(A/N: I'm back! Yea! It feels so good to be back and writing again! I got back from vacation on Wednesday, but I've been really sick the past few days, with a high fever so finishing up this chapter was rather hard. It is kind of tricky to get back into the swing of writing after I've gone two weeks without it, so if there are a few choppy parts, forgive me, I'll be good by next chapter. As always the reviews for last chapter were wonderful, though I still feel bad making you all wait two weeks for an update! That's way to long in my book! Anyways, my plot for this story is now set, and I'm really excited about what's to come! Hehee…A big thanks again to all of you who remain ever so faithful readers and reviewers, your support means a lot to me! This is a longer chapter, at about 12 pages so hopefully that'll help ease some of the wait that you lovely people had to endure. Next chapter should be up in about a week. Thanks again! Hugs, Haystack)
To my FANTASTIC reviewers…
granhermi: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I believe you're a new reviewer am I right? So nice to meet another reader! Thanks so much for reviewing! Hope to hear from you again soon!
doublelily: haha I'm flattered that you wait up for this fic! And as for you thinking about it in class, I'm extremely honored! I'm glad that necklace part was exciting for you as well! As always thanks so much for reviewing!
ShimmeringEvil: Aw I'm delighted that you thought that was the best ending so far in the story! Yay! Thanks for wishing me a good vacation, it was great! Hehee And thanks soo much for reviewing!
Bhekie: haha I'm assuming "yay" meant that you liked it! Lol I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! Thank you so much for reviewing!
Princess Storm: hehee…you're catching onto my tricks! I'm glad you liked that last part, it was rather fluffy and cute wasn't it? As for wanting someone like Ron…I completely agree with you! Who wouldn't want a sweet, protective, handsome, red-head blue-eyed guy! I'm sure he's out there somewhere! ;) Thanks for reviewing!
volleyballin17: Aw I'm glad you liked it so much! Yes Ron is alive! Omgoodnes I love the notebook! What a tearjerker! Lol anyways…Thanks for reviewing!
vacant xpressi0ns: haha yes you are completely right! Nothing shall stop the love of R/Hr! Glad you liked it so much! Thank you so much for reviewing!
suckr4romance81789: lol I'm happy you figured out what I was going to tell you earlier! It is always so hard not to tell! Yes, please do keep me posted on Lavender. As for your support, Thanks so much as always! I'm glad you're still enjoying the story! Thanks for reviewing!
RainDateChick: lol very true! They are finally together despite the fact that all those nasty evil ppl want them dead! But I suppose without all those evil people then we wouldn't have a story! Life cannot be all happiness, with stinks, but oh well, it's life! Hehee thanks so much for reviewing!
cumbacksirius: Ah yes well I'm afraid I love Ron and Hermione too much to kill them off….yet! Mwahaha no seriously that would so sad! We need a little more happiness before we dive into sadness, this story has been so heavy. Anyways, thanks so much for reviewing!
Legofiance: Yes you were right. Last chapter I was frantically trying to get an update out before I left. After all, I didn't want to make it three weeks did I? No no no! That's like almost a month! So if it felt a bit rushed that's why. I'm so glad you're enjoying though! Thanks for reviewing!
AmyChris: Oh don't worry about reviewing last chapter! I completely understand! Yes, fluff alert is right! Hehee…I'm glad you liked their reunion! The world of fanfiction is addicting isn't it? Even on vacation I have to check every once and a while! And Harry Potter fanfiction especially lets you escape into like two different worlds! Lol anyways, Thanks so much for reviewing as always!
Sweetdiva: Yay! I'm so glad you like Krum's character! I felt like in the fourth book we didn't really get to know who he was since it was through Harry's eyes so I kind of made some guesses to make him my own. As for answering your questions, it was my pleasure. I'm always willing to answer as many as I can! Thanks so much for reviewing!
dancerrdw: Oh you don't have to worry about me stopping any time soon! Lol I've got big plans ahead! So glad you liked this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!
nattieb: Haha you're review made me laugh! I'm so glad you were so happy about Ron! Yes, this chapter is another ray of sunshine for you and if I'm estimating right then I think next chapter should be pretty light as well. It's time for these characters to be happy, they've suffered so much! Anyways, Thanks as always for your review!
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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR
Ron closed his eyes as he felt Hermione's body tumble into his arms. He kept them shut as he tried to concentrate on slowing his racing heart and breath. Both Lavender and Viktor alike were breathing heavily, both probably staring at Hermione with open mouths and a hand to their chest.
No one said anything. Finally opening his eyes, Ron stared at Hermione. She was sweating and looked pale but otherwise appeared normal. Questions were rushing through his brain, and Ron could only stare in wonder at Hermione. She was here…she was in his arms. But she's hurt A voice in his head reminded him. She bloody passed out and fell down the stairs!
"I-Is she okay?" Lavender's soft voice asked timidly.
He gazed down at the passed out Hermione. "I-I dunno" He said quietly
"Ve should get her a doctor!" Krum proclaimed
"No!" Lavender and Ron said at the same time
"Vell Vhy not?"
"Because" Ron said exasperated, "We're escapees remember? No one can know that we're here"
"Oh. Right. Vell ve should at least get her onto the couch."
"Yea…of course" He agreed but didn't move. Pushing her hair back lovingly, he turned around to face Lavender. "D-Did anything happen to her? On the way here I mean?"
Lavender nodded solemnly. "Yea. She was hit with"
"What the hell is happening out there Weasley? Do I need to come and break you and Krum up? You know perfectly well it's not nice to fight with your host!" His voice from the kitchen interrupted.
Ron looked up at Lavender and Viktor who were staring at him expectantly. He started to tell Seamus to come and join them, but the words wouldn't come out. He was annoyed…if only Lavender would finish her sentence! There was something wrong with Hermione…he had to know!
Obviously bored, Seamus strolled through the doors, a sandwich in hand. "You know Weasley if I didn't know any better I'd sa" Seamus gasped at the scene in front of him. Ron almost laughed. It was the first time he'd ever seen the Irishman speechless.
"Seamus!" Lavender squealed as she ran up to him and into his arms. It took Seamus a few seconds to respond as he slowly patted Lavender's back, his sandwich now on the floor. But slowly his brain seemed to accept the situation as the biggest grin Ron had ever seen passed over his face. He began to laugh and hugged Lavender back enthusiastically, holding onto her tight.
Ron could have sworn that he saw Seamus' eyes water up but maybe it had been his imagination. After all, Seamus proudly proclaimed many times in the common room at Hogwarts that he never cried; a lie Ron had never really bought.
As Seamus and Lavender broke apart, it was then that Seamus noticed Hermione.
"Ah! Bloody hell! What happened to Granger?" He asked, surprised
"She's hurt," Ron snapped
"Hurt?" Seamus asked confused "How?"
"Lavender was just going to tell me," Ron said, turning to the brown haired girl.
"Let's get Hermione on the couch first. I'll go get some wet towels for her head, and the medicine the doctor gave us for her. Then I can tell you both everything." Lavender said patiently
Ron internally screamed, but he nodded his head and stood up, Hermione hanging like a rag doll from his arms. He was surprised by how much lighter she'd become…she'd lost more weight than he'd thought in prison.
"Here. I'll take her. You look very tired." Viktor said as they began to walk towards the parlor.
A sudden protective wave towards Hermione washed over him and he tightened his hold on her. Pulling her away from Viktor, Ron said, "No it's okay. S-She weighs practically nothing."
Viktor shrugged. "If you're sure."
"I am" Ron said quickly, kissing Hermione's forehead when he knew Viktor was looking.
As they entered the parlor, Lavender was there with the wet towels and medicine. Together, they got Hermione situated on the couch and Ron pulled up a chair next to her, grabbing her hand.
It was surreal seeing her here in front of him…touching her. No matter how many times he repeated the thoughts over again in his head, he couldn't seem to believe them. They had all made it. Hermione wasn't dead. She was here. They were all together. He might have lost Harry and God only knew who else, but he still had Hermione with him. His Hermione.
As they all took their seats, Lavender sipped a glass of water she'd brought with her from the kitchen. Ron took the moment to take in her appearance as well. She didn't appear much different from the few hours ago he'd last seen her but there was weariness about her that wasn't there before. If her brown hair had suddenly sprouted gray strands Ron wouldn't have thought anything of it. She seemed on edge; in the same manner an abused child acts as he's first offered a hug. Pushing her once perfectly curled bangs out of her face and settling as much as she could into Viktor's stiff chair, she sighed, looking at Ron.
"I'm not exactly sure what happened to her." Lavender began, looking at the passed out Hermione. "As the four of us were running from that mob, I turned around to see all three of you down on the ground. I never heard her scream or anything. Once I got to her and killed the Death Eater who was smacking her, we ran—as you both know. It wasn't until we were out of Hogwart's ground did she make any indication that she was hurt."
"Did you do anything for her!" Ron demanded
Lavender rolled her eyes at him. "Of course I did. I'm not that daft. It was a big slash kind of wound on her stomach. I took her to a Muggle pharmacy where the woman working there bandaged her up and stuff."
"You took her to a Muggle place!" Ron screamed, his face red. "They could have killed her!"
"Relax Ron. We couldn't afford to take her to a Magical clinic. They would have to record it, and Voldemort will surely check those. Besides, there wasn't time. We had to catch our train."
Ron scowled and crossed his arms "Well what is a farm-a-key anyways?"
"Pharmacy. It's a store where you can buy medical supplies. But the woman who worked there helped Hermione and refused to charge us for it, which was a good thing because neither of us had any money; magical or Muggle."
"Still…I don't trust those Muggle places. They're centuries behind on medical technology."
"Well you better be thankful I took her anywhere" Lavender snapped "You've seen what's happened to her already, and that was after she was treated. She was just about to die on me earlier; especially thinking that you were dead."
Suddenly, all evidence of anger or annoyance rushed out of his body as Ron turned his head to look at Lavender, his blue eyes piercing hers with a soft intensity. "S-She thought I was dead?" He whispered
Lavender nodded solemnly. "We both did. As we were leaving we heard this scream. It sounded like a death scream and it was your voice I'm sure of it. Hermione turned around and I don't know what she saw but it must have been bad. She started screaming and crying, trying to run back. I held her and kept her going, I-I'm sorry Ron, but even if it had been you, we couldn't have turned back. It would have been suicide."
Seamus and Viktor looked at Ron with interest, but Ron sighed miserably. "No…you were right to keep going Lavender. T-Thanks for helping her. I-I didn't know it was that bad…I'm sorry for what I said earlier." He said, running a hand through his hair.
Lavender gave him a small smile. "It's okay Ron. You didn't know. But I have to know…who was it that screamed? Was it you?"
Ron looked over at Seamus, his eyebrows furrowed trying to think. Seamus shrugged. "I don't know, I don't remember screams but maybe I was in so much pain I was out of it."
He tried to recall everything that had happened, but Ron found that he couldn't. Everything seemed blurry. Searching deeper into his brain, Ron tried to call upon that memory.
"Ron! Ron!" Hermione's panicked voice criedHe looked at her with wide eyes. "Go 'Mione! I'll be fine! Hurry!"
Hermione bit her lip and Ron realized with sudden horror that she was considering staying with him. Fear surging through his body for her safety, he tried to scream at her, to tell her to go on, that he would be okay, but no words came out of his mouth as he opened it.
"HERMIONE COME ON! MORE OF THEM ARE COMING!" Lavender's terrified voice screamed.
"Please 'Mione" Ron said, his eyes begging. "Please go!"
A tear slipped out of her eyes and internally Ron cursed. She was wasting time! He wouldn't feel better until she was gone, out of danger and safe somewhere. He could see the struggle in her eyes as she tried to decide and he couldn't help but want to push her away. Didn't she understand? But he waited, trying to communicate with his eyes how much he wanted her to go.
"I love you," She finally whispered, looking down at the ground.
"I love you too," He said with a big sigh of relief, "Now go!"
With one glance back, he smiled sadly to himself as he watched her run away with Lavender, slowly fading away to a dot in the distance. Ron's heart ached as he wondered if that was the last time he saw her.
But before he could do anything else, the Death Eaters were upon them. As two ganged up on him, shouting Crucio at the same time, Ron tried to focus on Hermione but even Hermione couldn't keep his mind off the pain that was searing through his body.
In the back of his mind, Ron understood that he was screaming but it sounded foreign to him. It was a voice he didn't recognize, one that was easily giving into pain. But with Hermione now gone, Ron suddenly didn't want to fight. It would be so easy just to give in and surrender. After all, he'd been fighting these Death Eaters for the better part of three going on four days.
But the pain stopped suddenly, freeing Ron from his weak line of thought, and as Ron gingerly opened his eyes he saw Seamus standing above him, a smirk on his face. Without one word, he threw Ron over his shoulder, handing him his wand so that Ron could shoot curses at the Death Eaters that were now charging after them.
"Yes…. it was me." Ron said, sadly
Lavender looked at him with sympathetic eyes. "I thought so."
A silence followed, everyone caught up in their own thoughts of the war. But the silence was soon broken by Viktor who, now looking at the grandfather clock in the parlor, declared that it was time for dinner; something that lit a smile on everyone's face.
"Ron, how about you put Her-my-own-knee upstairs? She'll be more comfortable there." Viktor said as he hurried off into the kitchen, Seamus and Lavender following suit.
Ron nodded and picked Hermione off the couch gently, walking out of the room and up the stairs. Opening the door to the room Viktor had given him, he placed Hermione softly onto the large bed. Pulling back the covers and taking off her shoes, Ron tucked her in. Kissing her forehead, he turned off the light and quietly closed the door before heading down the stairs.
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All of the drama and heaviness of the conversation in the parlor seemed like only a memory as Seamus, Lavender, Ron and Viktor sat down to dinner. The adventure of preparing the food itself had done wonders on the four.
As Ron walked into the kitchen the scene he found lit a smile to his face. Viktor was stirring a pot of soup, and talking on the phone meanwhile telling Lavender and Seamus to be quiet as they had a mini food fight.
"Ahh!" Lavender screamed as Seamus smeared some jam onto her forehead "SEAMUS!"
The sandy haired boy laughed, "You know, I think that color works for you"
Lavender laughed, "Shut it Finnegan!"
"I'm just sayinOy! Weasley! Come join us!"
Ron chuckled, "And get covered with food that I'll have to sit in while we eat? I don't think so."
Seamus simply smirked, and picked up a handful of potatoes that Viktor had just prepared.
"Oh no…Finnegan I'm warning you!"
"What's the matter Weasley? Scared of some potatoes?"
"Seamus I'm telling you right now, put those down!"
"Or else what?"
"Just put them down!"
Seamus paused and struck an intellectual pose as if he were pondering something very difficult. Ron rolled his eyes and smiled. "You're nutters. Absolutely nutters."
"Well I'm sorry but that comment just sealed your fate." Seamus grinned, as he threw the potatoes, which hit Ron in the face. Seamus laughed and shouted, "GET EM LAV!"
Before Ron knew what had happened, he had not only joined Seamus' little food fight, but he was also covered in not only potatoes, but all other kinds of food as well. As Ron ducked behind a chair and threw some food at Lavender, he grinned to himself, wondering when he had last felt this carefree and childlike. The approaching war had dampened seventh year a lot and moments like this were rare. And of course there had been no laughter in the past three days.
Seamus jumped over a chair and tackled Lavender to the ground, smearing butter throughout her hair. Lavender screamed and screamed, grabbing onto Viktor's foot to try to escape from Seamus. Now off the phone, Viktor turned around and smiled at the scene in front of him, something that made Ron stop what he was doing to look at the Bulgarian.
Ron was completely surprised by the way Viktor was and the way Ron had remembered him. From the moment he and Seamus had showed up on his doorstep Viktor had been nothing but welcoming. He seemed genuinely glad that he had come; something that Ron couldn't seem to get over. Ever since fourth year Ron had assumed Viktor's intentions towards Hermione were more than friendly ones and therefore Ron had made him into an enemy. But now, he suddenly saw that Viktor was none of the things he used to believe. Even now, when his kitchen was slowly being destroyed, he didn't care.
But as Ron was hit with some more food, he broke out of his thoughts and quickly re-joined the fight that Viktor now was involved in.
As Viktor began bombarding Seamus with food, Seamus laughed, finally letting go of Lavender.
"FINE KRUM!" Seamus shouted gleefully "THIS IS WAR!"
Ron froze where he was. Lavender, Viktor, and even Seamus himself did as well. No one said anything; everyone simply remained frozen in the positions they were in. All eyes were on Seamus but his eyes were on the ground. He understood what he'd done.
Ron sighed and ran his hand through his hair that was caked with food. Was this going to happen for the rest of his life at every mention of war? The word was no longer justified to be used in a kidding manner, not after Ron had seen it. The word itself sparked those fresh memories from his brain, memories he would love to just forget.
"Sorry" Seamus mumbled
"It's okay Finnegan. We're all used to saying it like that out of habit." Ron said, clapping the Irishman on the back.
"Viktor do you want us to help you clean this up?" Lavender asked, trying to switch the subject and getting to her feet.
"No, no, it's okay. You all go shower and I will have dinner served soon."
"Are you sure? We're the ones who made this mess," Seamus said
"No really it's fine. Go on up."
"Alright then. Thanks again Viktor." Lavender said as she pushed the swinging door open.
"Yea thanks." Ron said as he left the kitchen and headed for his shower, suddenly feeling like he needed to talk to Hermione.
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Dinner went by pretty uneventfully. Viktor turned out to be a fabulous cook; food so good, Ron had to admit it was better than Hogwarts. He, Lavender, and Seamus, now clean, ate until they could eat no more; as if they were trying to make up for the three days with literally no food. Viktor luckily, found this very amusing and beamed as the three showered compliments on his cuisine
With the reports of each other's adventures already shared, there was nothing left to discuss except lighthearted conversation, filled with much laughter. For Ron, this did him as much good as the food; so tired was he of crying and drama. They were all seventeen, except of course, Viktor, and for once to have the freedom to act like seventeen year olds made Ron want to laugh and shout for joy. It hadn't been fair the way the sixth and seventh year students had been treated. Like full-grown adults, the professors demanded more of them emotionally and mentally than any other class to have passed through the oak doors of the castle. Ron chuckled to himself as he thought of how well Hermione had adapted over the years to the magical expectations of the professors.
But even through all this new happiness, Hermione still weighed greatly on his mind. He shouldn't be down here, eating and having a good time while she lay upstairs in pain. Of course when he went upstairs to have his shower, he'd checked up on her, sat beside the bed and held her hand, but that was it. Guilt plagued his stomach as he thought of the food fight he'd taken part in. Hermione would have stayed by his side; what kind of boyfriend was he?
And as he thought the thought, Ron paused. Was that all the title he had when he referred to Hermione? Cho had been Harry's girlfriend and the amount of love in that relationship couldn't even be compared to what he and Hermione had. He really and truly loved her, and he knew that she loved back…but real love wasn't normally in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. To call her his wife was out of the question in more ways than one. He supposed he could refer to her as his lover, but that didn't imply love. Frustrated and giving up, he stood up and took his plate to the kitchen as Lavender was doing.
Now that dinner was done, Ron excused himself and made his way up the stairs; hoping and praying that Hermione was awake. It was late to be finishing up dinner, about ten o'clock, and Ron eagerly sought the comfortable bed that was waiting for him, thrilled to have a good night's sleep for once.
As he opened the door, he found the room succumbed in darkness. Making his way over to where Hermione lay, he squinted through the darkness to see her face. She appeared to still be out.
Opening the door that led to the bathroom, Ron suddenly realized that not only did he not have a change of clothes, but he was without a toothbrush as well. But a soft knock on the other door that led to Seamus' room sounded and Ron softly opened the door.
"Yea?" He whispered
"Here," Seamus said in a quiet tone, "These are from Viktor. He figured you would want them. There is another set for Hermione as well."
Ron took the package and said his thanks as he shut the door. Opening it up slowly so as not to make noise, inside he found two pairs of pajamas, two toothbrushes, and one tube of toothpaste. Smiling and shaking his head, he reminded himself just what a nice guy Viktor was. Holding the pants up to the moonlight, he wondered how Viktor had managed to find a size close to his own. Putting them on, he found they were a little short in the legs, but for pulling them out of thin air, he was impressed.
Brushing his teeth, Ron finally felt cleansed of everything that had happened the past few days. The grime, dust, and dirt were finally off his body and hair, his teeth were brushed, he was fed, and now he was going to sleep in a real bed. A smile on his face, he opened the door to the bedroom again, placing Hermione's pajamas on her nightstand.
Pulling back the covers, Ron sank into the soft mattress, comfort like he couldn't remember shooting up all over his body. He gave a satisfied sigh and closed his eyes.
It was a few moments later, right as Ron was about to drift off into sleep that he heard it.
"R-Ron?"
His eyes snapped open. Turning to his side, he was met with a pair of brilliant brown eyes.
"'Mione!" He whispered, reaching out to touch her face.
"Yea" She breathed, placing her hand on top of his
"How are you? Are you okay? I was so worried about you."
Hermione smiled softly. "I'm okay now."
Ron felt anger beginning to form inside his eyes. "You said that last time" he snapped "And look what happened."
"Really Ron, I'm fine." She said calmly
"Obviously you're not. You fainted, fell down the stairs, and passed out."
"Don't worry about me," She whispered, pushing a stray piece of his red hair out of his eyes.
"Hermione, why won't you tell me what happened?" He asked, hurt by what he saw as a lack of trust in him.
"Ron shush. I'll tell you in the morning."
"You'll do no such thing. I want to hear you say it now"
"Ron please, I don't want to talk about it. I've missed you so much. Just…hold me." She said slowly,
His tone softening, he said, "Hermione, Lavender already told us about it."
Hermione simply stared at him for a few moments. "Oh"
"Why didn't you tell me when I asked you earlier?"
"I didn't want you to worry." She whispered to herself
"Well I'm sorry but with you pulling what you did earlier, I was a hell of a lot more worried about you than if you'd just told me"
"I'm sorry."
"'Mione you know how much I care about your safety. All I want is for you to be safe."
"I know Ron. I really am sorry." She said tearfully
Ron cursed inwardly, he hadn't meant to make her cry. Crying certainly wouldn't help her condition. "Shh…it's okay." He soothed, pulling her gently into his arms
Just like a little child, Hermione buried her face in his arms. Ron sighed contently, it felt good to have her in his arms again. It was where she belonged in Ron's mind. "I-I heard you thought that I was dead." He said, trying to be gentle with her, for when she was on the verge like this, a simple change in tone could set her off.
She nodded into his arms. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. You should know I'd never leave you like that."
"You can say that." She whispered, "But no matter how much you want to get away, a curse is a curse and it'll kill you just the same."
Ron sighed, she was right. But what was he supposed to say? Going with his rule of thumb he'd devised in sixth year, he decided he'd tell her the truth. Lying to Hermione was almost certain death. "You're right. I'm sorry all the same. I'm here now."
Hermione hugged him tighter. "Yea…you are. You always pull through for me Ron." She paused, smiling at a memory. "You're my knight in shining armor."
Ron smiled, "Well I better be your only knight in shining armor," he teased
"Oh don't worry. You are." Hermione breathed as she kissed him
As Ron continued kissing Hermione, memories of what he'd been thinking at dinner came bolting through his brain. And as he sat there with Hermione in his arms he suddenly, in one single moment, knew. Breaking apart from Hermione, he stopped to catch his breath.
"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, looking at Ron's face with confusion.
Ron laughed which earned him another look from Hermione. He kissed her forehead happily. "No nothing is wrong." He grinned "But there's something I need to do"
"Ron don't leave now!" She cried, fear obvious in her eyes.
"Sit up for me will you?"
"Ron please, whatever you have to do can wait till morning."
"Did that hurt?" Ron asked, ignoring her, as he helped her sit up.
"A little" She admitted, "But Ron seriously, I can't walk very well. I can't go with you wherever you're going."
"Calm down" He said, putting both of his hands on her face. "Now breathe, I'm not going anywhere."
"But"
"Shush!" Hermione bit her lip. Ron took a deep breath, his heart pounding. "'Mione do you love me?"
"'Course I do you git! What kind of a question is that?"
Ron smiled at her response. "Will you do something for me then?"
"Anything, you know that." She smiled
Ron stared into her eyes for a moment, seeking encouragement. He found it instantly. Grinning, he grabbed her hands. "Will you marry me?"
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