CHAPTER 13 – Wardrobe Hunting

It was that time of the year when people would suddenly burst out of their room screaming 'OH MY GOODNESS! I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!' Actually, this pertains more to the girls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was only a week left before the Yule Ball and the girls have already became frenetic. Hermione, for that matter, was nonetheless dispassionate at the current situation. She was inside the Common Room reading a book. She was really annoyed at the noise that the girls around her were making. What's so important about what you have to wear anyway? It's only for one night. There's no need to get all worked up about it.

Ginny, who was seated just across Hermione, watched as her best girl friend looked annoyingly at the anxious girls surrounding the room. She looks rather pissed, probably because she can't read her book in peace. But I can't argue with these girls, I have the same situation such as them I still don't have anything to wear. Tomorrow, we have to leave for Hogsmeade yet I still don't have any money to purchase a dress. What am I going to do? Ginny's gaze shifted back to Hermione as she heard her sigh a heavy sigh of exasperation. She sighed too and sat up straight.

"So you wanna go outside now?" Ginny asked the bothered Hermione.

"Good! I thought you'd never asked!" Hermione answered and stood up.

Outside, they saw a bunch of students all chattering about the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade and the Yule Ball. Most girls were discussing about what they were going to buy and what make-up they were going to put on, and some even discussed about their dates.

"Now look at this, Ginny, everyone's all worked up about this! What's so important about it anyway? It's only a Ball!" Hermione almost shouted at her.

"Hermione, you can't deny the fact that everyone thinks that this is important for their teenage life. Besides, didn't you hear? Harriotte's parents are supposed to come that day. You know the duke and the duchess. So there's no wonder everyone is getting all excited. Plus, I heard that some really important people are to arrive too," Ginny stated at her.

"What? I never heard of that."

"Well, it was supposed to be a secret."

"That must be why Oliver was so worried about those dance lessons."

"Well, we couldn't argue with him. Those children were a little bit rough on their performance. I can never forget the sight of Professor McGonagall screaming her lungs out because the first and second years all fell down on the first routine."

"Yeah, there was no arguing there. Good thing she understood that they were only first and second years. All in all, it wasn't that bad."

"Only a few days left before we finally see the outcome of our hard work."

"Yeah, I just hope it wouldn't be a disaster."

Just then, two rugged looking boys came out of nowhere and walked side by side with the two. It was Harry and Ron, back from their Quidditch Team meeting. They continued to converse with the girls regarding the upcoming Ball and Hogsmeade trip and how Ginny still has no money to buy a dress. Then, Ron opened the topic about Harriotte's sudden disappearance.

"Did you notice that she wasn't in the performance with the teachers?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, and she wasn't at breakfast or any meal time the next day too; not even in the next couple of days. She was no where in sight. I wonder what could have happened," Hermione wondered.

"Did you boys try asking Oliver?" Ginny questioned.

"Yeah, we did, but he just kept avoiding the subject," Harry answered.

"Maybe they had a fight."

"Could be, but I had never taken Harriotte and Oliver to have problems," Ron commented.

'I am not sure if I am in love with him.' That was what she told me before. Is it because of that that's why she suddenly went missing?

"Harry? Harry? Hello, Harry, are you still with us?" Harry was shaken out of his thoughts with the voice of Hermione.

"Oh! Uhm, sorry, I was just thinking of something. Why is there anything wrong?"

"Look! It's Hedwig coming!"

Harry looked up to where Hermione was pointing and saw his white owl flying towards him, a parchment visible with him. Harry extended his arm towards Hedwig indicating him to land there. He smiled as his owl landed on his arm and he took hold of the parchment she was brandishing on his beak. He gave her a cracker and she flew away into the daylight. Harry slowly opened the roll of parchment and quickly scanned through it.

"Who's it from, Harry?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"It's from Harriotte," he said plainly.

The other three looked at each other with curiosity planted on their faces. They waited as Harry continued to read through the parchment. His face not changing from its normal state.

"It's a note inviting us to join her tomorrow for lunch inside her room. It says right here that Hermione and Ginny are requested to be at attendance, if possible," Harry said. He rolled the parchment close and slipped it inside his pocket. He looked back at his friends to see their confused faces.

"Tomorrow? But tomorrow's the trip to Hogsmeade. Why tomorrow?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know either. She just wrote there that it will be for tomorrow. So what do you guys think? Are you coming?" Harry asked them.

"Well, since I don't have anything to buy at Hogsmeade I guess I'll come. I hear she has great taste in food. You know, those fancy stuff are a must-try," Ron commented.

"You always think about food, Ron," Hermione.

"Like I said, I'm a growing boy. Besides, I really don't have any business going to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I have my dress robes. I don't need to go there."

"But what about Ginny?"

"I guess I'll just go. I don't have any money to buy a dress anyway. I'll just have to wear what Mum has sent me, even though I know I'm going to be hiding under a hole for a very long time."

"And Hermione?"

"Oh, I'll go. I don't think I'll find a decent dress anyway. I'll just wear one from my closet. I think I had brought a dress or two."

"Okay then, it's settled. We are going to Harriotte's lunch tomorrow."

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Hermione walked out of the Portrait Hall just after the horde of giggling girls stepped out of the school. She didn't want to be around them much more than she already had yesterday. Once is enough.

She walked silently through the hall and silently hummed a tune. It may not show that much but she was really excited about the Ball. Partly because she would get to see important people in the wizardring world and partly because her date was Harry. She smiled inwardly as she remembered how he had asked her. Sometimes Harry can be so cute. She stopped after realizing what she had just thought off. What am I saying? Wait, I know I like Harry but…do I like him more than just a friend really? I mean, I've spoken to Ginny about this just two nights ago and she had said that I was probably in love with Harry, but I don't know. Is this really love? What is love anyway? This is getting ridiculous! I'm actually confused!

"Hermione."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks as she heard a voice call her. She looked far from her place and saw Harry standing there waving at her. Great, just what I needed. More confusion coming right up! It's not that I don't want to see Harry; I just wasn't expecting him to appear right in front of me all of a sudden. I just gotta shake this off.

She walked up to him and smiled as he looked at her with a cheerful smile. It has been a long time since she had a regular conversation with him. They were very busy for the past weeks. She was busy studying while he was busy with Quidditch practices. They rarely had a chance to chat unless it was on meal times or when they had dance lessons. Even then they didn't talk much.

"Hey, Harry. Where's Ron?" she asked.

"He went to the kitchens. He said he wanted a pastry."

"He always thinks about food, doesn't he?"

"We really can't do anything about that."

"Well, shall we head first?"

"Yeah, he said he'll just follow; so did Ginny. She said she had to go check on her brother just to make sure he doesn't torture Dobby."

"Let's go then. We wouldn't want Harriotte to be the one to wait for us."

So they walked side by side towards Harriotte's quarters. It was a long walk from the Gryffindor Common Room. Professor Dumbledore had given Lady Harriotte a room near Oliver's, obviously for convenience.

"Hey, Hermione, what have you been up to these days?" Harry asked all of a sudden.

"Hmm? Well, I've been busy studying for the exams coming."

"Exams? 'Mione, that's months away."

"You can never be too ready, Harry."

"Whatever you say, 'Mione."

"What about you then? Where have you been?"

"I've been busy with Quidditch and I usually have a chat or two with Professor Dumbledore regarding the upcoming Ball. He talked to me about the people that are to arrive and how I am to address them. He said I needed to be prepared for any surprises to come."

"Oh, I see. Looks like this Ball is way more important than the last time."

"Yeah, it seems like that. I'm more concerned about meeting Harriotte's parents."

"Huh? How come?"

"I have been told by Professor Dumbledore that Harriotte's parents are going to be the guest of honor that night and they are supposed to be part of the Ministry dynasty. I don't know what that means exactly but he said that the duke might test my skills. He is a known critic after all. Plus, I head he is really very hard on his children especially when it came to magic training."

"And where did you hear that?"

"Oh, I heard it from Harriotte. I usually talk to her when I get the chance. We talk at least once in a while."

"Harriotte? You talk to her once in a while? I don't understand, I thought she was missing."

"Uh, yeah, she was. What I meant is that I get to owl her. Her owl is a friend of Hedwig's. But, don't get me wrong, I don't know where she had been spending her time. All I get to see is her owl Henry."

"I see."

They continued to walk in silence once again. Hermione was really bothered having heard that Harry was in touch with Harriotte without their knowledge. She didn't even know that they were that close. She didn't even know that they talked. I know I have no right to say something like that. I mean, it's not that it's wrong for Harry to be close to Harriotte, but why am I feeling this way? Am I jealous?

"Harry?" Hermione said, breaking the still silence between them.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Do you like Harriotte?"

"Oh, yeah! She's great! She's very nice and very understanding. She tells me a lot of great stories."

"So, you do like her."

"Yeah. I mean… Wait. Are we talking on the same zone here, 'Mione?"

"What do you mean? All I asked is if you like her."

"Wait, what I meant was I like Harriotte because I like her. As in I like her as my friend and no more than that."

Hermione remained silent and just stared at Harry's face. She tried to register inside her brain what Harry had just said. A friend, Hermione Granger! He just thinks of her as a friend!

"Besides, she's already engaged to Oliver, so I can't really do anything about that." Harry suddenly blurted out.

"Wait a second! So you do like her then?!" Hermione suddenly asked, her tone a little bit higher.

Harry stopped walking and turned around to look at one of his best friends. He stared at her for almost a minute. He stared into her eyes searching for any trace of a joke on what she had just said. He placed his hands inside his pants pockets and sighed.

"Hermione, okay, I'll admit it, I do like her-like her in a sense that I might have feelings for her. But take note of what I said, 'Mione, I might have feelings for her. I am not very sure if I really do."

"So, it's just like that then?"

"You know, 'Mione, I may not be certain about how I feel about her, but I know I am certain about something and I am willing to shout it out into the world."

"What is that?"

Harry turned away from her and started to walk away. Hermione watched her best friend in shock as the distance between them grew longer and longer. She drew her breath and ran after him. Harry noticed it and started running, all the while laughing at the whole situation. It's not yet time, Hermione. Not yet. Just a little more time. Please let me have that. For now, let's enjoy it like this.

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"What are you doing here?!" Ron screamed at Draco's face as he saw him walk out of Harriotte's bedroom.

"What do you mean what am I doing here?" Draco asked, equally raising his voice.

"You heard me! What are you doing inside her room?!" Ron screamed a little more.

"What's wrong if I am in her room anyway?!" Draco screamed a little more.

Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Cedric and Cho just stared at the two. They wondered if they were really having an argument or just playing around. They created a speculation that Ron might have forgotten that Draco is Harriotte's cousin that's why he had such a sudden outburst at seeing him come out of her room. Out of boredom of the scene, Cedric looked away from the two and looked at Harry.

"So, you guys got a letter too?" Cedric asked Harry, waking him from his reverie.

"Yeah, just yesterday. Do you know what she wants us here for?" Harry answered and asked.

"Nope, I don't got a clue, neither does Cho."

"Yeah, same goes for us. I wonder what she got planned for us. She had us taken away from Hogsmeade after all," Hermione said.

"It must be important," Cho commented.

"She's my cousin! What's the problem with that?!" Draco continued to burst.

"Oh, yeah. I totally forgot. Sorry, mate," Ron calmly stated.

Draco just sighed heavily and walked towards the chair near the fireplace. He sighed even more and slouched down. He motioned for the others to sit down and they all followed suit. A couple of minutes passed and Harriotte came out of her bedroom wearing a Hogwarts uniform. They all stared at her, except for Draco, in awe, not shifting their gaze from her. She looked at them with a plain look and motioned for them to join her on the next room. They all stood up and followed her.

Inside the room next to her bedroom was a sort of dining area of her whole room. It had a huge beautifully furnished English dining table with chairs and a couple of potted plants surrounding the room. It had three big windows and two large paintings hanging on both ends of the room. There were plenty of candles around, obviously for aromatherapy.

Harriotte sat down on the chair at the far left. She motioned for them to sit down. They all took the seat nearest to them. Draco, for one, took the seat nearest to Harriotte and left a chair unattended, probably for someone else when he/she arrives. Harriotte smiled at them and distributed some tea.

"I believe you are all wondering why I have summoned you here today. All of you except for my cousin here, that is," Harriotte began.

"That's no surprise," Ginny answered.

"Shall we discuss that over lunch then?" Suddenly, a wide spread of delicacies appeared in the table. Ron felt very glad about it. He was almost drooling until Harry nudged him back. Hermione was at complete awe at what she had seen. Only in cookbooks and magazines did she see those foods. She was also at awe at how they could have simply appeared even without Harriotte flicking a wand. She felt something about her-something very strong.

"Well, you may begin eating now," Harriotte motioned, so everyone began to eat.

"Now would you tell us why we are here?" Cedric asked in between bites.

"I asked you all here today because I have heard of Ginny's problem here, and Hermione and Cho too, if I am correct. You are of need of a gown for next week's Ball, am I right?"

"Yeah, but how did you know?" Cho asked.

"You need not know about that. After lunch I shall help you with that problem of yours."

After lunch the dishes suddenly disappeared out of thin air, causing even more commotion on Ron's side. He had verbal comments about how amazed he was about it. Ginny kept on hitting her face with her hand out of total embarrassment for her brother. The group just smiled at her and told her it was okay, she didn't need to feel embarrassed because they were used to Ron being that way.

As they left the room, they continued to follow Harriotte inside another room. Inside, it was very dark. Harry and the rest had a hard time seeing through the dark until Harriotte silently uttered 'Lumos' and the group was finally able to see through the room. As they began to register what was before them, the group's jaws were already dropped. In front of them was a closet room, literally. A room full of different gowns and dress robes. Not only that, it was also full of shoes and different hats and masks. All of them couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Draco stood beside Harriotte, smiling at the faces of his friends. He wasn't surprised at what was before him for the reason that he has seen it before, and too many times for that matter. He watched with Harriotte as their faces turned from awe to wonder to amazement and soon, to confusion. Draco chuckled.

"You could actually close your mouths right about now, you know," Draco commented.

The group was finally shaken out of their reverie when they heard Draco's voice. They all looked to where the cousins were standing and saw them standing right in front of a locked closet. It was the only closet in the room that wasn't in the open. It was strongly protected with a magical lock and the group wondered what it could be protecting.

"Now that you're all calmed down, listen to me. This is Harriotte's closet-"

"Wait! Did you just say her closet?!" Ginny asked aghast.

"Yes, that's right. This room is Harriotte's closet."

"You have got to be kidding," Hermione said.

"Actually, I'm very serious. Why? Is that such a surprise?"

"Yes! No! I mean, what did you think we were supposed to think of this?" asked Ron.

"I don't have anything in mind."

"Sorry, Draco, so, what is this about her closet?" Harry said, changing the subject.

"As I was saying, this is her personal closet, at least one of her closets; and this is where everything will begin. Harriotte?"

"Yes, thank you, Draco. As Draco had said, this is my closet and from here you may choose any dress you want, girls. Anything in the racks, you may take it. Whatever you may find to have a liking, you may have it. It's yours to keep," Harriotte declared at the stunned group.

"Are you-are you serious?" Hermione choked out.

"Yes, Hermione, I am very much serious about what I had said."

"But, all these, they belong to you! We can't possibly just take them away!" Ginny spitted out.

"It would not matter. There are plenty of dresses here. I do not think that I would miss any of them."

"Are you sure about that?" Cho asked politely.

Harriotte just smiled and motioned for them to pick from the racks. The girls began to browse through the whole collection. They giggled and talked about the different clothes hanging. The boys all sighed and just stood on their positions. They didn't know what their use was on being there. Harriotte noticed it and approached them.

"Well, shall we get on with you boys then?" she declared to them.

They all looked at her in disbelief. She smiled a sweet smile at them and motioned for them to follow her. They walked across the room to where the male dress robes were. Harriotte smiled at them even more.

"So now it is your turn to choose your clothes. This part of the closet belongs to my brother. He does not need any dress robes from this stack. He already had one shipped from Paris. You may choose any from this too. But I wonder if you have the same taste as my brother's," Harriotte told them cheerfully.

"But, Harriotte, are you sure about this? I mean, is your brother alright with this?" Cedric asked.

"Hilton's alright with it. He doesn't mind. He has word a lot of dress robes and tuxes before. He won't miss any of those if you take them," Draco answered for her.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen your brother; or I have seen him and I just didn't know it was him," Ron said.

"You haven't seen him, Ron. Hilton's very busy with a lot of things. He's usually kept up inside his room," Draco answered again.

"So, you may begin choosing your clothes now. I will just go over to the girls," Harriotte interrupted.

The boys began to browse through the stack. They couldn't believe what was before them. Designer clothes from Paris, Milan, New York, Turkey, and what else-it all seemed like a dream. The girls felt the same too. Harriotte's gowns were delicately made and were from designers all over the world. Harriotte told them that most of the gowns were gifts and that she didn't buy them. She said she wasn't very fond of expensive gowns, but sometimes she pampers herself at least once in a while.

"Good, now you have chosen your clothes. I hope you like them," Harriote said as the grouped formed a line in front of her and Draco.

"Thanks for the clothes, Harriote. They're so beautiful! Now I don't have to worry about having nothing to wear anymore. I'm really very grateful to you!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes, they're wonderful! There are so many gowns, we really had a hard time picking," Hermione commented.

"Why do you have this many gowns?" Cedric asked.

"I attend gatherings most of the time. Those gatherings are for charities, fancy invitations, birthday parties for important people-just about anything. That is why I am in need of plenty of dresses. But I haven't gotten to wear all of those. There are so many, I don't think I can handle it all," Harriotte related.

"It's no wonder. Hey, Draco, what about you?" Harry asked.

"Hell, no. I don't need any dress robes from here. I got my own back at my room," Draco said.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I just came for the show. Harriotte asked me to come and assist her."

"Wouldn't Crabbe and Goyle look for you at Hogsmeade?"

"No, not if they found food. Besides, those two just follow me all around. If I'm not there, they can take care of themselves. They just hang around too often that I'm starting to get sick of them."

"When are you going to tell them about your current situation anyway?"

"I don't think I will ever. They will just find out about it themselves. Besides, I've already spent time with you guys in public. Most people know about it already. Those two are just so clueless."

"I guess you're right. So, Harriotte, what next?"

"I want you to pick out your shoes. Please follow Draco over there. He will show you what choices you have."

The group followed Draco to the other side of the room. Harriotte watched as they walked and the left the room. She walked silently to her living room chair and sat down. She sighed heavily and stared at the door to her room. He has not come to visit me for three weeks now. I wonder what was wrong. Is he mad at me? Have I done anything wrong?

She stood up and walked towards the window. She watched as the trickle of snow fell from the sky. The school was filled with white puff as the snow started to build up. The flowers have all wilted and the birds were all cooped up inside the owlery. Harriotte sighed even more. Why am I suddenly feeling like this? Is it because the absence is just too new for me? Was I used to having him there that his sudden disappearance just pains me?

"Harriotte?" Draco's voice called out to his cousin.

He walked towards. He looked at her face. He shifted his gaze to where she was looking. Somehow, Draco knew what she was thinking. Even though he was not with her all the time, Draco loved Harriotte more than any of their cousins. She was the one who showed him kindness from the very start. She took care of him when he was being tormented by his father. Draco felt very in-dept to her and that's why promised to himself that he would take care of her.

"Cuz, what's wrong?" Draco asked.

"Draco, I do not know either."

"Did you two have a fight?"

"No."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"I tried to look for him and owl him but he seems to be very busy. I did not want to disturb him."

"That's why you locked yourself up here?"

"I did not have any place to go."

"You could've asked me to escort you. You know I would gladly do it."

"That is not the point, Draco. You know that."

"Yes, yes, I do."

"This is the first time that he has not visited me for a long while. During school days before he would usually owl me. I do not understand anything at all, Cuz."

"Just give him some time, Harriotte. I'm sure that he'll come around soon. For now, we have to think about…"

"I know, Draco. I know. I received a letter from the National Office yesterday. Father has confirmed his visit with Mother. He has mentioned a conversation with the Hogwarts Headmaster and Sirius Black. I have a strong feeling that he will create a scene that night."

"Well, I suppose he is ready to face Uncle Edward."

"Is he really?"

Draco gave a sharp look at his cousin. He knew what she meant. Edward Henson was not one to mess with. He was a very strict public servant and father. He treats his children like they were in military camp. He was very hard on them. Arranged marriage was just part of the things he so mostly agrees upon regarding his children's lives.

"Hey! Where did you two go?" Draco heard the familiar voice of Ron.

"We are just here. What's the problem?" he asked, coming out of the shadows.

"There you are. Oh! And Harriotte's with you. We just finished picking out the shoes. The girls are all giggly inside so you better get back. I think us guys are finished here so I guess we'll go on ahead. The rest of the school might get back any time soon and I'm hungry again. We'll go on ahead, is that okay?"

"It would be fine. I still have to talk to the girls," Harriotte told him.

"Then, we'll go now. Hey, Harry! Cedric!"

Harry and Cedric came out and said their thanks to Harriotte. The three waved goodbye at her and disappeared through the door. Draco said he would just wait there for a while. He wasn't to keen on seeing the other students yet so he just asked if he could hang out inside Harriott's room for a while. Harriotte, of course, complied.

"Hello, ladies. Have you all found your clothes?" Harriotte asked as she entered the closet room.

"Yes, you have wonderful shoes too!" Ginny exclaimed.

"The guys have already left. They are finished with their clothes hunting, but you girls are not yet done."

"Huh?" the three girls wondered out loud.

Harriotte went to the locked closet and took out a very unusual looking key. She inserted the key into the lock hole and turned it gently. The lock suddenly released and the magical aura surrounding it suddenly disappeared. The girls were flabbergasted. Harriotte opened the closet door and asked the girls to join her.

When the three came into close view at what was inside the closet they were all in awe. Inside the locked closet was a collection of jewelries. From diamonds to sapphires to rubies, all were inside. It was as if they had landed themselves inside a diamond mine. It was indeed a girl's dream come true.

"Now you know why there was a protective lock here. This closet holds our family jewels-at least part of our family jewels that were given to me by my mother. I needed to lock it to make sure that no one gets to realize that such thing is inside. This was shipped secretly here at Hogwarts. Father insisted that I choose from this collection what I will be using for the Yule Ball. As you can see, there are plenty of choices to choose from. This is our English collection. Now, pick anything you would want and I will let you borrow it. I am sorry that I cannot give them to you. These jewels are part of our family history," Harriotte related to them.

The girls remained silent for a while. They tried to sink in what Harriotte had just told them. Is this for real? These are priceless jewels from all over Europe and she is lending us these for the Yule Ball?

"Harriotte, this is too much. You have already lent us these amazing clothes and shoes. You don't need to go this far," Hermione said.

"Yeah. We really don't need jewelry anyway. So, thanks. The clothes are really too much already. We wouldn't want to abuse your kindness," Ginny followed.

"We are really grateful for all your help and we know when we need to stop. Thanks for the offer, Harriote, but that is really too much already," Cho concluded after the two.

"You do not understand, girls. The Yule Ball is not just a celebration, but also a test to see who was in participation at the Final Battle. My father is a very strict person. He would suck out everything at you. Please understand that I want you all to be able to give him a good impression, but not that I am asking you to pretend in front of him. I just want him to see that you are all worthy of his respect."

"Your father, Harriotte, I have heard about him. His name has been carried on for a long time in the magical world. He is known to be 'The Tough Tyrant.' I heard that he had sent a lot of rule-breakers to Azkaban," Hermione related.

"Yes, yes, that is my father. So, you understand now why I want you all to look presentable? My mother had also suggested that I lend you these jewels and clothes so that Father's view towards you will be on a better track. Father thinks highly of people who have taste. It doe not mean that he prefers reach and snobby people, he just gives importance to presentation."

"Yes, we understand, and thank you, Harriotte. Thanks for thinking about us."

"It is not a problem. I am glad to be of help. Now, shall we get on with this then?"

Soon, the girls have picked their choice of jewelry depending on what they were to wear. Harriotte had suggested that they join her on the day of the Ball so that she can have her personal stylist help them too. The girls gladly accepted and soon they were walking towards their dormitories as they await for the next few days to pass.

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