Unofficial Portkey Archive

The Sweat of a Gladiator

A/N: Waited just long enough for this concluding chapter to be defiantly AU. Hope that it's considered to be worth the wait. Thanks again to chemprof for his help, and to all of my encouraging reviewers.

Disclaimer: Not my characters, no money being made, etc. etc.

Chapter Eighteen: The Final Chapter (4 of 4)

Previously, on "Sweat of a Gladiator":

"Lisa?" Harry asked.

The Ravenclaw jumped up in fright as she pulled her panties up and twirled around with one arm draped protectively in front of her breasts.

"Suddenly shy?" asked Hermione. "No matter," she continued. "Harry and I were wondering if you'd care to join us for dinner"

"You…you want to eat with me?" Lisa asked.

Harry smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "There's probably a joke somewhere in there about wanting to eat with you after you watched Hermione and me eat each other out, but….we really would like to learn more about you than the fact that you like to watch."

Lisa's eyes lit up.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," he added with a roguish grin.

The Seventh-Year nodded. "Give me a minute Harry, while I finish dressing."

Harry and Hermione snorted at Lisa's sudden bout of modesty. Neither of them were snarky enough to protest and claim that they liked to watch just as much as she did. They politely turned their backs, and waited for their dinner companion to join them.

+++

Harry, Hermione and Lisa were halfway to the Great Hall when the sound of running footsteps caught up with them.

"Hermione! Wait!"

The three stopped and glanced over their shoulders as Lavender Brown and Parvarti Patil ran up to them breathing heavily.

"Yes, Lavender?"

"Parvati and I, erm…well, we were wondering about your news…"

"And whether we can spread it without our bits growing boils," Parvati added.

Hermione caught on just a hair's breath before the others did. "You're worried that news of engagement might be a Club secret covered by the non-disclosure agreement?"

Lavender and Parvati both nodded.

"I see," Hermione said with a slight smile. She rather liked the situation…for once there was something tangible in the way of her roommates spreading some gossip. She then turned to Harry and asked what he thought.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Wouldn't matter to me if they shouted it from the top of the Astronomy Tower, but…we were keeping the ring hidden for a reason, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but…it might be unrealistic to expect these two to have the willpower to sit on this news, and then they won't be able to sit at all."

Lisa offered her opinion. "They should honor your request either with or without the threat of a hex hanging over their heads…and tails, for that matter. But as for whether or not the hex would kick in…there might be a fine line between a Club secret and a secret that was revealed during a Club meeting."

Parvati and Lavender's eyes brightened at this possibility.

"Not," Lisa added with a smirk, "that I'd be willing to risk the chance of a pus-covered puss to find out."

Hermione nodded, then looked to Harry. He replied with the prototypical "It's up to you, dear," shrug.

"Well, it's bound to get out sooner or later," Hermione replied. "I do want to tell my parents first before they read about it in the Prophet."

Harry smiled. "After this morning's trip, a bike ride down to your parent's house would be a piece of cake."

"Speak for yourself, Harry," Lavender said with a smirk. "I can think of one very big reason why Hermione might be a little sore in the saddle tonight."

Parviti and Lisa nodded in agreement, Harry rolled his eyes, and Hermione grew a rather sly smile. Little did the other witches know just how well the transfigured stapler had paved the way during their trip to India

Hermione finally relented and released her former roommates from any binding oaths they might or might not have made regarding the engagement. Lavender and Parvati squealed with delight, and each gave Hermione an enthusiastic hug before bounding off towards the Great Hall.

Harry said, "Well, I think that any chance we had for the three of us to talk amongst ourselves at dinner just ran off with those two…might I suggest an alternative dining locale?"

"Not fifteen minutes out the door and you already want to drag us back to the Room of Requirement?" asked Hermione. "Just what do you expect to be on that dinner menu, Mr. Potter?"

Harry waggled his eyebrows. "You know, I did just have an amazing appetizer there, but I was actually thinking of the kitchens."

Hermione swatted his arm and gave a weak-looking pout before grabbing both Lisa and Harry's arms and leading them down towards their new destination.

"Okay, Harry," she said sweetly along the way. "Just don't plan on tickling any peaches other than the ones on the portrait entrance…it might just spoil your pudding."

+++

The Hogwarts house elves happily welcomed the three into the kitchens, although a few looked at Hermione suspiciously. Dobby and Winky popped in at the news, and made a delicious meal. Lisa used the relatively private setting to tell them about herself, and within six minutes Harry knew more about the witch than he had learned the previous six years.

The Turpin family had immigrated from Eastern Europe when Lisa was two years old. Like many naturalized citizens, her family was fiercely patriotic and enthusiastic about their adopted country and its government. Her parents, therefore, had accepted Fudge's lies and the Prophet's libel as gospel truth. It wasn't until her father was killed in a random Death Eater attack that past summer that reality sunk in…that the Ministry wasn't omnipotent, and that everyone needed to learn to defend themselves and their families.

With her mother's blessings, Lisa joined the newly-expanded DA and was working hard under Neville's tutelage. She also was helping Madame Pince in the library, under a work-study program that a sympathetic Headmistress had arranged to cover her tuition.

Harry then asked how she got involved in the Co-Ed Naked Dueling Club (TM). Lisa had been the first to join beyond the initial core of Neville, Padma, Parvati, Susan, Luna and Lavender. While her admittance made the gender imbalance that much greater, Neville hadn't seemed to mind, and Professor Vector had suggested that Lisa's expertise in arithmancy would be a benefit to the club. She also was in NEWT-level Runes, so they knew she qualified as a virgin witch willing to participate naked in rituals.

Lisa then stated that her reasons joining were both professional and personal. As a book-loving student employee of the library, she knew Madame Pince almost as well as Hermione did, and the librarian had been quite candid about the potential to turn Club membership into a virginal vocation. The potential profit sharing was also attractive, as it would help her family. But then Hermione asked about personal reasons, and Lisa suddenly got very shy and quiet.

Determined to get some measure of the girl who liked to watch, Hermione tried a different angle and asked Lisa to describe some of the things that had happened during previous Club meetings. She expressed specific interest in how it was everyone was so comfortable in their own skin, and not all embarrassed about engaging in and watching public acts of almost-sex. It was easier for Lisa to talk about her actions within the context of the group, and she provided descriptions and observations that were almost anthropological in approach. She had, in fact, developed several working hypotheses.

First was the fact that they were normal teenagers being asked to engage in school sponsored activity that allowed for safe and respectful ways to explore what they already were thinking about all the time. That the school actually benefited was also a great rationalization. More than one witch, in fact, had stated that Neville ought to win a Special Services award, given how hard he had worked those first few days when he was the only wizard in the club.

Harry snorted, stating that it was the kind of self-sacrifice that even a male Slytherin would be willing to make. Lisa nodded, and said that the encouragement they'd gotten from the Headmistress and their professors had been especially attractive to those Club members involved in relationships. Instead of risking detentions by sneaking off to the Astronomy Tower or a broom closet, couples like Ron and Luna, and Seamus and Lavender now had a safe place to snog and more. It was an even bigger benefit for Neville, Susan and Padma; Lisa confirmed that they'd been exploring some type of shared relationship, and said she couldn't imagine what kind of repercussions those three would have faced had they been caught in a group snog outside the Room by Filch or a faculty member.

When Hermione asked how that reason related to Lisa's involvement, the witch balked. She said that Sue Li had been asked to join when it looked fairly certain that her not-so-secret boyfriend Terry Boot was going to go corporeal. Lisa, however, didn't have a wizard (or witch, for that matter) to partner with within the club. She'd never really dated, and all of the wizards within the Club were taken (as Lavender had called Seamus out-of-bounds for them even before he was initiated). This, at times, made her feel left out. When Harry asked if that afternoon's showers were one of those times, Lisa simply nodded. Hermione thought she almost had a tear in her eye, but the Ravenclaw's mood changed back from emotional to analytical, because she had not yet revealed her crowning hypothesis to explain the Club's naked dynamics.

Lisa called it the "Carpe Diem Effect."

As Lavender and Parvati's mums had predicted, Hogwarts was presently a rather sex-crazed institution, as students looked for comfort in the arms of others in the face of death and Death Eater attacks. There was every expectation that Voldemort would attack Hogwarts sometime that school year, and that many of the students wouldn't survive that attack. Given that probability, "saving" themselves for marriage seemed like a rather quaint idea. As a result, the term "friends with benefits" had been imported from the muggle world into the Hogwarts vernacular, and the contraception spell was being used so frequently that it was almost showing up on the Ministry's magical sensors, despite the masking cover of the school's levels of ambient and active magic

Lisa laughed when she noted that the way things stood presently, couples looking for a place to snog or more were more afraid of not finding an empty broom closet, rather than getting caught once one was found. In that sense, the Room of Requirement and Club meetings were guaranteed release points, with the only price of admission some nudity, some spanking, and some company. Nobody seemed to think it was a bad trade.

They were dancing around the topic of what took place within the shared shower stall. But by this point, the dinner plates had long been emptied and removed from their small table, and Hermione was getting fidgety at the thought of discussing the latest results with Professor Vector. So there was an unspoken agreement to table the voyeur topic, as Hermione and Lisa headed off to the Arithmancy professor's office, and Harry made his way to the library to kill time before their scheduled shag.

Along the way he wondered whether Lisa would be any more candid with Hermione without his presence. Not that he minded the thought (as some of the imaginary conversations running through his head were quite arousing). Being alone at that point in the day actually suited his plans rather nicely; as did the additional knowledge that he had gained during dinner. Harry took a slight detour and found an empty classroom in which he scribbled out a lengthy message on a spare piece of parchment. He then called for Dobby, and asked the house elf to quietly deliver the note and wait for a reply. Once he had a reply in hand he continued on towards his destination.

Harry kept his invisibility cloak pocketed, deciding that he had a few minutes before the engagement news spread from Great Hall to library. His guess proved right; while there was some sharp whispers across tables and a few heavy sighs, nobody accosted him when he entered the library. As he made his way back into the stacks, Harry caught Madame Pince's eye and was rewarded by a curt nod and a slight smile. Harry returned the acknowledgement, and then disappeared back into the stacks.

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione found Harry sitting at "their" table, where he was reviewing a parchment filled with tables and graphs.

"What's that, Harry?" she asked, as she sat across from him.

Harry looked up and smiled. "Copies of the CNDC's business plan."

"Found anything interesting?"

"Yeah, actually I have," he replied. "It's the same format and layout of the WWW plan that Fred and George gave me couple of months ago…they must have gotten some help from the goblins."

"Do they have a market analysis and sales projections?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded. "With gladiator sweat as the active ingredient we will be able to significantly increase available supply and cut prices on aphrodisiacs."

"Production costs?"

"The break-even cost of replacing current active ingredients with standard virgin spank-sweat is roughly 300 galleons/ounce," Harry replied. "At the 150 galleons/ounce price point, we should capture 90% of the existing market within two months. And that percentage will only increase as the market expands."

"And the market will expand because prices will drop?"

Harry nodded. "It will become an affordable luxury for the average witch, and something that the well-off ones could use on more than an occasional basis."

Harry flipped from one scroll to the next, noting "They don't have anything here about the triple pure."

"There's nothing comparable on the market right now," Hermione replied. "We'll need to insure that the customer doesn't get too much of a good thing."

Harry laughed. "Is there such a thing as too good of an orgasm?"

"There is if it sends you into cardiac arrest," she replied. "So there will likely have to be some dilution factor thrown in for safety purposes. And a fair bit of testing."

"Don't imagine there will be a shortage of volunteer test subjects," Harry said with a grin.

Hermione snorted. "Well, I won't be standing in that line," she replied.

"Who needs an aphrodisiac when you're shagging the King of the Gladiators, eh?" Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head and sighed. "Guess we'll find that out soon enough."

Harry waggled his eyebrows and smiled, as he stuck out his leg and began to drag this toe up Hermione's calf. "Nervous?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not really. Just want to get it over and done with so that we get this monkey off our backs."

Harry nodded. "Won't exactly be the most romantic atmosphere, will it?"

His fiancee shook her head. "No, I can't say I ever imagined my first time to be in front of Ron and an audience …but it's necessary, right?"

Harry nodded again and gave her a rather enigmatic smile.

"So speaking of audiences," he asked, "where's Lisa?"

"Not sure," Hermione replied. "A message came for her while we were in Professor Vector's office. She said that she'd try to meet us here if she had time before the meeting."

Harry nodded. "Did you two have a chance to talk about…things?"

Hermione snorted. "A bit…she apologized for peeking, and I told her that it was a good dry run for when everyone watches tonight."

"Dry run?" Harry asked. "Funny, I seem to remember you being rather wet."

"Oh, hush."

"So did you sort out whether she was more interested in you or me?" Harry asked with a roguish grin.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "As if you needed your wicked imagination to be goosed any more," she replied. Hermione then added, "But to answer the question, I don't think she knows herself."

"Really?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "She said she really got turned on watching me, but that she didn't want to `do' me as much as `be' me."

"A nipple-pierced role model?"

Hermione snorted. "Crude, but essentially accurate…Lisa is a smart witch that loves books more than make-up, and seeing me live well outside that stereotype gives her the confidence to think that she could as well."

Harry nodded. "So are you okay with that?"

Hermione hemmed and hawed a bit before answering. "Yes, I guess. It is a bit unnerving to think that she's getting off on the idea of being me when we're, erm…intimate, but at the same time it's rather flattering to be a role model for something other than academics, and I don't have any reason to worry about you responding to her interests, right?"

Harry reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand. "No matter how many eyes are on me, I'll only have eyes for you."

Hermione drew her hand back in mock horror. "Oh…more of that Harlequin sweetness."

Harry laughed quietly, and then said, "Okay, it's syrupy, but true."

"So speaking of eyes on you…"

"What, Hermione?"

"Well, I guess I was wondering just how inflated your ego got when the girls got off on seeing you starkers."

"Oh, did you really think they were?"

"Either that or they got hit with self-inflicted itching hexes in opportune spots."

"Well, it's not like Ron and Seamus didn't grow stiffies when you banished your knickers."

"They'd probably get hard watching varnish strip."

"True," Harry replied, "but that doesn't mean that they haven't filed away the memory as wanking material."

"And that doesn't bother you?" Hermione asked.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "How could mere mortals not dream of such a vision of heavenly beauty?"

Hermione groaned. "You're pushing it, Potter."

"Tell me, though, how did you feel when you took off your jacket during the duel?" Harry asked.

Hermione's eyes lit up. "Rather powerful, actually. And definitely moist at the thought that I had done something that shocking and erotic in front of everyone."

"So the exhibitionist side of you was satisfied?"

Hermione paused in thought, and then said. "Only partially, I think. I mean….you weren't there, of course, and I love driving you wild when I strip down. But on the other hand, it was unexpected, and almost illicit in the sense that I was half-naked while everyone else was clothed."

"So that was a bigger turn on than when everyone was starkers?"

"I guess so," Hermione replied. "It was almost expected at that point…like being nude on a nude beach."

Harry nodded. "So you'd rather be someplace where it'd be out of place…like, say, the library?"

Hermione's eyes twinkled. "Don't get me started, Harry, because you won't have time to finish."

Harry smiled as he pushed his chair back, walked around the table. Cocking his head out to spy down the empty stacks, he leaned over and gave his fiancee a proper snogging.

"Stop, Harry…someone might see."

Harry snorted as he reached down and pinched Hermione's right nipple. "And you've started to worry about that sort of thing when?"

"Time and place, Mr. Potter."

"You're no fun," Harry teased. He then informed Hermione that he needed to use the loo. Soon after he returned, Hermione heard the sound of broken glass and the shrieks of students, as they were enveloped by the smoke and smell of three top-of-the-line dung bombs.

Madame Pince shouted "Clear the room," as several Finite and banishing spells were cast in a desperate attempt to clear the air. But as the prank involved the latest in cancel-resistant charms, these efforts failed.

Hermione gave Harry a "What have you done now?" look before shouting "Bubble heads!" She then cast the charm on herself. Harry followed her lead, and then followed her as she ran down the book stack to assist in the evacuation. Hermione's first stop was the librarian's desk, where she cast the bubble-head charm on Madame Pince (who was never strong on that subject herself). They then helped other students as they tried to find the nearest exits…with such poor visibility, Hermione intimate knowledge of the library proved and invaluable navigation tool.

Once the main area was empty, Harry suggested that Madame Pince search out Professor Flitwick for help while he and Hermione searched the stacks for stragglers. He started on one end, and Hermione the other. Given the low visibility, they literally ran into each other in the middle of the stacks.

"Find anyone?" Harry asked, as he picked Hermione up off the floor.

"No, you?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. He then tried to pull her into a kiss, only to be bounced back by the positive air pressure of their individual sweet air bubbles.

"Argh…it's like we've got fishbowls over our heads," Harry lamented. "Why don't you cast your expanded bubble-charms?"

Hermione nodded, then cast the same spell that had kept them dry by the lake, and alive when they were touring the stratosphere by motorbike. Her bubble-head expanded into a "bubble-shack," six-feet wide, ten-feet long and seven-feet high.

Harry smiled, and then cancelled out his own charm so that he could step into the expanded air pocket.

"Ah, that's better," he said, pulling Hermione into a snog.

"What, getting tired of smelling your own breath?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"No, I missed the sweet smell of yours," Harry replied.

"Trying to flatter your way into my knickers, Mr. Potter?" she asked with a smile.

Harry smirked. "What if I said yes?"

Hermione squeezed Harry's bum with both hands. "I'd say that you didn't have to work that hard."

Harry's eyes twinkled. "So I figure it will take Madame Pince at least fifteen minutes to get help, and thirty before they come looking for us."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "Why would they need to come looking? Have plans to hang out inside the stink clouds?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders as he nibbled on an earlobe. He then whispered, "All I'm smelling right now is the sweet smell of your shampoo."

"Yeah," Hermione snarked, "well, all I'm feeling right now is the pointed prominence of your penis."

Harry smiled, then started trailing kisses down the side of Hermione's neck. He brought a hand up from her waist and began to tease a nipple.

"Is…that…a….complaint?" he asked, punctuating each word with a kiss.

Hermione slowly shook her head, but then pulled away and said, "Harry, we're too close to meeting time to do this."

Harry smiled as he pulled her back into an embrace and began to address the other side of her neck. "Might be for me, but nothing says you have to limit yourself before show time."

Hermione moaned, and said, "But you'll just get all excited and frustrated, won't you?"

Smiling into her neck, Harry let his hand drag down the front of Hermione's shirt and replied, "If it happens, we just push the meeting time back an hour."

"Wouldn't…oh…be fair….oooh…to the others, erm…would it?"

"We have a right to be selfish once in a while, don't we?" Harry asked. He then reached out and pulled a book off from a shelf. Using it to lightly swat her bum, Harry added, "Besides…I know all of your deepest and darkest fantasies…."

"Oh, Harry….you…are…so…evil!" Hermione groaned, as she ground against Harry's thigh.

"I'll take that as a yes, then?"

Hermione paused, then surrendered to temptation and murmured an affirmative response.

Harry chuckled as he stepped back, drew his wand, and banished all of Hermione's clothes. The unexpected exposure caused her to gasp and reflexively cover herself as she nervously looked over her shoulder. Harry closed the gap between them and spun her the rest of the way around, so that she faced the billowing gas cloud as he grabbed hold of her thighs and pulled his erection tight against her naked bum.

Leaning over Hermione's shoulder, Harry dragged a hand up her flat stomach and cupped a breast.

"Trust me?"

Hermione nodded, then moaned as Harry's other hand snaked its way in between her thighs. With hands thus secured, he gently pulled both his fiancee and the air bubble that was centered on her magical core into the Restricted Section.

Once there, Harry released his grip so that he could step in front of Hermione and pull her into another embrace. Hermione then asked, "Did you plan all this, Harry?"

"Who, me?" he replied with a grin.

Harry set his wand on a bookshelf, then pulled out a random book.

"A Compendium of Incan Curses?" Hermione asked, as she glanced at the cover. "Is that supposed to be sexy or something?"

Harry smiled. "Don't judge a book by its title," he instructed. He then positioned the leather-bound book so that its cover just touched the tips of her nipples, and began moving the book in small circles.

"Oh!" Hermione replied, before narrowing her eyes and pursing her lips.

"Turned on by the way the book feels?"

Hermione nodded.

Harry smiled, then brought the book back so that he could flip the pages past Hermione's nose.

"Turned on by the way the book smells?"

Hermione closed her eyes as she took in a deep breath. The smell of old parchment and ancient inks was intoxicating. She purred in response.

"And the sound as I flip through the pages? And the sight of where you are, and how you are?"

"Oh, Harry…yes," Hermione replied in frustration.

"Good," Harry replied. He then pulled the book down from Hermione's face, and used it to tease her breasts, catching nipples and rings in between pages as he snapped the book open and shut.

"Have I forgotten a sense?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "Taste."

"Oh, yes," Harry replied with a grin. "Taste…well, I don't suppose Madame Pince would approve of you eating one of her books."

Hermione smiled as she shook her head and reached out with both arms to drag her fingertips back and forth against the shelved books.

"But maybe they are clean enough to eat off of?" Harry asked.

The point was lost on Hermione until Harry placed the book in between her legs, so that its spine was flush against her folds, and slowly pulled the book up towards him. There was more than enough wetness for Harry to taste when he dragged his tongue down the book's spine.

Deciding that she wanted to taste something as well, Hermione used her wand to banish Harry's clothes, and applied a cushioning charm to the floor in front of him. But Harry stopped her from dropping to her knees, telling her that he had a different position in mind. He then opened the book that he was holding and captured Hermione's left hand in between the pages.

Her eyes went wide when Harry cast a sticking charm that held Hermione's hand within the pages of the book. They went even wider when he reshelved the book spine-first on the top shelf of the adjacent stack. He then pulled a different book from the facing top shelf and repeated the action, so that Hermione's arms were stretched high enough above her head to force her onto the balls of her bare feet.

"Tying me down?" Hermione asked.

"Maybe," Harry said with a grin. "Although given the method I'd say it's closer to binding you."

Hermione closed her eyes, secretly thrilled by the idea of being trapped naked and open within the stacks.

The next bit of Harry's plan involved some improvised seating. Harry smiled as he ducked under Hermione's outstretched arm, kissing a sensitive area on her side.

"Oh, that tickles," she cried out, as she twisted and tried to bring her arm down. The books held firm though, and kept her hands immobilized.

"What are you doing back there?" Hermione asked, as she tried to look over her shoulder.

Harry grinned as he traced a finger down her spine. "Patience," he said. He then pulled out an entire shelf of oversized books and stacked them underneath Hermione's bum.

"Ooh, I like that," Hermione said, as she wiggled her bum onto, then against the top of the stack.

Harry smiled as he pushed the stack (and Hermione) forward, so that her feet left the ground and she was stretched more horizontally than vertically. He then ducked under Hermione's arms once more and pulled a foot up to his lips. She squirmed on her perch as Harry pressed his thumbs into the arch of her foot and began to massage it. A few moans and mews later, Hermione swung her other leg up and set it on Harry's shoulder.

"This one, too?"

Harry smiled and nodded as he blindly reached for a book and used it to trap the foot that he had just paid tribute to. He then stuck the back cover flat against the front of a shelf (as reshelving would have twisted the ankle into a painful position). With one foot thus secured, he turned his attention to the other. After some massaging and toe-sucking (and tickling, as Harry was feeling rather impish), Harry bound that foot within a book, and secured it to the shelf opposite the other.

Hermione was now stretched out in a reclined spread-eagle position, with her hips three feet off the floor and her legs spread wide. Harry stepped back to admire his handiwork. She was pulling against her restraints, but not so tightly as to indicate any real desire to be released.

"Standard safe word?" Harry asked.

Hermione shot Harry a brief look of panic, before relaxing enough to nod her head.

"Good," Harry replied with a smile. "I'll be within earshot so long as you yell loud enough." And with an evil grin he quickly recast the bubblehead on himself and disappeared into the fog.

"Harry?" she cried out nervously. Hermione found herself in a rather exposed situation. Starkers in the stacks, spread-eagled with her legs and labia wide-open…possibly even dripping a bit...What would Madame Pince think? What would Professor Flitwick think, for that matter? It was one thing to be bare-arsed in front of her peers, but in front of the male faculty? Hermione's mind was racing in between thoughts of calling the scene off and speculating whether her exposed clitoris would be at eye level for her diminutive Charms professor.

Books started appearing through the fog, as if the dungbomb and bubble spell had no effect upon reshelving charms. The first two books shot over her head, but the third approached from waist height and struck the outside of her leg. It wasn't hard enough to hurt…in fact it felt rather nice as the book dragged up her leg and over her breast before continuing unabated towards its destination.

More books appeared, each on intersecting trajectories with her body. Some appeared to linger as they roughly scraped against exposed skin, and take detours towards more sensitive parts of her body. When a rather thick volume struck the inside of her right thigh Hermione thought to trap it between her legs. The charm's efforts to liberate the book were rather stimulating as the spine dragged against her roost before finally making its escape.

The very next book to appear out from the mists caught Hermione's eye not because of its trajectory so much as its teeth. It was "The Monster Book of Monsters" text that Hagrid had assigned back in second year, complete with two eyes, a mouth, sharp teeth, and a rather large tongue. Hermione almost wet herself when the book landed flat on her belly and growled.

"Ermm….Harry?" Hermione called out.

Not a moment later Harry appeared out of the cloud in front of her and stepped up in between her legs.

"Yes, Hermione?"

The book snapped its teeth together, causing it to jump a bit (and causing Hermione to jump a bit more).

"Would you….did you know about this book?"

Harry smiled. "Oh, yeah, one Hagrid's books, what about it?"

"Well, it looks rather hungry."

"Oh, yeah, well….how was it that you calmed one of these books down?"

"Rub the spine, I think."

"Right, spine rubbing…let's give it a go, eh?" And with a wink Harry carefully grabbed the biting book, flipped its mouth towards him, and lowered its spine against Hermione's crotch. As he rubbed the book's spine up and down against her folds the book calmed down, and its growls were replaced with something more akin to moans. Which is what Hermione began doing, as she twisted and ground against the pressure, searching for more direct stimulation.

When another biting book appeared over Harry's shoulder and landed on Hermione's chest, Harry quickly dropped the now-content text and grabbed this second one. While he began to soothe it, the first book flipped itself towards Hermione's face and smiled a rather evil-looking smile. It then raised itself up on edge, opened its lips, and lightly clamped down on an exposed breast.

"Oh!"

"Everything okay, sweetheart?" Harry asked.

"Erm, fine," Hermione stammered, as the book's tongue shot out and began to play with her nipple ring.

When the third biting book appeared out of the fog Harry grabbed it out of the air, as the second book bounced up Hermione's torso to join the first as it lavished attention on her other piercing. As this third book calmed down, Hermione heated up, and was close to release. The soothed book scooted up to join the other two, but not finding a convenient place to latch onto there decided to move farther up and start nibbling on an earlobe. A few seconds later the fourth and final biting book took its station on the opposite ear and neck.

"Oh, Merlin, Harry, I am so close, don't stop!"

Harry smiled and dragged his fingers up and down her inner thighs as he replied, "Seem to be fresh out of books that require soothing."

"Damn it Potter, that doesn't matter….Go down on me!"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry said, with a smile and a salute. He then reached, grabbed her hips with both hands, and pulled her crotch up to his mouth. Meanwhile, four different sets of literary lips sent chills up and down her spine as they continued to nip and nibble. The sensations were overwhelming, and it took Hermione no time at all to achieve release as she bucked hard against Harry's face and her body shook involuntarily.

"Harry….Harry….stop!" she cried out, as the sensations became too much.

Harry smiled as he banished the biting books and stepped back from his work. Once Hermione caught her breath enough to say, "Merlin, Harry, that was wonderful."

"I'm glad," Harry replied.

"Why don't you free my arms and legs so that I can reciprocate?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "Sorry, Hermione, but I'm just getting started on you."

Hermione laughed nervously. "Don't know how much more I could take, Harry."

Harry's nodded as he gave his attention to one of the upper bookshelves. He retrieved a rather modest-sized volume that was normally not part of the Restricted Section. Harry moved back in between Hermione's outstretched legs and held the book in front of her face.

"Hogwarts, a History?" Hermione asked. "Rather thin, isn't it?"

"Not if it's the Third Edition," Harry replied with a smile. "Didn't have nearly as many Goblin Wars to write about."

"Well that's nice, Harry," Hermione said, "but what do you plan on doing with it?"

Harry smiled and asked, "You know how Ron always jokes about you getting off on this book?"

Hermione nodded as she shut an eye and cocked her head.

"Well, I thought I might take his words more literally." And with that statement Harry used his wand to transfigure the text into a serviceable dildo.

Hermione cry of "I can't believe you just did that!" morphed into a series of guttural moans and whimpering as Harry plunged his handiwork inside of her and began to stroke back and forth.

It wasn't as detailed as Hermione's transfigured stapler, and the length to width ratio wasn't optimized. But, as she later told Harry, it was good enough.

Merlin, was it good enough.

Once Harry got a rhythm going he kicked the bookstack out from under Hermione so that she was dangling by arms and legs. He reached around her waist and held her up, taking some of the weight off of her trapped limbs. He then changed tactics and, rather push the book in and out while Hermione stayed relatively still, held the transfigured book still and pulled her bum up and down onto it. While the sensations were similar, Hermione rather liked having Harry holding her tightly around the waist.

And she really liked the second orgasm that came with Hogwarts, A History buried deep inside her.

Once Hermione caught her breath she looked at Harry and realized that he had broken out into a sweat. She bit her lip, and twisted her hips away from Harry.

"Wrap it up, lover, you're losing sweat."

Harry, who had been too focused on Hermione's thrashing about to notice, glanced at his bare arms and smiled.

"Guess we found a good position for sweat collecting, then."

Hermione smiled and said, "Think we could move the library to the Room of Requirement?"

"We could." Harry said, as he withdrew the transfigured book from her folds. "Then again, we could also move the Room here."

"How's that?"

"Collect the shag sweat," Harry replied. "Right here, and right now."

Hermione clamped her thighs together and raised her eyebrows.

"You mean shag for real, Harry?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely."

"What about the instructional viewing?"

"Pensieved porn."

"Oooh, there's an idea," Hermione cooed. "Too bad we don't have sweat scrapers."

"Would you be willing if we did?"

"Why….let me guess, you really did set this up."

Two figures dressed in gauzy white robes emerged from underneath Harry's invisibility cloak and stood silently behind Hermione's head with scrapers and vials in hand. Harry stepped in between Hermione's outstretched legs and dragged the tip of his erection against her inner thigh.

"Who, me?" he asked

Hermione nodded as she looked behind Harry, first to one side and then the other. Not seeing anything or anyone besides the fog, she dropped her head backwards for an upside-down view behind her.

Madame Pince and Lisa Turpin smiled from underneath their hoods.

Hermione jerked her head up to give Harry a look of disbelief. But then a smile broke out on her face as the rational side of her brain kicked in. It wasn't what she was expecting. It was much, much better.

She looked straight into Harry's eyes and said, "Let's do it."

"Brilliant," Harry replied, as the two virginal sweat collectors stepped up and ducked underneath Hermione's outstretched arms. Madame Pince stood to the side, right next to Hermione's outer thigh. Lisa, however, never reappeared into Hermione's view.

"Lisa?"

Hermione jumped when she felt somebody pinch her bum.

"Down here, Hermione," Lisa replied.

Madame Pince then explained that given their positions, it would be most efficient for one scraper to focus on Harry's upper body while the second did just his legs and bum. She then stated that she and Lisa were ready when Harry and Hermione were.

Harry was suddenly anxious that something would go wrong at this final step in the plan. Hermione's eyes, however, were as reassuring as her words.

"I want you inside me, Harry."

Harry nodded, took a deep breath, and gave the tip of his penis a firm squeeze between thumb and forefinger. They had practiced maximizing his staying power using the pleasure strip, but knowing that it was real this time made it all the more exciting.

He grabbed the shaft and rubbed it up and down Hermione's outer lips, looking for the right angle of entry. It was different with the pleasure strip, which provided gripping pressure no matter what angle and from what position he poked in. Fortunately, he had practiced using the transfigured stapler, and it only took a bit of coaching for him to get to where he needed to be.

"Ready?"

Hermione nodded as Madame Pince and Lisa placed the dull edge of their scrapers against Harry's skin.

Harry pushed forward and filled Hermione at a slow and deliberate pace. Once Harry's penis penetrated past the place where her hymen would have been (save for the ski accident) they were officially shagging, and the blades began traversing his bare skin.

For all the times she'd bounced upon the transfigured stapler, Hermione's eyes rolled towards the back of her head at the electrifying sensation of the living warm flesh filling her insides.

Having been intimate with her pleasure strip, Harry was no stranger to this modified missionary position. Yet the differences were so strikingly and glaringly obvious. This was Hermione that was accepting him, not some foreign bit of magical deception. Hermione that was welcoming him. Hermione that was clamping down on his shaft as he buried himself within her.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!"

"Language, Mr. Potter," Madame Pince automatically chided.

The admonishment froze Harry's hips, as he dropped his head and gave Hermione a reproachful "ooops I've done it now" look. Hermione silently held his attention for a few seconds, before she lost her composure and broke out into a series of snorts and giggles. She was quickly joined by Harry and Lisa.

"Hold still, Mr. Potter, it's hard to scrape a moving target."

Harry froze and apologized. "Yes, Madame Pince. Sorry, Madame Pince."

Hermione almost gained control of herself before surrendering to the absurdity of the situation.

"Oh, Merlin," she cried, in between belly-laughs, "This is so….."

The adjective was lost to laughter.

Harry rather liked the way Hermione's laughter caused her breasts to jiggle, and her hips to buck up and down. It was, therefore, with some reluctance that he told her that her laughter wasn't helping his control.

"Okay, Harry…I'll be good," Hermione replied. "Bend down and give my lips something else to do."

"You'll do nothing of the sort," Madame Pince stated. "Can't be mixing your sweat with hers, my boy."

Lisa piped in from below. "Can hardly call him a boy given the size of his wand, can you, Madame Pince?"

The head librarian sighed just a bit and replied. "Focus on your work, Miss Turpin, and take care that your free hand doesn't wander."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Lisa," said Hermione, "are you goosing my Harry?"

"I think she's more worried that I'm goosing myself," Lisa quipped. The Ravenclaw then reached up with her off-hand and grabbed Hermione's bare hip.

"See everybody, I'm behaving myself."

Hermione, remembering that Lisa was sitting on the floor somewhere underneath her bum, asked, "How is the view down there, Lisa?"

"Rather breathtaking, Hermione."

"Less chatting and more chaffing, Miss Turpin."

"Yes, Madame Pince."

By this point the two virgins had scraped all of the available sweat from Harry's still form, and Madame Pince instructed Harry to work up a fresh batch of sweat. He waggled his eyebrows at Hermione before he started to do knee bends with her still impaled on his pole. Their hips rocked back and forth as Harry supported Hermione's weight with his upper thighs, with the motion forcing Mr. Phoenix to slip in and out of her folds without any real effort on his part. The sensation of tightening testicles and the feeling that he was starting to lose control hit him hard enough for him to withdraw and employ the pinch technique

"Come on, Harry, get that heart rate up," said Hermione. "I want to see you all hot and bothered."

"Oh, not aerobic, enough, eh Hermione?" Harry asked with a grin. "Well let's try this exercise." And with that statement Harry placed his hands under her bum, and began to lift her hips up and down to his face, taking care to lick her clitoris on every up stroke.

"Harry," Hermione stated, "That's really…erm….quite lovely…but you need to stay hard."

"Don't worry, Hermione," Lisa called out. "I'll keep an eye on that situation for you."

"I'm sure you will," Hermione quipped.

After a few minutes of "crotch lifts" Harry was breathing hard and once again had a good sheen of sweat on his body. At Madame Pince's instructions he lowered Hermione back down into her spread-eagled position and reburied Mr. Phoenix. He pumped back and forth slowly, only pulling back a couple of inches on each stroke. It was the kind of motion that kept his erection firm and the drive to his orgasm firmly on track.

Madame Pince finished filling her first bottle of sweat a few seconds faster than Lisa (she had both more experience and more skin to work with). Once Lisa completed her first fill she scooted out from underneath Hermione and scampered over to her rucksack. She then pulled out the potency stone and set it upon the floor in order to do a field check of Harry's sweat strength

While Lisa was doing this work, Harry conjured a couple of water bottles. He was about to hand one to Hermione before realizing that she was in no position to hold it to her lips. He held it out towards her head and asked, "Fancy a drink, Hermione?"

"Yes, please," she replied.

Harry reached out and held the top of the opened bottle to her lips. Hermione took the bottle neck between her teeth and tilted her head back. The water, however, came out faster than she expected and she started to choke. Harry immediately pulled the bottle away from her lips, and while Hermione was recovering her breath decided to put the rest of the bottle to good use.

The ice-cold water had an immediate physical effect on her nipples.

"Ahhh!" Hermione cried out, in between coughs. "Harry, stop it!"

"Yes ma'am," he saucily replied. "Here, let me clean that up for you."

Hermione decided that Harry's tongue was a rather pleasant absorbent.

"Madame Pince," Hermione asked, "You've no plans to collect sweat from Harry's hair, do you?"

When the librarian shook her head, Hermione asked Harry to release the sticking charms that were restraining her arms. Not wanting to stop his play time, Harry blindly reached for his wand while his lips were still firmly wrapped around her nipple. He then impressed Hermione by successfully summoning her perch of stacked books back underneath her bum and casting Finite spells with incantations mumbled against her breast. With her hands thus freed, Hermione's weight settled back down onto the book stack, and her fingers buried themselves into Harry's hair as she held her lover's head against her chest.

"I love you, Harry James Potter," she declared.

Harry looked up at Hermione's face and smiled. "I love you too, Hermione Jane Granger."

Madame Pince spoiled the tender moment by announcing that both vials of sweat had met the minimum requirements.

"Fantastic," Harry said. "We're done then, right?"

"Erm, if you want to be," Hermione replied.

"What, you don't think I want to finish this with you?"

"Of course not, Harry," Hermione replied tenderly. "I was just thinking that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and you're still hard, and sweaty, and you do have spare vials, right Madame Pince?"

When the librarian nodded, Harry said, "But we could finish this just the two of us…me and you."

Hermione smiled. "You're so sweet, Harry, but there'll be lots of other private times…so, as long as they're here…"

"Okay, okay, you've convinced me," Harry replied. "But maybe we should have Madame Pince run the vials up to the Headmistress's office to settle up with the Hag?"

Hermione shifted her eyes from Harry's face to Madame Pince's, and then down to Lisa's (who had moved to one side once Hermione's perch had been repositioned). Taking in the slight smile on Lisa's lips, she returned her gaze to Madame Pince and asked, "Would you mind?"

"Not at all, dear," the librarian replied. "I trust that you'll use the appropriate cleaning and drying charms after you're done?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. Madame Pince then stepped up and grabbed Hermione's hand. "I'll leave you to it, then, dear. Take care, and congratulations…to the both of you."

Harry and Hermione expressed their thanks for the well wishes as the librarian handed her scraper to Lisa.

"Perhaps you can scrape with two hands, Miss Turpin?" she asked. "Wouldn't want an idle hand to wander too far afield."

"Yes, Madame Pince," Lisa replied with a smirk. She then stood up and took Madame Pince's sweat-collecting station as the matron disappeared into the cloud.

"Thanks for staying, Lisa," Hermione said.

The Ravenclaw smiled and replied, "Would it come as a surprise if I said that it was my pleasure?"

"No, it certainly wouldn't," Lisa replied with a giggle.

"Erm Hermione…set to go, then?" Harry asked. "I'm afraid I've lost all patience, and don't plan on pinching any more."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Hermione replied, she then pulled him into a deep kiss.

Harry used his hand to guide Mr. Phoenix back inside Hermione, and Lisa began to scrape both his chest and back. Once he knew he was on the right track he let go of himself and used both hands to pull Hermione's head forward into a kiss. They snogged fiercely as Lisa struggled to work in between the lover's bodies.

"Help me out, guys," Lisa said. "You're mixing sweat."

"Oh, sorry," Harry said sheepishly.

"Maybe a different position, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"What do you have in mind, lover?"

"Release my legs and I'll show you."

Harry withdrew his penis, then drew his wand to release the sticking charms that had kept Hermione's legs fixed in place. Hermione drew her legs together, then hopped off of her perch and grabbed hold of Mr. Phoenix.

"Follow me, you two."

Hermione led Harry by his penis out of the Restricted Section and back towards their table. She banished the chairs to one side, then turned to face Harry and Lisa with her bum resting against the table's edge.

"I've always wanted to come on this table," Hermione explained.

Harry gave her a roguish smile. "I thought you said you've secretly played with yourself here before?"

Hermione gave Mr. Phoenix a playful squeeze. "Okay, fine…I've always wanted to be bent over this table and shagged senseless." And with that clarification, she turned and bent low enough that her nipple rings and forehead rested on the table top.

With her legs spread just wider than shoulder width, Hermione gave Harry and Lisa a clear view of both her swollen labia and a clitoris that had risen well above its hood. Hermione reached back in between her legs with one hand and used two fingers to spread her outer lips even farther apart than they already were. She then wiggled her fingers and said, "Anytime you're ready, Harry."

Harry turned to Lisa and they exchanged bemused expressions. He then stepped up behind Hermione, grabbed hold of her hips, and brushed the tip of Mr. Phoenix up against Hermione's buried fingers. Once she guided him inside her, Lisa once again began to scrape.

The new position felt different for Harry…not better, mind you, but different. Hermione appreciated the difference as well, particularly when Harry moved his hands from her hips to her bum and spread her cheeks out.

"Oh, Merlin, Harry," Hermione groaned. "You're so big this way." To show her appreciation, she then reached farther back with her hand and began to fondle Harry's testicles.

"Erm…Hermione," Harry groaned. "That feels amazing, but…..not..helping ….control…"

Hermione smiled to herself (her head was still down on the table) and pulled her hand back so that she could fondle her clit while Harry pumped in and out of her.

Harry looked down in wonder, loving the way he could see the full length of Hermione's bum, back and neck, and the way that her (now) sweaty curls hung down onto the table. The only thing he didn't like about this position is that it kept him from watching her face as she grimaced and cooed and pursed her lips in pleasure. But as he was a wizard, the remedy was soon in hand.

"Look up, Hermione," Harry said.

Hermione pulled her outstretched hand towards her side so that she could prop herself up on one elbow. This allowed her to raise her head up and look into a large mirror that Harry had conjured in front of her. She smiled as she caught Harry's eyes through the reflection.

"Erm, Lisa….how are things going?" she asked.

"About one and a half right now, Hermione," Lisa replied.

"Top it off at two, then," Hermione replied. "I think we've tortured Harry enough."

Hermione saw Lisa nod her head and smile in the reflection as she scraped sweat from Harry's arms.

"Hold still, Harry," Hermione instructed. When Harry complied, she closed her eyes, took in a sharp breath and then held it, focusing completely on the orgasm that was building within her.

Harry could feel Hermione's fingers diddling furiously on her outside while he was inside. It was more than enough to keep him primed for his own release. Hermione then released her breath and began to pant shallowly as involuntary muscle spasms started to travel up and down her legs.

And then it hit. Hard. Hermione shot her buried hand out to help support herself as waves of pleasure rolled up and down her body. She cried out at the top of her lungs, "Harry!" as the walls of her vagina contracted rhythmically against Mr. Phoenix.

Lisa somehow managed to focus on her work, and yelled out, "Done!" once her two vials were filled. She stepped back from the couple and quickly capped the vials to protect their precious contents. Meanwhile, Hermione had come just far enough down from the peak of her release to reach back and grab hold of Harry's balls.

"Come inside me, Harry!"

Harry responded with his hips rather than his lips, and began banging in and out of his lover at a pace he knew he couldn't maintain. No longer constrained by necessity, he allowed himself to let go to the love and to savor the pleasure and the sensations. Hermione responded to each forceful thrust with a cry of "Yes!" that was carried on a shallow exhale of breath. This was modified on occasion with variants appropriate for the situation (e.g. "Oh, Yes!" "Merlin, Yes!" and "Fuck, Yes!")

At around the fifteenth exclamatory, Harry felt the tell-tale signs of imminent release, and loudly proclaimed that fact as he picked up the pace. Hermione gave his balls a firm squeeze before extending the hand out to brace against Harry's thrusting.

Harry came as he thrust as deep as he could inside his lover and reached out to pull her into a sweaty embrace. He cried out her name, and thrust with each pulse of released semen.

Once spent, Harry withdrew completely. Hermione's cries of disappointment were nipped once Harry picked up one of her legs and told her to roll over.

Harry was too impatient to try and reinsert his slickened semi-hard penis. He wanted, no…he desperately needed Hermione's embrace. And so he pounced down onto her, pinning his penis against her crotch as he wrapped his arms around his lover, pulled her breasts tight against his chest, and buried his face into the damp curls of her hair. Hermione, however, would have none of that, and reached down to put Mr. Phoenix where he needed to be. Once Harry was inside her again she wrapped her legs around Harry's bum and locked her ankles together.

The two lovers spent what felt like an eternity in this position, whispering words of endearment, and expressions of love and wonder at what they had finally done. Neither noticed Lisa as she packed her sweat-collection gear into her rucksack. She quietly stood to the side, waiting respectfully for Harry and Hermione to regain consciousness of the world beyond their embrace. She had thoughts of her own release, but decided to keep her hands to her sides, not wishing to sully the moment of intimacy.

Eventually Hermione did come to her senses, and she turned to Lisa and held out her hand. The Ravenclaw tentatively walked forward and took hold with her own, as Harry twisted around to look up as well.

"Thank you, Lisa," Hermione said.

Lisa smiled shyly and nodded her head.

"Do you want some alone time?" she asked. "I can bubble-head and leave, but thought you might like some help tidying up in the stacks."

Hermione turned to Harry and squeezed his bum with one hand. "Ready for another go, loverboy?"

Harry smiled as he reached down gave a tentative thrust with his hips. He then pinched a nipple ring and replied, "Abso-fucking-lutely."

Hermione grinned as she turned towards Lisa and said, "We're not going anyplace for a while, but there's no need for you to go."

"Really?"

Hermione nodded. "And don't think you have to be dressed just on our account."

Lisa's eyes went wide as she slipped her robes over her head. She wasn't wearing anything underneath that might conceal her hard nipples and sopping-wet pubic hair. Not that Harry could have told you this…he had his face once again buried against Hermione's neck and was nibbling an ear.

"Harry," Hermione chided, "you are such the gentleman, but I don't think Lisa would mind if you saw her starkers again…would you Lisa?"

The Ravenclaw snorted and shook her head as she dragged a hand up her thigh. Harry, however, didn't take the bait, and kept his head down.

"Lisa," Hermione asked, "what did you do with the scrapers?"

"Packed them away, Hermione."

"Have any empty vials left?"

"About a half-dozen, I think," Lisa replied.

"Well get set up, we've got a second-time shagging event to constrain."

Lisa smiled as she opened her rucksack.

"Oh, and Lisa, if you wanted to collect one-handed…"

Lisa nodded in understanding as she absent-mindedly dragged a finger through her dark mound of short and curly hair.

Hermione's questions caused Harry to raise his head.

"Why in Merlin's name would we still need empty vials?" he asked.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione replied sweetly. "Did you think your sweat donating days were done once we finally shagged?"

"Erm….yes, actually."

Hermione shook her head and sighed. "Sorry, Mr. Potter, but you aren't off the hook yet."

"How's that?"

"Why, there's so much more research to conduct," Hermione replied brightly. "Now that you're not a virgin, we need to check your wanking potency, and hand-job potency…never did do a hummer vial, did we Lisa?"

"Erm, no, we didn't."

"Plus there's a need to explore potency as a function of time since loss of virginity."

"Might be differences between different locations," Lisa offered.

Hermione nodded. "That's right…so much to explore, and you're our first and only `before and after' gladiator."

Harry snorted. "So, all of this shagging, it's to be done in the name of magical inquiry?"

Hermione nodded. "Do you mind?"

Harry paused, then shook his head. "Anything for you, sweetheart. Just promise me once thing."

"What's that, Harry?"

"That we be done collecting sweat by our wedding night."

Hermione smiled as she rubbed her engagement ring with her thumb. She then turned to Lisa and asked, "Think we can complete our protocols in six weeks?"

Lisa paused, and then smiled. "We could, but that would probably require multiple sweat collections each day."

Hermione nodded, then turned back to Harry. "So, think you're up for shagging three or four times a day over the next few weeks?"

Harry looked down incredulously at Hermione, then turned and gave that same look to a smirking sweat collector. He then leaned down, so that his lips were right next to Hermione's ear, and confidently whispered the word-of-the-day.

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