Love Is Faith
�Miss Wilson, may I have a word?�
�Huh? Oh, yes professor,� Melissa said looking up. She�d been distracted by her thoughts, as she had been for quite a few days, ever since Draco left.
�Follow me,� Professor McGonagall said, turning around and walking toward the portrait hole. Melissa followed her out of the common room and down the hallway.
They walked through the empty halls in silence. Professor McGonagall was walking twice as fast as usual, so Melissa almost had to jog to keep up. She was just about to ask where they were going when the professor took a sharp turn and led the way into her office.
�Sit down,� Professor McGonagall said, pointing to a chair. Melissa sat down and looked around the room. She hadn�t been in the office since school started, the day everything was explained to Harry, and, yet, it looked exactly the same.
�Is everything all right between you and Mr. Malfoy?� Professor McGonagall asked. This was obviously not what she really wanted to ask, just a starting place.
�Well, he went home for the holidays. I miss him,� Melissa said, deliberately avoiding the question. She didn�t want to lie to the professor.
�Because Madam Pomfrey is worried about you,� Professor McGonagall continued, staring intently at Melissa. �She thinks maybe I can help.�
�How? How can you help me?� Melissa demanded, feeling her rage building. �I�m sick of people who ask meaningless questions and don�t just come out and say what they mean.
�So why don�t you say it? You think Draco raped me. You, Madam Pomfrey, Ron, all of you. Well, he didn�t. Is it so hard to accept that a person can change?� She stopped, hardly believing she�d had the nerve to speak this way to a teacher, or to anyone for that matter.
�For some, yes,� Professor McGonagall replied calmly. �Any other professor here would take points from Gryffindor for disrespect, but I admire your truthfulness. Now it�s time for me to follow suit. I didn�t bring you here because I think Mr. Malfoy did anything of the sort, for I do not have enough evidence to pass judgment on that issue.
�No, I�ve brought you here so that I might tell you a story. Whether or not you listen is your own choice and you may leave at any time.�
Melissa had calmed down by this time. She was curious to know what the professor would tell her about.
�I went to school here, an average student. You may not know it by looking at me, but I�m a Muggle-born. It might not seem like a big deal today, but it was back then. You-Know-Who was in the height of his powers at that time. Many Muggle-born witches and wizards never made it to their eleventh birthdays, and those who did were often too afraid to risk going to Hogwarts.
�My parents tried to convince me not to go. They worried for my safety. But I really wanted to go and they finally agreed. I sometimes regret this decision. In my sixth year, there was a string of murders, all of Muggle parents who had magical children. My mother and father were among the dead. But I will not speak anymore of this. It is not the focus of my story.
�As I said before, I was a Muggle-born, one of only two in my year. The other was your mother, Lily Potter, or Lily Evans, as that was her name then. We were both sorted into Gryffindor, the only house whose members were mostly accepting of Muggle-borns.
�My first few years here were awful. Many of the other students and even some of the teachers treated me like I was inferior. I�m speaking, of course, of students in the other houses. Most of the other Gryffindors treated me as an equal.
�Now that I�ve bored you with background information, let�s get to the story. It all started in my fifth year. I was late for class, Charms, I believe. I wasn�t watching where I was walking and, next thing I knew, I was on the floor.
��Watch it, Mudblood!� someone yelled. When I looked up, I wasn�t surprised. It was one Severus Snape, a Slytherin, of course. He threw my book at me and walked away, followed by a large crowd of Slytherins.
�The biggest surprise came when I got to class. Points were taken from Gryffindor, as I was very late. You can imagine my surprise when I opened my book to find a note inside, asking me to go to the Astronomy Tower that night.
�Being the na�ve teenager I was, I went. I arrived to find Severus already waiting for me. For the sake of civil conversation, I will not recite the events of that night. The point is, from that night on, Severus and I were together.
�Now, you can imagine the reactions this got out of everyone. The thought of a Slytherin dating a Muggle-born Gryffindor was unheard of. We both lost many friends over the issue.
�But this was just the beginning. In my sixth year, I began to feel as though something was wrong. I went to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey confirmed my suspicions. I was pregnant.
�I could never find the courage to tell my parents. I stayed at school during the holidays in order to hide it from them. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to tell them. They were killed just a few days before my daughter was born.
�My daughter Emily was born perfectly healthy. I was afraid that Severus would leave me when he found out, but I needn�t have worried. He promised to help me raise her.
�Professor Dumbledore was very understanding. He gave both Severus and me two weeks off from our classes. Then, when we had to go back to class, he asked Madam Pomfrey to look after Emily during class, and she agreed.
�Everything was great until about halfway through my seventh year. Since Severus and I were in different houses, we worked out a system for which nights Emily would stay with him and which ones she would stay with me.
�It was Severus� night with Emily. I was just about to go up to the dormitory when I heard someone pounding on the portrait. I went to open it, thinking it was just a Gryffindor who had forgotten the password.
�I opened the portrait and Severus was there. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out. He told me something had happened and we had to go to the hospital wing. He explained what had happened on the way.
�He was in his dormitory with Emily. He realized that he�d left a book behind in one of his classes. He figured he�d be back in a few minutes, so he left Emily in his dormitory.
�When he got back and was about to enter the Slytherin common room, a couple of guys ran past him. He wouldn�t tell me who, but I had a pretty good idea. He heard crying from inside the room, so he ran in.
�He found Emily on the floor with a girl in his year kneeling by her. She told him she�d tried to stop the boys but they�d just laughed at her. She also said that Severus should take Emily to Madam Pomfrey to make sure she was okay. He�d brought Emily to the hospital wing and then rushed to get me.
�We arrived to find Madam Pomfrey waiting for us. She explained what had happened. Emily had been given a potion that had paralyzed her from the waist down. There was a potion to reverse the effects, but it was too strong to be used on someone so young and would have no effect at all after twenty-four hours. Emily would be paralyzed for life.
�When Severus heard these words, he turned and left. I let him go, thinking he just needed some time alone. I didn�t know then that it�d be years before I saw him again.
�I tried to find him the next day but couldn�t. Everyone I asked either didn�t know or wouldn�t tell me. I finally went to Professor Dumbledore, who told me that Severus had left the school. I later found out that he and a few other Slytherins, the very ones I�d suspected of hurting Emily, had joined up with the Dark Lord.
�I started going downhill from there. I dropped out of school. I no longer trusted anyone to take care of Emily, not even Madam Pomfrey. This attitude also kept me from getting a job, as I refused to let Emily out of my sight. I soon ended up in a Muggle homeless shelter, where I stayed for about four years.
�Then, around the time you were born, I got an unexpected visit from Professor Dumbledore. Apparently several teachers had left Hogwarts due to the growing threat of You-Know-Who and he needed people to teach.
�I agreed. I had to, for my daughter. I moved out of the shelter and into the school. I studied Transfiguration for the time before the term started. What I didn�t know was that Severus had also been hired.
�When I went to Professor Dumbledore about this, he explained that Severus had realized his mistake of joining with You-Know-Who and had come back. I tried to speak to Severus about Emily, but he wouldn�t talk about her, so I finally dropped the issue.
�Emily grew up here at Hogwarts. When she started taking classes, her wheelchair was enchanted so that she could get up and down the stairs. After she graduated, she became a reporter for the Daily Prophet.
�I never told Emily who her father was or why he left. To this day, she still believes that her handicap came as the result of a freak accident. I never told her the truth because, deep down, I still think of her as my little girl, even though she�s grown up now.
�Here�s an old picture of her,� Professor McGonagall said, handing Melissa the picture off of her desk. �It was taken when she was seven.�
Melissa looked at the picture. The little girl looked very much like her mother. She was sitting on the ground in front of the lake. Upon closer inspection, Melissa could see a wheelchair in the corner of the picture.
�The point of my story,� Professor McGonagall said, taking the picture back and putting it down, �is that looks can be deceiving. I regret letting Severus leave, but I regret even more not moving on with my life sooner.� She stopped and looked at Melissa, waiting.
Melissa stayed silent for a moment, letting this all sink in. She felt bad for yelling earlier. She now knew that Professor McGonagall had a reason to accuse Draco, even though she denied that she was accusing him.
�I�m sorry that happened professor,� Melissa said finally. �I really am. But Draco didn�t leave by choice. If I don�t believe that, then all hope is lost. I have to believe that he�ll come back, that he has some good in him. Love is faith, and I have faith in Draco.�
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Professor McGonagall stared at Melissa in astonishment. She couldn�t believe this was the same quiet, even-tempered girl she�d met at the start of term.
�You may go,� she said after a while, unable to think of anything else. Melissa got up and left without another word.
Love is faith.
Melissa�s words made Professor McGonagall think.
Love is faith.
Maybe she had given up too soon.
Love is faith.
Maybe�just maybe�love was faith.
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Hermione put Harry�s picture back in her book and locked it in her trunk. It was time to go back to Hogwarts, the moment she had waited for, and dreaded at the same time.
Part of her wanted to go back. She loved studying magic. She didn�t know what she�d do without it.
But another part hated the idea of going back. What was she really going back to? A place where the boy she loved was everywhere she looked? The boy she had stayed away from for his own sake? Why go back to a place, a schedule, that caused her such pain?
But she had to go back. She�d never be able to explain this to her parents. They were too proud of having a witch in the family to be subjected to such a disappointment.
No, she�d have to get through this, for her parents, for Harry, and for herself.
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Draco pulled up his hood to cover his face and put his arm out to hail the Knight Bus. His mother had left earlier that morning to visit with friends in Spain and his father was busy, so Draco had to find his own way to King�s Cross Station.
�Good morning young sir, where will you be going?� the driver asked.
�King�s Cross in London,� Draco replied, giving the driver some money and stepping onto the bus. A man came off the bus and picked up his trunk for him. He carried his owl himself.
�Ah, Hogwarts,� the driver called after Draco, who was following the man with his trunk. �I went there myself. You�re Lucius Malfoy�s son, aren�t you?�
�How�d you know?� Draco asked, turning back to the driver. Had he seen his face?
�Your house,� the driver said, and Draco breathed a sigh of relief. �Only someone with a death wish would hail the Knight Bus in front of Malfoy Mansion if he didn�t live there.�
�Yeah,� Draco agreed and turned to find the other man putting his trunk next to a bed about halfway back. He thanked the man and sat down as close to the window as possible so that he was hidden from the view of the men.
Draco pulled down the hood on his sweatshirt. He�d had to wear Muggle clothes since he was going to a Muggle train station. It�d taken him a long time to find a hooded sweatshirt, but it was necessary.
The bus took off at full speed, causing Draco to fall back. He struggled to sit up and looked out the window at the trees whizzing past the bus. He felt slightly nauseous.
�I think I�m gonna be sick,� Draco announced clutching his stomach. The man who had carried the trunk came rushing back with a trashcan, getting there just in time for Draco to lose his breakfast.
�Sorry,� Draco said, grabbing a tissue from a shelf set up by the bed to wipe his mouth.
�No prob�� the man stopped, staring at Draco. Draco silently cursed his queasy stomach. �What happened to your face?�
�Oh, nothing. It�s really not as bad as it looks,� Draco said quickly, pulling his hood back up. �I got into a fight with a kid down the street. I didn�t have time to go get it healed.�
�Right,� the man said, obviously seeing through the lie.
�Please don�t tell anyone,� Draco said.
�Okay,� the man said hesitantly, �but, if I were you, I�d get that checked out before it gets infected.�
�Okay,� Draco said, �and thanks for the trashcan.�
�No problem, happens all the time,� the man said, smiling and turning to go back to the front. Draco felt his stomach heave and bent back over the trashcan.
Several hours (and trashcans) later, they arrived in London. Draco thanked the driver and got off the bus, adjusting his hood to make sure his face was hidden.
The station was packed with people rushing to catch their trains. Draco pushed his way through the crowd, dragging his trunk behind him and carrying his owl�s cage.
�Need some help?� came a voice behind him, causing him to drop his trunk painfully on his foot. He turned to see Hermione carrying a cage, followed by her parents, who were carrying her trunk.
�No thanks, Granger,� Draco said through gritted teeth.
�Yeah right,� she said, grabbing Draco�s owl�s cage. �Someday your pride is gonna be the death of you.�
Draco tried to think of a comeback, but failed. He walked with them to the platform. He got on the train with Hermione. Normally he wouldn�t have, but she still had his owl. Hermione waved to her parents as the train started to pull away.
�I guess I�ll be going,� Draco said, eager to get away so he could start planning what to do when he got to school.
�Take off your hood Draco, �Hermione said, setting down the cages. �I�ve already seen your face.�
�How? When?� Draco asked, backing up several steps.
�Back at the station,� Hermione answered, sitting down. �That hood might hide you from strangers, but it won�t protect you from some who�s actually looking at you. I didn�t say anything earlier because my parents were there.�
Draco sighed Oh well, it had only been a matter of time till someone saw anyway. He sat across from Hermione and reached up to pull his hood back.
�Do you have a mirror I can borrow?� Draco asked. Hermione nodded and opened her trunk. She pulled out a small mirror and handed it to Draco.
Draco looked at his reflection and flinched slightly. He hadn�t realized that it�d gotten this bad. His right eye was nearly swollen shut and the bruise now reached from his eyebrow to about halfway down his cheek. A jagged scar ran down the left side of his face.
�So what happened?� Hermione asked, taking the mirror and putting it back in her trunk.
�I got in a fight,� Draco said shortly, hoping she wouldn�t ask too many questions.
�With who?� she persisted.
�Some guys on my street,� Draco said, trying to stay one step ahead.
�What about?� she asked immediately, throwing Draco off.
�Uh�� he said, drawing a blank.
�That�s what I thought,� she leaned forward. �Now tell me the truth.�
One look into Hermione�s eyes told Draco that he wouldn�t be able to lie to her. �All right,� he said, defeated. �It was my father.�
�You got in a fight with your father?� Hermione asked, her eyes widening.
�Ha,� Draco laughed dryly, �I wish! At least then I could have done some damage to him�
�Did your father hit you?� Hermione asked gently, taking Draco�s hand.
�I don�t wanna talk about it,� he said, pulling his hand away from hers.
�Does Melissa know?� Hermione asked.
Draco shook his head, his right hand instinctively flying up to hold his left arm. If Hermione noticed this, she didn�t mention it.
�Are you going to tell her?� she asked.
�I don�t know,� Draco answered truthfully. �I don�t know how to tell her without making her blame herself.�
�What do you mean?�
�I mean, it takes something really big to set off his temper like that. He found out about Melissa and me.�
�How?�
�He probably has an inside source who told him. To say he was upset is an understatement He forbade me from ever seeing her again.�
�Are you going to listen to him?�
�No, I can�t. Whoever told him is dead set on separating us. No matter what I do, they�re going to tell him I was with her. At least, if I�m with her, I�ll have a chance of being able to protect her.�
�But you�ll have to tell her eventually,� Hermione said.
�I know,� Draco whispered, clutching his arm tightly. More than you could ever understand, he added silently.
�Why don�t you tell someone? A teacher?� Hermione suggested.
�No, I can�t� Draco shook his head.
�Why not?�
�I can�t abandon my mother.�
�He hurts your mother too?�
�I don�t wanna talk about it,� Draco said through gritted teeth. Hermione opened her mouth to question him further but was interrupted by an announcement that they�d arrived at Hogwarts.
�We�re here already?� Hermione asked frantically, standing up. �We were so busy talking we forgot to change into our robes!�
�It doesn�t matter,� Draco said, staying in his seat. �I can�t go in there looking like this. Do you know any healing spells?� he asked hopefully.
�No, sorry,� Hermione said. �All of the books on advanced healing are in the Restricted Section. Too many things can go wrong. I only know a spell for minor cuts and it�s not nearly powerful enough. You�ll have to go to Madam Pomfrey.
�No, no, no!� Draco said, shaking his head violently.
�Wait! Let me finish!� Hermione said, placing her hands on his shoulders. �Just let me do the talking. If I know her, she won�t ask too many questions.�
�No, that�s okay,� Draco said, calming down a bit. �If given enough time to think, I can keep up a good story.�
�Okay, but I�ll go with you,� Hermione said, moving her hands off his shoulders and offering a hand to him.
�But why?� Draco asked, standing up and looking suspiciously at her extended hand.
�Because you need help, whether you like it or not,� Hermione said, �and besides, I have nothing better to do.�
�I�ll never understand you Gryffindors,� Draco said, taking Hermione�s hand and walked off the train with her, pulling up his hood with his free hand.
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�Madam Pomfrey!�
�What is it?� Madam Pomfrey called from inside her office. Surely a student couldn�t have gotten hurt this soon after holidays.
�Draco�s hurt!�
This got Madam Pomfrey on her feet. She should have known. She�d had problems with this boy before, mostly occurring after holidays. She rushed out of her office to find a most unusual sight.
There was, of course, nothing unusual about the fact that Draco was sitting on a bed with a scar and a bruise on his face. No, what was strange was the person sitting in a chair next to the bed. It was Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor and a Muggle-born no less.
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. Surely she had only found him and brought him here because it was the right thing to do.
�You may go Miss Granger,� Madam Pomfrey said. �I can take care of him from here.�
�No,� Draco protested, making Madam Pomfrey jump, �please let her stay.�
�Okay,� Madam Pomfrey said, surprised by his reaction. She�d only thought that Hermione�s presence might bother Draco, but she guessed she�d been wrong. �But surely you would prefer for her to wait on the other side of the curtain.�
�If it�s the same either way, I think I�d rather she stay here,� Draco said, surprising Madam Pomfrey even further.
�Okay then,� she said, pulling out her wand and examining Draco�s face. �Well, the bruise is easy enough to fix, but I�m afraid the cut has been left too long to be healed completely.� She fixed these quickly and hesitated before speaking again.
�Is there anything else?� she asked, already knowing the answer.
Draco glanced at Hermione once before lifting his shirt up over his head. Madam Pomfrey heard Hermione gasp behind her and would have herself if she hadn�t already had a good idea of what to expect.
The boy had numerous scars, cuts, and bruises on his back. Some were almost healed, others looked more recent, and still others seemed to have healed partially and been reopened. His left arm was bandaged from wrist to elbow.
�My father got in a new shipment of Crups,� Draco said. �I had to help him train them.�
Madam Pomfrey could see that what he was saying might be true. A few of the marks looked like dog bites. But he surely couldn�t have gotten all of the scars from Crups.
�There we go,� she said, finishing with her healing. A few scars were left behind, but that was the best she could do. �What about that?� she said, gesturing toward the bandaged arm. �Don�t you want me to heal it?�
�No!� he said in a panicked voice, make Madam Pomfrey jump. �I mean�no, it�s okay.�
�Are you sure?� she asked.
�Yeah, I�m sure,� he said and she knew there was no point in arguing.
�Okay. You�ll need to stay overnight in case of spell complications. They can happen when a spell is used repeatedly. You may stay for a while, Miss Granger, but not too long. I�ll be in my office if you need anything.�
She hurried to her office and shut the door behind her. Pulling some parchment out of a drawer, she sat down and wrote:
Albus,
I know you�re very busy, but this is important. I�m worried about the Malfoy boy. He won�t admit it, but his injuries only point in one direction. I know we�ve already spoken about this many times, but I still need to know if there�s anything I can do. I have a suspicion that Melissa Wilson might be in danger too. If there�s anything I can do, please tell me.
Poppy Pomfrey
Madam Pomfrey folded the letter and placed it on the windowsill. An owl would come by and pick it up later. She hated having to send letters to Professor Dumbledore, but it was all she could do now that he was gone.
She knew that he was busy protesting the imprisonment of Sirius Black. She had personally never believed that he was guilty. Even with all the evidence against him, she always believed in his innocence.
Thinking about Sirius brought back thoughts of Draco. They were very similar. Madam Pomfrey had come across Sirius in her early years as a Hogwarts nurse. She�d always admired him. Though he came from a poor family background, he�d always managed to keep a positive attitude.
Madam Pomfrey found herself hoping that Draco�s relationship with Melissa would last. Excluding Melissa�s last visit to the hospital wing, their relationship seemed to have had a positive influence on Draco and had given him the strength to continue. Maybe the same influence could give him the courage to tell the truth.
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�Thanks for not telling her,� Draco said to Hermione once Madam Pomfrey was gone.
�That�s what friends are for,� Hermione said.
�Did you just say �friends?�� Draco asked.
�Yeah, you wanna do something about it?� Hermione said, smiling.
Draco smirked at her. �Gryffindor traits must be rubbing off on me. I can�t think of a good comeback.�
�Ha ha, very funny,� Hermione said sarcastically. �Well, I�d better go before Madam Pomfrey bites my head off.�
�Now that�d be a sight to see,� Draco said. Then, as Hermione stood to leave, he spoke more seriously. �Granger, please don�t tell Melissa.�
She stopped and looked back at him. �I don�t think I have to. You�ll eventually tell her yourself.�
�How can you be so sure?� Draco asked. He wasn�t even sure himself.
�Love is faith,� she said simply. �If you love her, then have faith that she�ll understand.� She turned and continued toward the door.
�Hey Granger,� Draco called after her and she stopped again, �you�re all right.�
�Thanks, I�ll take that as a compliment coming from you.� She walked to the door and turned back around.
�Goodbye Draco,� she said.
�Goodbye,� Draco said, �Hermione.�
�And Draco?�
�Yeah?�
�Put a shirt on.�
Draco blushed and chucked his pillow at Hermione. She caught it and tossed it back, grinning. Then, she left.
* * *
Draco woke up in a cold sweat. He�d hoped the dream would go away once he got back to school. But it had come back, worse than ever.
He never had any control over what happened in the dream. He was like a spirit, observing the scene from a distance. But that didn�t make it seem any less real.
He watched the clearing slowly fill with cloaked figures. The last two to arrive were dragging someone behind them. The person, a girl, was bound and gagged. Draco knew that it was Melissa.
A cloaked figure led Melissa into the center of the clearing, threw her down on the ground, and joined the other figures, who had formed a large circle enclosing Melissa.
Another figure stepped forward and pulled Melissa up onto her feet. The figure then reached up and pulled down his hood, and Draco saw his own face. This other Draco took the gag out of Melissa�s mouth and kissed her. As he kissed her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. He then pulled back from Melissa and stabbed her.
At this point, Spirit Draco found himself there in the field. He felt Melissa go limp in his arms and he dropped her. He stared down at his hands, drenched in Melissa�s blood, the hands of a murderer.
The other figures in the clearing disappeared. Soon, Melissa�s body also disappeared, leaving Draco alone. The only part of the dream that ever changed was how long he stayed in this place before waking up.
Draco sat up and clutched his left arm. He hoped the dreams were just representing his fears. He hoped they didn�t mean that he would end up hurting Melissa.
If the dream had been the only thing he had to worry about, he might have considered ending the relationship. But it wasn�t. He knew that if his father heard one more mention of Draco and Melissa being together, he would come after Melissa. He�d realized that the person leaking information wouldn�t give up either way. Draco had to protect Melissa from his father if he could.
But there was another issue. Should he tell Melissa the truth? He hadn�t even told Hermione the whole truth.
Love is faith. Hermione�s words echoed in his mind. Maybe she would understand.
No, Draco shook his head. Maybe love was faith, but this was beyond all of that. If Melissa knew the truth, the whole truth, she would leave him. And then his nightmare would surely become reality.
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Author's note: Me and my sub-stories. I'm kinda regretting having made Melissa into such a main charactor and leaving Sheila in the dark. Unfortunately, it's too late to go back, and there's nothing else to do. So, now to my usual rants.
Wow, just when we thought our little gang had lost the ability to laugh, comedy rears it's ugly head. Not so much that the entire chapter goes to pot, but enough to get us outta the dumps for a few seconds. Plus I want to make sure everyone remembers that these are teenagers, they haven't grown up overnight.
Now for the more serious stuff. First off, I should tell ya'lls that dreams are not always prophecies and can very well end up being just an expression of inner fears. Also, these last couple chapters are in no way pointing toward the past, present, or future relationships involving Ron and Melissa or Draco and Hermione. If ya'lls know anything about me, you should know I stick to my ships (relationships, for those less familiar with fan fic terms). But, I have to say, this is the first chapter where I wrote the title first and formed the chapter around it.
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