quietly as the last of the magic seeped inside and let herself sag to the ground.

Mortals knowing about magic would only bring trouble. But this one had been torn from her pot, never allowed the chance to grow.

Sending another quick spell, she summoned other faculty to the gym. It would have to be dispelled, and cleaned... and Alicia would have to be removed.

Standard procedure was to move the failed student to an off-campus holding area until all their possessions could be gathered and taken off campus. Anything magical became the school's property, anything non-magical was returned to the student.

All that was left... was what they would tell the students.

Her tea had gone cold, and she'd not even had a sip of it. Grabiner simply kept watching her, for once in his life, understanding. No scowl rested upon his face- he understood how seriously she took her job, and every time she lost one of them...

"...we will have an assembly first thing in the morning. Before breakfast, in the cafeteria. While the students are there, have Miss Renwood's things moved to the office and gone through. After the search, repack the bags and send them to Oakridge until we can secure transportation for her... and then..."

She stood again, and walked to the window.

"...we mourn."

Grabiner paused in the sip of tea he was currently taking.

"Mourn her, Petunia? She was simply expelled. We cannot save them all-"

"I had no chance to save this one, Hieronymous. This was no desire to return to a simpler life, no wild student that refused to simply behave. It as if she were murdered."

There was simply quiet after that, and the both of them sat in contemplation of what had to be done until the sun started brightening the eastern sky, until she spoke again.

"Have the seniors you can trust start rousing the students, and have them gathered in the cafeteria. I will speak to them there. We mourn the passing of one of ours today. Cancel classes, as well."

Quiet dreams were broken by somebody knocking upon the door. Half-asleep, Virginia Danson muttered something about it being too early for one of her brother's pranks and hauled herself out of bed.

"...s' too early for this crap, Donald..." she muttered, even as she yanked open the door, allowing the light from the hallway to spill into the room. This caused a moan from another bed- Ellen was apparently waking up, as well.

One of her brothers did indeed stand in the hall- but it wasn't Donald. Instead, William stood there, with a horrified look on his face.

"Sis... you need to get dressed and come to the cafeteria. She does too... Potsdam has called an assembly. Classes are canceled today... so whatever it is, it can't be..."

He trailed off as he got a look into the room. Ellen had risen to a sitting position, eyes blinking sleepily, while the other bed... simply looked like it had never been slept in. The stuffed bunny still sat on the pillow, and several notebooks were still half-open. For the first time in his life, William bit back an angry stream of words.

"...Alicia never came back last night. She went to dinner, but... never came back. You think she went to Potsdam and left?"

That line from Virginia got Ellen's attention, even through all the sleep. Wiping her eyes, she shook her head.

"Alicia wouldn't leave just out of the blue, you know... I just kept waiting for her to return, but I fell asleep. Why? What's going on?"

William simply just sighed.

"I have pieces of it, but... you'd be better off hearing whatever the Professor has to say before I make any wild guesses. Come on, hurry up."

With that, William simply went on his way towards the cafeteria, closing the door behind him- and sending a chill gust of wind through the room. Something was definitely not right. Virginia shivered as she simply began to pull on her robe. She had a sneaking suspicion as to what was going on, and she prayed to Gaia that whatever it was, it didn't involve Alicia.

Behind her, Ellen shivered as well. She lunged across the room and scooped the bunny off Alicia's bed and gave it a good, long clutch. To be honest, well... Virginia had a sneaking suspicion that there might have been something going on between her two bookish roommates- she'd not been one to press, not after everything between Ellen and William... but whenever Alicia was around, well... Ellen was happier. She smiled more, grinned more... even through their crazy experiments. It was like she was the pillar of support that Ellen's family was not- where her sister Jenny was just a pain in the rear who assumed that she was being punished, Alicia was always there, offering a kind word and support where it was needed.

They'd both been actively kind of squirrely since Valentine's Day, but the only thing she could ever really get out of either of them were blushes from Ellen and quick exits from Alicia- those usually involved her falling all over herself.

After Ellen struggled into her robes, the two of them set off towards the cafeteria. Ellen still clung to the bunny like it was a lifeline.

"...something's happened. She would have contacted us, you know? Sent word that she was detained somewhere, or even just teleported in- she knows enough Blue to appear without error- do you remember when she sent me back to the bedroom after I hurt my knee in gym? I think this has something to do with her... and if there's any mention of that blue bastard, I swear I'm going to hunt him down."

As Virginia was fuming, Ellen just kept on holding the rabbit. She didn't make a sound, all the way to the cafeteria.

The first thing that struck the two Horses as they entered the cafeteria was that the Houses were sitting with each other- instead of sitting with their own, students sat with friends- or with family- like the kind that was waving to her, with three seats saved at the table. Donald didn't have a snarky joke or a prank to pull- the only thing on his face was a look of anger, one that intensified as he saw that only two were joining them at the table.

"We don't know where Alicia is, so don't ask. She never came back last night."

Before anyone could reply to Virginia, however, the sound of a magically-amplified voice sounded through the room- one that was clearing its throat.

"Children... please, settle down. There is much to discuss."

Virginia's eyes widened as she took in what Potsdam looked like. She didn't look like she'd slept in a week- it was almost like she'd been working herself too hard- like when Ellen had to cram before lessons because she didn't want to forget a thing.

"...you all know that we try very, very hard here at Iris Academy to keep you safe from any dangers that may present themselves. Your safety is one of our top concerns, as the outside world is not often a very friendly place to a witch or a wizard. We struggle every day to make sure that you all may learn your lessons in peace and harmony, so that you may take that knowledge and pass it on to the next generation, and go forth and live your lives without fear as much as possible. However... we are still only living people. There are dark powers out there- ones who would seek to take what is offered willingly, without regard to who they take it from, nor what happens when they take it."

A trembling hand took Virginia's, practically tearing it off. She didn't need to even look to know it was Ellen. Her nails dug into Virginia's palm...

"Dark forces can strike at any time, and anywhere, it appears. We found that out last night. You may be realizing as to how we know that now."

At that, several students stood up, and the obvious conclusion was soon reached. One of their number was nowhere to be found- a very recognizable person. All it took was one student to call out what everybody was thinking- it appeared to be a Toad- and that one phrase solidified the blood of everyone currently sitting at Virginia's table:

"Damien's gone!"

This caused a bit of an uproar, as could have been expected from the reputation he'd acquired among the other students. Virginia was only aware of Ellen's nails digging into her palm- to the point where she could feel the blood dripping down her fingers, the quiet mantra of "pleaseAlliebeokaypleasecomebacktomeAllieyou'reallIhave" coming from her roommate's lips.

"...yes. Damien Ramsey is currently on the run. Magical authorities have been contacted, and they are currently scouring the entire northeast for him. Though it had been long suspected that he was of dark origin, it was not until last night that we found out just how dark. What we know is the following: a ritual was held in the gym last night, after dinner. A student was abducted from Horse Hall-"

Virginia could feel the dread in her stomach freeze ice cold, even as she began to suspect the worst. She quickly pulled Ellen to her, trying to muffle the low moaning and sounds that were starting to come from her roomie. A sinking feeling washed over the whole table, even as people started to look over to them.

"-and taken to the gym, where she was involved in a dark ritual. A search of the school arrived at the gym in time to prevent the ritual from full completion, however... we were unable to save the abducted student. We tried everything we could, but... we were too late."

The moaning turned to whimpering. Virginia still kept Ellen close, even as she closed her eyes and waited for what she knew was coming.

'Damn it, Alicia... I TOLD you he was no good... why didn't you just listen to me?'

Potsdam spoke again- and the icy cold dread in their hearts was driven home.

"So, please, I ask that you join me in remembering one of our own. Alicia Renwood was kind, smart, and willing to sacrifice anything for her fellow students- the very spirit of a Horse. Though she may be gone-"

Ellen could take no more. A full-on wail came from her lips as Virginia quickly moved her out of the room, catching the eyes of her brothers, who moved with them to help clear the way. Dragging Ellen with her, Virginia made it as far as the hallway outside before the two of them just collapsed into a crying mess on the floor, Ellen inconsolable and quickly turning into a bit of a mess. She barely heard two thumps on either side of her as her brothers sat next to her, pulling the two girls into a group hug, even as Virginia finally allowed herself to break down, her tears dripping down her face and into Ellen's hair.

It was obvious now. They'd been a couple- Alicia and Ellen. Alicia had seen something in Ellen that only she'd seen, something that Ellen had refused to even believe was there... but she'd apparently finally come around to it after Valentine's Day.

Memories of their time together drifted through her mind- of gym, of life in their dorm room, of everything- it was simply that Alicia had been everywhere.

She was vaguely aware of more people in the hallway, but to be honest, she didn't care. She kept stroking Ellen's hair, allowing the grief to flow free. Alicia was gone. It would never again be the three of them- her messy, Ellen clean, and Alicia simply trying to help moderate the both of them by providing a middle ground. Things had been rough in the beginning of the semester- but thanks to her... she'd found an amazing friend.

"She's gone... Allie's gone... I told her to wait until the May Day dance, to be sure of what she felt for me... but she kept telling me I didn't have to wait- it was me that she was happiest with. Why didn't I listen to her? Why whywhywhywhywhywhy...!"

Ellen's fists thudded into Virginia's side.

Virginia only opened one eye to see that half the school was with them in the hallway. Toad, Wolf, Falcon, Horse, Butterfly and Snake, all stood among each other, helping to deal with the grief that permeated the school. They may have been separate houses, but they were all members of Iris Academy, and something so wrong done to one of their own was when they came together. This was no time for rivalry, or revenge, or petty dating problems. One of their own was laid low, and they would come together until it was okay again... until it was all okay again.

It had taken hours until she'd been calm enough to be able to even move- and when she and Virginia had gotten back to the dorm room... all traces of her had been removed. There was not a single speck of anything Alicia left in the room- even her nametag had been removed from outside the room.

Any trace of the girl who had fallen for her... was just gone. All except...

Ellen clutched the fluffy bunny even as more tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Allie... her Allie... was gone. She wasn't ever coming back.

Virginia sat on her bed with her, even as they tried to make sense of the last few days. But even that was a bit of a droning mess.

She still had the bunny, though- and no matter what, she wasn't going to ever let go of it.

"...I loved her. Why was it so hard to say that? Now I'll never, ever get a chance to tell her..."

Reaching into her pocket, Ellen pulled out the single thing that had simply told her everything that she'd needed to know- a valentine card. Flipping it open, she read, then re-read the contents inside.

'To my dear one:

In dreams and in love, nothing is impossible.

Yours, Alicia'

She spent hours just staring at the card.

Virginia sat with her, ready for any request.

The rest of the year went relatively quietly- exams were held, assignments were done, and classes were attended. Life went on. But things were never, ever forgotten.

Though in Concord, New Hampshire, there was one person who had no simple idea as to just what her absence had done to so many of her friends- precisely because she had no active memory of them.

Alicia's life had become one of books and study after her disastrous boarding school experience. Her grades had been so terrible that she was forced to stay back a year, and nobody would even speak to her outside of when they had to. She struggled to keep up, even as her parents had dumped upon her their frustrations as to why she would even act like a little monster at an expensive boarding school that they'd been forced to pay for for an entire year with nothing to show for it but a terrible record.

In the end, the school system had refused to take her into the public high school- citing her actions at the boarding school. They stuck her with the other problem children at the secondary education center, where she was trying to keep her head above water, which meant working hard and keeping her nose clean

The only thing she allowed herself to do was listen to the radio at night, while she was studying and before bed. Her favorite stations were the oldies stations, but there was one song that just made her seize up and brought tears to her eyes- bringing forth scraps of memories- though by now, she was wondering if they were just hallucinations. Flashes of boys and girls with the wings of fairies, the ears of wolves and learning to manipulate magic itself... but the strongest memory was of a blonde-haired girl, about her age, with her fingers on Alicia's lips.

That memory kept staying with her, even though she had no idea what it meant. Even as the song finished, Alicia would always reach for a box of tissues kept by her bed- listening to it brought her an immense feeling of sorrow, and it was always good for when she needed to get it out.

As she reached for the knob of the radio, she heard the deejay talk about the song.

"...and that was another classic- 'Do You Believe In Magic?' by The Lovin' Spoonful! Stay tuned, oldiekateers, we've got lots more like it coming right up!"

Alicia clicked the knob and curled up in the blankets.

Who believed in magic, anyways?