Becoming an accomplished Occlumens

Professor Kalif Styx

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Nothing was going to be easy and that included learning this Occlumency was not what one would call easy at all. Instead it was one of the most irritating things Kalif had ever endured in his life. His father was assisting in using his own Legilimency to see if Kalif could block it. However the attempts proved to be unsuccessful. How could Danielle manage this? It seemed to be something that one would never master, and it was aggravating, the months and months he had been practicing on this. However considering the fact that he was making progress, it was enough to inform him that he was going to master this ability. If he could block the Patriarch from his thoughts then he could say that he had mastered this. Before going to meet with his father on this lesson, he was on his way to go visit with Danielle. Luckily for him, he was not teaching a class today so he was off to his own business. It helped that he did not have to teach this day, when he needed to go to the Zhefarovich Manor to get this done and over with. He nodded to his wife and bid her goodbye for just a few hours. He knew that she would not really blame her for being concerned, if she was. He was not really open to his troubles with his Occlumency since he was rather private with the fact that he was failing at it. At least he was not working on becoming an Animagus. Since marrying Nicolette, his patronus changed from a wolf to a large panther. Some sort of cat, that was almost annoying. Then again Nicolette could transfigure to a white cat, while his patronus was a larger one, more fearsome.

Ignoring those drifting thoughts, Kalif grabbed his traveling cloak and he apparated off to go back to his childhood home. Upon entering the foyer, he looked around the empty room. There was no sound coming from nearby. There were many people here, yet there were so many rooms and so many floors. Kalif walked over to the side, opened a door and down the stairs. There was a special training room he was headed to. It mainly had candles and empty space. It was a good room to duel in. Kalif entered and his onyx eyes could see Danielle. She was already here and waiting and he knew that he was not late. Kalif was never late. He approached her and noticed that Asparuh was not around. Where was he? Asparuh was vital however he recalled that before Asparuh comes, he and Danielle would have a few moments alone. Kalif stared at the short figure of his mother and he murmured, "I assume that Father will be here shortly to continue this. Is there something more I should know about blocking out an experienced Legilimens?" More or less, was there anything more he should know to block out his father. Surely there was something he was missing. He had trouble keeping Asparuh out, but he could hold off for a few minutes.
 
Danielle Zhefarovich was really thankful that she had been blessed with patience. Waiting alone wasn’t her idea of something enjoyable, but she could wait as long as she had to for Asparuh and Kalif to arrive. Kalif insisted on learning Occlumency, not that Danielle blamed him for wanting to. It was a skill that Danielle had known for many years now, and was so grateful that she did. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Asparuh. It was more or less the fact that she didn’t trust everyone else. Back when she was young, she was a wanted woman. If she was careful with who she let in, she could have been arrested a long time ago. Or killed due to the fact that she had done a lot of bad things to get to the place she was now. To be the first female leader of her family, and a living Death Eater as old as she was, there had to be something protecting her. Not that she could lie and say that a part of her wasn’t doing this to keep Asparuh out as well. There was nothing she needed to hide that she would get into trouble for. But her feelings for him for example, weren’t really something she wanted to have shared. Feelings were something that Asparuh would like view as a weakness. Danielle figured that it would be better for him to see nothing at all rather than to see what she was feeling or thinking all the time. After Asparuh’s whole Horcrux ordeal, Danielle was even more driven to keep her private thoughts from him. Remaining her cold stature was the only way she wouldn’t be deemed weak by others. Most people thought Danielle was so composed and together all the time. Thankfully they couldn’t see the things she thought about all the time or they’d think otherwise.

"Hello Kalif." Danielle greeted her son when she saw him arrive inside the training room. Most people had a hard time believing that Kalif was Danielle’s biological son. Compared to him, she was practically a midget. But Danielle could easily defend that he had gotten his height from his father and not from her. There were a few similarities though. Such as in the cheeks and the nose, perhaps even partially the hair. But mostly, he took after his father. However, genetic-wise, he was one half Lefevre. Danielle knew that the reason she and Asparuh were both coming here today was to train Kalif. Hopefully she could teach him something that he could use. When Kalif asked her if she had any tips for blocking his father out, Danielle turned to him and blinked. He must have really wanted to make an impression. Danielle thought about it for a quick moment, before she finally found the perfect words. "Well for starters, you need to be sure that when it comes down to it. Stay, concentrated on keeping your mind empty. Make sure there is nothing there for him to see. It often helps if you have something to motivate you. Perhaps a secret you want to keep hidden, thoughts you want to protect. Things like that. The more you want to protect it, the stronger your resistance will be.” Danielle hoped that helped him some. It was what she used to make sure that it worked for her whenever she tried it. Surely, Kalif had something that he wanted to protect from prying eyes. Or else he wouldn’t have felt the need to keep his mind blocked off. Danielle was happy that she was finally able to give Kalif some sort of advice for once. She felt like a bad mother because she was never around during his early years.
 
Sometimes the two of them were not alike. Kalif did not even know if his parents liked each other, loved even. Love was generally viewed as a weakness, but it only made Kalif even more powerful with a vengeance from hell if someone ever harmed Nicolette or family. Kalif also did not greet people like Danielle had. It was bothering that he could not bare the same last name as his parents, but some things happened and he was forced to change it to Styx. He was raised with a name that was honored in his homeland. However slowly but surely Styx was gaining members because of his family, and the majority of them were pure-bloods. There were only two that he could think of that did not have the purest of bloods, and that was his daughter from a mistake, and then there was his daughter-in-law. Part-Veela, dirtying up his son's line once they have children. If they have children that is. He simply did not see Kaleb as a good father, not like the others that he could predict at this point. However Kalif, as much as he hates to admit it, has been wrong before. Kalif simply nodded at the greeting and said nothing more. There was no mistake that the bond between the mother and the son was very broken indeed. There was no bond between them when they first started the training but by now, it was slowly starting to rebuild to some level. He was raised by his father and the male dominated family. His mother was in a matriarch of her own family. He definitely had nothing against his mother. Asparuh had said nothing but good things, but Kalif while growing up wondered why she did not come around that much. He would question that, but he also felt that it was not in his place to question.

The former Death Eater heard her words, which were rather wise. The more he wanted to protect his mind, the better the resistance would be. He nodded and he stated, "Suppose that is how you keep everything to yourself as well. Keeping the mind empty proves to be a heavy task. The idiots at the school make it hard for me not follow through with my fatal plans." That was something that he often had issues with, but he was unsure right now anyway. He looked down at the floor for a moment, and debated on asking her about her true thoughts on Asparuh making a horcrux. A piece of him would live on forever, and without her. She would not be forever like he would be. Kalif was somewhat worried about that, however he knew that his father knew what was best for him anyway. Kalif sighed and he uttered, "It is challenging, the opposite of Legilimency. That came easy to me, and I cannot figure out why I can't master Occlumency as easily." His mother mastered it long ago, so why could he not? Was it not in the genes or something? Perhaps he did not get enough of her genes to help him master it. He was still wishing to know how in the world that Danielle had done it so easily, how to keep the man that could bust down the walls of many with his mind out. If he could master that, then he could keep anyone out of his head. Anyone that could compromise his safety. His and his family.
 
Danielle wasn't surprised to receive only a nod from her eldest son at first. Their relationship was damaged because she wasn't around, and when she was around, she and Asparuh believed that they needed to keep it a secret for fear of getting into trouble with the Patriarch at the time. Danielle did come around, and did spend time with Kalif as a baby and a toddler, but he wouldn't remember it because he was too little, and not once did she refer to herself as mom to him. Danielle regretted that though. It wasn't fair to Kalif, especially since they later found out that they wouldn't have been in trouble for their actions at all. Danielle had no idea if there was any way for them to repair their relationship either. Of course she would try if Kalif gave her the chance. Despite what he may believe, or how old he likely was, he would always be Danielle's baby. "You know, you can actually say hello every once and awhile instead of just nodding at me." Danielle pointed out, trying to get more of a greeting out of her son. She knew he wanted to ask her questions about her not being around, but he was likely afraid to ask her. Danielle was hoping that he would ask her though, at least one of these days. That way Danielle could clear up the fact it wasn't because she didn't love him, but rather because she was scared and naive at one point. That she and Asparuh were stupid kids once themselves. But that didn't male Kalif any less loved. Especially since he was also her first child. It was hard to believe that he was as old as he was now. It actually made Danielle feel a little bit old.

"Letting people know everything about you is dangerous. Even the ones you love. And keeping them out of your head is the best way to ensure that happens. I'm not sure how you can keep yourself composed while working in that place." Danielle explained. Letting someone know everything they could about you was a good way for them to learn things they hated about you, or things you didn't want them to know all together. Danielle was sure that Kalif has read his wife's mind plenty of times, and she was sure there were things in there that he didn't like. I'm grateful I can keep my mind closed off. I cannot bare to have your father see some of the things I really think." A saddened smile graced her lips. Like how she felt about his horcrux. It was his own decision to make, but the thought of him outliving most of his relatives that were alive right now was kind of sad. Plus he had left Danielle alone for all of that time, and it hurt that he didn't think it would bother her. He must have known how she felt about him. "Kalif your mind is probably always running. It's a lot harder to practice keeping your mind protected when you always have something going on. So, for five minutes...just let it all go. Don't think about anything. Once you've mastered how to keep that barrier up, you can start to try it while having other thoughts on your mind. Eventually, it'll be second nature to you." It would eventually become like breathing, like something that happened even though one wasn't aware of it happening. Danielle wondered if that would help him at all. She had many techniques, but it was hard for her to really go and describe them.
 
Kalif gave Danielle an odd stare when she pointed out that he could always say hello or some sort of greeting instead of just nodding. He knew that he could, since he was not mentally challenged. He hardly greeted anyone that did not have some sort of relationship with him. A nod would have to do. However since Kalif had one witty tongue, he rolled his eyes and he muttered, "What do you want, a wave and a parade? Perhaps a banner and a hug?" Kalif shook his head and he concluded, "No one is that special in my opinion." Kalif knew that he was being somewhat disrespectful, but what could she do? He was taller than her. If anything, he would hold her head back as she ran in place and swung her fists in the air without actually hitting him. His father would yell at him until he was white in the face, but Kalif often tuned him out, or kept him in line. Asparuh had one hell of a temper. Kalif did too, but he kept calm about it, which made it a lot more deadly at times. One would never know if he was about to kill or just maim. With Asparuh, it was easier to tell. Well, not as of lately. He heard what he had done to a servant without so much as a yell. It was a shame too, since all the servant did wrong was bring in cold tea by accident. Kalif looked over at his biological mother and wondered if his smartass remarks would get her going or not. If anything, he would throw in the fact that they did not have much of a relationship, so she would not have gotten much of a greeting anyway. Nicolette hardly gets a proper greeting.

The more Danielle explained, the easier it seemed. Kalif could keep his father out of his head but somehow his father overpowered him. Asparuh had been a Legilimens a lot longer than Kalif had been an Occlumens, so it would take some time to really get used to such treatment. "Quite easy. They get on my nerves; I force them into medieval torture. So to speak." Kalif was a lot harder on his own children, but he often did not have to punish them. He remembered when he made Theodore Snow and Kaleb Styx hold hands while cleaning. That was the worst he had ever done to Kaleb. Perhaps that was why he ended up with a damn bird. He looked away from his mother and to the door, seeing that Asparuh was not in the room yet. "Like what, that you love him. Or care for him. Same thing. I believe he knows." If Asparuh had not trusted Danielle, then she would have been watched by Hades or another guardian like a hawk while he was away. Kalif knew for a fact that neither guardians were supposed to watch Danielle. That meant a lot but it was all behind the scenes. Kalif knew because unlike others, he knew his father’s actions, since he would have done the same thing. It was a little difficult to not think of anything, and to let everything go like she said. As soon as he was in the same room with her, he became irritated because of their lack of connection. He conjured a chair and he sat down, to clear his mind and see if that would work. It would be hard to tell since his father was not here to try to break through his mind. He just wanted Asparuh to come in and save him from talking about ‘feelings’ and such with Danielle, but he knew better than anyone, it would have to come, eventually.
 
Danielle narrowed her blue eyes at Kalif when he sarcastically resounded to her requesting that he say hello every one and awhile. Apparently know better then to upset his dear old mother. "Kalif Ivaylo Styx, you watch your damn mouth." Adult or not, Danielle wasn’t about to let anyone talk to her like that. Danielle might have been half the size of many of those within this family, but they’d be foolish to think she couldn’t defend herself. Danielle wouldn’t have been trusted by Lord Voldemort himself once if she had been weak. Nor would Asparuh have given her the time of day. Danielle was sure that Kalif knew that too. She was sure that he was upset with her for being absent during his youth and everything, but he’d be better off addressing her over it rather than punishing her for it. What she had done wasn’t right, but it wasn’t because she didn’t care. Things were a lot different back then, and Danielle didn’t want to risk Asparuh losing his title because of they couldn’t control themselves when it came to their emotions. Later they had found out that they had kept their secret for nothing, and wouldn’t have faced any harsh consequences for their actions. But Kalif was probably never told the story. Asparuh wasn’t the type of man to bring up his youth in a conversation. Danielle wasn’t either, but she was sure that at one point or another, Kalif deserved to know the truth. "I won’t be Nicolette and force you to greet me if you don’t wish to, however." It was amusing at times to see Kalif settled down with someone so feisty and hot-headed. They were at a constant war with one another. But that must have been how they liked it. Or else they wouldn’t still be married.

"Sometimes though, it’s not always worth it being able to see everything. Sometimes you see or hear things you didn’t want to. It can most certainly change your opinion on someone. For example, do you really know everything there is to know about your very own wife? What is there’s something you didn’t expect? What would you think of her then? But that’s only an example." That was one of the biggest reasons that Danielle didn’t pursue such an ability herself. There were a lot of things in this world she would rather not know. Ignorance is bliss after all. Danielle figured that the more someone knew about anything, the less they would come to love it, all of its secrets and demons. Was anyone really ready to see the dark side of someone or something they cared deeply about? Danielle wasn’t so sure if she could bare it if she did. But that might not have been how everyone felt. Some might have felt that knowing all they could was a form of power. "Kalif, I can’t help but sense that there is some sort of bad blood between us. If there’s something you need to get off your chest, feel free to do it now." Danielle tried to initiate getting him to confess that there was something wrong. Perhaps he was upset with her, or perhaps there was just something bothering him. Either way, Danielle knew better, and she wanted some answers. Perhaps venting a little bit would help him feel a little bit better. He didn’t have to share, but Danielle wasn’t going to be satisfied until she had an idea why she felt like there was some tension between her and her own son. Asparuh hadn’t arrived yet either so now was the perfect time for them to talk for a little bit.
 
Kalif knew that he was being especially sarcastic to his mother, but he could not resist. They did not have a good, strong relationship so as far as he was concerned, she was just the woman that managed to get his father into another marriage. Kalif turned to her once more, and he raised an eyebrow, "Oh you know my full name. What are you going to do, kick my shins from all the way down there if I don't watch my mouth?" The smallest of smirks touched his lips, showing that he was fairly amused with what he was doing right now. He rarely gave anyone this much of his attention, and it was rare that he would even speak to many of the family members. Perhaps he should give his mother a chance. After all, she was here now when she did not have to be. She was not going to be like Nicolette either, and he shrugged his large shoulders. 'Thank Merlin for that,' thought Kalif as he stiffened his position. He really did not want to be here, and he just wanted to be successful when it came down to this lesson in Occlumency. Once she went over what all he did not want to hear, and such, he nodded. He could not help but agree with that. He would not want anyone to know what was going on in his mind. He wanted to keep that protected above all else.

"I suppose that bit is true. I'd rather not know what my wife is thinking, although sometimes it is necessary when she is in one of those ungodly moods." He hated it when she was in one of those moods, it drove him absolutely insane. Kalif knew where the elder Death Eater was coming from. Why she was still one, he would never know. The Dark Lord was not about to come back. He would have by now if he were. Kalif would gladly follow if he did, but for now he thought that it was a lost cause. There was nothing that could be done or said anyway. Kalif turned toward his mother when she said that she could not help but sense that there was some sort of bad blood there. Of course there was. However he felt perfectly at ease with just being sarcastic toward her opposed to getting to the real issue. There might not have been bad blood between them really. He shook his head and did not say anything for mere moments. His eyes went to the door and he waited for his father for a few more moments. "There isn't bad blood. I just don't know you. I don't know what you are supposed to mean to me. You weren't around so I am going with a mixture of how I treat my wife and how I treat the rest of my family. You weren't exactly around. And I know why too." Kalif and Asparuh shared more than anyone else knew. That was why that they never dueled. They both knew each others' weaknesses. "After all, you did raise those two Snows over your firstborn, so that might have caused some issues growing up. Glad that you are owning up to your past mistakes when it comes to my youngest siblings." Kalif shrugged once more, not displaying emotion so that it was a little difficult to see how he was feeling about that.
 
Danielle hoped that Kalif knew he was lucky for being her son. Nine times out of ten, she usually didn't let people get away with irritating her. Or by making fun of her size. If Danielle could handle being with Asparuh most of her life, her size definitely shouldn't be considered a handicap for her. A soft but almost mischievous smile formed on her lips as she spoke softly, "If you're as smart as I think you are, you know what will happen." Kalif wasn't stupid from whats he knew. Unlike many others, he knew when to quit. Danielle wasn't some super fierce god or anything, but she she been alive for a long time, and her abilities when it came to magic were quite defined. What she lacked in physical strength, she made up for in her magical abilities. Danielle could be pretty lethal if she chose to be, but for the most part she preferred to observe and watch people tear themselves down all on their own. Mental warfare was often a lot more effective than physical warfare was anyways. At least that was the way it was in Danielle's case. After all she was a woman, and women loved to play mind games with those that they wanted to destroy. How else were they to get their husbands to do what they wanted and when they wanted it done?

"I do believe she is a weakness of yours, Kalif." Danielle didn't mean that in a bad way. After all, his father was her weakness. Sometimes those weaknesses made one even more powerful in the end. Danielle only mentioned it because whether or not he chose to believe it, it was a lot easier to see that he cared for her than he realized. To Danielle it was at least. "Their father was also Alphonse Snow. I couldn't trust that man to raise a flock of birds let alone two children. You were also grown by that point. By the time I had grown out of my ways, it was too late and you were grown. You should know though, if you know why your father and I had done what we had done, you should know that it wasn't because I didn't care." After a little bit of time, Danielle thought she heard someone coming. Perhaps it was Asparuh finally deciding to grace the the two of them with his presence. Danielle worried that Kalif would never quite understand what had happened to make her leave like she did. There were times when she figured that not even Asparuh knew.
 
Kalif knew that Danielle was being lenient on him, perhaps for being the firstborn of her children. Yet, he still did not hold any sort of relationship with her but he did not know if he wanted to change that. He grew up knowing but not caring. He was trained not to care, but then that somewhat failed when he had a family of his own. "Fair enough. I don't feel like having a duel, not before this session anyway." Kalif shrugged those shoulders and wondered that out of all the twins that she had, if she wanted Kalif to be a twin as well. It could be possible that the world could not handle two of him, especially identical. He blamed the excessive twin gene on his grandmother since that happened often in her family. Kalif did not think he could handle a twin either. He probably would have killed him, or her, a long time ago. Kalif wanted to ask her that, but he did not and refrained from speaking for now. Though once she brought up that Nicolette might be a weakness of his, Kalif looked away from the rather small woman to the floor. Weaknesses were frowned upon in this family.

"Perhaps she is. The one weakness I can't seem to get rid of no matter how hard I tried in the past." Kalif and Nicolette had a long line of history before the two just settled down and ended up here. She bore most of his children. Just two were not, and Kalif wanted their mother to be Nicolette, which one could not turn back time to do. The moment that Danielle mentioned Alphonse, he rolled his eyes at the mention of the dead man. It had been a long time coming, and Kalif remembered even how he slammed him into tables, forced him to behave, and then somehow because a decent brother-in-law before going crazy. Kalif remained silent over this, as he started to hear someone coming. With all of this in mind, how was he going to perform any sort of Occlumency? Kalif looked to Danielle before he stated, "Tell father that I am skipping this lesson. There's no point in me trying to master a skill when I'm irritated on something else. I'll come back in a few hours." Kalif started to walk off and toward the exit of the room, before Asparuh had a chance to say anything to him about leaving early, without permission.
 
Danielle watched her son carefully, not very surprised that he was acting just like his father. Danielle knew Asparuh and his body language like the back of her hand, so Kalif's wasn't all that foreign either. "You Zhefarovich's fight so hard to keep your emotions in tact all of the time. Must be so exhausting. I know you're angry with me Kalif. You can try to pretend that you don't care all you want, but I know you are." Danielle usually only spoke to Asparuh like this, and it usually got him upset. But Danielle wasn't much frightened of these Zhefarovich men. They were frightening only to those who seemed to forget that they were human too. They had emotions and they needed to know that someone cared. But they fought it so hard. They fought the natural human desire to have companionship and to feel these normal emotions. It was probably for the best. "No matter how you feel or what you say, you're still my son. My first born. i haven't been a very good mother, but I've always cared. I always will." Danielle didn't expect Kalif to forgive her, but she did want him to know that she did care for him, and that he is her son whether he wanted to acknowledge that or not. He was indeed half Lefevre by blood. The others of the family knew this too, and would likely look to him as a guardian if he came around the Manor back in France every so often.

"They could kill her you know. Nicolette has just as much blood on her hands as the rest of us. What would you do if the Aurors found her, and took her away because one of the used your mind to find out where she was? What if the one thing protecting your very family was keeping your mind blocked off? Think of that. Think of what the Aurors, or the Dementors even, could do to them if they were to find them. You'd be all alone. Is that what you want? I learned to protect myself from being killed, and I continued to use them to keep the ones I loved closest to me safe. I'd rather die than let those bastards touch my family. Unless you don't feel the same...then by all means..." Danielle didn't wan to have to force this down Kalif's throat, but if he couldn't master this, then one day he may have to chose between living a lonely life or being thrown in prison himself. Asparuh wouldn't be happy if he left, so Danielle was going to do what she could to keep him. The last thing she wanted to do was argue with her husband about this, and she knew that Asparuh would have a complaint or two stored up.
 
Asparuh Zhefarovich the Third had to assist in training his son, Kalif, in mastering the art of Occlumency. It was something that Asparuh dared not to master himself but the moment someone tried to enter his mind, he would slaughter them on the spot. He knew the signs considering he was one of the Legilimens. He was highly skilled at it, having learned it for more than half a century. However, as soon as he entered the room that two people he expected to see, Kalif seemed as though he were leaving, and Danielle looked a little upset by something. For knowing her as long as he had, he could tell that whatever was happening, it was not good and it might disrupt with the process today. Asparuh walked up to Kalif, only catching the last half of what Danielle was saying before he grabbed his son's shoulder to stop him from walking. "You are not leaving during this session. Besides, listen to your mother. She mastered this ability for a reason, and so can you. I could care less about your issues with Danielle as of the moment, but you will be present during the session, and not wasting my time." Asparuh was sure that the words of both Kalif's mother and father managed to get through to him. Sometimes, Asparuh thought that he was talking to a wall with Kalif's stubbornness.
 
Kalif looked upon the woman that gave birth to him and narrowed his eyes. He did not really fight to keep his emotions in tact, well, perhaps he did with his anger. He had tremendous patience now that he was teaching, but his temper was also legendary. Not many members of the family questioned Kalif, and he was sure that no one would ever question him once he became Patriarch. "Angry or not, it doesn't really matter, now does it." His attitude was still bitter but it was also vacant of any other emotion. He preferred that he did not show any. She also had to point out that she was his mother and how he was the firstborn. She mentioned on how she was not a very good mother, but she had always cared, and likely always will. Kalif rolled his eyes when he thought about that, but he said nothing to her. Perhaps he would have to have a closer look and actually see how far she is willing to go to prove that to him. He did not even acknowledge that he was half-Lefevre. He did not know what the others would think of him, but if Danielle wanted to pick an heir, he would suggest to look to her other children, especially the ones that she had with his father.

The next words made Kalif slow down and he nearly stopped. He was about to stop and turn around, but then Asparuh's hand gripped his shoulder and he also heard his father's words. Onyx eyes met the same pair of eyes before he reached up to have his father release his shoulder. "I suppose when you put it that way," Kalif paused, before he looked to Danielle, "and you, also, I need to master this ability." It is possible that what Danielle had said put things in a better perspective so that he would not fail to master this ability. He looked to Asparuh before he nodded, knowing that now was a perfect time to continue on with the lesson. He was ready, and he pulled out his wand to show that he was. He did not get out his wand for much, but he nodded toward Danielle and Asparuh, before the lesson continued. And that lesson, soon became the first lesson where he successfully blocked Asparuh from entering his mind entirely.

Fin
 

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