A/N – Welcome to my first festive multi-chapter story. Christmas at Hogwarts has 10 chapters in total, and it'll all be posted before Christmas. I plan on updating on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I've rated it M for a brief scene in chapter 6. It probably isn't enough to warrant the rating, but I would rather be safe and avoid someone reporting the story if it's a lower rating.

I just want to say that this story is fun and light-hearted. In this universe, Voldemort was defeated when Harry was a baby, meaning he hasn't been around to influence certain things.

Enjoy!

Leaving Hogwarts.

Hogsmeade station was a hive of activity as Professor Albus Dumbledore and his staff hurried the students onto the Hogwarts Express. As they did so the snow kept getting heavier and the wind began picking up.

"Professor Dumbledore, we need to go now," The train driver shouted from the window of the engine room. "The storm's getting worse, if we don't leave now we'll be stuck."

"We're done," Dumbledore shouted back, before turning to the only other remaining Professors on the platform. "Minerva, Severus, get aboard."

Quickly checking they hadn't left a student on the platform the three Professors climbed about the train. The second they boarded the train began pulling out of the station and barrelling towards London.

"I hope we didn't leave anyone," Minerva McGonagall sighed, brushing snow from her hat. "We left in such a rush."

For the first time since it had opened Hogwarts was closing for the Christmas break. Normally the school remained open over the holidays, but there was a severe storm heading in the school's direction so Dumbledore and his staff had taken the decision to shut the school. Unfortunately the storm had moved in slightly quicker than was anticipated and earlier that morning a decision was made to leave school an hour sooner than originally planned. The last minute change of plans had made things slightly more hectic, but Dumbledore was convinced everything had gone well.

"We double checked the common rooms and they were all empty," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure everyone's on board."

"I hope so," McGonagall muttered, looking out of the window at the raging storm.

"I'm sure of it," Dumbledore reassured his deputy head. "Now let's go and grab a nice cup of tea. It's been years since I've ridden the Hogwarts Express and I'm quite looking forward to it."

A beaming Dumbledore turned and began walking down the train, heading for the far compartments that had been reserved for the staff. McGonagall and a grumpy looking Severus Snape followed the Headmaster along the corridor. Neither McGonagall nor Snape were particularly looking forward to travelling with the students and both were eager to reach the privacy of their compartment.

Arriving in one of the staff compartments Snape pulled the door closed behind them as the trio settled down for the rest of the journey, which would hopefully be a peaceful one.

OOO

Fifteen minutes after leaving Hogsmeade, Ginny Weasley was prowling the train in search of her brother, Ron Weasley, her boyfriend, Harry Potter and their best friend, the Head Girl Hermione Granger. Back in the common room Harry and Ron had left to tell Hermione the change of plans and had promised Ginny they would meet her on the train. Initially Ginny figured the trio would try and find her but when they hadn't arrived after ten minutes she had set out in search of them.

After ten minutes of searching up and down the train, Ginny conceded defeat and headed back to the carriage she had initially come from. Ginny had been sitting with a few other Gryffindors in Harry and Ron's year and a Ravenclaw in hers.

"Any luck?" Neville Longbottom asked upon Ginny's return.

"No sign." Ginny shook her head. "I don't think they're on the train."

"They have to be on the train," Dean Thomas said.

"Yeah, Dumbledore wouldn't leave them behind," Seamus Finnegan added.

"I'm telling you, they're not here," Ginny insisted. "I've been up and down this train and Harry, Ron and Hermione aren't on board."

"Maybe we should all have a look," Suggested Luna Lovegood, the Ravenclaw from Ginny's year.

"What happens if Ginny's right and they're not here?" Neville asked.

"We go and tell Dumbledore," Ginny said. "The Professors are all on the train."

"Come on then, let's get searching," Dean said as he and Seamus stood up. "Why don't us boys go one way, you girls go the other and we'll meet back here when we're done."

Satisfied with the plan the group split into two and conducted another search of the train. When they returned to the compartment they all agreed that Harry, Ron and Hermione were missing. Instead of everyone going to inform Dumbledore of the problem, Ginny went alone while the others waited behind for news.

Arriving at the first of the teacher's compartments, Ginny knocked on the frosted glass of the door and waited for an answer. When the door opened Ginny was confronted with the one professor she didn't really wish to deal with, the formidable Head of Slytherin, Professor Snape.

"What is it Miss Weasley?" Snape snapped, unimpressed to be disturbed.

"I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore," Ginny replied. "It's an emergency."

"I'm sure whatever it is can wait until after the New Year," Snape retorted as he began to shut the door in Ginny's face.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione aren't on the train," Ginny blurted, stopping Snape in his tracks.

"What do you mean they're not on the train?" Snape asked, re-opening the door fully. "Are you saying they're still in school?"

"I don't know where they are," Ginny sighed.

"You better come in and explain yourself," Snape said, gesturing for Ginny to enter the compartment.

Ginny entered the compartment full of Professors and stood there awkwardly as Snape explained what she had just told him. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout all looked aghast at the news and Professor McGonagall muttered something under her breath that Ginny didn't quite catch.

"When was the last time you saw Harry, Ron and Hermione?" Dumbledore asked.

"Harry and Ron were in the common room when the word came that we were to leave for the coaches immediately. They were worried about Hermione not knowing about the change so they rushed off to the head dorms to get her," Ginny explained. "They promised to meet us on the train, but they never appeared. We've searched the train and they're not here."

"Oh dear, it looks as though we've got a bit of a situation on our hands," Dumbledore remarked.

"You don't say," Snape muttered sarcastically. "I'd say it's more like a crisis. We've left three students behind."

Before Snape could say more on the subject there was another knocking on the door. Once again Snape answered the door and this time he opened it to reveal a worried looking Pansy Parkinson. After a few words with the Slytherin girl he let her into the already crowded compartment.

"It's definitely a crisis now," Snape remarked. "We've now left six students behind."

"Dear Merlin, this is a disaster," McGonagall sighed.

"Who else is missing?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Pansy.

"Draco, Blaise and Theo are all missing," Pansy replied.

She then proceeded to tell a story almost identical to Ginny's. When the word came round about the train departure time being moved Blaise Zabini and Theo Nott had headed off to inform the Head Boy, Draco Malfoy of the change. Like with Harry and Ron they had promised Pansy to meet her on the train, but they had also failed to show. Like the Gryffindors the Slytherins had launched a search for their missing friends and like the Gryffindors they had come up empty handed.

"What happened in the head dorms?" McGonagall mused. Considering the head students were missing and the other students had been going to the head dorms it made sense that something had happened to delay the six seventh years.

"Who knows?" Dumbledore shrugged. "But I think we can at least say they're safe back in school."

"When can we go and get them?" Pansy asked. "Are we turning the train round?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible," Dumbledore answered. "Hogwarts will be engulfed by the storm now and I'm afraid until it passes the school is inaccessible."

"What about everyone stuck there?" Ginny gasped. "How will they survive?"

"Don't be so dramatic, Miss Weasley," Snape tutted at the redhead. "They'll all be perfectly fine in the school. They'll just have to fend for themselves for a few weeks."

"Professor Snape is right. As awful as it sounds there's nothing we can do," Dumbledore explained to the two girls. "Once we're back at London I can explain things to their parents, but for now I suggest you two run along back to your compartments."

Reluctantly Pansy and Ginny left the compartment of Professors. Turning in opposite directions they each headed back to their friends to fill them in on what was happening. Meanwhile in the compartment they had just left the Professors were discussing how they were going to explain leaving six students behind.

OOO

When the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station, Dumbledore sent McGonagall to find the parents of the Gryffindors left behind, while Snape was sent off in search of the Slytherin parents. McGonagall was the first to return with Molly and Arthur Weasley, alongside Ginny who had already spoken with her parents.

"Albus, what are you doing about this?" Arthur asked as they reached the headmaster.

"If you don't mind waiting for the other parents, we can discuss this all in a group," Dumbledore replied. "Speaking of which, aren't the Granger's here?"

"Hermione was due to come to us for Christmas," Molly replied. "Her parents had already booked a holiday as Hermione was originally planning on staying at school. Because of the late change of plans her parents couldn't get a refund so it was decided that she was coming to us."

Dumbledore nodded, relieved that he was at least one set of parents down. Although now the Weasleys were missing three of their charges, not just two, they might get a bit prickly. However, before Dumbledore had a chance to worry further Snape appeared with two couples, the Malfoys and the Notts. Snape quickly explained to Dumbledore that Blaise was spending the holidays with the Malfoys, which was why his mother wasn't there.

"Would you care to explain what's going on?" Lucius Malfoy asked, not bothering with greetings. "Why is my son still at school?"

"We're not entirely sure what happened, but it would appear six students were left behind accidentally," Dumbledore told the three sets of parents. "As you know a storm is currently present up at Hogwarts and the school is impossible to get to."

"What are you going to do?" Molly asked. "You can't leave the six of them stranded there."

"I'm afraid, there's nothing we can do," Dumbledore admitted. "I assure you they will be perfectly safe, the school is warm and the kitchens will be fully stocked."

"That's it?" Lucius scoffed at the old wizard. "You've left our children, and all you can say is that they'll be fine."

"I'm afraid at this stage, there's little else I can do Lucius," Dumbledore replied. "I'm planning on using the portraits to try and get in touch with them, and reassure them that we're aware of their predicament. And I promise the second it's safe to get back up to Hogwarts someone will go and escort them back home."

"Why can't you just floo to the school?" Narcissa Malfoy demanded. Draco was her only son as she wasn't happy that he wouldn't be home for the holidays.

"We locked down all the floo networks before we left," McGonagall admitted.

"Plus the storm is interfering with the connections," Snape added. "To be honest it's really not safe to be using the floo networks in stormy areas."

"Severus is right," Lucius told his wife. "My uncle one tried using the floo in the middle of a snow storm and he ended up in three parts. He spent a year in St Mungo's recovering and his right hand still occasionally goes missing when he travels by floo."

"I suppose that's that then," Narcissa sighed. "This will be a terrible Christmas."

"I'm sure we can cope, Cissa," Lucius said, wrapping his arm around his wife. "We can find plenty of ways to celebrate just the two of us." He whispered in her ear, so only she could hear the innuendo in his words.

"I'll keep everyone informed of what's happening," Dumbledore announced. "And as I said, I'll try and get word to them so they know we're coming for them. Now I suggest we all head home before we end up stuck here. The storms moving south and I heard the whole country would be under a blanket of snow by the morning."

Muttering about the incompetence of Dumbledore and his staff the Malfoys and Notts left the group before apparating away. The Weasleys stayed a few minutes longer, before they also apparated away. Snape and McGonagall soon followed, until only Dumbledore was left on the platform. Sighing at the mess he had to solve Dumbledore also dissapparated with a crack, wondering when they would be able to reach the six stranded students.