AN
I know, I'm horrible. Honestly, I didn't mean for it to take this long. I tried . . . and tried . . . and tried to write this chapter, and the inspiration just wouldn't come. The fact that I've been busier than I've ever been in my life before didn't help (today, I caddied at the golf course from 10 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. I still had to do school on top of that! (Homeschooled, in case that confuses you.)
The only reason that this chapter is even coming out at all right now is because of a review I got on the Sink Into Your Eyes Harry/Ginny fan fiction archive. Full credit for what Harry does (and shocks Ginny by doing) goes to reviewer White Wolf, of SIYE. I'm not surehe/she actually meant it as a real suggestion, but I was so intrigued by the idea that I went with it. It inspired me to write the rest of the chapter. If you're confused as to what the suggestion was, check the bottom AN.
If anyone was wondering, I gave up on that one-shot challenge fic I was writing. I just don't write well trying to follow guidelines.
A huge thank you goes out to JC-S and Yavinbase, for their outstanding help.
Disclaimer: See Prologue.
Chapter 6
Recovery
"Ginny?"
His voice was dry and raspy, as though he hadn't used it for quite some time.
He had opened his eyes to find Ginny's beautiful face was hovering mere inches above his own. She appeared to have been watching him when he awoke, and her eyes opened wide in surprise.
He was struck by the image of her there, her lips parted in surprise, acting like a deer caught in the headlights. Before he even really realized what he was doing, he had tilted his head just slightly and pressed his lips to hers.
He pulled away after only a moment, horrified at his own daring and staring wide-eyed at the shell-shocked and blushing redhead, who had not moved.
"Ginny, I-I-" he stuttered.
"Harry!" a voice nearby called excitedly. Ginny jerked away from him, and Harry let out his breath in relief as Sirius came running over. His godfather had excellent timing.
Sirius knelt beside the bed in which Harry was laid, and embraced him warmly. "Great to see you're back with us, kiddo," he said.
Harry lifted his arms to hug him back, though it was difficult because they felt like lead.
He rasped out a request for water as Sirius stepped back. Ginny moved to get it for him. As she poured a glass from a pitcher resting on the nightstand, Harry took a moment to study his surroundings.
He seemed to be in some sort of large room, with two long rows of identical white-sheeted beds (in one of which he was lying) set against opposite walls. Large windows let in an enormous amount of bright, cheery sunlight.
Ginny handed him the glass, avoiding his gaze. He accepted it gratefully, sipping eagerly and letting out a sigh of relief as the cool water soothed his throat.
"Thanks," he whispered in relief. She nodded, still blushing, but refused to meet his eyes.
He turned to Sirius. "So where are we?"
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "The hospital wing of Hogwarts."
Harry's eyes widened and he tried to sit up, only to find Ginny's hands on his shoulders, pushing him back. "I don't think so," she said sternly, all embarrassment forgotten for the moment, "You lay right down. You're not moving until I say so." To his surprise, he found he didn't even have the strength to resist her gentle touch, and was easily forced onto his back.
Growling in frustration and shooting her a glare, he turned to an obviously amused Sirius and asked, "What happened? Why are we here? And why hasn't Dumbledore thrown you into the dungeons or something?"
"I believe I may be able to answer that," said a voice from the opposite end of the room.
Harry's head snapped around to find none other than Albus Dumbledore himself walking through the door of the room.
Eyes twinkling at the surprise on Harry's face, the famed headmaster of Hogwarts walked over to stand next to the young man. "Hello, Mr. Potter, I am Albus Dumbledore."
Harry kept looking to Sirius, then back to Dumbledore, then to Ginny, and finally back to Sirius again. He groaned, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't understand."
Dumbledore laughed. "That is to be expected. Allow me to help you. After you lost consciousness near Hogsmeade, the Order and I were able to reach your godfather before he could escape with you. We brought you here, and locked him up temporarily." He shook his head in amazement. "I must say I was surprised when I learned who it was that had come to our rescue, since I was under the impression that Sirius was Voldemort's most loyal supporter. Imagine my thoughts when it hit me that your godfather actually shot his supposed 'master.'
"Of course I at once came to the conclusion that we must've been mistaken in some way all those years ago, so I went to Sirius and asked him for his side of the story. After verifying it with Veritaserum, there was really no need to hold him prisoner any more, and he was released. Soon after, he confessed that it was the two of you who had taken young Miss Weasley, and left to bring her here."
Harry sat there for a moment, trying to take it all in. "How long was I out?" he finally asked.
The other three exchanged glances. "Two weeks," said Dumbledore.
Harry was flabbergasted. Two weeks? "How is that possible?" he stuttered.
"Harry," said Sirius slowly, "You completely drained every drop of magic from your body. Because of this, you weren't able to heal as quickly as you ordinarily would have. The nurse tried to use some healing charms, but because your magic was gone, your body reacted badly to them. She was only able to put a few minor ones on you every day."
He shot an amused smile over to Ginny. "Ginny's hardly even left your side since she got here. She's been helping Madame Pomfrey take care of you through everything." He pointed to the next bed over, which was unmade as though it had been slept in. "She even slept in here."
"She did?" Harry asked. He suddenly remembered that Ginny hadn't been speaking to him before the night of the battle. He was about to say something about it to her, but Sirius started talking again.
"Yep. Ate her meals in here and everything. Madame Pomfrey tried to make her leave a few times, but she's a damn stubborn young woman. Didn't want to leave you for anything." He winked. "She even hopped right in bed with you when you got the chills."
Harry glanced over to Ginny to find her blushing wildly once again and looking at the floor. Unable to think of anything intelligent to say, he simply whispered, "Thanks," and put his hand over hers on top of his blankets.
Her blush deepened, but she looked up at him almost defiantly, as though daring him to say something more. Harry resolved to try to talk to her about their fight when they were alone again.
He turned back to Dumbledore. "What about Voldemort? What's been happening?"
Dumbledore looked grave. "It's not going very well. He hasn't done anything on the scale of two weeks ago, but he's done smaller attacks virtually every night. The Order's been trying to help, but we're stretched thin as it is, and the Minister's holding up the Aurors."
He gave Harry a long, searching look. "Mr. Potter, I haven't talked to Sirius very much, since he insisted he wanted to wait for you, but I do have an offer to make the two of you." He paused for a moment, glancing briefly at Sirius, before saying very seriously, "I would like to extend the offer to both of you to join the Order of the Phoenix. That's re-joining for you, of course, Sirius."
Harry and Sirius were both surprised by this, and Harry asked, "Have you told them about us?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Only I and two others know that the two of you were the ones to help us two weeks ago, and I have not told them that I've asked you to join us."
Seeing their looks, he said, "Shall I give you two a moment to think about it? I'm certain it'd be quite a change for you both."
They both nodded, and he backed away and headed to the office of the school nurse to tell her Harry had awakened. Ginny, after a brief glance at the two of them, followed.
"What do you think, Siri?" Harry asked, once they were alone.
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. My first instinct is to say no, we'll do fine on our own, but . . ." he trailed off and shrugged again. "He did finally come around to believing my story, and he allowed you to stay here to be healed. I know I wouldn't have been able to save you. Even as it was, we almost had to take you to St. Mungo's, which we're not ready for. The public would know you're alive."
Harry nodded, taking all this in; then frowned. "And we didn't do so fine on our own against Voldemort. Of course, we didn't expect him to come out himself so soon, but working with Dumbledore may be the only way to end it."
"True," Sirius admitted.
Harry weighed it over in his mind for a few minutes. An idea started to form. "Okay, here's what I think," he said, "We should join, but we have to convince Dumbledore to change a few things. The Order wasn't doing so well when we got to the Alley and Hogsmeade. Maybe using muggle technology like we did would be just the extra boost they need. I haven't been able to train so much with magic, but you and I know loads about fighting with muggle weaponry." He paused for a second, considering it, then went on, "We should propose a trade. We train them to fight with muggle weapons, and Dumbledore trains me to fight with magic. If we combine the two effectively . . ."
He trailed off, letting the point sink in. Sirius face was soon sporting a comprehending smile.
"It just might work, Harry, but we'll have to talk to the headmaster some more to see what he says."
Harry nodded. "He seems reasonable enough. Let's hope he goes for it."
Sirius grinned suddenly. "So, you and Ginny were awful close when I walked in. What was that all about?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Harry blushed, and Sirius eagerly pulled up a chair. "Ooh, this looks juicy. Do tell."
Harry blushed harder. "I, well, I-" he stuttered. Finally, he whispered, "I kissed her."
Sirius' grin went from ear to ear. "Way to go, Frost!" he exclaimed happily, patting Harry's shoulder in congratulations.
Harry groaned and laid his head back, staring at the ceiling in frustration. "I don't know what came over me, Paddy. I woke up, and she was there, leaning over me, and I just . . . kissed her." He groaned again. "She just stood there, I don't even know what she was thinking. I'm such an idiot."
Sirius laughed. "Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure the only thing on her mind was, 'Why did he stop?' She does like you, after all."
"How do you know that?" Harry demanded. "I told you, all she said was that she had a crush on me before she met me, and that she was confused about me now-"
"Harry!" Sirius interrupted, stopping his godson's rambling. "I wasn't talking about what she told you when you were Frost, I was talking about what I see for myself." He laid his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, very seriously, "Harry, from the first time I saw you two walk into the kitchen of Grimmauld Place together, I could tell you were both completely smitten with each other. It was obvious, like you had neon signs over your heads proclaiming it or something."
He motioned to the bed that had been Ginny's for the last two weeks. "If you need more evidence, just look over there. That girl spent the last two weeks right there every night, and in that chair by your bed during the day. She only left your side when absolutely necessary, eventelling Dumbledore not to let her family know where she was, because she wanted to stay with you and make sure you were alright first. If that doesn't tell you something about how she feels about you . . ." He trailed off.
"Harry." He took Harry's face in his hands and stared him straight in the eyes. "As your godfather, I'm telling you that you need to tell that girl how you feel."
Harry swallowed. Ginny had really done that? And all for him? Was Sirius right? He didn't know what to think. He suddenly remembered something. "She's still mad at me over Frost."
Sirius shook his head. "She's always going to be mad at you over something, particularly since she's a redhead. It was the same way with your mum and dad. She was always pissed off at him for something. The main thing is to not let that stand in your way. Make it up to her, apologize, give her some flowers, get down on your knees and beg for mercy, but don't give up."
Harry swallowed again. "Thanks, Siri. I'm glad I have you to go to for advice," he said sincerely.
Soon after this, Dumbledore came back, followed closely by Ginny and the school nurse, Madame Pomfrey.
The latter was soon bustling about Harry's bed, waving her wand over him and introducing herself at the same time, much to his amusement.
After a few minutes, she said to Dumbledore, "He's healing up quite nicely, but it'll still be some time before he can get out of bed. He has to regain his strength."
"Will he be able to move before the students arrive?" Dumbledore asked. "They'll notice him immediately if he's still here."
She sighed. "I'm afraid not. It'll be at least two weeks before he's strong enough to stand. The student body arrives in only six days."
Harry was starting to get irritated that they were talking as if he wasn't there. "Hello?" he asked. They turned to him. "Professor, have you by any chance seen Sirius' family home?"
Sirius interrupted. "No he hasn't. I went there to get Ginny and bring her here, but you're the Secret Keeper, so I couldn't take him."
Harry nodded in understanding. "If I may suggest, Professor, why don't we just move me there? I can stay in my own room. It's probably better that way anyway, though I don't see what all the fuss is about. I'll be running around in no time."
"You most certainly will not!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed indignantly. "You're forbidden from attempting to even blink for at least two weeks, unless I say otherwise."
"Poppy," said Dumbledore quietly, and she turned to look at him. "Can he be moved?"
She thought for a moment. "I don't see why not. He can't be moving himself, but there's no harm in him being moved. So long as he's somewhere I can check up on him frequently, it's alright with me."
Dumbledore thanked her, and she walked off, saying something about a Dreamless Sleep potion. The professor then gave Harry a quick nod, saying, "We'll talk more about this tomorrow, Mr. Potter. For now, get some rest. I'll talk to your godfather about your decision regarding the Order."
"Alright."
Dumbledore left, and Madame Pomfrey returned with a large goblet of an aqua-colored liquid. "I want you to drink all of this," she said sternly. "You need restful sleep to recover as quickly as possible. Miss Weasley, I expect you to make sure he does."
Ginny nodded determinedly and took the goblet from the nurse. She turned to the bed and with her eyes dared Harry to try and get out of drinking it.
Harry swallowed nervously, and Sirius chuckled. "Better watch out, Harry," he said, "It doesn't look like she's willing to take no for an answer."
He got up and patted Harry's shoulder one more time. "See ya tomorrow, kiddo."
Then he was gone, and it was just the two teens. Harry smiled weakly at her, wondering if now was the time to talk. "Ginny-"
She interrupted him, shoving the goblet under his nose and saying, "No talking. Drink up."
He had no choice but to drink. He grimaced, expecting the horrible taste that usually accompanied potions such as this. He drained it and found, to his surprise, that it actually tasted quite nice. A little bit like cinnamon and-
He concentrated, trying to figure out what the other flavor it tasted like was. He was exhausted. He shook himself. Cinnamon and what?
He was so sleepy. He'd just close his eyes for a moment . . .
Consciousness returned slowly. Harry burrowed farther into his pillow and sighed. Sirius would be in any moment to wake him up for training-
He nearly sat up in surprise as the memories came rushing back to him, and he realized he wasn't at Grimmauld Place at all, but instead in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. It was apparently still night, for there was very little light in the room, and no one was around. He could see the moon through one of the nearby windows
His slight movement and sharp intake of breath alerted Ginny, who swept back her own covers and leapt from her bed to rush to his side.
She knelt down on the side of his bed and took his hand. "What's wrong, Harry?" she asked anxiously.
"Nothing," he whispered, embarrassed both by his moment of panic and by the fact that the nightgown she wore was just a little too short for her. It had given him a nice view of her long, smooth legs before she knelt down. He hurriedly shook the thought away. "Just forgot where I was for a second is all."
"Oh." She made to move away.
He gripped her hand as tightly as he could manage. "Don't go." She stopped and looked at him questioningly. "Just . . . stay with me for a few minutes?"
She complied, settling down on the edge of bed, one of her legs tucked under her and the other dangling off the side.
They sat that way, in an uncomfortable silence, avoiding each other's eyes, for a few minutes.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Harry decided to try to apologize for the whole Frost thing.
"Ginny?" she looked up at him expectantly. "Um, look, I really wanted to apologize for that whole thing with Frost."
She didn't reply, just sat there staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.
He went on. "I really did mean to tell you – you can ask Sirius if you don't believe me. I felt so guilty about the whole thing, especially after you said you wanted to be friends . . ." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, I never meant for things to get so complicated."
She stared for another long moment; then let out a sigh. "Sirius told me about you coming to him, so I know you're telling the truth already."
Harry blinked. Why hadn't Sirius just told him that?
"I still feel a little betrayed," she went on, and he hung his head, "But I'm not really angry any more. I know you didn't mean to take it so far."
"I'm sorry," he said again, placing his hand on hers. She nodded in understanding, and they sat that way for a while. The silence was less uncomfortable this time.
After a moment, Ginny spoke up again. "There's one thing I want to know, though." Harry looked up curiously, so she continued. "Why did you kiss me?" Her face flushed, but she held his gaze firmly.
Harry spluttered for a moment, his face reddening to the shade of a beat. "I . . . I don't . . . know," he stuttered.
"Don't give me that," she said sternly, glaring at him. "I want to know the truth."
He spluttered some more, before he finally managed to whisper. "I wanted to."
Her eyes widened. She trembled a little, but she asked, "Why?"
"I-" He tried to say it, but the words wouldn't seem to come out. Why was it so bloody hard? Sirius' voice echoed through his mind. Tell her how you feel. He steeled himself. "I think I . . . fancy you. I know it's silly of me, and it's alright if you don't feel the same way."
He braced himself for whatever her reaction might be.
She sat in shocked silence for a moment, a slow blush creeping up her neck and face. "Sirius was right," she whispered.
He hadn't expected that. "What?" he asked incredulously.
"S-Sirius told me you liked me," she stuttered. "I didn't believe him." She stared at him and asked, "Do you really think it's silly to like me?"
"Well . . . no. I guess I just thought you'd think it was silly. Falling for the girl I'd kidnapped." May as well tell her everything. "I think you're brilliant, and fun to be around, and beautiful, and well frankly I wonder how it would be possible to not fancy you." He was starting to ramble now, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. The words just kept tumbling out. "I wasn't going to tell you, but Sirius insisted and then you made me and I'm sure you don't feel the . . . mmphh." He was interrupted in mid-speech by her lips over his own, and he made a startled sound in the back of his throat.
She had tried several times to interrupt his ramble, but couldn't seem to get a word in. Finally, she had simply leaned forward and kissed him.
After the initial shock, his mind seemed to go blank, and he returned the kiss. While slightly longer than their first, it still only lasted a few short moments, before Ginny pulled away and looked at him.
Her face was flushed with embarrassment, but there was also a small, satisfied smirk playing at the corners of her mouth, as if – though a little shocked at her own daring – she was quite pleased with herself.
He started to speak, but she placed her small hand on his lips.
"Shh," she whispered. "I want to tell you something. I . . . think I fancy you too."
Her newfound straightforwardness astonished him. In all the time they'd known each other, she'd always been rather shy and timid, with an occasional explosion that belied her fiery temper.
Yet here she had kissed him, then told him quite boldly that she fancied him. He supposed it was a sign that she had finally completely opened up to him. The barriers erected when they were simply kidnapper and captive – already weakened from the close moments they'd shared and the agreement to be friends – had finally crumbled.
He tried to say something again, but she shook her head firmly. "I talked to Sirius once, while you were unconscious. I'm not sure how he did it, but he convinced me to talk about how I felt about you. He told me you felt the same way . . ." She trailed off for a moment. "He wanted me to tell you, but I didn't really believe him."
Sirius had told her? 'That manipulative, lying, scheming sneak!' he thought to himself fondly. Old Paddy had arranged the whole thing no doubt, knowing they couldn't take keeping it a secret for long.
He didn't know whether to thank his godfather or beat the crap out of him.
He decided to think about that later, concentrating on the redhead next to him. She was watching him intently. He suddenly wanted to kiss her again, but couldn't seem to muster the strength.
He growled in frustration, cursing his own weakness. Ginny cocked her head to the side in confusion at the sound.
"What?" she asked, looking a little apprehensive. He wondered what she was afraid of.
"I can't get to you," he grumbled. "Too bloody tired."
"Oh," she thought about it for a moment. "Should I let you sleep?"
"No!" he exclaimed, as loud as he could manage. Then quieter, "I want to talk about this. I also want-" He stopped short, flushing a little. "Never mind that." He gave her a searching look. "I've never been in a relationship before. I think that's what we're leading up to, isn't it?" She nodded a little slowly, thinking it over. He continued. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, Gin, if something goes wrong. Let's just . . . be careful and see what happens. Rushing into it would be a bad idea."
"I've never really been a real relationship either," she whispered. "You're right, let's just take it easy." She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. It was little more than a peck, staying true to their agreement to be careful, but it was a promise of many more to come.
Harry yawned, causing Ginny to giggle. "You should go back to sleep," she said.
"Mmmm," he mumbled. "Don't want to. Want to stay awake with you."
She giggled again; thenquietly lifted the covers off his bed and slid in next to him. "I'll stay with you, just 'til you drop off," she whispered, putting her arms around him.
Harry started to panic at first, and he couldn't help but think that this didn't exactly constitute taking it easy or slow, but she was so warm and soft as he wrapped his arms around her. . .
He supposed as long as she only stayed until he fell asleep, they were still being careful.
"Ginny?" he murmured against her shoulder.
"Yes?"
"Is your family going to kill me?"
Her soft laughter was the last thing he heard before he drifted off.
AN
er, if you're wondering, the thing White Wolf suggested was that he kiss her, only he/she suggested he reach up from a stretcher anddo itor something. So I had him do it from the hospital bed. I thought it was a rather hilarious moment, actually.
Personally, I don't particularly like the way most of this chapter came out. It was too short, itcame across asslapped together, and I couldn't seem to tie all the loose ends together properly. That said, I hope you enjoy it anyway, and leave me lots of lovely reviews.
A thought just occured to me when I typed that (no, seriously, it did.) I can use this as a reason for all of you to review. Just look what happend to White Wolf! You could be the reason I get a new chapter out! Okay, I'm just messing with you, but in all seriousness, please review for me. As always, please do it even if just to say, 'I read it.'
A lot of you wondered about Moody seeing through their cloaks. I confess, in all honesty, that the thought had not occured to me. I was a bit hung up on the action bits (love action . . .). The problem fixes itself, however, in that the cloaks had numerous charms and such spells placed on them, to conceal their identities (I mean face it, you can't stay hooded in amelee for long). I know I didn't point it out specifically, but it was sorta implied. Thanks to all of you who brought this to my attention.
Incidentally, the reviews overwhelmingly chose for me to go all the way to Voldemort's defeat, so that's what I'm going to do.
Next chapter, Harry recovers fully (as he and Ginny explore their relationship), and discusses new plans with Dumbledore. I might stick the part where Harry meets the Weasleys in there as well, but only if it fits. I want to do that part correctly, even more than Harry and Ginny getting together. It promises to be an explosive event, one I'm sure you're all eagerly looking forward to.
Review responses:
Briea: I'd do that, but JC-S would kill me. I can hide from all you guys,but he's threatened to cut my throat in my sleep if I don't make the Weasley meeting soon. And of course, they can't stay utterly hostile to him for long, he's way too nice a guy...
In all seriousness, I think that's a really great idea, but I've already got what I want to happen planned.
Miss Ginny: that's the thing about the nameless site. There's no email where you can contact the administrators and tell them exactly what reasoning is behind the fic. They just tell you to get a few more beta readers and re-submit. If I did that, I'd have a few less spelling errors and I'd still get rejected. The reviewers emailing thing is intriguing though. I don't think I'll do it (it's a pain to update this story on three sites as it is) but the mental picture of spamming the site with protests that your idea sparked was rather funny.
been: Muse? Is that a person? Er, I got this idea brainstorming with my brother though, not from another book or fic, if that's what you're asking.
SeekerTLK: Thanks. And I chose the PPK because it was the first thing that popped into my head. Once I'd chosen it, I found it's quite easy to get pictures and info on it, since Bond made it famous. Admittedly, Sirius seems more the type to go with something bigger and badder.
oooh, maybe I should give themAK-47s? Now that would be interesting.
blue3ski: Thanks, and no problem. Welcome aboard the S.S. Orange Crush.
wvchemteach: True, it was a little odd Ginny didn't try to escape. I did it on purpose because, well she's already got some strong feelings for Harry, so she's sort of torn between leaving and staying. Plus there's the whole, "Voldemort will kill you" factor.
Do you really think they'd still consider him a horrible kidnapper/Death Eater after he killed Voldemort? True, they still wouldn't be quite happy with what he did, but he'd explain he did it for her own safety, plus he's the Dark Lord defeater...
Ok, I gotta say, the idea of Harry and Ginny on the run together sounds like SO much fun. The only thing is killing off Sirius. I kinda like him alive (curse you JK!) because he's one of my favorite characters. Maybe I'll write another story after this one where they run off together, or get chased off together. That'd be an intriguing thing to attempt to pull off.
weselan: Remus doesn't really know about them yet, he's just sorta off in the background, a member of the Order. Don't worry though, Marauder reunion coming up!
uNople: Indeed, I rather like it when they're at least a little sensible, as well. They always say to new couples 'Never go to sleep angry with each other. Work it out before you go to bed.'
This rings true in all the H/G fics where our two lovebirds fight a lot.
Danjo210: Using only magic strikes me as being a close-minded thinker (not talking about you, it's different when you're a reader, I am speaking purely about wizard-kind themselves.). Wizards often seem to make the mistake of failing to think outside the box, something I'm trying to make clear, Sirius and Harry won't do.
I don't intend to offend you, and I'm not calling you close-minded (far from it, sometimes I like a good fic where they don't throw all that muggle weapon nonsense in there)
Marcus Lazarus: I've seen Van Helsing actually, but I'd forgotten that part. Odd. I do confess, though, that the idea for the grenade came from a television show (Stargate SG-1). The Jaffa used this Sonic Grenade to knock out several enemies, and when it sets off, this bright flash of light seems to come out. I thought this'd be really cool to use against vampires. Far from original, all the same.