The Halloween show in the Great Hall had been grand.
Loud. Flashy. Memorable.
But for the trio it was only the opening act.
After dinner, when students flooded the corridors heading back to their dorms, the second phase of chaos quietly began.
At first, no one noticed.
Then the portraits started talking.
Not their usual polite greetings either.
No.
They were gossiping.
Whispering loudly as students passed.
"That one still wets his bed."
A fourth-year froze mid-step as nearby students turned to stare.
"Oh! There goes the boy who likes to smell girls' hair!"
A Hufflepuff boy tripped over his own feet trying to escape the hallway.
"There's the smelly sock girl. Even ghosts avoid her."
The girl in question shrieked in embarrassment while her friends collapsed in laughter.
Portrait after portrait joined in — some dramatic, some sarcastic, some brutally honest.
Students ran through corridors trying to avoid being roasted by paintings that had never spoken more than two words before.
Then came the confetti cannons.
Hidden in armor displays, behind curtains, inside wall alcoves—
Dung bomb Confetti Cannons.
Whenever a student walked by…
BOOM!
Colorful confetti exploded everywhere — mixed with the unmistakable stench of dung bomb powder.
The halls filled with screams and laughter as students ran while covered in sparkling, smelly paper bits.
Some prefects tried to maintain order…
But even they got blasted.
The staircases were next.
A group of second years stepped onto a moving staircase and it suddenly started to spin.
Fast like a rollercoaster.
Students clung to the railings screaming as the staircase rotated before gently depositing them on the next floor like nothing happened.
Another staircase shot upward faster than usual.
One reversed direction halfway.
By midnight, no one trusted any staircase.
Students started to cast levitation on themselves just to avoid them.
While first years had to endure the nightmare of the staircases.
Then came the textbooks.
Abandoned schoolbooks lay scattered across corridors like careless litter.
Helpful students bent down to pick them up—
BOOM!
Fireworks burst harmlessly into the air, showering sparks and glitter.
Some books whistled before exploding.
Others shouted insults first.
One yelled, "STUDY HARDER!" before detonating in red sparks.
Even professors who tried to confiscate them weren't spared.
As if that wasn't enough…
Members of the trio began handing out fireworks and sparklers to random students.
"Happy Halloween."
"Educational purposes only."
"Celebrate responsibly."
Soon corridors looked like festival streets — students lighting sparklers, launching tiny fireworks out windows, common rooms, and corridors..
It was chaos.
Festive chaos.
Once they confirmed every prank had triggered successfully, the trio regrouped.
Their destination—
Peeves.
They found him near the Trophy Room bombardment and pelting suits of armor and wandering students with ink bombs.
"Oi! Perfect timing!" Peeves cackled.
He handed over thick stacks of photographs — every major prank captured in motion.
Students screaming at spiders.
Snape being insulted by pumpkins.
Fireworks exploding from candles.
Portraits gossiping.
Confetti blasts mid-scream.
"Pleasure doing business!" Peeves shrieked before zooming off to terrorize more first years.
Laughing, the trio made their way down to the Hogwarts kitchens.
House elves welcomed them like returning war heroes.
Snacks appeared instantly.
Butterbeer, pastries, roasted meats, sweets stacked high.
"A celebration feast!" Fred declared.
"For outstanding public service," George added.
Alexander simply grinned.
They spread the photos across the long kitchen tables.
Using charm layering and potions.
They transformed each into enchanted photos — loops of living memories.
Perfect for selling.
Perfect for keeping.
Perfect for blackmail… if needed.
House elves gathered around, giggling at the scenes — especially the pumpkin insults and spinning staircases.
Another successful operation.
And as the trio clinked butterbeer mugs together…
They all agreed on one thing.
Next year—
They'd go even bigger.