A/N I'm having writer's block so I made this instead haha if I get any ideas I might make more.

Also enjoy some namedrops of characters you don't know yet, feel free to theorize about them

"Hey, hey, hey! How's about a common house party tonight? Gryffindor hosts!" Cypress called at the top of his lungs.

"You don't get to decide when Gryffindor hosts!" Oak argued from across the breakfast table.

"Professor Cliff already said yes! Ha!" Cypress retorted, sticking his tongue out.

Cliff strolled over to the table, putting his arm around Cypress' shoulder.
"I told you to call me Cliff, you don't need any of that professor nonsense. It's just wasting oxygen." Cliff chuckled.

"Plants produce oxygen!" Cypress interjected.

"Looks like I know who's acing the next Herbology test." Cliff said as he walked away.

Oak scowled and folded his arms.
"If that's what I need to pass why am I flunking?"

"Guess you're just not as smart as me." Cypress claimed, proudly

"Is there such a thing?" Oak asked.

Cypress leaned across the table and smiled dangerously
"Well if you want to fight then-"

Suddenly a hand came down between the two boys.
You could almost see Cypress' face light up at the sight of four rings.
He was a thief of anything shiny, and Oak believed him to be more a Slytherin than Gryffindor.

"If you want to fight..." began the man who the rings belonged to.
"I will change you both into oranges, and on the oranges I will write your names and (flunking) transfiguration grades. I will show these oranges to the whole class before making the oranges brush their teeth. And I'm not sure if you've ever had orange juice before brushing your teeth but it is not very enjoyable."

Cypress gulped.
"That's very creative, Professor Thorn."

Thorn nodded to himself in self satisfaction.
"You'll need to transfigure yourself into someone with more creative cheating tactics."

Cypress smiled weakly as the man strolled away, not missing a single ring.

As soon as he was out of earshot Oak leaned across the table.
"That man's really got something against Gryffindor." He whispered to Cypress.

"Well we did swindle Slytherin out of the house cup." Cypress replied as the two boys watched Thorn continue 'patrolling' the tables.

"I think it's more than that...maybe something against Cliff and Starflower?"
Oak wondered aloud.

Cypress stuck with his answer.
"It's definitely the house cup."

"Well, for the record Slytherin wasn't even in the running. I heard Hufflepuff had a five year streak when he was in school, but he loves them even more than his own house. I heard half his jewelry is Hufflepuff friendship bracelets and love confessions."

"Pssht, that's not true." Cypress retorted.

"It totally is!" Argued a voice that didn't belong to Oak.
Fern from a few seats over laughed.
"But I guess we'll see when he comes to your common room party!"

Cypress, who had put one percent of his energy into planning that common room party spent the rest of the day dreading it.

Especially in transfigurations class when he passed a note and was met with Thorn's cold glare as the man mouthed "oranges."

Cypress walked down the damp, stony, corridors with Basil to potions class.
"Potions class is so lame." Cypress complained to his comrade.
"But it'd be a lot better if it wasn't taught by your mom."

Basil shot him a dirty look.
"You have a problem with my mom?" He asked with a growl.

Cypress laughed uncomfortably.
"No, no, it's just...it's like she's always looking at me but...looking right through me, ya dig?"

Basil sighed.
"That's mean, Gryffindor. So if you insult my mom or little brother again I will stab you with my prefect pin."

Cypress choked on air. What a day of creative threats.

Basil walked ahead of him, his green striped scarf fluttering as a breeze ran down the hallway.
Professor Starflower always taught his class with the windows open to test the poor students even more, Cypress hated it, but he liked the chance to give his scarf to cold girls.

Cypress was the last one into the classroom so when he took his seat Snow turned almost mechanically to face him.
"Finally..." she closed her nearly white eyes.
"We may begin."

She looked up at Cypress.
"When's the last time you gave someone flowers?" She asked, her voice neither rising nor falling with her words.

"Valentines day." He answered, as blankly as the woman had asked.

"Were your feelings mutual?"

Cypress hated being last to class, it meant Snow had the right to ask him all these personal questions.
"N-no..." he grumbled and Snow straightened up.

"Now, You wouldn't have needed to admit that if you had a love potion." Snow announced. She grabbed a beaker from her own desk and held it up.
"A love potion doesn't necessarily cause romantic love. It just causes whoever drinks it to be more subject to any kind of love. Metaphorically speaking it makes their heart bigger."

Cypress leaned forward, this was more interesting than the average potions class. Unfortunately when Snow got into all the specifics his focus was elsewhere as usual.

He was the best chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sure, but how was he going to beat Slytherin when they had Basil as a seeker?

How was he going to beat Basil at anything?

Basil's grades averaged higher,
he was the best at quidditch,
the teachers gave him special treatment, not to mention girls flocked to him like seagulls to a piece of bread.

And compared to that beautiful piece of bread Cypress was more like a saltine cracker.

If they were enemies Cypress would have an exhilarating rivalry with the prefect, but since they were friends the rivalry was diluted and silent.

What I couldn't do with a love potion...

"Ten points from Gryffindor!" Snow announced.
"Save sleeping for the evening, Cypress." She said and Cypress raised his head from his desk.

"Yeah, sorry, dude." He replied drowsily.

"Fern, why don't you partner with him?" Snow suggested and Fern moved seats to sit next to Cypress.

"Can't believe she's telling us how to make a love potion." Fern whispered.
"Isn't that super dangerous?"

"Yeah, That is weird...maybe she's just looking to see what houses use it responsibly and which ones don't."

Fern nodded.
"Hey, that's pretty smart..."

Cypress liked to think that every word out of his mouth was ingenious. But he had been told that was incorrect.

Snow gave the instructions for the potions and every partnership made one beaker full.

"Some of you," Snow began, running her hand across Tsunami's desk.
"Are more responsible than others." She glanced at Cypress.

"If you ever use this potion make sure it's for self defense. If I catch you using it on school grounds you will be expelled." She claimed and Cypress slouched.

"What's the point, then?" He muttered.

Snow dismissed the class and almost everyone -including the Ravenclaw professor herself left the room.
There were a few kids who stayed around to scribe the last of their notes.

"The point-" Fern cracked her knuckles.
"Is to see who's brave enough to go against the rules!"

Cypress was shocked.
"You're going to use it?"

"I might, if I can work up the guts. I'd love to see Headmaster Elm being a loving parental figure."

"Wouldn't we all." Said a voice from behind. Basil leaned forward and handed Cypress and Fern a vile each.

"Basil? You saved some?! You could be expelled!" Fern exclaimed.

Basil laughed.
"You'll be expelled for using it."

Cypress looked at the potion in his hands.
Oh, the things he could do with this!
But what would he do?

No wonder Basil was the most beloved guy in school.
Since the Care Of Magical Creatures class had been temporarily cancelled he had to join the younger students in a grade integrated potions class. When he left again Cypress would definitely fail.

Basil must have noticed how long Cypress stared at the potion because once they were standing in the hallway he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth rythmatically and looked at Cypress.

"...what?"

A Ravenclaw prefect named Lythrum passed the two in the hallway and looked to Cypress, without much expression.
"Morse code. He said to be careful."

"Oh, thanks." Cypress smiled and lifted his hand to wave bye as she walked away.

Basil grabbed his arm a little too tight.
"Hey! What are you doing? Do you want to be expelled?"

Cypress remembered the potion in his hand and immediately pulled his robe sleeve over his hand to hide it.

"In the event that I was to be expelled...could you pull any strings for me?" Cypress asked, purely out of curiosity.

"No way." Basil scoffed, revealing his gums.
"If you want that then you should have been friends with Oak instead."

Cypress waved goodbye to Basil as the prefect left towards the Slytherin common room where he would likely stare up at the ceiling for hours wallowing in angst.

Cypress passed through the Gryffindor common room and went up to his own bed.

"Goodnight." He called to Oak who was reading in the bed across from him.

"You're going to sleep? Before dinner?" Oak asked without even looking up at the blonde boy.

Cypress pulled up the sheets and nodded.
"Bedtime for warlords."

Cypress closed his eyes and it felt like only seconds later he was awoken by water dumped on his face.
He shot straight up and wiped the water off his face.
"What are you doing Oak?"

A boy with brown and blue hair gasped.
"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I'm so so sorry!"

Cypress looked him up and down.
"Who're you?" He scowled.

"I-I'm Sage, my dad's the headmaster but...I'm in Ravenclaw."

Cypress jumped out of bed.
"Ravenclaw?! The house party's on?!"

Sage smiled and nodded.
"Uh-huh! I was just checking for my brother!"

Cypress got out of bed and started down the stairs, pulling the love potion out of his pocket. He was taken back at the sight of all the students from all ages and houses.

"Woah!" He drawled as he passed through the crowds and made his way to Basil.
"There's so many cute girls!" He said.

Basil shrugged.
"Hmm, well, I guess so."

"Who am I going to use the love potion on?" Cypress asked spinning around to look at all the guests.

Suddenly he bumped into a teacher passing by and as that happened instinctively, without a second thought he slipped a ring from the man's hand.

"Cypress!" The man started and it caused Cypress to startle and nearly drop the tiny potion vile in his other hand.

Thankfully the professor didn't seem to notice his missing ring.
"I can't believe you put your pride to the side and put on a party for all the houses! Hope you don't mind the adult supervision. It's mandatory."

Cypress smiled as the violet haired man did the same.
"Got anything to drink? I'm parched."

"Trying to catch students in the act? We only have water." Cypress explained. They actually did only have water but with a certain love potion it might look more like juice, he hoped it didn't.

Cypress smiled.
"I'll be right back, sir!"

He grabbed Basil by the shoulder and rushed off with him.
"Thorn. That's who I'm using this on." Cypress said, holding up the vile.

Basil scrunched up his face.
"Thorn? What's the point?"

"Get up my grades, see him loosen up, no consequences..."

Basil nodded his head slowly.
"Yeah...yeah...okay..." from the table next to them Cypress grabbed two glasses of water.

"One for the professor and one for you." Cypress said. He poured the potion into one glass and it swirled pink for a second before the color diluted again.

Cypress and Basil made their way back to the couch near the centre of the common room where Thorn now sat.

Cypress handed Thorn one of the glasses. The man looked up at him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked suspiciously.

"Like what?" Cypress leaned forward and pushed the other glass towards Basil.

"Like you're going to kill me..? Look kid, I know you don't want me to be here but...in all honesty I haven't been to a house party since my fourth year."

Cypress stepped back and adjusted his smile from intense to moderate. It was kind of sad (though no surprise) that his transfigurations teacher hardly knew what a party was.

Maybe he would now...with thanks to Cypress! Yeah, that love potion was all he needed to have an exciting time!

But when Thorn drank from the glass he only bowed his head slightly to say
"Thanks, Cypress. You're a good kid."

Cypress beamed. He tugged on Basil's arm.
"Really?! Am I your favourite student?!"

Thorn laughed.
"No. Of course not. Why would you ever think that?"

Cypress felt slightly wounded inside. He supposed it was pretty tragic that even with a love potion Thorn couldn't accept him as anything above average. Oh well.

Cypress, anxious to see a happier Thorn asked
"So...do you feel...happy?"

Thorn looked at his hands in his lap and up at Cypress again.
"Ah, well...I'm not sure, but yeah, I guess so."

"Then can I get an extra ten percent on the next test?"

Thorn thought about it for a second before coming to the conclusion of
"Three percent for sheer desperation."

Cypress cheered internally and Basil shot him a look.
"Why don't you stalk your teacher from a distance, creep." He whispered taking a sip from his own glass.

Cypress mouthed 'fine.' And sat down in an armchair with a good view of the couch. It was closer to the roaring fireplace and his left side seemed to instantly heat up.

Basil took a few steps across the room and towards a group of Slytherins. Now it seemed all Cypress could do was watch Thorn.

"You really haven't been to a party since your fourth year?" Asked the teacher sitting next to him. She was the head of Hufflepuff and Flying Teacher Carnation. Cypress straightened in his seat.

He had expected Thorn to hit on Rose, the other teacher next to him, she was the most beautiful after all. But Carnation prompted him and he answered in an invested tone.
"I never really knew what do do at parties."

Carnation laughed.
"I guess you just do whatever you want, which is why it's so hard to decide."

"Honestly why are we even here?" Thorn chuckled, looking around at all the awkward students.

"An excuse to see you." Carnation said quietly and Thorn smiled back at her peacefully.

He leaned across her to put down his glass on the side table and once he had repositioned said
"How unheard of."

Cypress almost let out a screech.
Had he just gotten the scoop on teacher romances?!

Surely Carnation was only acting like this because she picked up on Thorn's charmed self. Right..?

"What's so unheard of about us?"
She asked.

Thorn looked at her sideways
"Where to start?"

Carnation interjected with a warm laugh
"Teachers, that's a good place to start."

Thorn smiled and grabbed her hand.
"Yes, you're right."

Carnation played with her hair.
"I'm a mudblood, you're not..."

The lanky man gave a nod as he brushed Carnation's hair behind her ear.

Thorn said the most obvious statement for her.
"Hufflepuff and Slytherin representatives."

Their hands tightened as they leaned in to eachother before an interruption.

Thorn opened his emerald eyes with slight surprise.

"Professor Thorn!" Cypress shrieked.
"I have to go to the bathroom!"

Thorn, blushing furiously rolled his eyes at Cypress.
"Why do you need to ask me?"

"B-because you're the most responsible teacher!"

Thorn put a hand to his head and drawled
"You don't even need to ask a teacher..." he sighed.
"Sure, go ahead."

Cypress didn't go to the washroom, just around the corner.
Love potions...gosh, he messed with Thorn's life big time.
If only he could isolate the man for a little while until he was back to his normal, snobbish self.

Cypress felt a hand on his shoulders and turned around to see Thorn standing above him.
"You've looked nervous since I first saw you...are all these people too much for you?"

Cypress felt Thorn's stolen ring on his finger.
"What do you care?"

"You're my student, I care about you." Thorn said and Cypress tightened his fists.

"See how you feel about that tomorrow." Cypress snapped.

Thorn looked down on the boy
"What?"

"Just leave me alone."

Thorn obliged, going back to the couch.

Suddenly Lythrum, the girl from earlier came up behind Cypress as well.

As Thorn casually explained his predicament to Carnation she nodded understandingly and said something about that being familiar. She put her arm around the other teacher and Cypress watched with the same guilt as before.

"You know," Lythrum said.
"You handed your love potion to Basil."

Cypress spun around
"What?! How did you-"

"The color dilutes but it comes back eventually." She pointed to Basil and his glass of water, which was now a magenta color, and Thorn's was transparent.

Basil was chatting up girls in a little group and they all seemed overjoyed with this.

"So Thorn is really-"

Lythrum nodded.
"Known him all my life and he's a softie. Kind of wish he was sterner."

"Wish he was sterner?!" Cypress shrieked.

"Anyway, enjoy the party-" Lythrum waved as she started to move.

Cypress shot her finger guns
"You too!"

Basil ran up to Cypress and beamed down at him.
"Cypress! Any luck with that Ravenclaw girl?"

Cypress raised his eyebrows.
"I wasn't- dude, you know she's the sister of-"

"How'd that love potion go?"

Cypress rubbed his neck anxiously.
"Well it-"

Basil gave him a tight hug.
"I bet it went great!" He went bounding off through the room and Cypress decided to go back to bed.
"Bedtime for warlords."

A/N I'm not sure if I'll be able to fit much Basil/Cypress friendship into the main story so I'm making up for it here