A/N: I'm gonna post the first three chapters all in one go, just because my early chapters were pretty short. The others will come periodically in the next few days/weeks.

William groaned. He didn't want to lie on his back all day. If only Watts, his potions partner, hadn't been so clumsy, then the cauldron wouldn't have exploded and William wouldn't have had to spend the rest of the day in the hospital wing with angry boils all over his arm. To make matters worse, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't allow him to move his arm at all, meaning he couldn't finish the three-foot long essay he needed to write for Arithmancy. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and count the knotholes in the board

Twenty-nine…thirty...thirty-one…

The door opened, and a boy shuffled in, crying and covering his face. "Madam Pomfrey!"

William glanced at him. "She's not here," he supplied matter-of-factly. "She went out."

The boys eyes went wide, and what William could see of his face paled. "Did she say when she'd be back?" He asked.

"No," William answered.

The boy was wearing the yellow robes of a Hufflepuff, and his messy hair identified him as the Hufflepuff he'd seen at the Sorting Ceremony. Crabtree, George. He was clearly trying to cry less, or at least cry in a less obvious way.

"What happened?" William found himself asking.

Crabtree, George sniffed, and in response, took his hands away from his face.

William winced. He'd definitely been hit by a pretty nasty jinx. The boy's face had swollen to twice its normal size, making his features barely recognizable. Tears streamed down his bumpy cheeks and his eyes met William's hopelessly.

"Well," William said slowly. He cleared his throat. "It doesn't look too bad."

Crabtree, George broke down again, flopping onto a cot dramatically, sobbing.

William was at a loss. Why was he crying? This wasn't a big deal, they could just fix it and he'd be on his way. "Don't cry, Crabt-" he stopped himself before saying 'Crabtree, George.' "Look," he stuttered. He wasn't really sure how to go about this. Emotional support definitely was not his strong suit. "They hit you with the stinging hex?"

George slowly nodded.

William grinned. "Then maybe we won't have to wait for Madam Pomfrey." He pulled out his wand (black walnut with a unicorn hair core) and brandished it with a grin.

George frowned, or at least, moved his puffy features in a way that resembled a frown. "What are you going to do?"

"Counter-hex," William explained.

"You know the counter-hex?"

William nodded. "I read about it."

"Have you ever done it before?" George asked.

"Well," William's cheeks grew warm. "No." He admitted sheepishly. "But I can do it, I know I can." And then words came flooding out, pouring out of his mouth like vomit. "I'm top of my class, and Charms isn't my best class, but I'm still capable and I promise I'll be careful-"

"Okay," George said.

Murdoch stopped, blinking in surprise. "What?" He asked.

"I said okay,"

Murdoch was completely taken aback. "O-okay?" He stammered. "You mean you'll let me do it?"

"Sure," George replied. "I trust you."

This was too much for William. "You just met me!" He exclaimed. "You don't know anything about me! How can you trust me?"

George shrugged. "It's a Hufflepuff thing, I suppose. We're a trusting sort of bunch."

This still didn't make logical sense to William, but he shook his head and gripped his wand tightly. Remember, he thought. Firm hand, confident incantation. If you mess it up, you might mess up Crabtree, George's face forever. No pressure. With a flick of his wrist, he said the counter-hex, and bit his lip nervously.

George's face immediately started to shrink, getting less tight and puffy with each second.

Murdoch breathed a sigh of relief.

George smiled.

And then his face turned a loud shade of purple.

"You should have waited for me!" Madam Pomfrey chastised the boys, examining George's face and sighing heavily.

"Sorry Madam Pomfrey," William and George chorused together.

"It wasn't his fault," William added, glancing at the floor. "I messed up the counter-hex."

"But I let him!" George piped in. "If there's any blame, then it's my fault!"

Madam Pomfrey held up a hand in surrender. "All right, all right," she said, moving towards her bookshelf to try to figure out exactly what the lad had done wrong and how to fix it.

The boys glanced at each other, grinned, and burst out laughing.

"Sorry about your face," William apologized, giggling.

George smiled a lopsided grin. "Well," he said. "I don't know, it might be an improvement."

William chuckled.

"I didn't catch your name," George said after a moment. "That is, if you want to throw it."

"I'm William Murdoch, Ravenclaw house," William recited. It was his standard reply.

George grinned. "George Crabtree," he said, stretching out his hand towards William. "Hufflepuff house," he added with a smirk.

The two boys shook hands.

What followed was one of the most interesting interactions William had ever had. Talking with George Crabtree was unlike anything he'd ever experienced. George's conversation was fast-paced and colourful, whizzing from one topic to another like a hummingbird flying in a flower garden. His prose was dizzying, and his energy was boundless. William found it surprisingly enjoyable.

George's ideas were fantastical, but interesting nonetheless. He wondered about werewolves, goblins and leprechauns, and was elated when William confirmed their existence. He asked mind-boggling questions that left William at a loss for words.

"Why do wizards have locks if we have alohomora?" George asked.

"Why isn't obliviating someone bad?" George asked moments later. "Or legilimency? Why is the Imperius curse bad, but wiping someone's memory or reading their mind isn't?"

"Why do animagi need to be registered?" was George's next question. "Why not potion makers? Or legilimens?" he didn't wait for a response. "And why is becoming an animagus regulated? Why isn't transfiguration?"

"I don't know, George." William said, finally able to get a word in. "I haven't had any time to think about it."

George blushed. "Sorry," he said. "I ask too many questions. That's what my Aunt Ivy always says." He put on a high pitched voice and imitated his aunt. "You ask far too many questions, George Crabtree!"

"You'd make a decent Ravenclaw," William observed. "Knowledge starts with questions."

George smiled. "Well, I don't think I'm quite smart enough for Ravenclaw." He laughed. "Not smart enough for Ravenclaw, not brave enough for Gryffindor, and not motivated enough for Slytherin."

William frowned. That was his exact sentiment about Hufflepuff. Or, at least, it had been. Hufflepuffs were, as he saw it, somewhat useless. Pleasant, and friendly, but not particularly useful. But he couldn't say that about George. Sure, he'd only known the boy for less than an hour, but he could tell that George had a spark. He was more than just a friendly face, he was a real person, with hopes and dreams, ambitions and fears. Perhaps Hufflepuffs weren't so useless after all. William smiled to himself. He liked this George Crabtree, he decided.

That's when the doors to the hospital wing burst open, and Thomas Brackenreid, one of the Gryffindor prefects sprinted inside, panting to catch his breath. He glanced at William. "You're William Murdoch?"

William exchanged a look with George. "Yes," he said.

Thomas ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "I need your help."