Unofficial Portkey Archive

Harry Potter and the Triptych

By Vickles

Disclaimer: Did some thinking. I decided it was a bit rash to consider striking up deals with Voldemort. Plus, Draco heard about the discussion and is now very cautious around me.

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Chapter 22: The Morning After

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Hermione woke up the next morning to the sounds of water running in the bathroom. Blinking sleepily, she concluded it was Harry in the shower, but wondered why he would be up so early, finding that it was only seven o'clock according to her watch on the nightstand.

Unable to fall back asleep, Hermione decided to grab a book, only to realize that she could barely sit up, her limbs wobbly and her muscles weak. Slowly the memories of the previous day came flooding back to her, and Hermione groaned in thought of what was coming. With a sigh, she flopped her head back against the pillows. How long had Madam Pomfrey said she would be bed-ridden? A few days? This would certainly not do.

The water shut off and less then a minute later, Harry came walking out of the bathroom, positively adorable with his glistening, slightly-wet skin and his wet hair messy as usual. Realizing that she was awake, he smiled, "Good morning beautiful. Did I wake you?" He then walked over to a drawer and pulled out a pair of socks.

Hermione nodded, "Yes, I think so, but I don't really mind. I have an inkling I'll be getting quite enough sleep, not that I'm tried or anything." This comment did not stand up well when she yawned immediately following the statement. Before Harry could make a remark, she continued, "Why are you up so early anyway?"

Harry pulled the second sock on, sliding a bit on the hardwood floor as he walked to the bed, sitting on the edge. He held her delicately and propped her up with some pillows as he spoke, "Tonks will be here in about ten or fifteen minutes for training."

"Thank you. You get to go to training?" Hermione asked with jealousy obvious in her tone.

Harry chuckled and nodded, "Yes, but I'm not nearly as excited as you seemed to be."

Hermione crossed her arms, though it took some effort, "Who else gets to go to training?"

"It will only be Ron and myself. I'm having Malfoy write up a list of every single ingredient inside of the thing that Death Eater threw at you - he should be bringing it by later - and Ginny and Luna, being prefects, are helping McGonagall prepare this morning for the transportation of students that will be taking place tomorrow. There's a lot of paperwork; letters to be sent out and that sort of thing."

"How are they doing it?" Hermione asked, curious.

"A lot of portkeys from what I understand. There's an article in the Prophet about it, though it's very vague, obviously for security purposes. Dobby will have it with your breakfast any minute now."

Showing off his perfect timing, the little elf popped in right at that moment, beaming as always. "Dobby has Hermione Granger's breakfast and newspaper, Harry Potter!"

Harry grinned, taking the tray from the little elf's hands and conjuring a small lap-table to put in on. "Thank you Dobby."

"Yes, thank you," Hermione added with a smile.

With a blush that would have rivaled any Weasley, Dobby nodded and left.

Hermione looked at the small dish of soup with a glass of orange juice on the side. "This looks good." She lifted up her hand to grab the fork, but it began to tremble, then shake, resisting her efforts. Finally she just let it fall back to her side, her eyes watering a bit with frustration.

Harry reached over and grabbed the fork, "What do you want first?"

Hermione pouted, "I don't want you to feed me."

"It's me, Dobby, or one of your parents," he pointed out.

After holding her mouth firmly shut for a few more moments, Hermione gave in with a sigh, "I would like some of the soup first, please."

Harry pulled out a small spoonful; unsure of how much Hermione could eat, and then carefully put the utensil in her mouth, resisting the urge to smile as she rolled her eyes and took the food. This process was repeated a several more times before Hermione shook her head as he reached for more, "That's enough for now. Could you give me some of the orange juice?"

Harry nodded, conjuring the straw and holding it out for her. As she took a drink, Tonks entered the room, closely followed by Hermione's mother, who was holding a bowl of oatmeal.

Tonks, seemingly oblivious to the tension caused by the entrance of Hermione's mother, took a seat on the bed beside Hermione and smiled brightly, "How's it going?"

Hermione took a few more sips of juice before letting Harry pull it away and put it back on the tray. "It's frustrating."

Tonks nodded, "I know how that is. I was taken down in the line of duty last year and forced to stay in bed a full week, if you can believe it. I nearly went crazy!"

"That's exactly how I feel, and it's only been a few minutes!" Hermione agreed enthusiastically, "It's as if my mind is completely alert but my body couldn't care less! How did you make it?"

Tonks smiled then, "Remus kept me company."

Hermione grinned and then looked at Harry darkly before turning back to Tonks, "Tell him he isn't allowed to go to training." Harry tried to ignore the obvious reaction Mrs. Granger had to this suggestion, her body tensing up and her eyes widening just slightly.

Tonks patted Hermione on the shoulder sympathetically, "I'm afraid I can't help you. It's very critical that we train now. I'd make you do it, too, but being as incapacitated as you are at the moment, that is not an option. I promise that we will be done by noon, though. How does that sound?"

Hermione sighed, something Harry had a feeling she would be doing much of for a while, allowing her head to rest against the pillow, "That sounds like over four hours for me to lie here not training with you guys."

"I'll be here with you, dear," Mrs. Granger said with an honest smile.

On the outside, Hermione nodded in gratitude to her mother, but Harry could hear her thoughts frantic in his head.

She's upset! Why does she look like she's ready to lecture me? I'm not up for this today! Don't go!

Harry smiled, helpless, and admittedly not wanting to hear what Mrs. Granger had to say, "See Hermione? You'll be fine. I promise I'll be back by noon, okay?"

Harry Potter I will never forgive you for this! So help me if you leave me with her I'll…

"Okay!" Harry stood, addressing Tonks, "I think we should get going! Is Ron ready?"

Tonks nodded, "He was grabbing some breakfast first, but he should be up there by now."

"Right then, let's go." Harry bent over and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the forehead, trying to ignore her scowl, "Bye love. I'll see you later."

Once he was gone, Hermione turned to her smiling mother and resisted a sigh. This was going to be a long morning.

When they reached the attic, Harry found Ron waiting with an odd smile. "What's up with you?" Harry asked him.

Ron continued grinning, "Hermione is irritated that you left her."

"Not like I had much of a choice," Harry pointed out, though he flashed a beam of gratitude Tonks' way, "So what are we doing? Three-way dueling?"

Tonks shook her head, "I think we've had quite a bit of practice on dueling for awhile now, and I'd rather hold off on going further with anything physical until Hermione's ready to join us."

The boys nodded, understanding this. "So what, then?" Ron asked.

"Actually, I thought we'd go back to your roots a bit. You all seem to have regained complete control and balance of your powers after it was offset by the Triptych, and that it very good. You, Harry, were stronger than ever pushing that train yesterday," Harry's cheeks reddened slightly as she turned to Ron, "And you are practically becoming an Empath, with the way you can read their emotions even when you're not in the same room, and even seem to have in under control most of the time. Can you tune them out if you wish?"

"Sometimes. Most of the time, it is like a faint hum inside of me. What's an Empath?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's a witch or wizard, or sometimes even a muggle, born with the ability to feel others' emotions. From what little knowledge I have on the subject, it's a gift and a curse, since they are not limited to merely their two best friends."

Ron nodded, "Blimey."

"That's what I say. Anyway, on top of your own achievements, I'm hearing that our Hermione is performing what I think constitutes as telepathy. Is that right?"

Harry quickly agreed with this, "She was using it before she got it. Most of the time, it can go both ways. She'll send me a thought, and if I can form a reply clearly enough, she can read it as if we are having a mental conversation. The only difference from it being truly two-way is that I can never initiate it."

"Still, that's rather brilliant. How's she doing with that?"

Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably and Harry bit back a laugh, recalling what had taken place a few nights ago. Tonks eyed them curiously and Ron finally spoke. "There may have been a bit of an accident there."

"What kind of an accident?" she asked, a bit concerned now.

"Well…" Harry began for Ron, "The other night Hermione and I were…er…um…"

"Snogging," Ron supplied helpfully, bright red.

Harry agreed, "And suddenly she stopped, shaking her head and talking to herself. She was holding her head as if she was in pain." Tonks' hand flew to her mouth, though Harry couldn't read her eyes. "See, apparently at the very same time Ron and Luna were…erm…snogging as well."

Ron was now so flushed that Harry found it a challenge to figure out where his face ended and hair began, "So Harry came down and put a stop to it and I discovered that apparently she could hear my thoughts while I was snogging my girlfriend!"

Harry looked up to tap Tonks reaction to this, only to find her face quite red as well, the hand still covering her mouth. For a moment, he considered that they may have embarrassed her by discussing such intimate details of what went on in the house, but then he noticed her starting to shake. It was subtle at first, but then she began to shake some more, until it was almost violent, as if something from deep inside of her was trying to burst out.

And then it did.

A huge roaring laugh escaped Tonks lips as the hand finally lowered, touching her knee just as the other hand as she braced herself, shaking with tearful laughter as she attempted not to fall over. Being Tonks, Harry thought that this may be impossible, but somehow she managed it. Both boys waited, stunned, until she finally seemed to let up, composing herself after a bit and standing, the occasional giggle still escaping from her throat.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, eyes dancing, "It's just that…I mean we adults have always made jokes about what could happen," she laughed, wiping a tear, "You know with so many teenagers sharing a house…I had simply never considered…" Her eyes widened as she began to fan her face, "My goodness. Poor Hermione! How does that girl even get up in the morning?"

Even Harry had to chuckle a bit at this, "I ask her that all of the time."

Tonks sighed, taking a few deep breaths. "What were we talking about?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Training," Ron answered, still a bit pink on the edges.

"That's right. So, I was thinking that we could work on broadening these powers and helping them connect you. The fact that Hermione is sharing thoughts is proof that it can be done. Also, Ron, as I recall, didn't Moody try to get you to transfer your emotions to Hermione?"

Ron nodded, "But that didn't turn out too well."

"Yes, I remember," Tonks replied, thoughtful, "Though a part of me is saying that it just may have been too early to try. I also wonder if there is any way for Harry to transfer his strength to either of you."

Harry brightened at this, "That would certainly help Hermione get up and running quicker. I can already tell that she hates not being as strong as she can be."

"That's a good point. It would also be quite a bit useful in battle. You never know how long things can rage on, and while you, Harry, have a good bit of supernatural strength, Ron and Hermione aren't so gifted, though obviously they have their own abilities. I also expect that it could be helpful for Ron to pass on a bit of positive feeling when things get a little hopeless, and I can definitely see opportunities with Hermione's mind-power. As well as thoughts, it could even be possible for her knowledge, such as facts, or spells that the two of you may not know. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Both nodded. "It's brilliant," Harry complimented.

"Thank you," Tonks said with a happy smile, "I expect Hermione's already started down this road, but I would like you to fill her in anyway. I thought that this was something she would be able to actively train in, though Madam Pomfrey has instructed that she is strictly off-limits today, so we will begin tomorrow."

"So what are we doing the rest of this morning?" Ron asked.

To their surprise, Tonks shrugged, "I really don't have much planned. I simply wanted to make sure that you got information. How about you two dual for a bit? Only use your special powers, though. I'll watch and we'll go from there."

The two nodded in response, taking up their positions. Harry smiled menacingly at Ron. This would be a great distraction.

Downstairs, Hermione was not having quite as good of a time, though her mother's mere presence had promised that from the moment she entered the room. This was increasingly made worse when her father entered only minutes after Harry's departure.

"Hermione," her father had greeted her with a smile, but it was stiff, "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine," Hermione replied, disgruntling her mother.

"She's weak. She can't even feed herself. Are you sure you're not hungry?"

Hermione restrained herself from rolling her eyes, "Mum, I told you I'm fine. It is not as if I require a lot of energy to lie in bed all day. Besides, Harry fed me some before he left." At the mention of Harry, Hermione noticed her father stiffen up, her parents sharing a look. She decided to do damage control before damage was done. Looking between her tacit parents, Hermione decided her mother looked more approachable at the moment. "Dad? Could I have a minute alone with Mum?"

Mr. Granger hesitated, but with a bit of pushing from his wife soon left the room, promising to be just outside. When she was sure that he was gone, Hermione turned to her mother. "What's going on?"

"Funny," her mother replied, oddly sarcastic for her quiet nature, "I was going to ask you the same thing, Hermione Jane Granger."

Middle name. This was not good. Had Harry said something? No, he couldn't have. He was too smart for that. "Mum, I'm sorry that I got hurt, but I told you that this could be dangerous."

Her mother sniffed, "That is not what I am talking about. I wouldn't dream of blaming you for getting hurt protecting other people."

Hermione's brow furrowed, "Then what exactly is this about? You seem angry and Dad can barely look at me. Did something happen that I should know about?"

Crossing her arms, Mrs. Granger looked her daughter straight in the eye, "How long have you been sharing a room with that boy?"

Hermione stiffened, "How did you find out?" She mentally smacked herself as she looked around the room. It was clearly obvious that it wasn't just hers, if only by the faint scent of aftershave wafting in from the bathroom.

"You mentioned it yesterday as you were waking up, when Madam Pomfrey was asking you questions."

Hermione searched her memory, and finally came to it, mentally smacking herself. "It's been about a month. Maybe a bit longer," she answered.

"A month?" her mother asked, shocked, then Hermione could see the lecture building in her mind, "Hermione…"

"Mum," she interrupted, "Before you say anything I want you to know that I Harry and I haven't done anything."

This deflated the older woman a bit, "You haven't?"

"No."

Mrs. Granger narrowed her eyes, "Hermione are you lying to me?"

Hermione shook her head, "No, Mum. I swear we haven't done anything besides kiss." Okay, so it had gone a bit farther than that, but Hermione figured she should spare her mother of the details.

"Then why do you even…" Mrs. Granger was confused.

Hermione sighed, desperately wishing she was strong enough to pull her knees up to her chest and hide behind them. "We can't sleep."

"Can't sleep," her mother raised an eyebrow.

"When we're in separate rooms," Hermione answered. "I'm not exactly sure why it never came up. I suppose the opportunity never really presented itself, not that we needed it, seeing as we're still young even now." Pointing out that she was aware of her youth seemed to please her mother. She went on, "See, it all started a few nights after we moved in here. I had a really horrible nightmare that Harry died, and it really freaked me out, so he brought me up here and sat with me until I calmed down. After awhile he actually asked me if I was okay to return to my own bed, but, as I said, I was really shaken, so I asked if I could just stay here." Hermione smiled at the memory, "He was a perfect gentlemen and lay on top of the covers, by the way."

Mrs. Granger nodded, as if internally debating, "But what do you mean you can't sleep?"

"For the next couple of weeks after that it was virtually impossible to fall asleep when I wasn't in here, and from how tired Harry looked I have a feeling he was having similar issues. After we started…you know, being boyfriend and girlfriend, it just didn't make sense for us to keep putting ourselves through that. Also, Ron wanted my mattress," Hermione added with a laugh, then winced at the pain it caused.

"Your father and I still don't approve of you sharing a room with a boy. You're only seventeen, after all," her mother replied after a moment.

"I'm almost eighteen," Hermione pointed out, but it sounded juvenile even to her ears.

"But," her mother added after a moment, "You promise me that you aren't doing anything?"

"I promise. Harry and I discussed, and I told him I'm waiting until marriage," Again, Hermione left out that she had begun to reconsider this, but felt it unnecessary to mention since either way it would still not be any time soon, "And he hasn't so much as mentioned it since."

"A perfect gentleman," her mother stated, though she seemed a bit doubtful.

Hermione couldn't help but smile, though, "He is. I love him, Mum." The words floated out of her mouth without her hardly realizing it. She waited as her mother sat in silence for many moments. When she began to no longer stand it, she tilted her head, trying to read her mother's features, "Please say something, Mum."

Mrs. Granger sighed, "I find it hard to imagine that at once in my life I pictured having an ordinary child. Now my seventeen-year-old brilliant witch of a daughter is off trying to save the world and in love with a boy who can fling people across a room simply by waving his hand." Hermione was reminded of the trio's previous visit to the Granger house.

Hermione smiled sadly, "Have I disappointed you?"

Her mother shook her head, "No, of course you haven't, dear. I just find it odd that your father and I have yet to suffer whiplash from all of these surprises. We only want the best for you, you know."

Hermione nodded, "I do."

"And you seem happy, despite the fact that you're stuck in bed."

"I am."

Mrs. Granger smiled, her thoughts wandering as she looked at the wall that was lined with bookshelves, "There was a time when you'd have been perfectly content to lie in bed all day, reading books and such. Where'd that little girl go?" Hermione's heart broke a little when she noticed her mother's eyes watering. Using all of her effort, she reached out an unsteady hand and set it on her mother's own.

"She's still there. She's just…grown up a bit, that's all." Hermione smiled, a little wobbly.

"I miss you," Mrs. Granger finally admitted. Her voice cracked and a tear fell down her cheek, smudging her makeup.

Hermione bit her lip, tears forming in her own eyes as well, "I miss you, too."

Mrs. Granger reached out and pulled her daughter into her arms, holding onto her for a rare and sacred moment, stowing it in her memory forever. Hermione let herself be held, simultaneously doing the same. For a moment, she decided, she would just be someone's daughter. Heroine of the Wizarding World could wait a minute or two.

Upstairs, Tonks stood and sighed, "Alright boys! I think we're about done here."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, looking at his watch. It was only just after just ten o'clock.

Tonks nodded, smirking, "Yes, I'm sure, and it wouldn't hurt you to rescue your girlfriend, Potter. I have to go. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow!"

When she was gone, Ron turned to Harry, speaking, "You know, you really should go save Hermione."

Harry shook his head, "I am willing to rescue Hermione from trolls, Petrification by overly large snakes, criminals, werewolves, Dementors, Death Eaters, and even Voldemort himself, but I am not willing to rescue her from her own parents."

Ron outright laughed at this statement, "Are you telling me that you're afraid of the Grangers?"

Harry nodded.

"But they're Muggles!" Ron exclaimed, "If they try anything you can just wave your hand and freeze them or conjure a cage or whatever it is that you're doing now. Though, that probably wouldn't make them like you much more," he added as an afterthought.

"Do not underestimate Muggles," Harry replied, "The Dursleys are Muggles."

Ron winced, "Still, you know that you should. You're no coward Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes in response to this, crossing the attic to the door and slowing only to pat Ron on the shoulder. "No, I'm not. Thanks for making me feel guilty about it," he added sarcastically as he left.

Ron watched his friend leave, grinning, "No problem."

When Harry reached his bedroom, he was surprised to see Mr. Granger sitting at the foot of the stairs outside of a closed door, reading a novel. "What's going on?" he asked, pulling Mr. Granger out of his book.

"Hermione and her mother asked for a moment alone," the man sighed in reply, marking his page.

Nodding, Harry began to back away, "Okay. Well, I'll just come back later then." Before he could move a meter Mr. Granger spoke again.

"Harry, come over here and sit down for a minute." Harry waited, facing the other direction, for the other painful part. "I want to have a chat with you."

Making his face carefully neutral, Harry nodded and turned, taking a seat on the steps beside Mr. Granger. When he had found the most comfortable position possible, Harry spoke, "What is it that you wanted to speak to me about, sir?"

Hermione's father seemed to ponder this question for a moment, "What do you think it is that I want to talk to you about, Harry?"

Despite himself, Harry fidgeted, "I can't read minds, sir."

Mr. Granger laughed, though it was stiff. With a sigh, he got to the point, "Why are you sharing a room with my daughter?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything the door opened, Mrs. Granger standing at the threshold, her eyes a bit red. She looked between the two of them, and then spoke to Harry, smiling a little, "Harry, why don't you go keep an eye on Hermione for a moment. My husband and I have some things to talk about."

Certainly not wanting to stay outside, Harry only nodded as he walked past her, faintly hearing the click of the door behind him. When he reached the bed, sitting beside Hermione, he noticed that her eyes were slightly red as well, less than her mother's. Frowning, he reached up a wiped a bit of wetness from her cheek. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded, looking down at her folded hands, "I was just talking to my mum, that's all."

"How did that go?" Harry inquired kindly.

"I told her everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

"I didn't give her every sordid detail, but I explained why we share a room," Hermione answered, "And I told her that she haven't done anything and don't plan to anytime soon, and that seemed to help quite a bit. I told her that I love you."

Harry smiled, guiding a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "You did?"

Hermione nodded again, her bottom lip beginning to quiver and her eyes beginning to water.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.

Hermione shook her head, beginning to ramble, "Nothing's wrong. I have no reason to be crying. It must be some reaction to something Madam Pomfrey gave me. I mean, obviously there is no logic behind this behavior. I'm alive aren't I? I should be happy…"

Harry pulled her into his arms as she continued her incoherent speech, stroking her hair and lightly rubbing her back. "Shhh…" He tried to sooth her.

Finally, Hermione let the tears fall like she hadn't earlier with her mother. "I miss them, too, Harry," she confessed into his shirt, "I really do."

Harry merely continued to sit there, comforting her as she went on, his heart breaking a bit, knowing that there was really nothing he could do. He listened quietly, occasionally apologizing or offering a comforting word, but mostly just listening.

After a bit, Hermione calmed down and pulled away, leaning back against her pillows with her head turned towards him as she spoke, "They're leaving soon. They have patients waiting and can't afford to cancel another day of appointments. I also know that they aren't totally comfortable here, surrounded by all of this magic. My mum took my dad to pack the few things they have and they'll be back in a bit to say goodbye. I told them they could come back whenever."

Harry nodded, unable to contain the thought since he figured she would read his mind even if he didn't say it out loud, "Do you want to go with them?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "Why would you even have to ask something like that?"

He sighed, "Hermione, you were just crying and telling me how much you miss them. You could go with them for a couple of weeks while you recover." He knew that no one else would like this and that they needed to train, but Harry would rather see her happy than in perfect condition.

To his surprise, Hermione laughed a little, "I'm not going anywhere Harry. I knew when I left that I would miss my parents. I've been missing my parents for several years. And you know that I couldn't heal nearly as well at my parents' house. If something were to go wrong, they'd have no way of helping me."

"But…"

"And what would you do?" Hermione asked.

This caught Harry off guard, "What do you mean?"

Hermione smiled as if she was revealing a great fact, "You can not go two days, let alone two weeks without me, Harry Potter."

Though he knew that this was at least partially true, Harry was offended, "I can survive without you. I've lived through many summers, not to mention eleven years before I even met you."

Hermione nodded thoughtfully, "But I wasn't the love of your life then."

This time it was Harry's turn to smile, "You were always the love of my life. I simply didn't realize it."

As Hermione opened her mouth to give a remark, there was a soft knock on the door before it was opened slowly by Hermione's parents. "We came to say goodbye," Mr. Granger said, a trace of sadness in his gruff voice.

Harry carefully got off the bed, trying not to jostle Hermione. "I'll give you three a few minutes. When you're ready to go, I'll be outside to take you home." They nodded and he left the room.

Outside, Harry ran into Malfoy. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked rudely before he could stop himself. He had decided to attempt to be nicer to Malfoy after saving Hermione's life. Not nice necessarily, but nicer.

Draco seemed unsure of how to respond to that. "I live here?"

"I mean why are you all of the way up here? Your bedroom is on the second floor."

In reply, Draco held out a few sheets of parchment, "You told me to bring this list to Granger when I was done. It's all of the spells that I know of to have gone into the orb."

Harry nodded taking the sheets and looking over them, then setting them on the nearby table, "Thanks. This is great. I'll have to give it to her in a bit, though. I've got to take her parents home."

Draco shrugged, not really caring, "Okay. I'm going to go."

Harry watched as he walked back down the hall, deciding he didn't care what he was doing. After a few more minutes, the Grangers walked out. Taking their arms gently, he took them home, saying a quick goodbye before returning.

As he arrived in the hall, he noticed the chair he had conjured earlier when talking to Hermione's father. He sat down and exhaled happily, emotionally drained. Taking a brief glance at his watch, he noticed it was only ten thirty. Only over half a day left.

Harry took a deep breath and then stood, returning to Hermione.

~*~

A/N: Forever thankful to Lady Starlight! I'm also thankful to everyone who's reviewed the past two chapters. Even if I haven't replied, I have read and appreciated every single one of them.

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