Hello there! Well, I began my story Better To Have Loved the day Rent closed on Broadway, and decided to continue the "tradition" with posting a new story the day my other favorite show (Spring Awakening) closed. So I give you As If By Magic, inspired partially by the song of the same name from Wicked's workshops. I admit this chapter is mostly dialogue from the musical, but read carefully: there are a few subtle, important changes... and anyway, it's nice and long.

This is going to be a little AU... basically, Oz at large more closely resembles the world invented in the novel... the characters are based more in the musical.

Enjoy!

Why in Oz did I let her do this to me? And then let her send me out to the wolves, all alone? Elphaba felt miserable as she suffered under the glares and looks of wonder from her classmates. She was going to kill Galinda. Why did Elphaba have to let her do this? It was ridiculous!

In short: Galinda had given her a makeover; she had covered her in make-up and fancy clothes. And hadn't had the decency of actually braving the odd looks with her new "best friend forever." She claimed to be sick. Elphaba had pointed out the differences between the flu and a hangover, but hadn't won the argument.

So she stood there in her history class, wearing a fitted white blouse and a skirt that was shorter than any of the ones she owned. Feeling miserable she tossed her long hair, and it did nothing but get in her eyes and stick to her lipstick. When she'd pushed the stray hair out of her eyes, she saw Fiyero, Galinda's perfectly scandalous boyfriend. At least she thought it was Galinda's perfectly scandalous boyfriend: the blonde had told Elphaba not to wear her glasses, seriously impairing her vision.

Even near-sighted she could tell Fiyero was staring at her. "What?" she asked, annoyed.

"Nothing," he said holding a hand up in protest. He didn't seem to be as hungover as her roommate was. It suggested he was a much better drinker than she was(which Elphaba didn't doubt) "It's just... you've been "Galinda-fied". You don't have to do that , you know?"

"Some of us have to try to look presentable. Some people don't always look flawless."

He nodded. "I know that. I just mean, youdon't have to do all that." They both turned red as she realized what he'd implied. She'd never been more relieved to see Doctor Dillamond come into the room to begin class. She sat down in the front seat and tried not to frown as Fiyero sat down beside her.

"Alright, take your seats, class! I have something to say, and very little time to say it. This is my last day here at Shiz. I am no longer permitted to teach. I want to thank you for your sharing your enthusiasm, your essays.. no matter how feebly structured, and even, on occasion, your lunch." At the last comment he gave Elphaba a small smile.

Before she could respond Madame Morrible rushed in, looking flustered, saying, "Doctor Dillamond! I'm so dreadfully sorry." She touched the Professor's shoulder.

"Madame, we've got to do something," Elphaba heard herself speak up, feeling her classmates' eyes on her.

Doctor Dillamond laid a hand on her desk. "Miss Elphaba, they can take away my job, but I shall continue speaking out," he gently said as if his flustered student needed more consoling than he did.

Two men in Gale Force uniforms walked in as if they owned the classroom and the students were an inconvenience. One grabbed Dillamond's arm, saying "Come on, goat..." Elphaba shivered at the slur, and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Fiyero. She shrugged him off, remembering previous conversations with her teacher on the Animals' loss of rights.

As they hauled him away, their professor gave up on his calm facade. "They are not telling you the whole story!" Elphaba felt like he was speaking directly to her. "Remember that, class! Remember that."

"Doctor Dillamond!" Again, she heard her voice speaking out without her consent. A long moment passed in which no one said anything. "Well?" She asked Fiyero, Morrible, anyone who happened to be listening to her.

"Miss Elphaba, there is nothing we can do. The Wizard has made a decision for the best of Oz. Who are we to question his wisdom?," Morrible said, leaving the room as another man came in. "Students, meet your new professor, Doctor Nikidik."

"Good morning, students!" His voice was cheery and Elphaba couldn't help but note that the new teacher was human. Her classmates murmurred greetings back to him and he launched right into his lesson. "Every day, with every tick of the Time Dragon Clock, in every corner of our great Oz, one hears the silence of progress. For example: this is called a cage" He pulled a dark sheet off of the top of a box. Inside the cage sat a small Lion cub, shivering. " Now, we will be seeing more and more of them in the near future. This remarkable innovation is actually for the Animal's own good..."

"If this is for his own good, then why is he trembling?" Elphaba asked. The room wasn't cold at all, spring had come.

The professor glared at her. "He's just excited to be here, that's all." He lightly shook the cage, jostling it's inhabitant. "Now, as I was saying, one of the benefits of caging a Lion cub while he's young is that he never, in fact, will learn how to speak."

"What?" Elphaba was halfway out of her chair, completely horrified. She felt Fiyero rise beside her.

Doctor Nikidik thought quickly, "That's right! Come closer!" he motioned all of the students up so they could get a better look.

Elphaba whispered to Fiyero, "Can you imagine a world where Animals are kept in cages and they never speak? What should I do?"

His eyes widened as he realized that the entire rest of the class had mindlessly crowded around the cage. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Well, somebody has to do something!" Sparks literally flew. Her classmates and Professor jerked and fidgeted uncontrollably, uncomfortably. For some reason, Fiyero was unaffected, he merely stared in her with an expression ranging between, fear, shock, horror, and admiration. She told heself not to think about the last one.

"What's happening?" he asked nervously.

She stuttered, anxious and frightened. "I-I don't know. I got mad...and.. and-"

"Alright just don't move." He hesitated and added, "And don't get mad at me!" He pushed past the others and grabbed the cage. "Well, are you coming?" She nodded and ran after him.

The forest behind Shiz was a common spot for lovers to frequent together. The pair weren't worried about lust at the moment. "Careful! Don't shake him!" She snipped at her partner-in-crime as he carried the infant Lion's cage.

"I'm not," he said. annoyed.

"We can't just let him loose anywhere, you know. We have to find someplace safe."

He put the cage down and turned to face her. "Don't you think that I realize that? You must think I'm really stupid or something!"

She frowned at him. "No, not really stupid."

The insult wasn't lost on him. "Why is it that every time I see you you're causing some sort of commotion?"

"I don't cause commotions, I am one."

He paced around. It was warm out in the sun, but in the cover of the trees the air was still cool. "That's for sure."

"Oh! So you think I should just keep my mouth shut! Is that what you're saying?"

"No, I'm-"

She didn't let him finish his sentence. "Do you think I want to be this way? Do you think I want to care this much? Don't you know how much easier my life would be if I didn't?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Do you ever let anyone else talk?"

She paused, realizing he had a point. She gestured for him to continue but butted in. "Oh, sorry... But can I just say one more thing?" Exasperated, he nodded. He didn't really have a choice, anyway. "You could have just walked away back there."

"So?"

"So, no matter how shallow and self-absorbed you tend to be-" It was her turn to be cut off.

"Excuse me, there's no pretense here. I happen to be genuinely self-absorbed and deeply shallow."

"Bull shit," she said, smirking. "No you're not, or you wouldn't be so unhappy."

For a moment the carefully controlled mask all the seemingly perfect people wear fell off of his face. The facade was back up in seconds. "Fine, if you don't want my help..."

As if it had a mind of it's own, her hand swung forward and grabbed one of his, holding him back. "No, I do!" They stared at each other for a minute before she turned away and knelt beside the cage, opening it to let the baby Animal out. "Poor little thing, it's heart is trembling. I didn't mean for..."

He knelt down beside her and held the cage still as she pulled the tiny version of the Animal out of it. "What did you mean to do? Why was I the only one you didn't do it to?"

Now it was her turn to look a little frightened. She noticed there was a cut on his face and that damned hand of hers decided to touch him again. "Oh look, you're bleeding... it must have scratched you." In a little horror she watched her green fingers on his light cheek, his hand coming up to rest upon hers.

"Yeah.. or maybe it scratched me," he mumbled, distracted. He pulled away from her and her hand landed in her lap. "I better get to safety-I mean the Cub, get the Cub to safety." He picked the small Lion up, letting it rest on his shoulder like an overgrown kitten and left.

"Fiyero!" She called out, but her voice was little more than a whisper and she told himself he only didn't turn around because he couldn't hear her. She turned and went home.

Mentally shaking himself, he walked to the town outside the University. He knew there was an orphanage that accepted Animals- his family regularly donated to it. He knocked on the door and waited for a tired Maunt- this one a kindly looking Brown Bear. He deposited it into her arms and thanked her, leaving a bit of money to help wherever it could.

He walked home, trying not to look at the forest, wondering if she'd gotten home alright. He didn't know what to make of that girl. She was so different from everyone he'd ever met. He let one hand drift up to where she had touched his face. He wondered if he really could feel her soft hand against his cheek still, or if it was all in his head.

He shook himself as the rain began to fall around him and went home so he could try to clear his head of the politics of Oz, the cruelty to the Animals, and the girl who cared about both things so much.