Author's note: For those that did not see my blog entry, I'll summarize. I've recently battled with suicidal depression, and needed to focus on the real world instead of escaping into fantasy. I'm doing a lot better now and plan to continue writing. Although I can't promise any regularity, I am hoping that I can put out at least two chapters a month. Please don't hate me if I don't live up to that though. Enough rambling and making everyone reading this feel bad and onto the story.

"I just had an interesting conversation with your girlfriend." Pansy said as she practically slammed a book on her desk.

"I'm sorry?" I said. Having been roommates with her for as long as we have I know better than to try figuring out why she's upset. It's usually better for her to run herself out of steam on her own than to offer any sort of assistance in the matter.

Pansy hopped on her bed and was sitting cross legged and let out a huff. "When will the bloody Hufflepuffs learn that tact and social maneuvering require more than just a 'hello' and a polite smile? And why are you keeping secrets from your girlfriend? And why does Draco know what's going on, when you've left me and Tracy completely in the dark?"

It seemed that she hit the end of her little tirade, and thus it was now time for me to answer. "Ummm, hopefully before their seventh year, because I don't want her to get involved, and last, because I don't want the competition."

Pansy sulked a bit, but then seemed to cheer up a bit. "So why involve Draco if you don't want the competition in whatever it is that you're planning?

"It's safe to assume that you already gathered that I'm planning a prank for April fool's, but I'm not pranking an individual. As far as to why I've invited Draco to take part, I've offered him something that he won't turn down even if he was sure to be caught, and if I were to do this without the help of a male student, it would either fail completely or be found and taken care of before it happens. So I invited Draco to act as the delivery method."

I could see the wheels turning in Pansy's head as she thought about what I had said. After only a couple minutes of this, and her mumbling to herself a few times, her eyes lit up. "You, my dear girl, are diabolically brilliant!"

"Oh?"

"You're pranking the entire male dorm of Gryffindor! I don't think such a large prank has been pulled in the history of the school!"

"Just don't expect a repeat performance from me next year."

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The last weekend of March brought with it a trip to Hogsmeade and that brought with it an almost endless stream of wares being peddled in the hallways.

With the month of March coming to an end, it seemed like most of the school was preparing for the joys of April fool's. We, and by that I really mean third years and up, had a Hogsmeade weekend and it seemed as if there was always someone trying to sell some sort of prank item or gimmick in the halls, and from what Hermione and Lisa have said, in the common rooms as well. According to Susan and Hannah, not too many Hufflepuffs go in for the whole pranking business, and the wares peddled at Zonko's are too generic for most Slytherins. I still wish they let us first and second year students go to Hogsmeade though. It would be nice to be able to browse the shops, rather than order everything through catalogues.

On the topic of catalogue shopping, I have received a few last-minute items that will make my prank even better, invisible rope and something called chameleon cloth, a piece of cloth about sixty centimeters square. Neither of the items are truly invisible, that would have been way too much money for me to spend on a prank, but they should make everything a lot harder to detect. Most of Slytherin, and probably the rest of the school for that matter, suspect that I'm up to something, which my sudden departure from the breakfast table with an unopened package got more than a few stares and whispers and a knowing smirk from Draco and Pansy.

The next two days were a calm before the storm, so to speak. There was no more peddling of wares in the hallways, and the secretive whisperings seemed to dry up. Even all of our professors made time during class to tell us that pranking would not be tolerated and any culprits will be punished. Tuesday night even saw all of us Slytherins gathered in the common room while Professor Snape told us that "mundane tricks and childish pranks are unbecoming of the name Slytherin." It's a good thing that what I have planned is far from mundane, childish maybe, but most definitely not mundane.

The hours seemed to slow to a crawl waiting for curfew, and then the next two hours waiting for the night owls to finally go to sleep was almost unbearable. The time would have been well spent reading ahead in various textbooks, but I was too excited to focus on schoolwork. Soon enough though it was midnight, I gathered my items and made my way to meet Draco in the common room. He was already there, sitting in a chair and staring into the fire. "You're not having second thoughts are you?" I asked him.

"What?" He said as his head snapped in my direction. "No. Just something my dad said to me. Ready to go?"

"Yeah. Anything you want to share?"

"He just told me to be careful, and to choose my 'alliances' carefully." As we were both moving to the door he asked me, "What do you know about the end of the war?"

"A strange question." I didn't understand his reason for asking, but I knew there had to be a political reason for his asking. I decided to keep my answer basic. "Voldemort was killed when he attacked my parents… somehow, I was the only one to survive that night."

"And what about those that followed him?"

"I don't know. I guess I never really thought about it. Are you saying that I might be a target? That someone who followed Voldemort might come after me as payback?"

"No. I don't think you have anything to fear from them. My dad just said that certain people, people that are politically opposed to my family, might try to use you to further their own agendas."

"So your dad is worried that you being around me might shine a light on him?"

Draco chuckled a bit. "In short, yes. But to hear it in such simple terms, it seems silly."

"So I'm simple, am I? A girl could be offended."

This got Draco to turn red, and for the first time that I've seen, completely flustered. "I didn't… that's not what I meant… I wasn't…"

"It's okay, Draco. I was only teasing. Now come on. We have a lot of work to do." I said as I skipped down the hall ahead of him.

Our first destination was the quidditch changing rooms, where we each acquired a broom. My original plan was to head to the greenhouses first, but Draco pointed out that we would move faster, and quieter, via broom rather than by foot. Retrieving the mandrake was equally easy. I have often questioned the logic in the sheer lack of security here, then again, we are in the middle of nowhere.

After we had the mandrake we flew around the castle to the base of the Gryffindor tower. I handed Draco the rope and the cloth and we both ascended to the top of the tower in search of the open window, which did not take long. Draco maneuvered himself into the ledge of the window, where I took his broom and handed him the mandrake. "Good luck." I whispered.

Draco just gave me one of his patented smirks as he disappeared into the lion's den, leaving me alone to await his return.

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The Great Hall filled up for breakfast earlier than normal, well, all but the Gryffindor table that is. It seems that rumors got out that something big was going to happen this morning. Before breakfast was served, however, the main doors to the hall slammed open drawing everyone's attention to a very angry and worried Professor McGonagall. All eyes followed her as she made her way to the head table, the room completely silent save for the clicking of her heels on the stone floor.

"All classes today are hereby cancelled, and all students are confined to their common rooms. Prefects, get full accountability of your charges and await your heads of house." There were several hoots and hollers from among the student population present, that were cut short by a now even more angry looking deputy headmistress, "Everyone to your dorms, NOW!"

This brought near silence to the Great Hall, save for the sound of shuffling feet and a few prefects trying to keep their housemates in line. It wasn't until we made it back to the dungeons that any of my fellow Slytherins broke their composure.

"So, do you think this is because of your prank?" Pansy whispered to me. I only shrugged in response, my eyes watching the back of Draco's head as it disappeared and reappeared from behind the sea of school robes as we walked.

Professor Snape was waiting for us when we got to the common room and explained what had happened, apparently someone broke into one of the greenrooms and took a mandrake and then placed it within the Gryffindor dorms. Due to the acoustic design of their house, the mandrake's cry rendered everyone that was awake unconscious, and those that were still asleep stayed that way. I'm not sure how the professors found out about the situation as early as they did, perhaps their house ghost, Nearly Headless Nick played a role in that. I have to admit that I failed to take ghosts into account when I planned this, what turned out to be a not so little prank. Somehow I'll need to top this next year, or have something just as big. Fortunately I have a full year to plan.

"Potter!" Professor Snape's voice cut me out of my little daydream. "What do you know about mandrake root?"

"Ummm. Not much, Sir. We won't be learning about that until next year, I believe."

"Indeed." I've had enough dealing with professor Snape to recognise his intentional drawing out the word and the curl of his lip into an almost half scowl to know that he doesn't believe me, but fortunately for me he lacks either the proof or the caring to push the issue further. "Rest assured, anyone found to be involved in this little… 'prank'... Will be severely punished." His gaze finally left mine and I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.