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Chapter Twenty-Five - Battle Lines
Harry and Draco were both awake early. They exchanged salutations, but then they showered, dressed, and walked out to the common room in wordless companionship.
"Are you going to say anything?" Draco inquired at last. He'd been giving Harry lots of sideways glances, seemingly gauging Harry's mood and temper. He'd opened his mouth a dozen times but shut it each time without making a sound. Now he had apparently summoned up the courage to break the silence.
"About what?" Harry knew this moment had been coming, but maybe he could put it off for a little while longer.
"Him. Last night. Everything. Anything." Draco lifted his hands helplessly. "You haven't said a word all morning. Are you okay?"
Harry sighed. Draco would clearly not be put off. "I'm pretty far from okay, mate. I should be dead right now. I still don't really accept that I'm still alive. The Triwizard Cup was a Portkey. It was supposed to bring me out of the Maze. It brought me to Azkaban. Voldemort was there."
Draco flinched at the name.
"His spirit is in Pettigrew's body now. That's my fault. I should have killed him myself." Harry paused, last night's events playing again in his mind. "He thanked me, you know. I think that was the worst part. He prattled on, but I couldn't really pay attention. I was waiting for him to kill me. That sort of preoccupied me."
"He had freed all the Death Eaters in Azkaban. He called all the rest. Theo's dad was there. Mister Goyle and Mister Crabbe too. He tortured one he called Avery. He recognized three people named Lestrange."
"Aunt Bellatrix," Draco added quietly.
"Yeah. Then he started giving a speech about how important he was and how insignificant I am. When he was done with his monologue, he threw a Cruciatus at me. I rolled out of the way, and then your dad Apparated us out of there."
"How anti-climactic."
"For Voldemort, yeah. He was going to make it really painful and draw everything out."
"He loves to make people suffer. Dad's told me."
Harry shivered. "I can keep waiting to experience that."
Draco was quiet for a moment, and he appeared deep in thought. "So now what?" he finally asked.
"I don't know, Draco. I don't know. I hope Sirius does. He's supposed to meet me after breakfast."
"Aren't you supposed to meet Padma?"
"Going to tell her?"
"I wonder how she'll take it."
"You and me both."
"When are you going to tell the others?"
"I don't know."
"I wonder how Theo's going to react."
"I don't know that either, Draco."
"You want me to talk to Crabbe and Goyle? I can probably convince them to see the light."
"No, I'll do it. I'd like you there, though."
"Very good. I should probably let you talk to Theo on your own."
Harry knew that to be true. "Yeah, you tend to irritate him."
"He irritates me. What about the girls?"
"Pansy would probably sign up with Voldemort just to spite you. I should talk to her. Alone. I'm not worried about Daphne or Millie. I just need to get to Pansy, and they'll follow her lead."
"Right. Tracy?"
Harry had spent all year trying to discourage Tracy's feelings for him. Now he couldn't be more grateful for them. He knew exactly where Tracy stood.
"Tracy is all right."
"Probably, yes. The others?"
There lay the question. Who were the rest of the Death Eaters? How many of them were related to his fellow Slytherins? There were bound to be a few students in the other houses with Dark ties, but a great many came from Slytherin. It was an unpleasant truth that Harry now had to confront directly.
"I think Laine can control the youngers."
"Can you trust Laine?"
That thought gave Harry chills. She liked Harry, so much so that she'd volunteered to be his public relations expert, but he knew nothing of her father. Mr. Malfoy spoke quite highly of Mr. Slater, which was significant all on its own. The Slaters were very well-connected, which was why Laine had so much influence.
"We'll have to see."
"You know she's got a wicked crush on you, right?"
Harry flushed. "Yeah, I know."
Draco started to needle him, but Pansy and Daphne emerged from the dorm. Draco pulled Daphne aside, leaving Harry and Pansy alone. They sat on the couch by the fireplace, where the wood was just starting to really burn.
"Pansy, we're good friends, right?"
"You know we are, Harry."
"If I needed you, you'd drop everything, right?"
"Harry, you're starting to make me nervous. What's wrong? Why are you asking these questions?"
"Yes. Yes, you're my friend, and I'll help you in any way I can. Now please tell me."
Harry took a deep breath. "Something happened last night. You remember how I didn't come straight back after grabbing the Triwizard Cup?"
"Yes, of course. There was a great deal of confusion about it. Mister Bagman swore the Portkey he'd had made was perfect. He went to go check the paperwork, but he never came back. Where did it take you?"
"Brace yourself. Azkaban."
"What?" Pansy shrieked. Harry winced as his eardrums were shot through.
"It was right after Voldemort made his attack." She cringed as he said the verboten name. "He tried to kill me."
"Thank Merlin you survived."
"Mister Malfoy, more like."
"Mister Malfoy saved me. He was one of the people who answered when Voldemort called."
"Then it was true all along."
"No, he's turned away. He Side-Along Apparated me out of there and brought me back to Hogwarts."
"Oh my stars," Pansy gasped.
"But that's all aside. I've always known he'd come back some day. That day has come. Now I'm going to destroy him, and I want to know who's going to be with me."
"You want me to stand with you?" Pansy could not sound more astonished. "I can't fight. I can barely do a decent Banishing Charm."
"That doesn't mean you can't be play a part. You're a very influential witch."
"Thank you."
"You can help me by using that influence."
"They won't be able to shut me up," Pansy promised. "I'll speak to Daphne and Millie as well. Tracy will jump as soon as you tell her. How hard do you want me to jump up and down on Theo?"
"What makes you think that'll be neccessary?"
"I know things, Harry. Never forget that I am a font of knowledge."
"Gossip, you mean."
"Same thing. I knew about Mister Malfoy. I know about Mister Nott too."
"I don't want to be on opposite sides from Theo. He's a decent bloke, and his dad was nice to me."
"Theo is a trollish, uncouth, smelly pouch of rotting potions ingredients. Mister Nott is a scholar. His knowledge could be a threat to you."
Harry hadn't considered that.
"I'll talk to Theo. I'll get back to you on that."
"I've got to talk to Daphne."
Pansy whispered furiously into Daphne's ear for a moment. The blonde girl's eyes got wider and wider. With a sob, she covered the few steps to Harry and wrapped her arms around him.
"We nearly lost you?" she choked out.
Well, he thought, that answers the question about her.
"But we didn't. Now we figure out how to fight back."
by Rita Skeeter
The wizarding world was rocked last night as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named announced his return with a raid on the prison island of Azkaban.
Yes, loyal readers, you read correctly. This is no warped joke. The island prison has fallen, and the dementors now serve You-Know-Who. These disgusting creatures now stand side by side with the former inmates they once guarded. Now the towers and walls are meant to keep people out.
Details are scarce at this time, and the fate of the Aurors stationed at Azkaban is presently unknown. They did manage to contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and confirm their attacker, who is reported to have used the Sonorus Charm to demand the surrender of the fortress.
Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge appeared with Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, to assure the public that the Ministry is well-prepared for the coming struggle. "He has spent fourteen years in hiding. He is only now strong enough to show his face to the world again. We remember the lessons of the last war. He will not succeed so easily at his old tricks. We stand united and we will fight!"
Fudge's brave words were echoed by Director Amelia Bones, Head of Magical Law Enforcement. "We were taken by surprise. Nobody could have anticipated that he would seduce the dementors. He won't hold Azkaban for long. We'll get him."
All sane people know that the return of the Dark Lord will turn our world to chaos. In the name of civilization, this journalist implores you all to resist despair, to fight back against the darkness, and to find the light within ourselves to drive away the shadows. May Merlin keep us all safe.
Harry put down the paper with a sigh of relief. There it was in black and white for the whole world to see. Thankfully, Harry's name had been kept out of it entirely. It was all official from the Ministry.
Breakfast was an uncomfortable affair. The headline had everyone buzzing. All the talk of "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" invariably involved a glance or two over at Harry. Draco sat at Harry's right. Daphne and Pansy sat across from them. They didn't talk about the headline. They just glared down anyone they caught staring. Nobody was rude enough to bring up the subject directly to Harry, but it was easy to whisper and point.
Harry pushed away his half-eaten plate and stood up. Draco, Pansy, and Daphne all did likewise, even though Draco had been lifting a forkful of eggs to his mouth. His three friends looked to him. Harry led them out of the Great Hall.
Sirius was waiting for Harry outside the Great Hall. Harry turned to his friends. "I'll catch up with you later. We've got plans to make."
The trio headed down to the dungeons.
"How was breakfast?" Sirius asked.
"Fine. I wasn't hungry."
Sirius nodded. "I understand. Just don't let it go too long, okay, Harry? You need to eat."
"I know. I will."
"Did you sleep?"
"Yeah, but not well. Bad dreams."
"Want to talk about it?"
"I kept seeing Voldemort. He was happy. Really happy. Gleeful, almost. He was so happy to have a body again, he didn't even care that I'd gotten away."
"He was probably celebrating his victory."
Harry frowned. "It was a victory, wasn't it?"
"Not total, but yes, he scored a major win last night. I intend it to be his only one."
"Time enough to worry about that later. Have you told your friends yet?"
"Only Draco, Pansy, and Daphne."
"Not the rest?"
"No. I don't know how I'm going to say it."
"Don't dance. Just say what's on your mind. If they're really your friends, that will be enough."
"I'm worried. Theo's dad was there. Crabbe's and Goyle's too."
"You think they might turn on you?"
"Before this year, I would have said no way, but Theo's been going his own way for quite awhile now. I honestly have no idea which way he'll go."
"That's unfortunate. What about Crabbe and Goyle?"
"Well they usually stick with Draco, you know? But against their dads? I don't know either of their dads very well at all. Mister Goyle seems to like me, but I don't know how that'll stack up against Voldemort."
"That is troubling. Can you handle them? If it comes to it, I mean?"
"Not physically." Harry had been working out several times a week for more than a year now, but so had the two behemoths. They'd wipe the floor with him. "Goyle's pretty handy at Charms, but I'm better at Curses. All Crabbe's good at is Astronomy."
"Watch your back, Harry."
"I will. Draco will watch too."
"I'm sure."
"Are you satisfied now? Has Mister Malfoy proved himself yet? Are you going to give him a chance finally?"
"I was waiting for action to give his fancy words some meaning. Well I got it. He couldn't have been more clear in his intentions. We still disagree on a great many things, but I can see now that he is serious."
"You're Sirius."
"Stop that. Lucius appears to have been telling the truth. If he really is on our side, then I'll have him. I now have a small amount of trust in him, but I will still be watching. Make no mistake."
"Thank you, Sirius. I'm glad to hear that."
"So what are your plans today? Feel like escaping from here and going for a run around the lake?"
Run? Oh, Sirius meant in their other forms. More practice at maintaining his Animagus transformation.
"I can't. I'd love to, but I'm supposed to meet Padma after breakfast. I've got to tell her everything."
"Everything? Is that wise? Are you planning to tell everyone?"
"No, only people who need to know. Yes, everything. Well, most everything. Everything important anyway. I don't think she really needs to know about Mister Malfoy, do you?"
From his face, Sirius privately did believe that everyone ought to be warned about Mr. Malfoy, but he shook his head in the negative. "No, probably not. I can't see how it would help. Tell Padma I said hello."
"I will."
They embraced fiercely, and Sirius waited until Harry had climbed the stairs out of sight before heading out the front door.
Harry headed for the library. They were going to meet in her favourite study and snog spot. She wasn't there yet. He sat in the chair and leaned back. He was so tired. He hadn't been able to sleep last night. He kept reliving the scene in the Azkaban courtyard in his nightmares and waking up shaking. He closed his eyes - just for a moment.
"Harry?" came a voice from a long way away. "Wake up, sleepyhead."
Harry struggled to open his heavy eyelids. Blearily, he saw Padma standing there, and he smiled up at her.
"Hi, beautiful. You got here fast."
"Not really. It's nearly ten."
"How about that."
Padma giggled. "You're silly when you're tired."
"Bad dreams."
"Of what?"
"Last night, things didn't go as planned."
"Right. The Portkey was improperly made and sent you off-track."
"Did you read the paper this morning?"
"Yes. What horrible news."
"The Portkey took me to Azkaban."
"No!" she gasped.
"Yes," he replied grimly. "I barely escaped with my life."
"Tell me everything."
"The Cup was a Portkey, but it was a trap. I landed in the courtyard at Azkaban where I found out Voldemort's spirit-" she flinched "-has taken up residence in the body of Peter Pettigrew."
"The man who betrayed your parents?"
"The same. It was a living body without a soul, and since Peter had taken the Dark Mark, Voldemort-" she flinched again "-just took up residence. He explained everything. He talked a lot, actually. He seems to have a flair for showmanship. He called all his Death Eaters back and talked about how he had been defeated by old magic, but it was only a temporary setback and he was back for good now."
Harry began to shiver. "The Death Eaters stood in a circle around us. He pointed his wand at me. I was going to die. I wanted to die bravely, so I raised my wand too. I was going to fight back."
The trembling grew more pronounced. Padma wrapped her arms around him. She was very warm. He clung to her, trying not to cry. Even remembering this terror was awful.
"He cast the Cruciatus Curse. I rolled out of the way. Just like Moody taught us, the best way to block a spell is not get hit by it. Well I happened to sprawl near the Triwizard Cup, so I grabbed for it, and it brought me back to Hogwarts."
Harry was already weary of the story, but he knew he would have to tell it many more times. Maybe it would get easier with each telling.
Padma continued to hold him close, and Harry rested his head on hers. She was so warm. When they were cuddled up like this, he always felt very content. She was comforting.
They stayed there for nearly an hour. Harry didn't say much else. He was still trying to wrap his brain around everything, and he couldn't speak until he forumlated his thoughts.
Padma began to get a bit figity, shifting her position several times and checking her watch more than once. "I've got to go," she said at last. "I'm meeting Parvati before lunch."
Still not hungry, Harry kissed her goodbye and avoided the Great Hall. He headed back towards the common room but found his feet taking him to Professor Snape's office. He knocked twice.
Harry pushed open the door. Snape was sitting at his desk, which was clear. He held his hands with fingers arched, elbows resting on the arms of his chair. He appeared deep in thought.
"Professor Snape? You said we would talk later. Well it's later. I have a few questions." A few? More like a plethora.
"No doubt. Perhaps you will allow me the liberty of anticipating some of them?"
Harry nodded. What else could he do?
"Yes, I bear the Dark Mark, burned into my skin by the Dark Lord himself. Yes, I was once a Death Eater and served him willingly, but I came to regret the rash choice of impassioned youth. I grew disillusioned with his cause, his methods, and his tactics. I repented of my many sins and worked to atone for them by turning spy for those who opposed him."
"Spy!" Harry didn't know what he'd expected to hear, but that certainly wasn't it.
"Yes. I informed on his plans, and I was able to prevent some deaths, some destruction. It was not enough, nor will it ever be enough, but I did what I could, and with his return I will be continuing in such capacity."
Snape's voice was flat. He might as well have been reading the roll before class. His eyes, though, were haunted. What dark things he was reliving, Harry couldn't guess at. It was almost like how Sirius sometimes got when he thought about Azkaban.
"Is that where you went last night?"
"He had summoned us all back, as you know. I could not answer at once because one cannot Apparate on the grounds of Hogwarts. I immediately informed the Headmaster, and we quickly decided that your disappearance and my summoning were not unrelated. It was his wish that I answer the summons and attempt to infiltrate the ranks again."
"You must have succeeded. You're still alive."
"I was, and now my presumed closeness to the Headmaster puts me in very favourable position. I have the Dark Lord's ear."
"What, in a box?"
Snape frowned. "Levity is inappropriate, Mister Potter. I suppose that having been so flippant to the Dark Lord himself, I have little chance of convincing you to still your tongue."
"Sorry, sir. I can't help it."
"The Dark Lord cannot be allowed to achieve his goals. He seeks to install himself as Minister, but it would only be a title. He wants nothing less than absolute authority and obedience. He will use anyone and anything in order to be victorious. He will destroy those who oppose him, who stand up for freedom."
Though he could understand such a motive for joining the cause, Harry didn't look at it quite like that. He knew Voldemort had tried to take over the world, but no high-minded ideal could inspire him to fight with the fervor he felt when he thought about his mum and dad. Harry wanted revenge against the wizard who had murdered them, and he'd scorch the earth to get it. Now he finally understood why his fellow Slytherins got so riled up when they talked about blood feuds. Such a horrific wrong had been done to him that destroying Voldemort was the only possible response.
"Then Merlin keep you safe, Professor."
Snape's eyes flashed dangerously. "You must tell no one of this, Mister Potter. My continued survival depends on it. I have told you the truth because you have an uncanny habit of being at the centre of every disaster that takes place at this school. I am certain that the war will affect us here. This is going to get very ugly before it's all over. Make no mistake, friends will cross wands with friends. Make sure you watch your back. More than one Slytherin will be tempted by the Dark Lord. I have a responsibility as Head of Slytherin House to keep as many as possible from falling. I will talk to many people many different ways. You must not let on that you know any differently when you see me playing various roles. I must have your word on this."
Harry gulped. Snape's vision of the future was bleak and frightening. Would his prophecy come true? Would Harry end up on opposite sides of one of his friends? He grimaced. More than one? How many would fall in his quest for vengeance?
"I'll keep your secret, sir."
There was silence.
"Was there anything else, sir? I really should start packing."
"Dismissed, Mister Potter."
Harry headed for the common room and began laying out cards in a round of Exploding Solitaire. He'd just moved a king down to an empty space when the wall slid open to admit Laine and Ginny. Good, a friendly audience.
"Ladies, could I have a moment?"
"Sure, Harry," Laine said, sitting down next to him at the table. Ginny took a seat opposite of him.
"What do you think of this morning's headline?" he asked, getting right to the point.
Laine blinked several times in astonishment. "What am I supposed to think about it? It's awful news, isn't it? I've got a cousin in the Aurors, and I don't know if he was on duty last night. I sent an owl to Daddy, but I haven't heard back yet."
"I'm sorry, Laine."
"I'm not really close with Alfred, but he tells exciting stories at family gatherings."
Ginny bit her lip. "Honestly, I'm scared to death. My parents survived the last war. My uncles fought and died in it. Dark times, my dad says. You couldn't trust anybody because you didn't know if they were under the Imperius Curse. Spies were everywhere. The world nearly fell apart."
"Then Harry happened," Laine added.
"Then my mother happened," he corrected. "It was my mother's sacrifice that protected me, nothing special about me. It's old magic."
Laine wiped at her eye. "That's beautiful. Oh, Harry."
"It's our duty to remember the Dark times, my dad says, because unless we do, we won't recognize them when they come again."
"That's very wise, Ginny," Harry said. Sirius had said much the same thing. "I think we can all agree that they're back."
"I'm going to fight him. I'm going to stop him. I'll need help."
Laine looked nervous. Ginny looked determined. "Absolutely," she said firmly. "You can count on me."
"I knew I could. Laine?"
"Of course, Harry. I'm just surprised is all. Why me?"
"You're my friend, and I don't want to have to fight you. Everyone I get on my side is someone I don't have to hurt."
"Just let me know what I can do."
"I will."
Millie, Daphne, and Pansy entered at that point and joined them.
Pansy spoke first. "They look like you told them."
"I did."
"Good. Laine, we have much to discuss. Our work begins now, even over the summer."
The girls headed off to the dormitory.
Draco was the next to arrive, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. "I rounded these two up. Want to get it over with?"
"Sounds good."
Theo entered, and he glared belligerently at Harry and Draco when they both looked up at him.
"Draco, why don't you guys wait for me in the dorm. Theo, can I have a moment?"
Seemingly puzzled by Draco's sudden departure, Theo sat down at the table.
"What's going on?"
"He's back," Harry said simply.
"I read about it."
"And what?"
"And your father is a Death Eater, Theo!" Harry burst out. He had no patience for Theo's customary obstinant manner of replying to inquiries. "I know. I was there for Voldemort's little coming out party."
"Don't say that name. Did Malfoy's father pull you out of there?" Theo sneered. "It would explain why he suddenly showed up at the third task."
"What if he did?" Harry demanded. "Your dad bowed down to him."
"Shut up, Potter."
"It's true, Theo. I know you hate it. I hate it too. I like your dad. He was nice to me. He's a genius with numbers. You've got to talk to him," Harry pleaded, switching his approach. "You've got to make him see reason. He doesn't have to serve Voldemort."
"Stop it!" Theo's voice was slightly shrill. He was a bit wild around the eyes.
Harry smirked, suddenly knowing how to break Theo down. "Stop what? Saying 'Voldemort'?"
Theo twitched.
"I'm going to keep on saying it, Theo. I'll keep saying it until I turn blue in the face, until my tongue dries up and falls out, until you aren't afraid of it anymore."
"But I am afraid!" Theo cried. "He'll kill us all!"
At last, progress! "Not if we kill him first."
"You can't kill the Dark Lord!"
"We'll find a way, but I need your help to do it. Nobody else has your brains, Theo. You're too clever by far, but now I need that. Help me."
Theo was agonized, judging from his expression.
"Theo, if you side with Voldemort, sooner or later he's going to ask you to deliver me to him. Are you prepared to do that? I know we've been at odds this year, but is it really that bad? I still think of you as my friend, Theo, and I want to help you. Together we can help your dad."
"I don't want him to serve. He's too old to take even one Cruciatus if the Dark Lord gets in a foul mood."
"So you'll talk to him?"
"I'll do what I can."
"That's it?"
"That's the best I can do, Harry. I'm not going to turn on my old man. He's all I've got left. I'm all he's got left. We'll sink or swim together."
At least it was honest. Harry wondered how many would swear up and down that they'd never serve the Dark Lord, lying through their teeth. He'd considered every angle with Theo, but blunt pragmatism hadn't been on the list.
Theo stood up and headed for the dorm. He emerged a minute later with a scroll of parchment and headed out again, presumably to the Owlery.
Harry was on a roll. He might as well keep pushing his luck. At least he would have backup for this one. He headed for the dormitory.
"Hey, Harry. Draco said there was something going on?"
"Hi, Crabbe. Yeah, you could say that. The world's gone to pot, and we've all been caught with our trousers around our ankles."
"You haven't heard anything yet." Harry was feeling feckless. "Do you have any idea who showed up to the Death Eater reunion last night? Your dads. What do you have to say about that?"
"Subtle, Harry," Draco commented.
"You've got to be direct with these two."
Both of "those two" looked uncomfortable. Crabbe shuffled his feet and looked at the rug. Goyle became very interested in the ceiling, because he wouldn't look down.
"You don't deny it?" Harry accused. "Fine. So you knew your dads were Death Eaters and never thought to mention it to me. That's just dandy. Give me one reason I shouldn't hex your heads up your arses!"
"It's not like that, Harry," Goyle protested. "Yeah, dad always talked about how the Dark Lord knew what needed doing, but I never knew he was part of the gang. He only told me a few months ago."
"A few months?" Harry asked, completely astounded.
"He took a few months to tell me," Goyle said defensively. "The Dark Mark came back during the summer. I didn't find out until Christmas. He sat me down and said he wanted me to know what the future held for our family. I tried to talk him out of it. I really tried. He's too afraid to even consider fighting."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was hoping I could bring him around. I didn't want to admit to you, Harry, what my dad was and wanted to be. What he wanted me to be. I would much rather have introduced him as an ally."
"I wanted to tell you, too, Harry. Me and Goyle, we spent a lot of time last summer trying to figure out what to do. We couldn't come up with anything, so we just kept on trying to talk sense into our dads. It didn't work then, and it especially won't work when they've actually seen the Dark Lord again."
Despite himself, Harry felt his anger start to fade. He could understand pride. It was much better to introduce his godfather the Scion of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black than his godfather the crazy, escaped murderer.
"So what now?" Harry asked.
"Maybe you could talk to them, Harry," Draco suggested. "Make your case directly and put on a little show of power for them. Make them realize being on your side is better than being on his side."
"A show? Like what?"
"I'm thinking speaking in Parseltongue. That will definitely get their attention. The Dark Lord is also a Parselmouth, and if you can demonstrate that his talents are not unique, you can likely be more persuasive."
"Okay, where are you going to find a snake?" Harry had only ever spoken the snake language when he could see - or imagine he saw - a real snake.
"Find one yourself. Go out into the woods and look around."
"Right, because there's lots of snakes in the Forbidden Forest."
"There's everything else."
"It's a good idea," Harry admitted. It wasn't quite as drastic as a visit from Eithne the Basilisk, but it was workable.
"Hear that, fat heads?" Draco said witheringly. "Despite your failure to disclose very important information to a friend and social better, Harry is going to try to save your dads' lives. Now thank him and promise you'll fight against the Dark Lord."
"Thanks, Harry," Crabbe muttered.
"Yeah, thanks, Harry," Goyle said.
"Promise," Draco commanded.
"What, a blood oath?"
"Swear you'll help Harry in his fight."
"You're cracked, you are," Crabbe said.
"You're going to get on your bloody knees and swear loyalty to the Heir of Slytherin. If you don't, I'm going to scramble your brains with a Memory Charm, and all I know about them is the incantation."
"Don't you even think about mucking with my brains!" Crabbe roared, making a big fist and threatening Draco with it. "I need all I've got! Go on, Malfoy, go for your wand. I dare you to go for your wand."
Draco didn't look like he wanted to take him up on that dare. "It was a metaphor and nothing more."
"You want a loyalty oath, Harry?" Goyle said. "Really?"
"I can't trust your fathers," Harry said strongly. "I can't trust you either. We're headed home. How do I know he's not going to put you under the Imperius Curse as soon as you walk in the door? I don't want the first thing that happens on the train in the fall to be an assassination attempt."
"You did do rather poorly at resisting Imperius," Draco observed helpfully.
"Well we can't help that."
"You sleep in the same bedroom I do," Harry pointed out. "I'm completely defenceless when I'm sleeping."
"You could protect your bed."
"You'd just burn it up and me in it."
"You do know about casting proper protective enchantments, right?" Goyle asked.
"Look, that's hardly the point. Will you swear not to try to kill me or not?"
"Yes!" Goyle said with exasperation. "I swear I will not try to kill Harry Potter."
A burst of light exploded like a firework from the tip of his wand.
"I swear I will not try to kill Harry Potter."
Crabbe's wand also acknowledged the truth of the statement.
"Now when can we get together to talk to them?" Draco speculated.
"Sirius will never let me go without him. We should set up the meeting by owl post later. I don't want to plan without talking to Sirius first."
"Fine. I hope you're up to this, Harry," Crabbe said. "The Dark Lord doesn't believe in mercy."
"Funny. I wasn't thinking about offering any to him either."
It had been a week since the night of the third task, and Harry was glad to be out of the spotlight. His win had been overshadowed by Voldemort's return, and the Ministry was using very strong language in daily press releases, urging the public to remain calm. It was naturally the only topic of discussion at Hogwarts.
In the Slytherin common room, conversation was very careful. Most of the upper year students discussed it in terms of politics. They weighed the resolve of the Ministry versus the Dark Lord's insidious tactics. No mention at all was made of the Death Eaters. Everything was about their leader.
Finally it was time for the Leaving feast. The food was delicious as always, but a definite miasma of fear hovered in the air. The next morning, their visitors would be going home, and Hogwarts would close for another summer. After a ride on the Hogwarts Express, they would be back to the real world again. It was a scary place for many, a theme Professor Dumbledore addressed in his farewell to the students.
When the last of the desserts had been devoured, the Headmaster got to his feet. Where there had always been a sense of eccentricity and whimsey about him, Dumbledore now looked poised and focused. His was not the energy of the old man his silvery hair and beard proclaimed him to be. He raised his arms for silence.
"As you are all aware, Lord Voldemort has returned to threaten our world once more. He has seduced the dementors to his cause. He has taken control of Azkaban prison and freed those of his followers imprisoned there fourteen years ago. He is fortifying the island, and the Ministry is hard at work developing a plan to retake it. We are at a state of open warfare once more.
"If we are to reclaim the peace we have known these past fourteen years, Lord Voldemort must be stopped. The Ministry will fight, but the Ministry is only as good as the people in it. They will have need of many hands in the coming struggle, and I advise those who wish to fight to apply to the Auror program. The requirements are strict, but the Ministry will be re-evaluating the criteria to be sure to not overlook raw talent.
"There are also many roles to be played behind the front lines. I expect many new job postings to be in the Daily Prophet. There is always a need for thinkers as well as doers. Everybody can have a part in what must be done to achieve our security as free witches and wizards.
"We can win only if we stand united by common bonds of friendship, such as we have forged here with our guests from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. To fight the coming darkness will require trust, loyalty, and love.
"Be vigilant over the holiday. Keep yourselves and your families safe. Good night."
Professor Snape accompanied the crowd of Slytherins as they made their way down to the common room. He spoke with Higgs and the other prefects, and the House was called to order that Snape might address them.
"It has been an exciting year. We made new friends - some of us very good friends," he added with a knowing tone in his voice. "We have been witness to some amazing feats of wizardry. One of our own became the youngest Triwizard winner in history, but there were more momentous events transpiring in the outside world.
"The Dark Lord who vanished fourteen years ago has returned. Next year, tempers will be hot, and to be a Slytherin will be to be suspect. We are all Death Eaters in the eyes of some, but Slytherin ambition can also lead many to a Ministry career. I urge you to recognize that the Dark Lord's designs for power threaten the ambitions of everyone. War is seldom a good way of achieving political objectives.
"The war will surely involve many of you if it lasts long enough. As always, my door is open to any who wish counsel. I will maintain confidence. No words spoken in private will be shared. Everyone needs someone to listen sometimes, and I am that someone. No problem is too big it cannot be shared, and talking can help order your thoughts.
"Stay safe this holiday. Do not be afraid to turn to each other if you should have need. Remember that your loyalty is first and foremost to the house."
Harry wondered if Professor Snape was playing a role even then. Some of the people in this room were related to Death Eaters. Was this urging for house unity directed towards that?
When Professor Snape left, Harry returned to the dormitory to pack the very last of his things. All he would need to leave out were his toothbrush, bathing kit, and a set of clothes.
They turned in early, and the next morning, Draco bid them all farewell. He was remaining at the castle with his mother and his brother, who had thus far stayed hidden in the staff wing.
After breakfast, the Durmstrang students boarded their ship and sailed away. The Beuuxbatons students piled into their carriage like a clown car and soared off into the sky. The Hogwarts students rode in the horseless carriages down to the village where they would catch the Hogwarts Express back to London.
Sirius was waiting for Harry at the platform. He was sitting on his motorbike, though the engine was not on. As Harry approached, a big grin broke on his face.
They embraced, but not too long with the others watching. They clapped each other on the back in a manly fashion and stepped back. Harry turned to his friends.
"I guess this is where we say good-bye. Have a good train ride."
"Bloody unfair," Daphne said, poking Harry in the ribs. "You just know Weasley is going to come by to bother us, and we'll have to deal with him."
"You helped me train for the third task. You can wipe the floor with Weasley."
"This is true."
Daphne hugged Harry, which irritated Tracy. A brief scowl flashed across her face, instantly replaced by a cheery smile.
"Bye, Harry. Have a good time."
"Bye, Tracy. Have a good holiday."
"You too."
Pansy hugged him briefly and kissed his cheek. "Be safe. I'll be in touch very soon."
"Thanks, Pansy. Good journey."
Millie, who had been quiet all morning, was clearly missing Viktor Krum, but she but on a brave face and clapped Harry on the shoulder with a blow that nearly sent him lurching in front of an arriving carriage.
Crabbe and Goyle both shook hands with Harry as they boarded the train. Theo nodded, not saying anything, but not looking like he wanted to pick a fight either.
"Yes." Harry hopped on the back of the motorbike, and Sirius started the engine with a roar. They slowly wheeled down the lane.
The Hogwarts Express blew its whistle and began to chug-chug, slowly at first but gradually picking up steam. Harry leaned forward to yell in Sirius' ear. Sirius laughed and nodded. He gunned the motor and activated the Flying Charm. They followed the train from about a hundred feet up. It pulled away from the village, through the trees, and eventually headed towards a bridge over a river. Sirius put the motorbike into a dive, and Harry let out a whoop as they circled round and around the train and the trestle in a corkscrew. Harry caught sight of gawping faces pressed to the windows and laughed even harder. They took off up into the sky again. The wind was whipping at Harry's robes, the sun was shining, and he felt absolutely free.


text:
Departedone.com is a 1 year old domain, situated in United States. The domain is linked to the IP address 126.96.36.199 which is provided by the hosting company Go Daddy.
It was registered by Brad Klein . Registration details show that it was registered on 08 Jan 2016 through Go Daddy and will expire on 08 Jan 2018.
The site returns a status code of 200. The site is being served through Microsoft-IIS/7.5.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Advisory Board in the Spotlight – Stephen Kovats
Social Media Week is a leading news platform and worldwide conference that curates and shares the best ideas and insights into social media and technology's impact on business, society, and culture.
We would like to further introduce you to our Advisory Board members, rolling out more information about themselves and their current projects.
Stephen Kovats is a cultural and media researcher with a background in architecture and urbanism, founding director of r0g – the Berlin agency for open systems, cultural hacktivism and critical transformation. He was artistic director of transmediale, Berlin's festival for art and digital culture 2008 – 2011, co-director of the McLuhan in Europe 2011 Centennial Network, and the international programs curator at V2_Institute for the Unstable Media in Rotterdam. He came to Germany during its unification, spending most of his time exploring Eastern and Central Europe, directing the 'ostranenie' media art forum at the Bauhaus Dessau. In doing so he developed a deep interest in open cultural and technological systems, working to apply these on the transformation of societal and urban landscapes. With the r0g_agency he looks to further the power of open systems through initiatives such #OSJUBA which seeks to harness the power of open source and cultural technologies in the establishment of the new state of South Sudan, or the CELLSKID youth, technology and bio arts initiative in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. You can follow him on twitter @intertwilight
Want to write for Social Media Week?
We're looking for individuals around the globe to contribute articles on marketing, media, technology, and more.


text:
NFU upland farming group calls for upland and hill farmers to be fairly treated in CAP decisions
NewsMonday 21 October 2013
The NFU upland farming group's chairman has spoken to MPs telling them that there is a need for action in order to ensure hill and upland farmers aren't disadvantaged by Defra's implementation plans.
Robin Milton spoke to the MPs at the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on hill farming, which was chaired by Tim Farron MP, in Westminster last week.
Mr Milton strongly emphasised the need for Pillar One support in the hills because of the massively reduced Pillar Two budget.
The APPG understood the need for the government to recognise the pivotal role the UK's farmers play in producing food and maintaining the structure of the rural economy. And, they are also clear in the knowledge that farmers are not simply a delivery mechanism for environmental programmes.
Speaking at the event, Mr Milton said: "It is excellent news that the APPG realises that care must be taken to both have suitable upland options and avoid creating an 'agent's charter' with the limited funds available in Pillar Two particularly given the involvement of LNPs and LEPs with limited farming input.
"The truth is that without farming there would be none of the stunning upland landscapes we all value so much, and critically, no delivery of the public goods associated with them. We believe pillar one offers the best mechanism of support as it is most easily targeted to the farmer, assuming it is distributed fairly.
The NFU upland farming group recently released a steering document outlining their views on CAP reform, suggesting routes for obtaining a fair deal for all farmers, including those in the hills and uplands.
Picture: Paul Walker


text:
Not quite what you're looking for? View similar properties or start a new property search.
4-bedroom villa for sale in Platja d'Aro on the Costa Brava with fantastic panoramic valley and sea views
- 4 Bedrooms
- 2 Bathrooms
- Size 284m² (3,056ft²)
Bright and spacious 4-bedroom villa for sale situated in a prestigious urbanisation on the Costa Brava, close to the beach, with wonderful sea views
This Costa Brava property for sale is located in the prestigious urbanisation of Mas Nou in Platja d'Aro, close to the sandy beach of Sant Pol in S'Agaró and the large beach of Platja d'Aro itself.
Built in 1998, the property measures 284m² and is set on a private, double plot of 3,068m².
Although the property has been well maintained, it would benefit from a cosmetic update and further modernisation.
The house is distributed over 3 floors. The entrance floor has a large living room with a fireplace, a modern open-plan kitchen and access to a covered porch and a large terrace with a swimming pool.
On the first floor you will find a spacious master ensuite bedroom with a whirlpool bath and access to a second large terrace with magnificient views.
In the basement, there is currently a large guest apartment with an independent entrance, offering 3 bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen and a bathroom.
- Swimming pool
- Sea views
- Terrace
- Garden
- Parking
Entrance floor:
- Spacious living room with a fireplace and a modern open-plan kitchen
- Guest WC
- Entrance to a double garage
- Covered porch
- Swimming pool with a large tarrace
Ground floor:
- Guest apartment with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a living area and an open-plan kitchen
First floor:
- Master ensuite bedroom
- Dressing room
- Large outside terrace with magnificient views
- South facing double plot with magnificient valley and sea views
- Garage for 2 cars
- Saltwater swimming pool (8m x 4m)
- Separate guest apartment
- Central heating
- Living room with a fireplace
This Costa Brava villa for sale is located in the exclusive urbanisation of Mas Nou in Platja d'Aro.
The property is in an excellent location, just 8 minutes from the nearest beach, 5 minutes from the nearest golf course (Golf d'Aro Mas Nou), 25 minutes from Girona airport and one hour from Barcelona. It also enjoys excellent communication with the town and the main roads.
Platja d'Aro: 2km
Girona: 35km
Barcelona: 110km
French border: 95km
Contact us about this propertyLucas Fox Costa Brava
+34 872 22 32 62
- €550,000
- House / Villa For sale
- 4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms
- Size 284m² (3,056ft²)
- Plot size 3,068m² (33,023ft²)
- Reduced Price.
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text:
As promised, here are my slides from WordCamp Spain 2010!
2 Responses to WooTumblog, Post Formats, Express App – WordCamp Spain 2010 Slides
Munyah December 18, 2010 at 8:06 am #
Dude, I can't see the slides. Am I doing something wrong here?
Yeah must be something funky from your side, working here. Here's the direct link though to the slideshare site – http://www.slideshare.net/jeffikus/wordcamp-spain-2010-presentation


text:
Posted May 6, 2014 by Marie-D in Entertainment News
2014 MET GALA BALL: Beyonce, Rita Ora, Rihanna & More Hits The Red Carpet [Photo]
The biggest night in fashion took place Monday evening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and our favorite celebrities graced the red carpet looking absolutely fabulous! Red carpet regulars were in attendance including Rihanna, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and so much more.
The 2014 MET GALA BALL is the most important fashion event of the year. With celebrities in stunning couture and over the top gowns, check out the photos in our gallery!


text:
A few weeks ago, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) released the executive summary of its fourth assessment report (FAR). Since (at least in the U.S.) this will soon be the core of a number of political arguments, but many folks probably don't study climatology in their spare time, I thought a little background would be helpful.
So this episode is devoted to the basics of climate science, as well as a very brief history of the field. I'll discuss the IPCC FAR, and possible responses to its results, in later episodes.
If you're not subscribed to the podcast, you can listen to the episode via an inline player (Flash required) here:[audio:SOS002_Climate_Basics.mp3]
You can also directly download the episode using this link. For sources, and those who'd like to follow along, the episode's show notes are here…
Technorati Tags: climate, climate change, climatology, greenhouse, history


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Aug 11, 1998
|Filing date
|Apr 7, 1997
|Priority date
|Jun 16, 1993
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Rohan G. F. Coelho
|Original Assignee
|Intel Corporation
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (30), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (7), Classifications (28), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/365,696 filed on Dec. 29, 1994, now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/118,929 filed on Sep. 9, 1993, as attorney docket no. 366403-814, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,297, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/078,931, filed on Jun. 16, 1993, as attorney docket no. 366403-756, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,085.
This invention relates to techniques for compressing and decoding digital video data, and more particularly to difference encoding and decoding of digital video data.
In the field of digital video imaging there has been a continuing effort to find new and better ways to transmit and receive image data. In particular, it has been a constant goal to reduce the amount of data actually transmitted, while at the same time maintaining acceptable received image quality (i.e. devoid of artifacts that are distracting or noticeable to a human viewer). It has also been a goal to find more time-efficient and hardware-efficient ways to process the data that is transmitted.
One technique that has proven useful is to transmit a first frame of data followed by data characterizing the differences between the first frame and a second frame immediately subsequent thereto, and then transmitting data characterizing the differences between the second frame and a third frame immediately subsequent to the second frame, and so on. One main potential advantage of this approach is that oftentimes there are relatively large areas of the image that do not change significantly (if at all) from frame to frame. The difference data for those areas consists of significantly-long strings of zeros which can be very efficiently compressed using various standard techniques.
The approach described above is depicted in FIG. 1 (Prior Art), wherein the data for each individual pixel (as represented by the general pixel NM as shown) for frame F1 is subtracted from that of frame F2 and is transmitted (after compression) as D2. To reconstruct the data for F2, the difference data for D2 is added to the frame data for F1. This process is repeated for frame F3 and all ensuing frames as shown.
The above-described prior art approach has been used successfully, but Applicant has discovered that it is not the most efficient technique, since it requires (at the receiver) the temporary storage of an immediately-previous frame's data in order to reconstruct a current frame's data.
It is therefore an object of Applicant's invention to exploit temporal redundancy in digital video data transmission systems, without having to store and reference the previous frame's data at the receiver, by means of what Applicant has termed "self-encoded deltas."
Applicant has discovered that it is not necessary to store the immediately-previous frame of data in the receiver while the next frame's differences are being added thereto. Instead, for each frame, only the first (left-most) column of complete pixel data is sent, in order to "get started" on transmitting difference values for the rest of the frame. This is accomplished by employing Applicant's novel technique of using "self-encoded deltas" within an individual frame instead of calculating and sending all the deltas between adjacent frames. In particular, at the transmitter, the pixel values in an immediately-previous frame are compared with values of corresponding pixels in a current frame. If the difference does not exceed a particular magnitude (i.e. a "threshold" set by the system designer), a "no-change" signal is encoded for each such pixel in the current frame to be transmitted. If, on the other hand, the threshold magnitude is exceeded, then instead of sending the difference between corresponding pixels in the two frames, the difference between the current pixel and an adjacent pixel in the current frame is computed and encoded for transmission. The receiver then "builds" each frame by adding each new set of column differences, determined as described above, to the sum for the immediately-previous column within the frame. As compared with the prior art, this approach requires less storage space (i.e. buffer memory) at the receiving end, less computing time, and has the added benefit of eliminating the undesirable "bleed through" artifact, while at the same time efficiently exploiting temporal redundancy between successive frames.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) shows a known technique for sending and receiving difference data.
FIG. 2 shows the details of the layout of a typical digital video frame that is useful for describing the instant invention.
FIG. 3 depicts a version of the transmission technique of the instant invention.
FIG. 4 shows a version of the reception and computation technique of the instant invention.
FIG. 5 shows the process of producing a subsequent frame of data in accordance with the instant invention.
FIG. 6 shows the frame divisions for an alternative embodiment of the instant invention.
FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of a typical transmission-reception system suitable for employing the instant invention.
FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the video processor and compressor of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram of the processing implemented by the video processor and compressor of FIG. 7.
Referring now to FIG. 2, therein depicted is a frame of digital data that is 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels deep. In one embodiment of the instant invention, the full pixel data for the pixels in the left-most column C1 of the frame is initially prepared for transmission. At the transmitter, the data for C2 of the immediately-previous frame is then subtracted pixel-by-pixel from the corresponding data contained in C2 of the current frame. This produces a column of differences. If any of these differences are less than a given threshold magnitude they are encoded as a "no-change" value; for any differences that are greater than the threshold magnitude, they are discarded, and in their place are inserted the differences between the corresponding pixels in C2 of the current frame and C1 of the current frame| These difference values calculated from the same frame are termed by the Applicant as "self encoded deltas". The resulting column of hybrid difference values (D2) (including, generally, some no-change values and some self-encoded deltas) is then prepared for transmission immediately subsequent to the transmission of C1 as shown in FIG. 3.
The respective "no change" signals or the appropriate self-encoded difference values (i.e. "deltas") are thusly calculated and prepared for transmission for each column, DN, of the current frame. Applicant has determined that it is desirable to set a variable threshold value for these deltas. The threshold value for determining a "no change" signal can be adjusted for various practical applications as a design choice by the system designer. The data thus created is typically compressed, using standard compression techniques, prior to being transmitted to the receiver.
At the receiving end, the first column of data of the frame is received, decompressed, and added, pixel-by-pixel, to the immediately subsequent decompressed difference column, D2, to reproduce the second column C2 of the received frame. The next column of decompressed differences, D3, is then added, pixel-by-pixel to the reproduced C2 to generate C3, and so on for the entirety of the frame as shown in FIG. 4. Once the entire frame is reproduced at the receiving end and stored in a display buffer, it can then be dumped to a memory device for storage, or to a display device for immediate display. It is not necessary to store (locally) the received frame data at the receiver station while the next frame data is being processed, due to the fact that the next frame is transmitted independently but in the same manner as described above. The first column of data for the next frame is "built upon" by its subsequent frame difference columns, DN, to generate the next reproduced frame at the receiving end as depicted in FIG. 5.
Referring now to FIG. 6, therein depicted is a preferred practical implementation of Applicant's invention. The purpose of this alternative embodiment is to accommodate the use of specialized compression techniques that work very efficiently for 4�4 groups of pixels.
In particular, Applicant has developed an approach employing self-encoded deltas for a processing and transmission system that operates on 4�4 blocks, Bpq of pixels, in sequential horizontal rows of these blocks from left to right, and sequentially from top to bottom on a video frame.
With this technique, instead of starting with an entire first left-most column of pixel values, only the values for the first four pixels in the first (left-most) column are used to start the process. The differences for remaining pixels in the first horizontal four-row band are calculated at the transmitting end of the system, and the data for the first band is transmitted in sequential compressed 4�4 groups from left to right across the band. The same process in then used for Band 2 and so on for the entire frame. With this technique, for sequential frames with little image change, many 4�4 blocks are encoded entirely as "no change" blocks. In such cases, very significant data compression factors are accomplished since only one signal is sent to represent an entire 4�4 block of data| Once again, only the actual pixel values in the first (left-most) column are needed, all the rest of the frame being transmitted as compressed differences. This embodiment is especially well-suited for efficient processing by 32-bit processors such as the Intel Pentium™ processor.
A block diagram of a processing transmission-reception system suitable for implementing the instant invention is shown in FIG. 7. Therein, digital video source 701 could be a digital video camera output buffer or some other digital video data storage device. The pixel-by-pixel digital frame data from source 701 is acted upon by video processor 702 in accordance with one of the techniques described above by means of software program designed for that particular processor. Those skilled in the art will be readily able to implement such a program for a particular processor in view of the above-described techniques. Once the video processor 702 has implemented one of the above-described self-encoded delta schemes, the resulting data is compressed by compressor 703 using well-known digital data compression techniques. The compressed data is then sent along transmission medium 705 by transmitter 704. Receiver 706 gathers the compressed data and sends it on to decompressor 707 which in turn reconstructs the original self-encoded delta data. These received and decompressed self-encoded deltas are then converted by video processor 708 back into full frames of data suitable for being used to drive a video display 709 or for video storage. This is a standard digital video transmission system that has been modified to implement the novel processing method of the instant invention.
Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, therein depicted, respectively, are a block diagram of and a flow chart of the processing implemented by video processor 702 and compressor 703 of FIG. 7. Video processor 702 of FIG. 8 provides the current region of the current frame (step 902 of FIG. 9). Interframe differencer 802 generates interframe differences between the pixels of the current region and the pixels of the corresponding region of a reference frame (e.g., the previous frame) (step 904). Comparator 804 compares these interframe differences to a specified threshold (steps 906 and 912). If all of the interframe differences are less than a specified threshold (step 906), the encoder 808 encodes the entire current region as a no-change region (step 908). Otherwise, encoder 808 encodes the pixels in the left-most column of the current region as full pixel values (step 910). For each of the other pixels in the current region, if the interframe difference is less than the specified threshold (step 912), then encoder 808 encodes the pixel as a no-change value (step 914). Otherwise, intraframe differencer 806 generates the intraframe difference between the pixel and its neighbor to the left (step 916) and encoder 808 encodes the pixel as the intraframe difference (step 918).
Although the method of the instant invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, the scope of the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but, rather, is defined by the appended claims and their fair equivalents.
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|Victor Company Of Japan, Ltd.
|Method of reducing quantization noise generated during a decoding process of image data and device for decoding image data
|Jun 29, 2000
|Nov 4, 2003
|Eastman Kodak Company
|Method of determining the extent of blocking artifacts in a digital image
|Sep 28, 2000
|Nov 23, 2004
|Eastman Kodak Company
|Method of determining the extent of blocking and contouring artifacts in a digital image
|Sep 8, 2003
|Mar 11, 2004
|Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
|Image processing apparatus and method
|Jun 9, 2010
|Oct 6, 2011
|Tung-Hsin Lee
|Method and Apparatus for Motion Detection
|Mar 21, 2014
|Sep 4, 2014
|Broadcom Corporation
|High-Throughput Image and Video Compression
|Mar 7, 2000
|Sep 13, 2000
|Beheersmij Lamprei B.V.
|Method and device for transmitting electronic image information
|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Feb 5, 2002
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Mar 5, 2002
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Feb 13, 2006
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Mar 15, 2010
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Aug 11, 2010
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Sep 28, 2010
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20100811


text:
|Reviews for Mysterious Missives
| Bubble chapter 1 . 2/7/2009
*coos* I absolutely loove your writing! You kept everyone totally in character!
| Axel Danger Flynn VIII chapter 2 . 3/25/2008
I can't wait for you to update.
| sexypancake chapter 2 . 11/27/2007
i like this story too! i hope you update soon!
| Zafiro Okami chapter 2 . 8/18/2007
. hm wonder who it is?
| Memory Dragon chapter 2 . 6/26/2007
Interesting story. I must say, I'm more than a little curious about this mysterious note giver. Hope you write more soon.
| Kitsui chapter 2 . 6/14/2007
Very very funny, I cant wait to see what comes next n-n.
| hiya24 chapter 2 . 6/2/2007
Oh, this is getting interesting... can't wait for more )
| Scarlet Flower chapter 2 . 5/20/2007
Awesome! You must update! Must read more! -
| fenrir-ice-wolf chapter 2 . 5/15/2007
im glad that you updated_ i cant wait to see what watanukis secret admirer is- and what he will put in the note back to them
| outsidegalaxy chapter 2 . 5/14/2007
Is it REALLY a girl?
| icedragonchilde chapter 2 . 5/14/2007
Ah, this has definitely caught my interest! Very intruiging. I do hope you update soon this time, but I would be willing to wait for this story.
Heh, poor Watanuki. . .so clueless. . .
| Nanamiii chapter 2 . 5/13/2007
Please update soon! :D
| ShinakaStar chapter 2 . 5/13/2007
YAY! An update! * cheers *
This is certainly becoming a mystery...I hope Watanuki doesn't get into too much trouble (though Doumeki will probably be there to save him).
Please update soon!
| Nigthcrawler chapter 2 . 5/13/2007
Whoa, anotehr chapther! :) Poor Watanuki, seems like the universe laws doesnt work for him, but at least he has Doumeki to watch for him, even if he doesnt want him to. I really like your sotry so far so please keep updating, hopefully some not to far ahead day you will update again :D
| Macmac chapter 1 . 4/14/2007
Doumeki has competition? Interesting. Jealous is my favorite Doumeki flavor.
Please update! I'm begging you.


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Is"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"a Disney movie?
"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" is not a Disney movie, even though it has the look of one, particularly "Mary Poppins." The movie, released in 1968, was an MGM production. Both movies featured Dick Van ...
Read More »
Will you dye your bang or just buy a color clip-in bang?
If your friend always changeds her hair style, then I don't think she should dyed her bangs. The clip-in bang is very beautiful. Just let your friend to find the one she likes. That's a better choi...
Read More »
What is the bang bang music on current BBC trailer?
Nancy Sinatra "Bang Bang"Cher originally recorded the song, but the version by Nancy Sinatra has received lots of airplay recently.The BBC trailer uses the remix by Audio Bootys, according to Shazam.
Muo fang bang bang tang members?
Freddy most likely cause they kissed just to get it over with but i think he doesnt want to tell her
How to Do Bang Bang in Under 5 Minutes on "GTA"?
"Bang Bang" is one of the many missions that you have to complete in the video game "Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony" for the PlayStation 3. The twist to "Bang Bang" is that the mission ha...
Read More »


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Cookie le MonstaModel Female Newton, North Carolina, US
My Website: My blogMy MM URL: http://www.modelmayhem.com/CookieMonsta
Mayhem # 883097
About Me
Hey everyone! I'm Cookie <3
I stay pretty busy so lets plan a week or so ahead. I'm interested in finding photographers to work with more than once.....
Few ideas I want to try:
*Khaleesi (Mother of Dragon) shoot with a twist (msg me for details)
*Pulp Fiction Uma Thurman shoot
*Cosplay! Superheros, Living Doll, anything really
*Zombie with my zombie daughter (she loves to shoot too!)
*Black & White series
*original graffiti Raw gritty series
***I like $$$ BUT really need to update port....pay me what you can.... If a lot of traveling is involved, I ask for a little extra to help with gas.
Peace && Love
Cookie le Monsta
Have you worked with Cookie le Monsta? Add Credits for Cookie le Monsta! >>
Credit Notes
model/actress at Empty B Studios
*Banshee Season 2 (female inmate)
Published in:
*FOCUS swimsuit model 2012*
*Kent Boggs 'I Am' book*
*Italian Vogue website*
*Freaks Facebook page*
*Market City Comics Facebook*
Photographers I have worked with:
captured moments studio #1086596
Jonathan Yang #1025849
Mtn View Photography #1369814
trinity57 #359125
Pinups n Showboats #1230350
LKN Images #1510820
Prince Rus Photography #320153
Kent Boggs Photography #2198796
LoveShutter #2282844
Mark Bowers
Brian Leon
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posts by Guest Reviewer:
Dearest wonderful people, Look, I have something I need to tell you. I know I said I liked dragons. And I do like dragons. I like them a lot. But I don't like them, y'know, sexually. In fact, it's a bit outside my comfort zone. Love 'n' hugs, AJH NB: ... more >
So I decided to follow up Lord of Scoundrels with the much recommended Angel's Blood. This was a bit of a change of pace after the last two books, being contemporary rather than historical, actiony rather than talky, and written in this century rather than the last. Although, like Lord ... more >
Housekeeping: Based on comments, and Twitter, and everything wah, I've compiled the Big List of Awesome, which is – to the best of my ability – all the recommendations, suggestions and ideas that have been thrown my way. The order is largely arbitrary. I tried to prioritise things that accumulated ... more >
Once upon a time, I accidentally read every romance Georgette Heyer ever wrote. My Grandmother had a box of them in her attic – I still remember those yellow-grey dust jackets and the faint smell of damp that rose from the pages – and I was still too young to ... more >
If you haven't read this post yet, please do so. The following is a guest review. No, sorry, discursive thought summary on The Flame and The Flower by our new guest reviewer, AJH. Kickin' It Old School: The Flame and the Flower I thought I knew where I was with ... more >
I've had some concerns by readers who are primarily print readers that the coverage at Dear Author has been too focused on ebooks. When I asked the readers what they were interested in seeing, they responded that they would like to know more about print debut authors. We developed a ... more >
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I went to quite a few of the different events across the weekend. I learnt some interesting things and heard some interesting people speak.
Last year I did one big post summarising my Writers Festival experience, but this year I want to do it a bit differently.
I intend to have a series of posts, each one dedicated to a specific event I attended. Some of these will be quite long, and others will be quite short – but what I hope to achieve at the end is a collection of posts in which I have really made an effort to think about what I heard and learned and share some of that with you.
The good and the bad
In this first post I thought I would just muse a little bit about why I like the Sydney Writers Festival so much. I'm not going to talk about why they important to literary culture or anything quite so deep. Just what I like about the festival, what attracts me to it and why I return every year.
I love the feeling of camaraderie you get at the Sydney Writers Festival. Everyone there shares your interest. You might not like the same genre, you might not have the same political beliefs (and a lot of the festival is quite political) and you might not appreciate the same authors – but you do all appreciate literature in the many forms that it comes. You are all also interested in seeing and learning something new.
People are friendly (apart from the uptight lady in the queue to "My Own Book Review", but that's a whole other story). While queuing for "Cassanda Clare's Underworld" I met two lovely people, both of whom shared their enthusiasm for their favourite genres (crime and science fiction respectively) and authors with me and told me all about who they had seen and what they were looking forward to seeing in the future. I met another lady in the queue to see "A Tribute to Ruth Park" who told me that she rarely reads a book from beginning to end, instead she just dips in and out, reading little bits and pieces in a random order until she feel satisfied enough to move onto the next book.
It's these little insights into other people who share your passion that make me really appreciate how special the Sydney Writers Festival, and other festivals like it, are.
Finally, what I love about it is that I feel as though I am learning. I love reading. I love getting lost in story and language and I appreciate the break it gives me from everyday reality. But the writer's festival takes me one step further. I can appreciate what I enjoy on a more intellectual level. I can go behind the story and the language to discover so many different things, like the author, the political message, the publishing journey, the research and whatever else there is to discover. I feel as though I come out of the weekend with so many different thoughts running through my head that I appreciate my passion on a whole new level. Although this feeling fades pretty quickly (things enter and exit my head rather quickly unfortunately), I always have the memory of all the things that I learnt over the weekend to remind me that there is so much to reading a good book than there seems.
|Image from telegraph.co.uk
I am also noticing a trend for more and more of the events to be ticketed rather than free. I know this limits how many events I go to and I am on a decent income. It worries me a little that the more ticketed events the Sydney Writers Festival has, the less people will be likely to attend.
Finally, this probably goes without saying, but I very much dislike queuing. I know that this is an unavoidable part of the festival. It is, however, particularly annoying when you have been queuing for over 30mins only to be turned away at the door because the event is full. I think the organisers really need to develop a new system.
Up next
So, that's my general musings over what the Sydney Writers Festival means to me over. The next post will be about "Cassandra Clare's Underworld" so if you interested in the Mortal Instruments series (or just interested in learning about what motivates an author) keep an eye out for that post.
What is the good and the bad of writers festivals to you?


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Oxfam believes that everyone can be an active agent in making a better world.
We strive to raise youngster awareness on poverty and justice issues and build up a sense of global citizen through youth training. We also co-organize teacher trainings and workshops with Education Bureau and local universities. Through the training and workshops, teachers can exchange different teaching methods with others, and explore different issues such as globalization, food justice, climate change and poverty.
In the training, participants will learn the different causes of hunger and grasp the key elements in organizing Hunger Banquet activity.


text:
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text: Financing Video: Six things every investor wants to hear in a pitch Add to ... The Globe and Mail Published Monday, Jun. 18, 2012 7:29AM EDT Last updated Monday, Jun. 18, 2012 9:38AM EDT "The product is the least important thing about an entrepreneur," says Randy Thompson, the CEO of Venture Alberta. In this video from The Globe and Mail's 2012 Small Business Summit in Calgary, he offers the six things entrepreneurs should know before going into a pitch session. Watch More Video: Gen Y Money: What you need to know about owing and buying a condo Amazon opens first NYC bookstore Money Monitor: Investing vs. paying down a mortgage Carrick Talks Money: Millennials struggling in the job market IBM's quantum computer gets powerful upgrade Freeland says reworked NAFTA could have labour, environmental benefits Money Monitor: What to be wary of when borrowing in retirement Dow tumbles 372 points as Trump drama roils markets Asian markets tumble on concern over Trump Drawing Conclusions: Buying a home? What it will cost you in land transfer taxes and fees across the country Canopy Growth's Bruce Linton gives his three tips for entrepreneurs Garneau says air travel bill addresses compensation for overbooked flights Video: Three reasons why baby boomers find it hard to pass down wealth Lyft and Waymo partner for self-driving car program Carrick Talks Money: Canadians are good borrowers, but it may come at a cost G7 finance chiefs look for clues on Trump policy Giant diamond auction fails as Sierra Leone rejects offer Money Monitor: Tax-efficient planning tips for retirement Snap shares crater at market open after dismal earnings report Yield Hog: Restaurant royalty stocks can give you some juicy yields Comments Share via email Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on LinkedIn Print


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Egypt court overturns Morsi death sentence: judicial official
An Egyptian appeals court has overturned a death sentence handed down against ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in one of several trials since his 2013 overthrow, a judicial official said.
The Court of Cassation ordered that Morsi be retried on the charges of participating in prison breaks and violence against policemen during the 2011 uprising which toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
Five co-defendants, including the supreme guide of the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, Mohamed Badie, will also be retried.


text: Survivor (2000-) Genre: Adventure | Reality-TV | Game-Show Created By: Charlie Parsons Cast: Jeff Probst Country: USA Original Language: English Original Network: CBS Storyline: A reality show where a group of contestants are stranded in a remote location with little more than the clothes on their back. The lone survivor of this contest takes home a million dollars. DOWNLOAD Code: http://extabit.com/file/28wbpbq41hsvx/s.s25e04.480pwd.x264-m.u63687.m.rar .


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StartUpHire is the place to find PERL jobs. Review the list of PERL career opportunities to the left. These PERL jobs represent some of the most rewarding careers available.
You can refine your job search for PERL career opportunities by adding a job title, company name, or keyword to the search box above … or click the "Advanced Search" link for more options.
Don't see the employment opportunity you're looking for? Check back soon for more PERL jobs, or sign up for an email alert (link below) to receive periodic updates on new PERL jobs.
We're looking for an outstanding Sr. Linux Admin to join a top-notch group supporting world class science and technology at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Zurka Interactive is expanding our team at NRL in Washington DC.4/24/2017 Washington, DC Save This Job
DigitalWork is actively looking for positive, forward-thinking individuals, who specialize in Perl development. Requirements: Design and implement (create and enhance) timely and reliable software solutions. Develop configuration-driven, self-monitoring, scalable solutions that4/8/2017 Chicago, IL Save This Job
All times are in India Standard Time. # of Openings 1 Job Locations US-TX-Plano Posted Date 4/18/2017 Category Information Technology More information about this job: Overview: Masergy is looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Sr. Software Engineer to join our Unified5/18/2017 Plano, TX Save This Job
Calabasas, CA Full Time Manager/Supervisor ?Responsibilities: Develop and maintain Perl scripts that process data feeds from affiliates, vendors and other sources Develop and maintain affiliate website code snippets using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS technologies Provide3/29/2017 Calabasas, CA Save This Job
Guardian Analytics is preparing to scale our operations for the future. We are looking for a candidate that can be a core contributing member of our team as we move towards a more agile and platform agnostic architecture that is based on public and private cloud technologies,5/22/2017 Mountain View, CA Save This Job
at Nomis Solutions (View all jobs) San Bruno, CA DevOps Engineer Our DevOps Engineer will own the site reliability, capacity planning and infrastructure for all of Nomis?s hosting platform. This is a critical role that requires a high degree of technical mastery to ensure the5/22/2017 San Bruno, CA Save This Job
AnchorFree?s mission is to provide secure and private access to the world?s information for every person on the planet. AnchorFree?s Hotspot Shield app is the world?s most popular freedom and privacy platform. Hotspot Shield is the starting point, for mobile and Web access,4/22/2017 Menlo Park, CA Save This Job
Technology / Product Management New York, NY, United States Apply Now SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR Small, autonomous teams. Largely decentralized decision-making. Stack involves MicroServices in Scala. System Administration involves automation using a wide Python/Ruby/Perl/Shell.4/11/2017 New York, NY Save This Job
Title: Principal DFT Engineer Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA Job ID: 030117 Reports to: Director, Engineering Job Summary/Objective The Principal DFT Engineer will be responsible for DFT methodology in the Company test pattern generation including JTAG, boundary scan, memory4/1/2017 Santa Clara, CA Save This Job
17-0027 Bioinformatics Scientist Research and Development Apply now Posted: 16 May 2017 Full-time La Jolla, CA, United States At Synthetic Genomics, Inc., we are dedicated to developing and commercializing genomic-driven solutions to address global challenges. We are5/26/2017 La Jolla, CA Save This Job
Engineering Santa Clara, CA, United States We are looking for a Senior Staff Verification Engineer. The candidate must have proven record of verifying complex designs leading to successful field proven products, The candidate is also expected to contribute to verification5/25/2017 Santa Clara, CA Save This Job
APPLY FOR THIS JOB ONLINE Req No.2017-2463Job LocationsDepartmentResearch & Development MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS JOB Collaborative, assertive, flexible, passionate, driven, inspired. These aren?t just nice words, they?re the start of every great Fluidigm career. We are a5/25/2017 South San Francisco, CA Save This Job
ENG- QA - San Diego, CA - Full Time A QA Manager at Verimatrix helps lead the creation of a large product suite that enables content protection and security for video delivered via satellite, cable, or the Internet. The manager collaborates with his/her team and peers to deliver5/22/2017 San Diego, CA Save This Job
at AnchorFree Inc. Menlo Park AnchorFree?s mission is to provide secure and private access to the world?s information for every person on the planet. AnchorFree?s Hotspot Shield app is the world?s most popular freedom and privacy platform. Hotspot Shield is the starting point,5/22/2017 Menlo Park, CA Save This Job
You will be a member of the Guardian Analytics Cloud Operations team which is responsible for managing all aspects of our secure Software as a Service (SaaS) infrastructure and application environments. This position will work closely with our Customer Support, Professional5/22/2017 Mountain View, CA Save This Job
ENG - QA - San Diego, CA - Full Time A Sr. Software QA Engineer at Verimatrix participates in the testing of a large product suite that enables content protection and security for video delivered via satellite, cable, or the Internet. The engineer collaborates with his/her5/22/2017 San Diego, CA Save This Job
Skybox Security is looking for multiple sales engineers to be part of our fast-growing sales organization. The positions will support technical sales activities for Chicago, Dallas, New York and Boston areas. 2015 was a banner year for the company, and continued a longer trend5/22/2017 San Jose, CA Save This Job
TechnologySan Mateo, CAFull time Apply Now! Careers / San Mateo, CA /Senior Security Engineer Zuora is a technology company and the world?s largest evangelist of the Subscription Economy?. Our leading cloud-based subscription management platform helps companies build and grow5/22/2017 San Mateo, CA Save This Job
Requisition Number17-0037 Post Date3/6/2017 TitleSystems Integration Analyst CityLouisville StateKY DescriptionSummary Provides highly visible customer support through the performance of system integration, as well as overseeing any necessary diagnosing, troubleshooting,5/19/2017 Louisville, KY Save This Job
Requisition Number17-0062 Post Date3/30/2017 TitleSystems Integration Analyst CityLouisville StateKY DescriptionSummary Provides highly visible customer support through the performance of system integration, as well as overseeing any necessary diagnosing, troubleshooting,5/19/2017 Louisville, KY Save This Job


text:
Happy People Plaza España Apartments
Select your stay dates to check availability
Happy People Plaza España Apartments
About the hotel
Property Location
With a stay at Happy People Plaza España Apartments in Barcelona (Sants-Montjuic), you'll be minutes from Parapark and close to Casa Batllo. This apartment is close to Palau de la Musica Catalana and Sagrada Familia.
Make yourself at home in one of the 4 air-conditioned rooms featuring kitchens with refrigerators and stovetops. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and flat-screen televisions are provided for your entertainment. Conveniences include safes and separate sitting areas, and you can also request cribs/infant beds (complimentary).
Take in the views from a rooftop terrace and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless Internet access and babysitting/childcare (surcharge).
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include express check-out and an elevator (lift). A roundtrip airport shuttle is available for a surcharge.
Hotel Facilities
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Free WiFi
- Rooftop terrace
- Babysitting or childcare
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Elevator/lift
- Tours/ticket assistance
- Designated smoking areas
- Express check-out
- Total number of rooms - 4
Room Facilities
- Separate sitting area
- Kitchen
- Refrigerator
- Stovetop
- Microwave
- Hair dryer
- Dishwasher
- In-room safe
- Private bathroom
- Flat-panel TV
- Ceiling fan
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Shower only
- Free WiFi
- Cookware, dishware, and utensils
- Separate dining area
- Separate living room
- Iron/ironing board
- Air conditioning
- Espresso maker
Hotel Policy
Know Before You Go
- Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2500, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation.
- Children 10 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.
- Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.
The following fees and deposits are charged by the property at time of service, check-in, or check-out.
- Airport shuttle fee: EUR 140 per vehicle (roundtrip)
- Pet fee: EUR 50 per pet, per stay
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
Mandatory Fees and Taxes
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property:
- Resort fee: EUR 0.72 per person, per night
We have included all charges provided to us by the property. However, charges can vary, for example, based on length of stay or the room you book.Show all hotel policy Show less hotel policy