"To escape, you must reach the pedestal and put power in it. However, you are not alone, and there are dangers hunting you."

That was the instructions for the first exam of the sophomore year. Iris Academy had a system of practical exams. If you could face the challenge they'd given you, you passed. If you didn't… Well, there was someone watching who was supposed to pull you out before you got hurt to badly.

I'd managed to only have to rely on that once, last year. I was hoping to do better this year.

The memory of that one time had me giggling a bit as I cast my first spell: Awareness, to find out something about the layout of the dungeon.

The punishment for failing stupidly in an exam was detention, and the form the detention took was up to Professor Grabiner. He apparently thought I'd acted excessively childish at the time, and I'd been a bit insulted by the nursery rhymes he wanted me to summarize. I'd managed to come up with an alternative that got me out of detention early, though my butt had been sore for about a day…

I'm pretty sure that he wasn't going to spank me again though. Among other reasons, it's one thing to spank a first-year student who you barely know, it's quite another to spank your wife.

Not that I didn't occasionally think about it, alone at night… I know enough to know some couples do such things, and I wonder.

He'd kissed me, once, just before summer vacation. It wasn't passionate, really, but…

But it was my first kiss, he knew it, and we'd been discussing whether it was 'appropriate' for me to… like being married to him.

So, alone at night, I do occasionally wonder what it would be like to be his wife in more than name. And: I can count the number of times he'd actually touched me on one hand. Thrice he'd caught me: Once when I ran into him, once as I fainted onto a table of burning candles, and once as I collapsed from the manus's grip. Once he'd dragged me bodily from a crowd; the day our marriage had become public. Once he'd kissed me. That was it, that was all.

He hadn't actually touched me when he spanked me — he used magic instead — but it loomed large in the number of times he'd been physical with me. And I know some people appear to enjoy such things. I wondered why. I wondered if he was one. And I wondered if I was one. And I wondered if I wanted to find out the answers to any of the questions I was wondering about.

But back to the matter at hand. The Awareness spell had told me this dungeon was unusual, at least according to the exams I've done so far: There weren't any closed off rooms around me. In fact, if I went forward and turned right, I'd be facing a large empty room. As that was my only choice, I did so.

Immediately I cast a Ward spell, holding the hodag, one of several I could see in the room, at bay. Protected behind the magical wall, I was able to look over the empty room while the monsters tried to get to me.

The pedestal, or at least what appeared to be the pedestal, was visible in the center of the room. Across the room, out of range of my Awareness spell but within sight given the better than normal lighting, was another student battling another group of hodags. A couple of the ones by me, stymied by the Ward spell, were turning to go join them.

An obvious option was to back off and wait until all the hodags were occupied with the other student, Cloak myself to get out without attracting attention, then use the pedestal to leave without danger to myself.

But the obvious option was never well rewarded around here, and it would leave the other student facing all the hodags, possibly without a way out. I cast Farspeach instead: :Can you cast Shield?: It was a high enough level spell that not every freshman learned it.

:Sure, not that it'll help against these. They don't bother with spells.:

:Cast it!:

It was a risk for him: It was time spent he could have been using to cast a spell that would be useful against them, but I thought he would trust me. Meanwhile I cast Telepyre, centered on him, hoping he'd have the Shield up in time.

He did, and the burst of flames took out the entire group of hodags around him, which only left two who'd stayed with me. I cast Blast to take out one, and the other went down to a bolt of lightening in the back.

We both walked up to the pedestal; I couldn't recognize him in the overhanging cloak, which I suspected might have been an illusion for that very purpose. "Thanks. I was in a bit of trouble there."

"Should have cast Ward first, that's what I did. Shall we? Together, I think."

The head under the hood nodded, and we both placed our hands in the basin, feeding it magical power. In moments, I found myself in the courtyard, facing Professor Potsdam.

"Well my little thorn, I see summer hasn't dulled your skills. In either magic or in making friends. Five merits for passing the exam, and five more for managing to partner up with your fellow student." She bubbled at me.

"Thank you Professor."

Which I thought would be it, really: They couldn't afford to spend to long on each exam, as everyone was doing one. "And I hear you are making friends among the freshmen as well."

I'd started to turn to leave, and had to turn back. "It's nothing; I'm just answering a few questions."

"But they are coming to you with them."

I shrugged. "It's mostly stuff I asked Virginia last year — little things about the way the school works. It started because one of them was brave enough to ask me about the really odd one."

"Your marriage I assume." I nodded. "How are you and Hieronymus getting along these days?" She managed to imply that she would be delighted to hear details out of a Harlequin novel.

Technically, she was Hieronymus's boss, and the head of the school. Both me and Hieronymus had been fending off her attempts to 'encourage' us all year: She seemed to think a real wife was something that Hieronymus needed, and that I would do well in that role.

The fact that he was my teacher, and nearly twice my age, had apparently never occurred to her.

To myself, I would be willing to admit I wasn't really against the idea… But I wasn't going to let a meddling matchmaker know that.

"We are friends."

"Of course you are, my little flower shoot." She seemed to take that as meaning exactly what she hoped it would mean. "But back to your freshmen friends: I really should give you merits for helping them out, you know."

"Oh, please, I just am being…"

"I know you are dear, that's exactly why you deserve merits! But, given how well you've done over the last couple of weeks, and given your unique situation…"

"More than twenty merits in the first month of school would make people think I'm getting favoritism, you mean." I just wanted her to stop dancing around the issue.

"Yes dear, that's it exactly. I know you don't want people to think your friendship with Hieronymus means you are treated any differently."

I managed not to roll my eyes at the way she said 'friendship'. "Well then, thank you for the consideration. And I'm sure I should let you get back to exams."

"Good to know you understand. And have fun!"

I shook my head to myself as I walked away.

Virginia hadn't done as well on the exam. More specifically, she'd been a bit more careless with her Blast spells than she should have been. No one got hurt, I understand.

At least not seriously, anyway.

But it meant she was spending the saturday in detention. As for Ellen, well, Donald had apparently done at least as well as I did, and Ellen felt like celebrating with him.

And I got the distinct impression that she would prefer that celebration not include me.

Virginia's brother had been an deciding factor in her not spending the whole summer with my family, and a factor in why she'd started the summer with me. They were still mostly at the blush at each other stage, which I tried not to find adorable.

They made an unlikely couple: The most studious girl in our class, and the boy who'd spent over half his freshman year making sure he'd gotten detention every weekend.

Of course, Ellen wasn't a stickler for rules she thought were stupid either, and Donald wasn't far out of the top of the class academically himself. So they weren't really as far apart as they looked.

But it did leave me at loose ends a bit after I'd finished delivering the mail with Hieronymus. As much as I wanted to learn everything, studying six days a week every week was a good way to burn out, and I felt that I deserved a break. Passing the first exam was a good excuse.

A 'break' from school really meant a trip on the school-owned bus to the local mall. It wasn't huge, but it at least was a change from walls of the school itself.

On the other hand, once I got there I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I'd wandered to the food court more because I wasn't sure where else to go, but I didn't really know what to do there either.

I could count most of the class as my friends, at least in the loose sense of the term. But between the secrets I'd had to keep, trying to get my feet in the magical world, and those secrets coming out, I'd never really gotten close to any of them, besides my roommates, so just walking up to them to hang out felt awkward.

Besides, Ellen and Donald weren't the only pair who'd decided this weekend was a good time for some bonding.

Which made me lonely, and made me wish…

Best not think about what I wished too closely. I still wasn't sure it was a good idea, or if it was remotely possible.

Even if he had kissed me. Once.

But my marriage had meant that I wasn't on the dating radar anymore. Even if I'd been allowed (which I wasn't, by the magical rules of marriage), I don't think anyone wanted to risk the possibility of attracting my husband's attention.

Although, I had to admit to myself, there had been a couple of people who'd seemed like they might have been interested last year, even after my marriage had become public knowledge. I hadn't been interested in them, and somehow it seemed to have gotten around that I wasn't open to that type of offer, even couched in terms of 'friendship'.

A point I might have mulled over a while, if someone hadn't come up to where I was sitting alone. Or, more precisely a group of someones.

"Hi Miss Susan. Thanks for your advice."

Emily was looking happy. "I take it you passed?"

She rolled her eyes. "Barely: I didn't actually manage to get out of the room or anything. I could see a way I could do it, but I knew I wasn't good enough at Black magic. But I tried anyway, and the Professor let me explain what I was trying to do, so it counts, I think."

"It counts." She hadn't arrived alone; I recognized basically all the faces I'd seen in the group earlier in the week. "I take it everyone else passed too?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Tobias said, sounding like his sister for a moment.

"Not really." Looking over them, I made an impulsive decision. "Wait right here a moment: I've got a tradition to pass on." I grinned at them, and ran to the bakery.

I came back with the biggest cookie they had. "Last year, when I passed my first exam, one of the seniors bought me and my friends a big cookie to celebrate. I'm not a senior, but this year it's my turn to buy."

"Wow! Thanks, Miss Susan."

"No problem."

There was a moment of confusion as the proper division of the cookie was worked out. Once he'd gotten and tasted his piece, Liam spoke up. "We didn't really mean to take up your Saturday. We just wanted to say thanks."

I waved it off. "No problem. I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do anyway. I tend to spend Saturdays studying, but every once in a while I need a break."

"You didn't have anyone to hang out with?"

"I'd kinda meant to hang out with my roommates, actually. But one of them didn't do well on our exam, and the other wanted to hang out with her boyfriend."

"Oh. You don't have a boyfriend?"

That got Liam a bunch of elbows and glares, even before I got a chance to answer. "Oh, sorry. I guess I shouldn't have asked."

"It's a bit inappropriate to ask a married woman if she has a boyfriend, yes. Or a girlfriend for that matter; at least that type of girlfriend."

Liam stopped, shocked. Most of the rest of the group giggled. "I, uh, do you, ah…" I'm not sure even he knew where he was going with that.

"Magical society is a bit more open about that. I know some Wildseeds have trouble adjusting." I notably didn't refer to him. "And, having a girlfriend would be as inappropriate for me as having a boyfriend." I sobered a moment, thinking. "It might even be dangerous for me, actually…"

"Is there anyone you wish could be?"

The rest didn't bother with the subtly of elbows this time, and I didn't let my best cool glare interrupt. "I think that if there were it would be my business, not yours. Especially considering my circumstances, but not only because of them."

He looked suitably chastised, and didn't try to speak again.

My only pity on him was to change the subject. "So, Emily told me how she did, how did the rest of you do on the exam?"

I got to sit back and listen, and I think by the end even Liam managed to forget how far he'd managed to shove his foot in his mouth.

Author's Note: That reminiscence at the beginning of the exam got away from me, badly. I think it works though, despite being quite more than the idle joke I meant.

I hope people understand the 'mental quotes' I put in: I intend to use them quite a bit more later in the story, but that's a ways away. For now, consider this a test.

And if anyone has ideas for Sophomore exams, please, tell me! I don't really want to skip over them, but I'm not really doing the whole 'work out the entire study of magic' thing; I don't have a whole new set of spells they are learning in my head. So I'm trying to think of things that are a bit more dangerous, but not really...