Note: People who have submitted ideas or requests not yet used will see some of them after Christmas, including part 2 of the Harry uses the mirror idea.

It was a week before the Christmas holiday period for the 1994-1995 school year was scheduled to begin and the student body of Hogwarts had just began eating dinner in the Great Hall when Ludo Bagman stood up at the staff table and put his mouth to a megaphone.

"Attention students of Hogwarts, there is an urgent announcement, "

The students all fell silent. Urgent usually meant something was wrong or that there was an emergency. There was suddenly a palpable unease in the air.

"The Yule Ball has been canceled, " announced Bagman calmly.

The immediate reactions to this news were varied.

"I'm relived this urgent news isn't very tragic or serious, " said an obviously relived sounding Susan Bones.

"Whatever, " piped up Luna Lovegood indifferently, "I wasn't going anyway."

"Well, I'm spared the embarrassment of having to dance in front of everyone," declared Harry Potter happily.

"Bummer," said a disappointed sounding Lavender Brown, "I was really looking forward to the Yule Ball."

"Personally, " explained Hannah Abbott calmly, "I'm honestly glad that the Yule Ball is being canceled. This means that I will now go home and spend Christmas with mom and dad."

"Miss Abbott, " replied Bagman calmly, "That is exactly the reason why the Yule Ball is being canceled. So that students don't feel compelled to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday period if they don't want to."

"What brought about this decision?" asked Cedric Diggory calmly, "My mom and dad will be glad that I am coming home for Christmas after all, but I'm just curious."

"Ah," replied Bagman, "When the Heads of House received the completed lists of sign-up sheets for who was staying at Hogwarts for holidays, Professors Flitwick and Sprout were alarmed to find out that the sign up rate was an unheard of 99%. Both happened to come to me at the same time and brought this to my attention. I then asked McGonagall and Snape about it. McGonagall admitted the same thing was true in her house, though she doesn't seem to have had any intent to act on or speak about it. Snape just sneered and never gave me an answer. Perhaps Flitwick and Sprout can explain what was going through their mind and why they requested that the Yule Ball be canceled, a request I and Fudge have agreed to. Crouch has been ill lately, and I have been unable to contact him but that's another can of worms entirely."

"When I received the filled out sign-up sheet, " explained Sprout calmly, "It just didn't feel right to me. At first, I couldn't put my finger on why, but I used the Force and searched my feelings and came to understand that it was wrong to keep children away from their parents and families at Christmas."

"Christmas is supposed to be a time for family," said Luna softly.

"That's exactly it," nodded Sprout, "That's what my heart of hearts told me, "I felt my eyes well up and my heart grow heavy when I thought of children being kept from their families at Christmas. "

"The number of students who stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and the ratio thereof to the student body as a whole tends to vary year and year and sometimes wildly, but I'd never come close to seeing a list as long of the one I got this year. This set off alarm bells in my mind. I sat down in my office and quietly thought it over. After deliberating about it, I arrived at the conclusion that holding an event at Hogwarts that compelled students to stay at Hogwarts and kept them away from their parents and families at Christmas was the wrong thing to do, " explained Flitwick calmly.

"Truthfully, " admitted McGonagall, "Holding such an event at Hogwarts was wrong, but it wasn't my decision to make."

"What's the point of having McGonagall as our Head of House," exclaimed a frustrated sounding Katie Bell, "It's not like she ever looks after us."

"I'm not a huge McGonagall fan myself, " acknowledged Alicia Spinet, "But, Honestly, I think she's also overworked. Being both a Head of House AND A Deputy Headmistress is too much on one person's plate. "

"I'm grateful to now be going home to spend Christmas with mom and dad when the semester ends and not to have to feel guilty about it," cooed Hannah happily.

"That's what this decision is all about," replied Bagman, smiling at her, "Remember that this decision is being made as much for the families as the students themselves."

"I know my parents will be delighted when I owl them about the change in plans, " beamed Cedric Diggory, "Sometimes, what's right wins out in the end."

That was the predominant feeling in the Great Hall, that the right choice been made.

Everybody now got back to his or her dinner, most of the students ultimately agreeing with this conclusion.

I strongly oppose Hogwarts holding an event that would compel almost the entire student body to stay at a boarding school over the Christmas holidays. In my opinion, there should only be a small handful of students staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, as was the case in POA. Parents should have their children home for Christmas.

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As this will be the last update to Things That Should Have Happened in Canon before Christmas, I'd like to take this moment to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!