The next four weeks seemed to fly by. Classes, homework, and Quiditch really loaded Harry's schedule, and with Renata's constant following him (still obeying her promise to Sirius) he never seemed to have a moment to himself.
It was the 21 first of December. The air was cool and crisp and everyone was getting ready to leave Hogwarts for their Christmas vacations with their parents. Harry's last class was potions. It seemed even longer than usual.
"Class, I realize you are impatient to be on your break but control yourselves. No speaking or I shall assign everyone detention."
Nobody wanted detention just before Christmas break. Everyone was on their best behavior (or the best they could manage under the circumstances), even Harry, Renata, Ron, and Hermione.
Finally Snape dismissed them.
"FREEDOM!" yelled Ron, as soon as they'd exited the room.
"I was thinking," said Harry to none of them in particular, "maybe we should go home for Christmas. I mean, you know, be with our families."
"Families?" asked Ron, blinking. "But you don't want to stay with the Dursleys! They're hardly family anyway. Come stay with me. All three of you are welcome to. Mum loves you guys."
Harry said quietly, "I wasn't thinking about the Dursleys. I was going to stay with Sirius."
"We understand if you want to stay home and spend time with Sirius," Hermione said gently. "We'll survive a single Christmas without you."
"No, I want you three to come too, if you want. I mean, I don't want to be that alone for 2 weeks," he said.
"I'm not going home over the holidays," said Hermione. "This is our last year at Hogwarts. It's our last Christmas here. I'm staying. I can have plenty of Christmases with my parents and sister."
"Besides," said Renata turning to Harry, "You promised to take me to the dance. I suppose you can get there with Floo Powder but that's just not as much fun as sneaking out of the castle. Are you staying, Ron?"
"Are you kidding? Of course I'm staying. What, go home and get pranks pulled on me again by Fred and George? I think I'd rather take my chances here with Malfoy."
"This is our last Christmas here. I'm staying," Harry said. He smiled and found that Renata was already grinning at him.
"I knew you would," said Renata.
"Tomorrow's the last official Hogsmeade day, and the beginning of the Christmas vacation."
"What'd you say to slipping something into Snape's drink tonight?" grinned Harry.
"How?"
"Well." said Harry. "I thought we'd put something into one of our drinks and-"
"Use a switching spell to switch that drink with Snape's," finished Renata. Her eyes were gleaming. "Malfoy's too!"
"Yeah. Malfoy's too."
"All right." They began plotting just what they were going to do to Malfoy and Snape as they entered the Gryffindor common room.
At dinner that night they slipped some "Pest Pop" (sent to them a week before by Fred and George) into Ron and Harry's drinks. Shortly after the meal started they used a switching spell. They made sure they had seats that would let them easily see the Slytherin table and staff table without being too obvious. It was hilarious.
Snape was talking to one of the professors, he took a sip of what was in his goblet, and suddenly, Snape was no longer there. In Snape's place was a Snape-sized beetle.
It was only minutes later that the same happened to Draco Malfoy.
Many of those in the Great Hall burst out laughing until some smarty- pants Ravenclaw had figured out what counter-curse to use and returned them to their normal state of awfulness.
"Oh, well. That was fun while it lasted."

Hey, if anybody's still reading this, sorry this chapter's so short and sorry it's been so long since I updated. Writer's block. But I'm going to try and start working on it again.