The Prisoner

Guys, there's a book out by a friend of mine, "Marvel's Harem for Harry". You can find it on my profile, I just wrote a review. So if anyone likes Harem, the story is interesting and it's Harry Potter, which I don't really feel like writing right now, so come on over and support. 

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24 May 1996 Black Mansion.

- 'Right, now, young man,' Slughorn said affectionately, bringing another vial to Remus' lips. - The next batch of reagent.

- Horace," Lupin said through his coughing and wheezing. - A couple more of these vials and my girl will be a widow before she's married.

- This is the last one, Remus," the potionist said soothingly, deftly pouring the last of the iridescent shimmering liquid into the man's mouth. - 'The main thing is to restrain the gag reflex, I've run out of reagents.

- Damn it, Professor, that's just monstrous. - The man is twisted.

- That's it. - Slughorn, smiling, returned to his chair and looked at the coughing and spitting werewolf with satisfaction. - In a few minutes, the potion will take effect, and we can see if we've made it.

- I think we can trust Maître Flamel's recipes," Sirius, who had been watching from the corner of the study, came closer. - Lunatic, how are you feeling?

- My head cleared up.

- So," Slughorn flipped through the pages of an old notebook. - So the potion's working. Let's check it out, shall we?

- Legilimens! - The wizards shouted in two voices, pointing their wands in the werewolf's direction.

There was a tense silence, which was finally broken by Black.

- I see some scraps of thoughts, nothing concrete, my friend.

- Yeah... The potion seems to be working," Slughorn said, listening intently to the echoes of the spell. - I'm not a good mind reader, but I should have picked up something.

- There's one more stage of the test," Lupin smiled weakly, not getting up from his chair. The man's hands gripped the armrests tightly.

- I'm sorry, Lunatic," Sirius looked at his friend painfully. - Crucio.

- Legelimens! - Immediately, Slughorn shouted as the man took his wand away from the silently squirming werewolf. Black stepped aside and covered his face with his hands.

- P-ro-damn it," Remus breathed out, not even trying to get up. - Horace, what do you see?

- The same scraps of thoughts. It's working. - The potionist didn't hide his joy. - It was a shame to have to test it in such a sadistic way.

- That's good. - Black turned back to his companions, having mastered himself. - How about more servings, Horace?

- Alas, Sirius," the fat man waved his hands. - Your Flamel used some pretty rare ingredients, so..... I'll have to order some from the East, and there's no guarantee of quick results.

- That white, stinky stuff? - Sirius snorted. - Yes, that was the least of it in the lab, and it wasn't in the vault either.

- Alas, Mr Lupin was the only one who'd had the potion so far, but we know that it works exactly as described in the Maester's notebook. - Slughorn stroked the notebook fondly.

After giving his friend a revitalising elixir, Sirius helped him up and dragged him to his room, sleep being the best medicine for a body that had experienced Cruciatus.

- You'll get some fresh air tomorrow, Lunatic. - Black joked. - You'll walk around Hogsmeade with Neville and Luna, get something nice for Tonksy, have a beer.

- And when you and Alika walk with us? - Despite his general weakness, Lupin managed to squeeze out another chuckle.

- When Dumbledore eats his own beard," Black said grimly.

- Mr Tramp, I think Slughorn could concoct some nasty potion that would make the Headmaster eat his own beard. - Lupin laughed weakly.

- Monsieur Lunatic has a good chance of not living to see his own wedding if he's going to be ironic about me and Alika Greengrass. - Sirius laughed.

Alika, who was in Tonks' room at the time, near where the men were passing, frowned.

- 'I wonder why Uncle Siri disliked you so much,' Nymphadora looked sympathetically at the upset girl. - "Has every chance of not living to see his own wedding," she sparodied Sirius' face and voice, causing a faint smile to appear on Alika's face.

- 'I think it's my father's fault,' Alika said bitterly. - And who was it that pulled his tongue to offer Lord Bleek that engagement....

- Do you think he resents the engagement so much? - Nymphadora said incredulously. - Does he see you as a symbol that sooner or later his freedom will end?

- I think so, if what you told me about Sirius is true.

- Actually, when I was in about the same situation as you," Tonks said ironically, "Uncle Siri set me up with some one-on-one training with Remus, and then it was a matter of technique....

- And what did you do? - Alika asked with growing interest.

- Well, how to say... - The girl giggled. - Remus hit me during the duel with Air Blades, the defence blocked them at the very body.... Can you guess any further?

- And your clothes? - Greengrass laughed.

- And my clothes were cut into thin ribbons that fell off me as soon as I removed my hands.

Friendly laughter announced the room.

- Are you having fun? - Sirius walked into the room after a short knock. - Let's go to practice, beauties.

- We'll make a deal next time. - Nymphadora nudged the giggling girl with her elbow, causing Sirius to sigh in anguish.

25 May 1996 Hogsmeade.

- Freedom at last! - Luna smiled broadly as she stepped outside of Hogwarts, her hair spreading in waves over her fragile shoulders.

- And the whole day belongs to us," Neville put his arm around her, guiding her towards the rooftops of Hogsmeade in the distance. - Lupin and Tonksy should be joining us in a couple of hours.

- It's been a long time since they've been here... - Luna smiled dreamily. - 'Tonks is so funny.

- And you're so pretty," Neville picked up on that, giving the girl a quick kiss.

- Mr Longbottom, what do you think you're doing," Luna said in imitation of Snape. - Ten points off Gryffindor... if you don't kiss me again right now!

Laughing, Longbottom pulled the girl tightly against him, his lips touching Luna's soft lips, his palms burrowing into her fluffy hair.

The past conversation with Augusta Longbottom had not been in vain - the young man, who was obliged to choose a worthy mate in the next two years for the sake of the continuation of the family, had made up his mind about his choice. Augusta agreed with her grandson's choice, although she had previously considered, secretly from him, quite other options for a possible engagement. The Lovegoods were not a "good family" in the eyes of most wizards, but their family's strange, unlikeable magic, which had manifested itself more than once over the past year at Luna's, could be the trump card that would allow the Longbottom family to acquire new abilities in the next generation.

Augusta accepted that argument, as she had accepted the argument about her grandson's feelings for Luna Lovegood; all that remained was to make a formal proposal, preferably as soon as the girl was at least fifteen. He preferred not to inform the imperious Augusta, who was unlikely to like this breach of protocol, that he had already informed her of his intentions and received her unequivocal consent. Neville, who would be sixteen in a couple of months, could expect to have a little more autonomy in his own affairs now, without having to obey Augusta, who had taken over as Head of the family. After another year, however, he was to take on the burden of managing the family accounts.

- You're thinking about something again, as if you were Neville the Half-Witted Neville and not me the Half-Witted Moon," the girl stood up on her tiptoes and gave Longbottom a deft peck on the nose.

- I'm sorry, miracle, I promise to make it up to you.

Hogsmeade was already crowded when the couple got there. Students wandering the streets among the many shops and cafes were chatting merrily. Despite the general merriment, aurors were often seen walking through the streets, looking around carefully, and at a table in one of the cafes in the central square, the purple hooded robe worn by Alastor Moody's men flashed.

- Constant vigilance! - A shriek from behind, and the tip of a wand was thrust into Neville's back.

The young man tried to dislodge the wand from Alastor who had snuck up, but was instantly blocked by the laughing man.

- Yeah, I see Sirius and my old mate aren't wasting any time. - The auror said in satisfaction. - I wish you had practised with the Time Wizard like Harry....

- Does he train with the Time Wizard? - Luna asked curiously.

- 'Yes,' Alastor grinned. - If those damn toys weren't so expensive, we'd use them to train Aurors, but it's a lot of gold to equip a squad like mine with them. So Harry will return to Hogwarts grown up for a year and a half, or even two years instead of one.... So much the better, in my opinion.

- I should try to get an artefact like that too," Neville said thoughtfully.

- You won't. - Moody cut him off. - It's forbidden in England for private citizens to possess them, only members of the Department of Mysteries have access to the Flywheels. So Harry's doubly lucky he managed to get out of here.

- That's what I came here for," Auror scrunched up his cursed nose. - When is the next session of your dueling club?

- Tomorrow at six. Do you want to come? - Neville grinned.

- It's interesting to see the possible future additions to the Aurorate. - Moody grinned contentedly. - Maybe I'll find a couple of promising boys or girls.....

- Can the head of the Aurorat Special Squad personally select people from among the students?

- He can, Miss Lovegood, if funds allow. - Auror chuckled. - In that case, the person will have a lot of difficulties at the Academy, but after another three years of intensive training, he or she will join my department. Expensive, but no more expensive than money. Such children receive elixirs paid for by me or the child's parents: stimulants, muscle mass enhancers, memory and reaction potions.

- If I wasn't heir to the Longbottom family and didn't have to restore its glory, Mr Alastor, I would envy these children.... I'm still interested in Herbalism and Healing, though," Neville sighed.

- All right, mates," Alastor said with a wink of his healthy eye. - I'll visit you tomorrow, but in the meantime, have fun... and remember...

- Constant vigilance! - Luna smiled.

With a grin, the old auror apparated off on his own, and the students walked towards the nearest freshly built café, The Jolly Wizard's, where the undergraduates had been gathering since opening day.

- Oooh, our valiant leader! - Almost the entire study group sitting with mugs of creamy beer greeted them with joyous shouts. As Neville looked closer, however, he noticed the twins had firewhiskey in their glasses.

- I'll make you conjure Incendio until you collapse from exhaustion. - Neville said half-jokingly.

- Come on, Neville," Ron took a good sip of his drink. - 'Tomorrow will be a normal training session.

- Normal, you say... - Neville smiled wryly, remembering Alastor's promise to come round. - Okay, I've warned you all, guys.

Neville and Luna sat down at one of the few available tables, which happened to be near the window. The girl was smiling softly at the menu, thoughtfully twirling a blonde curl around her finger. Neville allowed himself for a moment to admire his favourite, the soft features, the expressive blond eyes, the enigmatic, then frankly naughty smile.

- Why are you looking at me like that? - The gaze of clear eyes seemed to penetrate into the very soul of the young man.

- Maybe because you're beautiful. - Neville gently brought the thin fingers to his lips and kissed them.

- Mr Longbottom," a light blush touched Luna's pale skin, "you flatter me shamelessly.

- Good afternoon to the rising warriors," The grey-haired werewolf's heavy hands rested on the shoulders of the students who had forgotten everything. His right hand was adorned with a heavy gold ring with a purple stone, which was uncharacteristic of the usually modest wizard.

- 'Hello Remus,' Neville jumped up cheerfully, shaking Lupin's hand.

Luna greeted the man with a smile.

- How did you carve out time to sit with us? - Neville brought the rather pale looking man a beer.

- Slughorn tried out a new potion on me yesterday.... - The werewolf shuddered. - Sirius had unearthed a notebook of very interesting recipes through some friends of his. So now he's trying to gather the necessary ingredients and.... You can see the result on me.

- And what did he make you? - Luna looked at Lupin curiously.

- Nicholas Flamel's Thought Barrier Elixir... - Remus grinned. - Though I still feel ill at times, the recipe is worth the inconvenience, for I have no occlumency, and a strong Legilimency can penetrate a werewolf's natural defences.

- How long will these side effects last?

- Slughorn says another day and a half, and then I'll be back to normal. So Sirius said I should just relax. Too bad Nymphadora's working with the newbies today, torturing them with stretching.

The werewolf sipped his beer, staining his moustache with white foam, and squeezed his eyes blissfully shut.

- I hope this damn war ends someday.... There's another message from the north," he said, turning serious. - A Muggle village has been almost completely destroyed. Sirius is as angry as a demon-we don't have enough forces to cover the country with a network of patrols, and there's little hope for the Ministry's. Besides, he's still pissed that he couldn't kill that old necromancer.

- The revelers are attacking Muggles? - Luna's eyes widened.

- They... - Lupin literally growled. - The lord is training his pups. As soon as he's sure of the replenishment - there'll be a massive assault on Hogwarts or the Ministry, or some other big massacre. So get your friends ready, Neville. If the war doesn't end before you graduate - you'll go into battle alongside us... Or maybe even sooner.

Finishing his beer, the man stood up.

- Let's take a walk, then; I don't think Sirius is going to let me out of our 'fortress' to rest in the next few months.

The three of them left the café, going to walk down the main street, where, thanks to the efforts of one of the recently joined aristocrats, the Merry Wizard's and a shop of magical goods, which the Weasley twins usually hissed and swore through their teeth at the mere sight of. Besides them, there was a kind of shooting gallery for wizards in the central square, which used only point spells, but the prize was weighty enough for not too well-off students.

- Shall we have some fun? - Neville nodded with a questioning tone in his voice in the direction of the shooting gallery, where a few not too happy students in Ravenclaw robes had just come out.

Luna smiled enigmatically, pulling her wand out of her pocket.

Remus, half a step behind, couldn't understand what he didn't like about what was happening. A peaceful street, full of cheerful students and the few inhabitants of Hogsmeade, could not have given the werewolf such feelings. Unwillingly, the werewolf shifted into a fighting mood and fumbled for his wand in his sleeve, sharpening his hearing and senses to the utmost.

Luna was already approaching the door of the shooting gallery, and Neville was opening the door for his girlfriend, bowing playfully, when....

- AvadaKedavra," the words were softly spoken in a man's voice, and a deadly green beam flew from the nearest rooftop towards Luna.

- Accio! Bombarda! - The brutal force of the magic tore the girl to the side, and Neville, who had spotted the beam, did a roll, rolling awkwardly to the side. The explosive spell, filled to the brim with power, blew part of the roof apart, but the enemy was no longer on it.

A black-clad figure with a skull embroidered on its chest and back galloped, slipping, towards the edge of the village, leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

The first panicked screams sounded - the explosion and the ensuing shrapnel caused random passersby to scatter to the sides.

- It's the Basterd! Neville, get Luna out of here, I'm going after him! - The man took an incredible leap up onto the roof in pursuit.

Grabbing his wand and looking around carefully, the young man carefully put his arm around Luna and they walked quickly towards Hogwarts. Four men in expensive coloured robes ran past them, in the direction that Lupin and the murderer had taken off across the rooftops.

- Neville, what happened? - Seamus and Dean came rushing out of the café where they had just been, followed by the twins and Ron.

- 'The revelers,' Luna replied as the young man tried to catch the direction the next spell would come from.

- He tried to kill Luna! - Neville hissed, not taking his eyes off the deserted street. - Dean, call the aurors through the fireplace, Remus ran after the murderer. Fred, George, alert the students, have the older students look out.

The two redheads scurried away, while Neville and Ron and Seamus surrounded Luna and ran towards the exit of the village.

- Damn it!" Lupin breathed through clenched teeth, jumping from roof to roof once more. The assassin, who was incredibly fast, was impossible for him to tackle. He managed to close the distance a couple of times, but the man turned around, throwing spells at the werewolf, and he had to dodge or fend him off, wasting valuable time.

- BombardaMa-Xima! - The beam passed over the ducked man's head and travelled off into the distance.

- Gereja banyak sinar," the shapeshifter whispered as the assassin jumped off the edge of the roof and into the ravine adjacent to it. One of the murky beams of the Dark Magic spell struck his right arm, and even from a dozen metres away, Lupin could hear the horrible crunch of bones breaking. The body that had collapsed from the shock of pain rolled softly off the roof, disappearing into the bushes.

- Expelliarmus-Incarcero-Levicorpus," the wandless, rope-covered body soared gently into the air, and the werewolf ripped the hood off the failed assassin with a swift motion. - Imperio. Who are you, and who sent you?

- My name is John Carter. - With a dishevelled look, a string of saliva stretching from his mouth, the man began to answer. - 'I was sent by...

- Mr Lupin," came a sudden voice from above, from the edge of the ravine where both members of the chase were. Three men, whom the werewolf's trained mind recognised as those he had met on the street, landed at the bottom of the ravine with a crunch of twigs.

- Who are you? - Lupin stepped sharply to the side, covering himself with the body of the wizard he had taken control of. His wand was already glancing in the air between the new participants in the conversation.

- We... We are on business and on an errand, Mr Lupin. - The man, without taking his attentive gaze off the tense and ready-to-fight werewolf, stepped forward, stepping out, as Remus had, onto a platform lit by sunlight, uncovered from above by branches and bushes.

- From whom? - The werewolf began to construct a string of Runes in his head for a spell that could bring half the ravine down on the unexpected visitors.

- From the Lord! - The silent wizard, who had been out of the werewolf's sight for a second, stepped smoothly to the side, putting a silver bolt from a small crossbow into Lupin's shoulder. At this distance, the Muggle weapon was more effective than magic, and even animal strength and reaction prevented Remus from dodging. The blow to his shoulder, backed up by the searing pain of silver, threw him off balance for a moment, and the three mages took full advantage of it. A thick net, woven from small rings of silver-coated steel, fell from above, and the man fell to his knees before the spell was finished, unable to fight the searing pain that tore at his body from the silver. Only a blob of power came off the werewolf's wand, causing the ground beneath his feet to shudder, but not hurting anyone. Another member of the group jumped softly from above.

- Let's take him and go. - The leader of the group, who was talking to Lupin, said stiffly.

With the man deftly chained up and stunned for good measure, they apparated away.

* * *

- Work, you devils, work! - Alastor Moody, pacing impatiently between the wizards, was out of breath.

- Master. - One of the men in purple robes, who had finished weaving some kind of spell, turned to the auror. - I've taken control of the minds of most of the animals within a couple of hundred feet. The chipmunk who ate nuts here half an hour ago saw six humans, then disappeared.

- That's it? - Moody growled unhappily.

- What else can be extracted from a brain the size of a peanut? - The subordinate snorted. - It was good that he'd at least seen it. He can't even count.

- Okay... Did you get a trace of the apparatus?

- No, some kind of artefact was used here. It's been wiped out and messed up beyond repair.

- Keep looking. - The Auror has apparated to the Bleck estate. - SIRIUS!!! Come out. - Alastor's roar echoed throughout the house.

- What's wrong, Moody? - A faintly haze-shrouded Black came rushing into the living room, wand in hand.

- Lupin's been kidnapped.

- What do you mean, kidnapped? - Sirius frowned.

- That's what it means. He chased after the man in the Drugged Man's robes who tried to kill Luna, and then he disappeared. My boys found signs of apparition in a ravine near Hogsmeade and that there were six people there.

- Ugh, you creatures... - Sirius slammed his fist into the wall in anger. - I'll have the mercenaries scour Dark Alley... Do you have any leads?

- More like oddities," Alastor said with a frown, waving his hand in the air. - Neville claims that the blow was aimed at Luna, but Lupin managed to pull her out from under the Avada.

- I wonder what kind of dementor they needed a girl from a non-warring family?

- I don't know. And Neville says that man was alone, but Lupin was swaddled by at least five.

- Alastor, get him to hand in his memories of that day. See if we can get the memory pool to look at what happened.

- Remus Lupin," the voice of a man unfamiliar to the werewolf said in a satisfied tone.

Chained in the dungeon of a house or castle unknown to Lupin, the werewolf could only glare helplessly. The four wizards who had swaddled him had brought the stunned prisoner into the underground hall and only then, chained to the wall, had brought him to his senses, rightly giving the beastly werewolf no chance to free himself.

A man in a black robe with a stern face and deep-set eyes with blood-red irises sat on a chair not far from the chained werewolf.

- Voldemort," Remus muttered through parched lips.

- Get him some water," the man ordered imperiously.

A crouching cloaked figure sprang from the gloom and immediately conjured a small bowl and filled it with water with the simplest of spells.

- There's no truth serum in it. Not yet. - Voldemort said calmly.

- What do you want? - Remus was slowly coming to his senses, realising that he was going to leave this room either a dead man or a madman like the plant-turned-Longbottoms, unless someone tried to free him soon.

- What do you need... - the man stretched out, taking his time to cast the Torture Curse. - Not much, really. The address of your alliance's main building, the location of Harry Potter, and that's about it.

- Why so little? - Lupin grinned derisively.

- Crucio. - Voldemort said without much emotion, glaring at the lip-biting werewolf.

The thin red beam of the spell that connected the Lord's wand, which had slipped out of his sleeve, to Remus's torn body was gradually becoming more intense and thicker.

- Finite. - After a few minutes filled with ever-increasing pain for the captive, Voldemort. - I didn't expect you to spill everything to me for nothing, animal.

The man hanging from the chains could not see it, but a flame of pleasure burned in the depths of the Lord's eyes as the black mage absorbed the emanations of his prisoner's pain and torment.

- The argument commands respect," the man hissed through gritted teeth, coming to his senses.

- You will answer when I give you permission. - There was no trace of emotion in the Lord's cold voice. - What does the front porch look like in the Bleck mansion? Legilimens.

Remus felt an icy shard of ice enter his brain as if it had begun to go through memory after memory, but Lord, despite his best efforts, did not see what he wanted.

- Resisting? Crucio.

- So... - Alastor carefully placed thin strands of light memories of the entire stretch of time from the moment he met Lupin in the bar to his departure for the failed assassin. - Neville, Sirius and I will be going over the Mist while you go back to training, Nymphadora will work with you today in our place.

- Sirius," the auror turned to the dark as night aristocrat, a ripple of suppressed hatred running through his aura. - Pull yourself together. I know you're not used to being an investigator, but there's no one to kill here yet, so help me.

Both men sank into the intricate web of illusion created by the complex artefact, letting the magic-inspired images take over their perceptions.

"- Good day to the rising warriors," The grey-haired werewolf's heavy hands rested on the shoulders of the students who had forgotten everything.

- A thousand demons... - Sirius groaned, watching Remus tell his friends the reasons why he'd been sent to rest. - We should have sent at least one of our people with him!

- You don't wave your fists after a fight," Alastor shook his head, looking around at the people in the café. - Who knew that Voldemort would try to take revenge for his defeat at Hogwarts so soon?

Frozen in their chairs, the men reviewed the entire conversation in the café and the short walk to the newly opened magical shooting gallery. They paid particular attention to the identity of the murderer. After watching the scene of Remus's brief duel with Neville, who had been covering Luna with his body and looking around quickly, Alastor and Remus came to the conclusion that there were simply no clues about the man.

- 'Damn it, Alastor,' Sirius made an attempt to spit on the illusory ground where the explorers still stood. - 'There's not the slightest trace of him here.

- Look further... - The more experienced auror in such matters had not given up hope of spotting anything. - The flashback wasn't over yet.

"- It's the Beguiled One! Neville, get Luna out of here, I'm going after him! - The man took an incredible leap onto the roof, rushing off in pursuit.

Grabbing his wand and looking around carefully, the young man carefully put his arm around Luna and they walked quickly towards Hogwarts. Four men in expensive coloured robes ran past them, in the direction that Lupin and the murderer had taken off across the rooftops.

- Neville, what happened? - Seamus and Dean came flying out of the café where they had just been, followed by the twins and Ron."

- Whoa, stop!" the auror suddenly shouted. - I think I saw a familiar face!

Making the fabric of the illusory place swirl, the men were transported to the very end of Remus's brief duel with the unknown.

- Look! - A wave of Moody's wand stopped the movement of the illusion. Running up to the men frozen in the middle of the street, he jabbed a finger at one of the passers-by - one of the men who had run down the street past Neville.

- 'Do you know him, Alastor? - Sirius looked at the auror worriedly.

- 'How to tell,' the auror grinned grimly. - 'About six years ago, I personally hauled Roger Smith off to Azkaban. A murder... unplanned, really. Or rather, it couldn't be proven that he killed intentionally. He got a pass to Azkaban for five years and seems to have got out of there and even come back to life a bit, he's running.

- And the others? - Sirius stepped closer too, looking at the four frozen in motion.

- I don't know the others. - Alastor walked around the men. - 'But judging by the faces and hands...' - Auror bent down, looking at the hands visible from the sleeves of the robes. - These are fighters. Scarred enough, but well healed, so they're not hurting for money. They're either mercenaries or assassins, making good money.

- What do you suggest? - Sirius followed Alastor out of the visions created by the memory pool.

- A dark alley... - Auror grimaced. - 'I have a couple of debtors there, perhaps some of the four have been seen there or will be found there soon. IF they have begun to serve the Lord, it is unlikely that the red-eyed one keeps them in the barracks. So they should show up, and then.... We take at least one of them, we'll know something.

- All right, then. - Alastor jumped up from his seat, walking briskly across the room. - Sirius, I respect you as a future politician and as head of our alliance, but stay out of this.

- But the Lord has a friend of mine in captivity! - The aristocrat clenched the armrests of his chair.

- But you don't have connections and informants in Dark Alley, and just for money you won't do anything there quickly and quietly.

- All right, Alastor. - Sirius looked perplexed at the armrest that had broken in his grip. - 'I'll gather all our men and prepare the artefacts for an assault if you find anything.

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