It's easy to judge others. It just is. Everyone does so at some point in their life. And while it's easy to judge, it's more challenging to understand. What's easier still is judging yourself because we're our own worst critics. But then there are moments in life when you can look at a person, and you know. You know what they're all about because it shows in their image and attitude. That's not judgment. It's the truth.

For example, Marcus took one look at his new teammate Egbert and knew the guy wasn't in quidditch for the love of the game. Any guy with perfectly sculpted eyebrows and fingernails is not a hardcore player. Marcus knows because he's played with guys like Egbert at school and on the Arrows. Those are the ones who do the least amount of work possible and still collect a big paycheck. They're the complainers, whiners, and schmoozers of the donors, which Egbert happened to be.

Then there's the Haney's of the world. That is a different group altogether. Marcus learned a lot last year in his rookie season. He realized when to say no to going out with the guys (after a debilitating game and your body is slap tired). Then there's when to exit the team showers (towel snaps are never fun) and how to share the quaffle with other members on the offense- even though the chaser can score all by himself. But most importantly, he learned some people are genuinely too crafty for their own good.

The biggest thing Marcus took away from last year was that it's easy to get what you want if people think you're insane. That is Tom Haney. Honestly, the chaser had forgotten what his teammate was like until the fourth game with the Wombats. It was after the game, and the team had won, but Hot Hands was hot-headed. The team's superstar keeper turned over tables and yelled at some of the men. The guy called them out on what he thought were stupid plays that should have been effortless. Instead, it made Haney have to work by saving the game from the other team's score after score.

Marcus shared a look with Mulvaney. Having played with Hot Hands before, the two knew how he could be. It's just total insanity until the guy cools down. So, when Haney decided he needed to get in Marcus's face, the Slytherin in him reared its ugly head. He remarked, "Step back, Man. Your intense energy is making me feel swamped."

The guy, who wasn't thinking straight, said, "Well, you think you're all that Flint- best chaser in the league. But you're not, and I really want to kick your ass for that stupid play you performed tonight."

Huffing out a breath and rolling his dark eyes, Marcus ignored the guy and continued dressing in his street clothes. Haney wasn't having that, and he shoved the chaser's shoulder, itching for a fight. Luckily the coach, Thad Morrison, entered and called Haney out. Unfortunately, because Haney's just psycho enough to make anyone believe him, including the coach, the team had an early practice the next day. They had to run drills and formations until they all wanted to puke their guts, which left them giving Hot Hands the side-eye. They vowed quidditch payback.

That made Marcus think of something. Voldemort is similar to his teammate. But where Haney does have empathy and a conscience (sort of- if you don't count his cheating on his girlfriend), Voldemort does not. It makes him wonder why total psychos can get whatever they want. They get away with murder and act like it's all your fault- like you're the one who did it. It's always someone else's fault, never theirs.

These people are full of charm. They can easily charm a snake, which he supposes is literally true. Voldemort is a Slytherin, a parseltongue, owns a pet snake, and was a very charming man in his younger years (according to his great-grandfather's portrait on the wall in Flint Manor). These charmers manipulate ruthlessly and have no remorse about using people to their benefit, which includes stepping all over them. That makes Marcus also wonder, how do you kill a monster without becoming one in the process? He realized what it comes down to is it takes a monster to destroy a monster.

A sigh escaped his mouth as he thought about all of these things. After Christmas break and Hermione left, life did not return to normal, mainly because he always misses her and wants her with him more than anything. In order to combat that longing, he throws himself into his sport. Marcus uses the Wombat's weight room more frequently than others because the more weights lifted, the more burdens fall off his shoulders. He runs on the beach now, and running was never something Marcus enjoyed. Why, the chaser has even assisted the assistant coach in "peewee" quidditch sessions with kids on off days.

His schedule was packed, and that made the muscular athlete happy. It left no time to ache for his girl until it was only him in the comfort of his bed in the nighttime. That's when it's the hardest because he's reminded of images of them cuddling. By the time Easter Holiday's rolled around, Marcus couldn't believe where the time had gone. It's like the days just disappeared. Poof! Up in smoke.

Originally Hermione was supposed to join him in Australia for the break. However, she had sent a cryptic message telling him she needed to spend time with her parents. She promised to see him over summer break. That royally sucked because the chaser had been looking forward to spending time with his woman. But he sensed something was happening with the intelligent witch, something she wasn't telling, and that bothered him, especially since they had a conversation about trusting each other and sharing.

And while he was being bothered, the calendar had turned to May before he knew it. The end of the month brought Montague, Warrington, and Pucey to his backyard with the help of a portkey. Now Adrian was a huge surprise. So much so that Marcus asked, "Aren't you supposed to graduate?"

Adrian deadpanned, "Aren't you supposed to be happy to see me? Crap is not at the top of my list today. So let's be honest and get this over with. I need a drink. "

Those words only made Marcus confused, giving the guys questioning looks. They entered the beach cottage and took seats in the living room, where Topsy served drinks. Montague took over and began speaking. "Look, something is about to happen. Something big, and it will eventually involve Hermione, of that we're sure."

The mention of her name had Marcus reeling. His stomach lurched. "What do you mean involve Hermione?" he wanted to know.

That's when Cassius explained Voldemort's obsessive need for vanishing cabinets and obtaining certain expensive ingredients. When Marcus asked why, Warrington only commented, "I have no idea, but if you take the time to look at the ingredients the devil wants, you'll see how they add up. Think about this and tell me what it sounds like fairy dust, unicorn tears, part of a pegasus wing, scales from the tail of a mermaid, illegal water from the banned fountain, shell of a dodo egg-"

Graham interrupted him by saying, "Those are all ingredients for the Preeminent Elixer. It hasn't been brewed in ages, and anyone capable of doing so has long died. Unless..." He trailed off.

Pucey had been sitting there thinking, along with Marcus, who was stunned stupid. The athlete couldn't believe his ears, as he declared, "There's no way the evil old fart found someone capable of brewing the Preeminent Elixir. Even Snape, one of the best potion-makers since Landon Dagworth, can't brew that one. Plus, it takes three years to cure for it to be ready."

The guys agreed, and Adrian stated, "If Voldemort did manage to find someone capable, we could now say the vile bastard is trying to gain everlasting life. I mean, that's what the Preeminent Elixir is. It gives the drinker eternal life and cures all diseases. So, it only makes me wonder what other eternal elements the demon is trying to obtain."

"Or has obtained already," added Warrington.

That's when the guys started making another list, a list that contained all known eternal objects. First, they started with the Preeminent Elixir. Then the list began to grow with adding the philosopher's stone, the powder of life, and two things they thought would be farfetched even to mention. It felt silly to write them. Those two items led to a serious debate. It started with Marcus noting, "The deathly hallows is a child's story. It's made-up fiction."

But Graham disagrees. His brown eyes bore into Marcus as he reminded, "Look, Man, we can't discount anything with that guy. What we think of as fiction that evil monster uses to bend the rules. So, we can't dismiss fantasy. We need to put the hallows on the list."

It's too ridiculous for words, and Marcus could not believe what he was hearing for the third time that day. Cassius twisted his wand in his hand before standing up. He pointed it into the air and began to write. Blue words appeared one after the other: cloak of invisibility, resurrection stone, elder wand. "Let's just say these things are real. Where would a person find them?" he asked the room.

The room grew quiet as the guys thought things through. Where indeed would a body start if they were to look for the three items? The males thought about the descriptions of the objects. And well, that's when Marcus remembered, "Hermione's friend, Potter, has an invisibility cloak. She's used it before to sneak around the castle. I saw it briefly, and it's a work of art. I've not seen any craftsmanship like that before- old-world style, pure magic."

Adrian leaned forward and put his arms on his knees. "Well, shit. That could be one of the hallows, you know? If Potter has one, then the others are out there somewhere too. I wonder if old Voldy has any of them?"

Taking it all to heart, Graham suggested, "You can bet that Voldemort either has at least one or is on the hunt for them. And if he's looking for deathly hallows, then he's also using horcruxes." That made him shiver.

The word horcrux cast a chilly silence on the young men. Marcus sank back into the couch cushions and shouted, "That's insane! Anyone who splits their soul just to have eternal life is sick. It's sick, Man. Do you know how crazy this sounds? Deathly hallows, horcruxes..."

Agreeing, Adrian told the room, "Voldemort is sick and disturbed; the wizarding world knows. There's someone for everyone. The person for old Voldy is a mind healer."

But Cassius followed with, "Or a soul healer. Everybody has the right to be a little crazy, but he's overdoing it."

Then the conversation turned to horcruxes specifically. If the monster has created one, what would the beast house a piece of himself inside? They all agreed it would have to be something of value and certainly not an ordinary object. That's when each of them, especially Marcus, started missing Hermione. She would know the answer, which led them to discuss new revelations back home.

Adrian started. "We can put Malfoy on our death eater list. He's one and on some mission from the monster. I'm not sure what it is, but I've followed him at night, and he always ends up in the room of requirement. What the guy's doing in there is anyone's guess. But, courtesy of my father, the word on the street is that Voldemort is getting ready for something. And The Chosen One almost killed Malfoy a few weeks back. He cast a spell never heard of before called Sectumsempra. It slashed Draco's chest."

Twisting his wand in his fingers again, just like his other hand twisted one of his blonde hair curls, Cassius notified his friends, "I think I have an idea of what Malfoy's doing. You know my father deals with Borgin and Burke a lot. Dad's told me he's seen a bunch of death eater activity around the place. When he's been inside, they've all congregated in the back part of the store. So, one day while on business, he ventured into that rear room and saw a vanishing cabinet. I can almost claim that there's another one in the come-and-go room at Hogwarts, and Malfoy's getting it prepared."

Marcus predicted, drawing his own conclusions and now seeing the complete picture, "The little jerk is going to let death eaters into Hogwarts. I have to warn Hermione!"

The athlete did. He jumped up and sped to the writing desk, where he crafted a message alerting her to the coming trouble. After shrinking it, he sent it via the watch he wore.

The first response he received was from her thanking him and telling him not to worry, that she was safe. He darn near bit his friend's head off as he paced the room, yelling. "Safe! She's bloody hell not safe. Telling me not to worry is like telling Octavia Burke not to spend daddy's money or Pansy Parkinson that she's pretty. I will worry about her all I want!"

And he did. His mind was in a constant state of worry from that day forward. Mental anguish is what Montague called it. Then the worst happened. Weeks later, Marcus's friends were still with him. They had decided Australia was an excellent place to escape the threat of Voldemort. While the guys were discussing living arrangements over a full breakfast, a message from Graham's father was delivered informing them that Hogwarts had fallen and Dumbledore was dead. No sooner had the surprise taken them than Marcus's watch warmed.

He took the miniature note out, enlarged it to full size, and read it. His pulse raced with each word. "Hermione affirms the first note. It's as we predicted. Malfoy let death eaters into the castle, and Snape killed Dumbledore."

Marcus paused his reading and stared at each of his friends, the shock evident on their faces. Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards, was dead. While the old coot wasn't their favorite person, as he always sided with Gryffindor, he managed to keep them all safe and educated. With Dumbledore dead, the British wizarding world is less secure than before.

His friends urged him to continue as they sat on the edge of their seats, waiting to know. Marcus ran a hand through his hair, and it stuck up in every direction. His voice wavered as he relayed Hermione's words. "Voldemort made horcruxes, and I'm going with Harry to find them. It's the only way to stop the madman. Don't try to talk me out of it. I'm an immensely stubborn witch, as you know. And one more thing, Marcus. I know I'm at the top of the death eaters wanted list, so I did something I never thought I would do."

He paused to reread the remaining part of the letter to himself. The whole thing is too incredible for words. Drawing strength from somewhere unknown, Marcus read aloud, "It's the hardest thing in my life I've ever had to do. Please don't judge me. I cast a strong memory charm on my parents. No. It's not an obliviate; similarly, it removed their memories of me. I sent them to Australia. Their new names are Wendell and Monica Wilkins, living in Adelaide. They're going to be opening a dentist's practice there. Please try to pop in on them if it's not too much trouble."

All Pucey could say was, "Holy wow." The air seemed to be sucked right out of the room.

So now the four friends knew several things. One, Voldemort did make horcruxes. Two, Malfoy was, in fact, a death eater. Three, the death eaters have taken over Hogwarts. Four, Hermione's hunting horcruxes with Potter (and probably that stupid ginger prat). Five, her parents are living blissfully unaware in Adelaide. Six, she sent them close to Marcus. And finally, seven, Voldemort is after eternal life.

That means, "The old devil has to have deathly hallows as well. We need to inform Hermione about those," Montague exclaimed. He rose from his comfortable spot on the armchair to sit in the chair at the writing desk.

And while Graham wrote a message to the brave Gryffindor, Marcus began thinking of something else. First, he looked down at the note in his calloused hands. At the bottom was written the word retinentia. That made him consider something as his dark eyes fell on Warrington and locked the blue-eyed guy in place. "Once upon a time, you wanted to work in the spell division of the ministry. As I recall, you had to undergo extensive catastrophe training. It included memory spells and obliviate. So, what does this word mean?"

He passed the paper to his friend, who stared at the word at the bottom penned in purple ink. Cassius's eyes lit up, and he responded to Marcus. "It's a form of a memory charm. It's probably the spell Hermione used on her parents. She wrote it for you to try to restore their memories. And you're right. I did want to work in the spell division, but then I learned the ministry was nothing but a sham. It's run by incompetence and money launderers. I wanted nothing to do with that."

The dirty blonde leaned forward and gave Marcus the letter back. "Lucky for you, I know how to reverse most memory spells. But it will take some time. To see precisely what I'm dealing with, I must meet her parents first. Then I can go from there."

And so, over the next few days, a couple of things happened. The guys found Hermione's parents. On an outing into the Muggle world, they trekked all over Adelaide in search of dentist offices. At one point, Pucey wondered, "How many can there be? Are muggle's teeth really that bad?"

His answer was yes because there were over ten offices in the perimeter, and all of them were full of patients. They went from building to building, looking for Wendell and Monica Wilkens. Late in the day, the All Smiles dentist practice with Dr. Wilkens and Dr. Wilkens was found. Marcus confirmed Hermione's parents when the boys went inside. Having just opened, they lacked a steady clientele but had a few patients looking to switch doctors. However, Montague helped them by scheduling a new patient teeth cleaning and check-up. He thought it would aid Cassius in getting a close-up look at the two.

With that obstacle taken care of, the group of helpful Slytherins tried to concentrate on other matters. Warrington and Montague wrote letters home to check on their mothers and family. Pucey did the same without revealing anything since his father was a death eater like Flint. That left Marcus, who had to somehow focus on a quidditch match while trying not to worry about the woman he loves.

As it happened during a Wombat game, the top chaser's concentration was so out of sorts that he didn't see an oncoming quaffle until too late. The outcome left a nasty effect. Marcus had a bloody mouth, front teeth that needed repair, and pain, unlike anything he'd experienced.

The team healers wanted to regrow the teeth, but he had other ideas.

The next day an emergency dental appointment landed the hurting athlete on the receiving end of crowns, novocaine, and front teeth that didn't look like a wild animal's. For once, Marcus had straight teeth. It only took them getting knocked out to do so. This emergency appointment also allowed Cassius the opportunity to peer inside the Granger's minds. He was happy to report that he could reverse the memory charm in a matter of weeks.

As a show of appreciation, Marcus told him, "You're so pretty. Thank you. Look at the floating heads. They're all around the room." An unfortunate side-effect of the novocaine was his ability to say whatever popped into his mind.

And as for Montague, well... The day came for his teeth cleaning, and he thought, "Since Flint had his problem straightened out, I don't see the reason for me to go through with it."

Of all the wizards in the room, it was Adrian (not Marcus) who reprimanded his friend. "Look, Man, you can't cancel. They need clients for their business, and you scheduled an appointment. Canceling on them now, hours before, is wrong. When Slytherins give their word, they don't take it back. So stop wussing out and man up."

Graham huffed an exasperated breath and murmured, "Says the guy who canceled a date with Luna Lovegood."

That is how Graham Montague found himself in a dental chair getting his teeth cleaned. And when Dr. Wendell Wilkens discovered a cavity and decided to fix it by first drilling out the decay, Montague fainted.

And because Marcus had gone with Graham, it reminded him of when he was under the influence of novocaine. He remembered saying something stupid about floating heads. That linked his memory to the headless statue in Flint Manor and the Powder of Life in Maxwell's safe. There's this feeling in the pit of his stomach that the headless statue is essential somehow, as is the Powder of Life. He has to find a way to get that powder, but how?