The doors to the Great Hall swung open as Harry and Ron walked in, their footsteps echoing across the stone floor. Ron, tall and lanky, glanced around, his brow furrowed as he took in the extravagant Halloween decorations. The Great Hall was ablaze with orange and black; floating jack-o’-lanterns flickered above the tables, casting eerie shadows, and enchanted cobwebs stretched between the towering pillars. Bats swooped low over the enchanted ceiling, which was stormy and crackling with magical lightning.
Ron gave a lazy nod towards the ceiling, a small smile on his face. "D'you think we went overboard this year with the decorations?"
Harry, who was shorter than Ron but still carried himself with an easy arrogance, grinned. His green eyes glinted mischievously behind his glasses as he gave Ron a sideways glance. “Nah, it’s cool. Really gets the Halloween vibe going, doesn’t it?”
Ron pondered for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, you're right. Kinda... aesthetic, I guess."
Just as they were about to sit down, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from behind. Before anyone could react, Hermione barged into the hall, her bushy hair bouncing with every step, her face flushed and furious.
“RON! HARRY!” she bellowed, her voice commanding the attention of everyone in the Great Hall. Heads whipped around, and even Fred and George, who had been in deep conversation about some new prank, stopped mid-sentence.
"What's all this?" Fred muttered to George, raising an eyebrow.
“Why is the courtyard ON FIRE?” Hermione shouted, throwing her arms up dramatically.
Instantly, the Hall erupted into murmurs. Fleur Delacour, seated beside Viktor Krum, exchanged curious glances with him. Cho Chang, at the Ravenclaw table, covered her mouth in surprise, while Dean, Seamus, and Neville, sitting not far from Ron and Harry, looked at each other, clearly intrigued. Ginny, sitting a few seats down, rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide a grin.
Harry leaned back, crossing his arms with a smug expression. "It’s aesthetic, Hermione."
Ron nodded sagely, deadpan. "Totally fits the vibe."
Hermione’s eyes bulged in disbelief, her voice rising. "The vibe? THE VIBE? The entire courtyard is literally ON FIRE!”
"That was the plan, yeah," Harry added nonchalantly, still wearing that trademark smirk, as though setting an entire courtyard ablaze was nothing more than a minor artistic decision.
McGonagall, who had been seated at the staff table, set down her goblet and stood abruptly. “Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley,” she said in her sharp Scottish accent, glaring down at them from over her spectacles, “are you telling me this fire was intentional?”
Sprout, sitting beside her, looked both bewildered and impressed. "Creative use of fire, I must say..."
Flitwick, on the other hand, was trying hard not to laugh, his tiny figure nearly trembling. “I suppose it is… quite the aesthetic!” he squeaked.
Snape, however, sneered from his spot at the head table, his dark eyes narrowing. "Of course it would be Potter behind such reckless behavior," he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Attention-seeking as always."
"Lighten up, Snivellus," Harry quipped under his breath, though loud enough for a few people at the Gryffindor table to overhear and snicker. "It’s just Halloween. Try not to be such a bat."
Ron gave a low chuckle, nudging Harry with his elbow. “He’s probably upset because his aesthetic is too close to a Dementor’s.”
Moody, sitting at the far end of the staff table, barked out a rough laugh. “That’s the spirit, Potter!”
Meanwhile, Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, sitting together at the Gryffindor table, exchanged amused looks. "Leave it to Harry and Ron to set something on fire," Angelina said with a grin.
Fred turned to George, smirking. "Why didn’t we think of that?"
"Right?" George agreed. "Setting the courtyard on fire *and* getting away with it as an aesthetic choice? Genius!"
Ginny shook her head at her brothers but couldn't help but laugh. "You two better not get any ideas."
At the Hufflepuff table, Cedric Diggory raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but too polite to comment. Fleur, however, gave a dramatic sigh from her place at the Durmstrang table, tossing her silvery hair. “Zese boys,” she muttered in her thick French accent, “always doing somezing reckless.”
Even Madame Maxime and Karkaroff exchanged amused glances, though Karkaroff quickly masked it with a frown, not wanting to seem impressed.
Dumbledore, his twinkling blue eyes dancing with mirth, finally cleared his throat, drawing all attention back to him. "Well, I must say, this year's Halloween festivities certainly seem to have… ignited some extra excitement. Let’s ensure, however, that the fire doesn’t spread beyond the courtyard, hmm?”
Harry leaned back in his seat, satisfied, and glanced at Ron, who looked just as pleased. “See, Hermione?” Harry said with a smirk. “Even Dumbledore’s on board. It’s all part of the plan.”
Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation, unable to believe that somehow, against all odds, they’d turned a literal fire into an “aesthetic” victory.