Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and the rest all were J.K. Rowling's first. Chemical X, sugar, and spice are from the Powerpuff Girls. Kirsten owns herself.

Caitlin complained that Kerri and Krista got more attention than she did, so in this chapter I make an effort to give her a bit more active. This is the chapter where I stopped worrying that I was using every plot device that was used before, and just decided to have fun.

Kerri Potter and the Little Sisters of Doom!

Chapter Four: Rockstar Christmas.

Winter break came with all its tinsel, holly, and lights. The entire castle was decked out in festive colors, glowing faeries, and singing suits of armor. Snowball fights outside and in, joyous voices and all the excitement of the coming holidays made it Caitlin's favorite time at school. She had both her younger sisters join her in the appeal to their parents, begging to stay for this Christmas, Caitlin's last while she would be in school. Her graduation was steadily approaching, and with it all the stress Apparation tests, Newts, and the ever exciting acceptance letters from the Quidditch teams she had hoped to be recruited to. (Cross your fingers!) She figured she would have already been approached by a team by now, but still kept her hopes up. Mum wanted her to attend a muggle university, so she had agreed to send out applications. She already received three acceptance letters, but didn't want to talk with her mum about them just yet. How could she leave the wizarding world, so full of magic, and live in the muggle world? Besides, she was too busy enjoying herself at Hogwarts to worry about all that, it was months away!

Christmas morning she woke up early, while all the other Gryffindors were still tucked all snug in their beds. Dreams of chocolate frogs danced in their heads... There weren't many students left in Hogwarts for the holidays; in her year only herself, Kaitie Bell, and Kirsten had remained. Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, and Ginny as well. Oh, and Krista. Four Hufflepuffs she couldn't place were left, as well as a handful of Ravenclaws, and two Slytherins. Caitlin had agreed to save some presents to open with her friends, but wanted to check out what exactly was piled at the foot of her bed. She knew exactly which presents to open first, seeing as they were big and soft, and figured she didn't need to make a big show out of new socks and underwear in front of her friends. Her mum and dad's first gift open, she raced herself to the prefect's bath, and soaked in a tub full of strawberry pink bubbles humming softly to herself.

By the time she left the water and wrapped herself in a towel she was she was singing into her hairbrush. She stopped, mouth full of mint-flavored paste, and danced with her tooth brush, lost in fantasy.

"May I have this dance?" She murmured in a low voice. "Oh, of course Fred!" As she twirled around the tile floors accidentally spitting toothpaste, "Oh, now don't be jealous George... there will be more than enough time for you to dance... Oh? Lee Jordan! Boys...Boys.. don't fight!"
Her twirling came to an abrupt halt as she saw her youngest sister, Krista, staring at her.
"See, I told you, my entire family is crazy." Krista tilted her head to her left, talking to the air.

"Cuckoo!"

Caitlin threw her toothpaste tube at her sister as she fumbled around for her wand. "Scram! You aren't even supposed to be in here."

Krista ducked behind a mermaid statue, "Everyone knows the password but how was I supposed to know you were going to be in here now?" Peeking out from the statue she stuck her tongue out at Caitlin and then bolted for the door, firing off a blind hex as she ran.
Caitlin started to chase her, and made it to the stair well, before she realized she was only in a towel, and Peeves could be anywhere. She didn't enjoy the idea of being caught in her birthday suit, so she made her way back to her clothing.

"Nothing is going to ruin this day!" Caitlin exclaimed to the mermaids as she changed into her presents from her Mum and dad; new pajamas. She slipped back to her dorm clad in her new fluffy sheep pajama bottoms with matching top, her parents had even picked out matching slippers. They bleeted twin Baaa's as she padded through the common room back to the dorms.

No one, besides the Pest were even awake yet.

Caitlin picked over the other presents, shaking the boxes carefully and maybe peeking just a little. She let out a giant Squee! When she found the oversized package from her oldest sister Colleen. In the middle of her band's tour in America, Colleen had decided to send a personalized band tee-shirt, their first cd, and small note. The note from her sister read:

Caitlin, this was supposed to be your graduation gift. But why wait? I hear you haven't decided what to do with the rest of your life well I say Congrats! There is no reason to rush! Here is the number to my manager, phone him when you decided what you are doing. I'm offering to let you come tour with the band over the summer if you want to. Don't tell Mum.

Love, Colleen.


The number floated out on the back of two tickets to the band's London concert scheduled for June.

Caitlin reread the note twice, then leapt up screaming, "I'm going to be a ROCKSTAR! I'M GOING TO BE A ROCK STAR! EEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEE! Oof!" She fell over her bed when a pillow whacked her in the back of the head. Kirsten was sitting up in the bed next to her.
"Geeze Caitlin, that squeal could wake the dead! Merlin, it's only seven a.m."
Caitlin rubbed the back of her head, then leapt over to Kirsten's bed, pillow in hand to tackle her. They both landed with a thump on the floor, wrapped in the red curtains that normally hung around the bed.
"Rock star rock star rock star!" Caitlin was chanting, with each blow of the pillow. Kirsten was fighting back, tickling Caitlin's stomach.
Katie Bell woke up, bleary-eyed and annoyed. The girls had been up all night eating Honeydukes sweets and snacking on pastries nabbed from the kitchens. She waved her wand and with a yawning, "Locomotor Mortis!" Managed to hit Caitlin in the back.
"Come on guys! I don't even wake up this early for school."
"Caitlin started it." Kirsten said with a smirk. "Besides its time for presents!"
"But.. it's seven in the morning..."
"Presents." Kirsten said.
Katie rolled her eyes and reanimated Caitlin, who started jumping around screaming again.
"Rock star! Rock Star!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down or I'll do it again!" Katie yelled.
"Look you guys!" Caitlin thrust the note into her friend's hands.

Kirsten read it, then looked to Katie. Their mouths hung open. Caitlin started jumping on the bed, "I'm gunna be a Rooooock Staaaaaaaaaaar!" The other two started jumping on the bed with her chanting excitedly, until Ginny Weasley popped in to tell them to shut up.
She ended up getting roped into the excitement as well and everyone opened presents together.

After the excitement died down a little, Caitlin pulled on the band tee-shirt. On the back, in curly text flashed the message: "Rock star!"

The new robes from her parent's paled in comparison to Colleen's gift. The jewelry from her sister Kathleen paled in comparison. The plush sock monkey who sang lullabies from Krista was cute, until it started whispering, "Buy Krista chocooooolaaate..." and "Krista wants a pony!" Kerri got her a subscription to Witch Weekly.

Her friends chipped in and bought her even more candy, and a large photo album to fill with pictures during their last school year together.

Kirsten had fallen asleep over her pile of presents.
Caitlin narrowed her eyes, and charmed a feather to wiggle, then sent it after her sleeping friend. Katie Bell started a new pillow fight with Caitlin over Kirsten's head. "I'm up! I'm up!" She tried to swat the feather away, and her eyes widened as her friends proceeded to whack each other with pillows until the stuffing started to fly. She pulled the sheets over her head and tried to retreat. "I'm down! I'm down!"

Kerri's idea of Christmas spirit was slapping a Santa hat on her snake's head with a sticking charm. She was the only girl left it the Slytherin dorms, and her snake had been bothering her all Winter break to go exploring around Hogwarts while there were less students and no classes. She tried to sleep in, but her body was used to her sleep schedule while she was in school, so she ended up waking up at her normal time. She made her way through the presents stacked at the end of her bed, delighting in the new slippers and snake pajamas from her parents. The new robes she was less than thrilled about. Her sister Colleen sent her a band tee-shirt and cd as well, but the note only read Merry Christmas! Her tee-shirt proclaimed in green, "My snake is smarter than yours!" She had asked her sister Kathleen for different books on snakes from the rainforest and ruins she had traveled too. Kerri had wanted to be a herpetologist as a child, and had most of the interesting books she could find on snakes already. Her sister ended up sending her two leatherbound books about serpent magic, and a couple of fiction novels. Caitlin sent a large green velvet bag full of candy. Kerri sorted through various other gifts before reaching a crudely wrapped cardboard box. She opened it hesitantly, and read the note that was inside.

If you every whant to see your evel green fuzel sleepers agin, leve 20 gaeluns in this boks out side of the grifindoor tower.

There was also a poorly drawn picture of the two green fuzzy slippers that went missing from Kerri's dorm months ago.

After pulling on her tee-shirt and new serpent pajamas on, she padded to the Slytherin common room, grouchy snake in tow. She brought the note to show to the other Slytherin in the den, and the bag of candy to bribe him. He normally only worked for money, but chocolate was his weakness. Kerri figured that she wouldn't have been a Slytherin if she didn't exploit that weakness.

Blaise Zambini was lounging in front of the fire, writing in a book which covered his entire lap. The book was dark, even in the firelight, and looked ancient. Kerri snuck up behind him, and rested her head right over his shoulder, squinting to read his handwriting.
"Yo Zambini. Whatcha writing."
Zambini, startled from his concentration jerked the quill up from the page, and splattered drops of ink onto Kerri's face.

"Thanks." She squinted and rubbed her face
"You're lucky you weren't hexed. What were you thinking sneaking up on a Slytherin like that!" He abrupt shut the book.
"I am a Slytherin!" She threw up her hands, which were still holding the ransom note. Zambini snatched it from her fist quickly.
"Someone is ransoming your slippers?"
Kerri rolled her eyes, "Not just someone. My sister Krista... I'd know that handwriting anywhere. What kind of present is a ransom note anyway?"
"She could have at least took the time to cut pictures out of magazines and make it a decent note. Look, she even spelled Gryffindor wrong."
Kerri took the note back, and reread it. "I think she did that on purpose, to make me think someone else wrote it."
"Why isn't your sister in Slytherin again?"
"She didn't want to be anywhere near me. Lucky for me."
Zambini didn't look surprised. "So, what are you doing for the rest of the day?"
"Breakfast first, then I'm going to cause some trouble."
"Trouble," Zambini grinned, "trouble is always fun."
Kerri smirked and opened the bag of chocolates, scooping out a handful and depositing it in his lap.
"Want in?"
"You make a very persuasive argument in favor of causing trouble, but..."
She narrowed her eyes, and dropped the entire bag to join the handful of chocolates.
"Callahan, you've convinced me. What are we doing?"

Krista had asked for a trebuchet, ninja stars, and her very own invisibility cloak for Christmas. Her parents were a little confused as to just why she would need a trebuchet, but knew that their daughter could use none of these items for good. They sent her pajamas decorated with goldfish, a miniature version of Hogwarts castle for her goldfish bowl, and a camouflage cloak. She asked Colleen for Chemical X, sugar, spice, and a pair of roller blades. Her sister Colleen sent her the same tee-shirt and cd combo as the other two sisters, and a couple of stickers as well. Kathleen was sort of confused about the wish list she received from her youngest sister as well, so she sent her a couple 007 novels, four super strong suction cups, and some feathers. (Krista asked for James Bond... the actual man, four super strong suction cups, and one thousand live chickens.) She also got a very large bag of candy from Caitlin, and sniffed it over suspiciously. She fed one of the top chocolates to her clone, who ate it and was fine, and took it with her to breakfast. Barely dressed in her pajamas, tee-shirt, and slippers, she skipped down the stone steps of the Hogwarts staircases. Her clone skipped behind her, covered in the green and brown mix of the camo cloak. The invisibility cloak of Harry's worked a lot better than the camo cloak, unfortunately for Krista Harry had changed the locks on his trunk again, and she couldn't break into it before lunch. She just shoved Mini-Krista along with the goldfish bowl and minicastle under her new cloak and pronounced the hunt for pancakes to be on. When anyone asked, Krista put her finger to her mouth loudly and said "SHHHHHHHHHH! It will hear you!" And continued on eating. She was seen placing a plate of food under the cloak, and handing a goblet of pumpkin juice under every now and then.
One rather adventurous Hufflepuff first year, who didn't know any better, sat next to the camoflauged lump. "What is under the cloak?" He said to Krista.
"Mini-me, she's my clone. I made her over the summer, and now she comes with me everywhere. I even make her do detentions for me. Dead useful, clones are. Oh. Watchout, she bites." The first year looked skeptical and tried to lift the cloak. His fingers got bitten and he leapt back, telling anyone who would listen that Krista brought a dangerous pet to breakfast.

Owls arrived at breakfast, inviting students to a Christmas gift exchange before lunch. Everyone who read them shrugged, and agreed to arrive.

A very unhappy snake pouted around Kerri's arm, hissing nasty things to her, and counting the ways he hoped she'd die. Then she shoved some bacon into his mouth. She was watching her older sister over the breakfast table but trying to make it look like she wasn't.
"I'm telling you, Zambini, they're up to something."
Kerri stabbed a piece of toast, and munched on it, all while trying not to stare at the Gryffindor's. The normal set up in the Great Hall was abandoned for the Winter break, seeing as there weren't enough students to fill one table. All of the houses congregated together, so far, no one had been hexed.
"Her and her stupid friends," she munched into the toast, "think they're so great. I can see it in their eyes, they are up to something."
Zambini was leaning over to Kerri, trying to hear what she was saying through the toast.
"You're obsessed. Sometimes everyone isn't out to get you. Or maybe they are, but I'm trying to enjoy breakfast here, so the paranoia can wait."
Kerri grumbled into her pumpkin juice.
Krista's bag of candy sat on the edge of the table, and she was inspecting every piece. The back of her shirt read, "Ask me about my goldfish."
Caitlin was talking to Kaitie Bell and Kirsten to make it look like she wasn't watching Kerri. "She is up to something, I know it. Look at her eyes. Surely she is plotting on how to get me into trouble."
"Trouble is my middle name," Flashed on the back of her tee-shirt.
Kirsten stole the last piece of toast from in front of her, "So what? Look at the ceiling, it is snowing! I bet there is a lot of snow outside already."

So Kirsten and Katie recruited everyone within arms reach to a snowball fight, and breakfast passed by uneventfully.

Everyone was bundled up in sweaters, mittens, hats, and robes, and stood just outside the stone walls of the castle waiting. The snow on the ground made it bright out, but their breath froze in clouds in front of them, and icicles hung from the trees. There was a light snowfall from the sky as a motley group of Hogwarts students trudged to the field by Hagrid's hut.
Two teams soon formed, the Cannons versus the Cuties. Ginny joined Caitlin and Kirsten as the Cuties. Katie Bell sided with Harry and Ron as the Cannons.
Everyone ruled out wand use, except for the building of snow forts, and the games began.

Ginny started building the Cutie's fort by a tree, until a snowball came flying at her, hit the tree branches, and she was hit in the head by falling icicles.
"No fair!" She yelled, and started charming icicles fly at the other team. So much for no wand use. Her brother had packed a pile of snowballs, while Harry and Katie built their fort, and he levitated the whole bunch, sending them flying towards his sister. Ginny pulled Caitlin along as a bodyguard, meaning she hid behind her, and infiltrated the enemies camp as soon as her brother was out of snowballs. She tackled him, and Caitlin stood shocked for a minute, then started stuffing snow down Harry's back as he tried to help Ron handle Ginny. Katie stopped working on the fort and scooped snow to throw at the pile of people in front of her. She though the red scarf was Caitlin's, but she couldn't really tell because everyone was so covered in clothing. Kirsten snuck up behind her, and hit her in the butt with a snowball.
"Oww!" Katie yelped and rubbed her butt, spinning around to Kirsten.
"That shouldn't have hurt, you've got enough padding!" Kirsten grinned.
Katie looked angry for a second, then colored a snowball orange, and hit Kirsten in the thighs. "Tag, you're it!"
Kirsten wrinkled her nose at the orange splat the snowball had left behind, and she squished a purple snowball into Katie's hair.

All the team members started using colored snowballs to keep track of how many times everyone was hit. The fight lasted for a while, until someone threw someone else onto the lake. They went spinning out of control on the icy surface. Everyone abandoned the snowball fight to take turns spinning each other around and flinging them onto the ice.

Caitlin was wet and cold by the time she looked at her watch. Her fingers were so numb that she forgot she had fingers. It was getting close to eleven when everyone was ready to go into the castle.