Virago
Title: Virago
Author: enchanted_jae
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: R
Warning(s): Sexual activity, domestic violence, coercion
Word count: 2550
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was written for fun, not for profit.
ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: Author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the rating, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
Author's note: Written as a birthday gift for tarajw, whose prompt was stripping. Those of you who've seen the movie "True Lies" will recognize similar plot elements.
Summary: Harry decides to teach his nosy husband a lesson, but of course, Gryffindor plots never go as planned.
"Harry, you told me you work in the Ministry's Muggle Liaison Office."
"I do," Harry replied immediately. The lie fell from his lips with practiced ease. No one, not even his husband, knew what Harry really did in his position at the Ministry.
"Why did you receive a missive from the DMLE?" Draco persisted.
Harry cursed his luck. He had been hoping Draco wouldn't notice that, but he should have known better. Draco was sharp, vigilant and curious to the point of being nosy. Harry turned his attention back to the Prophet, adopting a casual air. "It was simply another attempt on their part to recruit me to the Auror Department," he shrugged. Draco was silent for a long moment, and Harry fought the urge to either squirm or take a peek at his husband's expression.
"I see," Draco said eventually.
Harry felt his shoulders relax.
~*~
Draco didn't buy it for one minute. Harry was up to something, which was bad enough, but he was keeping secrets, and that was worse. If Harry had gotten involved in something dangerous, Draco deserved to know about it so he could kill his husband.
Before Draco had accepted Harry's marriage proposal, he had made Harry promise to stop endangering himself by trying to save the world. Harry had agreed, and Draco had assumed his Gryffindor husband would keep his word. Obviously, the word of a Gryffindor didn't mean much these days.
Resolved to get to the bottom of things, Draco waited until Harry left for the Ministry of Magic before going on a self-appointed mission. He would begin in his husband's study.
~*~
Harry found it difficult to concentrate at work that day. He wasn't convinced that Draco had been pacified so easily, and he wondered what his sneaky Slytherin husband was getting up to. Harry had promised Draco that he would no longer endanger himself once they were married, and Harry had kept that vow. It was his job to train the most elite of the world's dark wizard hunters in Defense Against the Dark Arts at the Ministry.
The task was fulfilling enough to satisfy Harry without putting him in any undue danger. However, his job was considered top secret, and he had been forbidden to discuss it with anyone. While no one had come right out and said so, there had been the implication that Harry's husband was still perceived as a threat and a risk. While it angered Harry, there was little he could do to change the narrow minds that surrounded him.
Harry shook himself from his musing and called for attention. "Alright, let's try that spell again."
~*~
Harry came home and treated Draco to a lingering kiss as he normally did. He went upstairs to their bedroom to change into more casual clothing. It was then that Harry noticed his drawers had been searched. Whoever had done it was quite good--only someone with Harry's training and natural paranoia would have noticed the slight disturbance of his personal items.
Harry immediately suspected Draco, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. He changed his clothing and made a detour to his office when he went back down the stairs. Harry paused outside the door. Even without the aid of magic, he could tell it had been opened by someone other than him. Harry was in the habit of inserting one of Draco's blond hairs at the very top of the door before he closed it. If someone didn't remove and replace the hair when the door was opened, Harry would notice its absence.
Checking to make sure Draco wasn't hovering nearby, Harry cast a spell to reveal any unpleasant surprises. There were none, which lent credence to his theory that his husband was the snoop. A rapid survey of the desk drawers indicated they had been searched. Harry was grateful that he kept no important documents at his home.
Harry rejoined his husband in the living room before Draco could become suspicious. He plopped into his easy chair and flipped on the telly as he was wont to do. Draco glanced up from the book he was reading and smiled at Harry. Pausing on an old rerun of Monty Python, Harry asked, "What did you do today, love?"
"I finished that report I've been asked to submit to Potions Quarterly," Draco replied in a bored tone.
"Did you at least get out of the house for awhile?" Harry asked, eyes wide with feigned concern.
"Alas, no," Draco chuckled. "I was home all day."
That eliminated the possibility that someone had sneaked into their empty house to search it.
Harry laughed at the antics onscreen until an advert came on. "Did anyone come visit to break up the monotony for you?" he teased.
"I fear I've been quite forgotten by family and friends," Draco lamented.
"Git," Harry snorted. Draco's answers all but proved that he was the culprit. "Would you like to go out for dinner?" Harry offered to throw suspicion off his line of questioning.
Draco glanced up and frowned. "I already have dinner in the oven."
"Oh, splendid," Harry beamed. "Perhaps we can go out tomorrow evening, then."
~*~
Harry thrust in again, harder this time, and Draco gasped and arched under him. "Harry," he moaned. "More, I need more."
Harry drew back and teased Draco's rim with tiny, back and forth thrusts. Draco's ring of muscle spasmed around him as a whine escaped Draco's throat. "Harry!" he pleaded. Draco pushed his hips up emphatically, taking Harry deep.
"Mm, Dragon," Harry murmured, plunging in again. Caught up in Draco's frenzy, Harry picked up the pace until he was sliding in and out of Draco in a flurry of long, hot strokes.
~*~
Harry lay awake that night long after Draco had succumbed to a shagged out slumber. His husband no longer trusted him.
While Harry's initial reaction to that was regret, it was overwhelmed by annoyance. How dare Draco sneak around behind his back and sift through his belongings?
Harry came to the conclusion that his husband needed to be taught a lesson.
~*~
Draco stood staring out the window. His husband was lying to him.
Draco was convinced of that even though he lacked proof. He had found only one suspicious thing in Harry's desk drawer yesterday--a cryptic message written on DMLE letterhead. Draco had wanted to confront Harry with the evidence, but he didn't want to admit he'd been snooping. No, this situation called for Slytherin finesse.
A flash of movement garnered Draco's attention, and he saw an unfamiliar owl winging its way to the window where he stood. Draco opened the window and the owl flew in, dropped a packet on an antique sideboard and flew away again. Draco's pulse hammered with excitement. Perhaps Harry had received another furtive message from the DMLE.
Draco picked the parcel up, his facile mind already working out how he could open it without being obvious. The envelope was addressed to MALFOY. Draco's elation was replaced by confusion. He wasn't expecting any mail. To be safe, he cast a quick spell to check for any trace of dark magic. Finding none, he tore the envelope open. It contained a message and a small cloth bag. Draco unfolded the message and read:
Malfoy, we have your husband. If you want to see him alive again, you'll follow these
The blood drained from Draco's face, and he had to put a hand on the sideboard to steady himself. His eyes went to the innocuous bag, and Draco swallowed heavily as he opened it with trembling fingers. A lock of dark hair tumbled out, and Draco whimpered in despair as he rubbed it between his fingers. He would recognize his husband's hair anywhere.
It was no bluff--Harry was in danger.
Draco snatched up the message from where it had fallen from his nerveless fingers and continued reading. The letter instructed him to go to a certain hotel room, sans wand, and warned that if he notified anyone else the next delivery would be Harry's head.
Draco bolted for the bathroom and purged his lunch.
~*~
Draco slowed as he approached the designated room. Finding the right door, he raised his hand and knocked. The door opened, aided by magic, and Draco squared his shoulders and stepped inside. The door closed behind him, and the soft click seemed more ominous somehow than a resounding bang would have been.
"Draco Malfoy, how nice to see you again."
Draco paused while his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. He didn't recognize the man seated in the corner, but then again, he didn't expect to. It would be foolish of the man not to use a glamour. His voice unnerved Draco. It sounded almost mechanical, and something that Harry had once said about Muggles using electronic devices to alter their voices teased at Draco's memory.
"I've followed your instructions," he said. "Tell me what you want." Draco was proud of how calm he sounded.
"What do you think I want?" taunted the stranger.
"Money," Draco shrugged. He saw the shadowy figure shake his head.
"Wrong, Malfoy," the man said. "I want you. Now, strip."
~*~
Harry watched Draco's eyes go wide, and he fought off the laugh he could feel building in his chest at his husband's outraged expression. He wondered just how far Draco was willing to go to save his husband.
"Strip?" Draco repeated.
Harry recognized that tone of voice. It spoke of certain death for the one who had so displeased Draco. "Strip," Harry confirmed. "Slowly. I want a show." Harry could have sworn he heard his husband's teeth snap when Draco closed his mouth and glared.
A long moment passed. Harry could tell Draco was thinking of ways to get out of the situation, and while part of him was frustrated by the delay, Harry was pleased that Draco wasn't keen on removing his clothing for another man. "Delaying will only prolong your husband's suffering," Harry growled. That much was true--his cock was throbbing already, and the ache only increased with each passing moment.
Draco's lips twisted in a sneer of revulsion as he reached for the top button of his shirt.
~*~
Draco had no problem with slow, because his shaking fingers didn't want to cooperate. He tugged his shirt free of his trousers and finished unbuttoning it. Draco allowed the shirt to slip off of one shoulder before he spun around and let it drop down to reveal both shoulders and his upper back. He heard the man behind him make a sound of approval, and Draco blanched. He was hoping to get out of here without having sex with the stranger, but if it came to that, he would do what he must to save Harry.
Draco pulled his shirt on once more and whirled around to face the enemy. He held the edges of the garment together with both hands before abruptly whipping his shirt open to reveal his firmly muscled chest. A gasp sounded from the corner. Draco wondered if he could kill the bastard and what would happen to Harry if he did. He tossed his shirt to the floor and reached for the buckle of his narrow belt. The man leaned forward in his seat.
Draco fumbled his belt open and unbuttoned his trousers before toying with his zip. He eased it down reluctantly, grateful that was wearing loose-fitting boxers. Once the zip was lowered, Draco turned away again before sliding his trousers slowly down his hips. The breathing behind him grew labored, and Draco felt nausea churn his stomach as he toed off his shoes and kicked his trousers away. It seemed certain now that he wouldn't leave this room without being coerced into having sex with the stranger. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and turned his back to the man again. He began to tug his underwear down, revealing the upper swell of his arse.
"Mm, Dragon..."
Draco froze, and his breath caught. "Harry?"
~*~
Sensing the sudden change in Draco's demeanor, Harry blinked to clear the fog of lust from his mind. His husband turned to face him, and the look in his eye could have felled a fully grown basilisk.
"Harry. James. Potter," Draco hissed, raw fury dripping from each syllable.
Harry's glamour dropped, and he scrambled to his feet and held up both hands, palms out in a placating gesture. "Draco, I can expl-" Harry's words were cut off with an oof as Draco's flying tackle knocked him into the wall and drove the breath from his lungs.
They fell on the floor, and Draco launched an all-out attack. "You cock-sucking arsehole!" he yelled, fists pummeling Harry wherever he could reach.
Harry yelped and tried to protect himself as best he could. When the flurry of punches paused, Harry lowered his hands from his face and peered up at his husband's flushed and angry countenance. Draco swooped down and crushed Harry's lips in a fierce kiss. It was brutal. Harry could taste blood in his mouth, but none of that mattered.
Draco's hands slid into Harry's hair and tightened an instant before he lifted his head to glare down at Harry. "I believed you were in danger," Draco snarled, punctuating each word by raising Harry's head by the hair and thunking the back of Harry's skull onto the floor.
"Ow, ow!" bleated Harry, trying to rescue his hair from Draco's death grip. "Stop, Draco, stop!"
Draco let Harry's head fall back one last time before scrambling off his husband. Harry clambered unsteadily to his feet, wincing at the aches and pains his beloved virago had inflicted. "Draco, I-"
"Give me your wand."
"What?" Harry blurted.
Draco held his hand out and snapped his fingers. "I'm going home. Give me your wand."
Harry quailed at the tone of Draco's voice and withdrew his wand. He handed it to his husband and ventured, "How will I get home?"
"You can crawl!" Draco spat as he snatched up his clothing. "It will be good practice for all the groveling you'll be doing."
Harry cringed and rubbed the back of his head where a lump was already forming. Draco sent one final, furious glare in Harry's direction before Disapparating with a crack. Harry sighed and straightened his glasses. Fortunately, he had a Muggle credit card with him.
He trudged to the door, quickening his steps at the sound of a knock. Hoping Draco had returned to kiss and make up, Harry swept the door open. Standing in the corridor were two of London's finest with nightsticks in their hands and scowls on their faces.
"We've been summoned to investigate a disturbance of the peace."
Virago 2
Author: enchanted_jae
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: R
Warning(s): Sexual activity, domestic violence, coercion
Word count: 2550
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was written for fun, not for profit.
ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: Author is not responsible for underage readers. Please observe the rating, warnings, and age of legal consent for your country.
Author's note: Written as a birthday gift for tarajw, whose prompt was stripping. Those of you who've seen the movie "True Lies" will recognize similar plot elements.
Summary: Harry decides to teach his nosy husband a lesson, but of course, Gryffindor plots never go as planned.
"Harry, you told me you work in the Ministry's Muggle Liaison Office."
"I do," Harry replied immediately. The lie fell from his lips with practiced ease. No one, not even his husband, knew what Harry really did in his position at the Ministry.
"Why did you receive a missive from the DMLE?" Draco persisted.
Harry cursed his luck. He had been hoping Draco wouldn't notice that, but he should have known better. Draco was sharp, vigilant and curious to the point of being nosy. Harry turned his attention back to the Prophet, adopting a casual air. "It was simply another attempt on their part to recruit me to the Auror Department," he shrugged. Draco was silent for a long moment, and Harry fought the urge to either squirm or take a peek at his husband's expression.
"I see," Draco said eventually.
Harry felt his shoulders relax.
~*~
Draco didn't buy it for one minute. Harry was up to something, which was bad enough, but he was keeping secrets, and that was worse. If Harry had gotten involved in something dangerous, Draco deserved to know about it so he could kill his husband.
Before Draco had accepted Harry's marriage proposal, he had made Harry promise to stop endangering himself by trying to save the world. Harry had agreed, and Draco had assumed his Gryffindor husband would keep his word. Obviously, the word of a Gryffindor didn't mean much these days.
Resolved to get to the bottom of things, Draco waited until Harry left for the Ministry of Magic before going on a self-appointed mission. He would begin in his husband's study.
~*~
Harry found it difficult to concentrate at work that day. He wasn't convinced that Draco had been pacified so easily, and he wondered what his sneaky Slytherin husband was getting up to. Harry had promised Draco that he would no longer endanger himself once they were married, and Harry had kept that vow. It was his job to train the most elite of the world's dark wizard hunters in Defense Against the Dark Arts at the Ministry.
The task was fulfilling enough to satisfy Harry without putting him in any undue danger. However, his job was considered top secret, and he had been forbidden to discuss it with anyone. While no one had come right out and said so, there had been the implication that Harry's husband was still perceived as a threat and a risk. While it angered Harry, there was little he could do to change the narrow minds that surrounded him.
Harry shook himself from his musing and called for attention. "Alright, let's try that spell again."
~*~
Harry came home and treated Draco to a lingering kiss as he normally did. He went upstairs to their bedroom to change into more casual clothing. It was then that Harry noticed his drawers had been searched. Whoever had done it was quite good--only someone with Harry's training and natural paranoia would have noticed the slight disturbance of his personal items.
Harry immediately suspected Draco, but he didn't want to jump to any conclusions. He changed his clothing and made a detour to his office when he went back down the stairs. Harry paused outside the door. Even without the aid of magic, he could tell it had been opened by someone other than him. Harry was in the habit of inserting one of Draco's blond hairs at the very top of the door before he closed it. If someone didn't remove and replace the hair when the door was opened, Harry would notice its absence.
Checking to make sure Draco wasn't hovering nearby, Harry cast a spell to reveal any unpleasant surprises. There were none, which lent credence to his theory that his husband was the snoop. A rapid survey of the desk drawers indicated they had been searched. Harry was grateful that he kept no important documents at his home.
Harry rejoined his husband in the living room before Draco could become suspicious. He plopped into his easy chair and flipped on the telly as he was wont to do. Draco glanced up from the book he was reading and smiled at Harry. Pausing on an old rerun of Monty Python, Harry asked, "What did you do today, love?"
"I finished that report I've been asked to submit to Potions Quarterly," Draco replied in a bored tone.
"Did you at least get out of the house for awhile?" Harry asked, eyes wide with feigned concern.
"Alas, no," Draco chuckled. "I was home all day."
That eliminated the possibility that someone had sneaked into their empty house to search it.
Harry laughed at the antics onscreen until an advert came on. "Did anyone come visit to break up the monotony for you?" he teased.
"I fear I've been quite forgotten by family and friends," Draco lamented.
"Git," Harry snorted. Draco's answers all but proved that he was the culprit. "Would you like to go out for dinner?" Harry offered to throw suspicion off his line of questioning.
Draco glanced up and frowned. "I already have dinner in the oven."
"Oh, splendid," Harry beamed. "Perhaps we can go out tomorrow evening, then."
~*~
Harry thrust in again, harder this time, and Draco gasped and arched under him. "Harry," he moaned. "More, I need more."
Harry drew back and teased Draco's rim with tiny, back and forth thrusts. Draco's ring of muscle spasmed around him as a whine escaped Draco's throat. "Harry!" he pleaded. Draco pushed his hips up emphatically, taking Harry deep.
"Mm, Dragon," Harry murmured, plunging in again. Caught up in Draco's frenzy, Harry picked up the pace until he was sliding in and out of Draco in a flurry of long, hot strokes.
~*~
Harry lay awake that night long after Draco had succumbed to a shagged out slumber. His husband no longer trusted him.
While Harry's initial reaction to that was regret, it was overwhelmed by annoyance. How dare Draco sneak around behind his back and sift through his belongings?
Harry came to the conclusion that his husband needed to be taught a lesson.
~*~
Draco stood staring out the window. His husband was lying to him.
Draco was convinced of that even though he lacked proof. He had found only one suspicious thing in Harry's desk drawer yesterday--a cryptic message written on DMLE letterhead. Draco had wanted to confront Harry with the evidence, but he didn't want to admit he'd been snooping. No, this situation called for Slytherin finesse.
A flash of movement garnered Draco's attention, and he saw an unfamiliar owl winging its way to the window where he stood. Draco opened the window and the owl flew in, dropped a packet on an antique sideboard and flew away again. Draco's pulse hammered with excitement. Perhaps Harry had received another furtive message from the DMLE.
Draco picked the parcel up, his facile mind already working out how he could open it without being obvious. The envelope was addressed to MALFOY. Draco's elation was replaced by confusion. He wasn't expecting any mail. To be safe, he cast a quick spell to check for any trace of dark magic. Finding none, he tore the envelope open. It contained a message and a small cloth bag. Draco unfolded the message and read:
Malfoy, we have your husband. If you want to see him alive again, you'll follow these
The blood drained from Draco's face, and he had to put a hand on the sideboard to steady himself. His eyes went to the innocuous bag, and Draco swallowed heavily as he opened it with trembling fingers. A lock of dark hair tumbled out, and Draco whimpered in despair as he rubbed it between his fingers. He would recognize his husband's hair anywhere.
It was no bluff--Harry was in danger.
Draco snatched up the message from where it had fallen from his nerveless fingers and continued reading. The letter instructed him to go to a certain hotel room, sans wand, and warned that if he notified anyone else the next delivery would be Harry's head.
Draco bolted for the bathroom and purged his lunch.
~*~
Draco slowed as he approached the designated room. Finding the right door, he raised his hand and knocked. The door opened, aided by magic, and Draco squared his shoulders and stepped inside. The door closed behind him, and the soft click seemed more ominous somehow than a resounding bang would have been.
"Draco Malfoy, how nice to see you again."
Draco paused while his eyes adjusted to the dim interior. He didn't recognize the man seated in the corner, but then again, he didn't expect to. It would be foolish of the man not to use a glamour. His voice unnerved Draco. It sounded almost mechanical, and something that Harry had once said about Muggles using electronic devices to alter their voices teased at Draco's memory.
"I've followed your instructions," he said. "Tell me what you want." Draco was proud of how calm he sounded.
"What do you think I want?" taunted the stranger.
"Money," Draco shrugged. He saw the shadowy figure shake his head.
"Wrong, Malfoy," the man said. "I want you. Now, strip."
~*~
Harry watched Draco's eyes go wide, and he fought off the laugh he could feel building in his chest at his husband's outraged expression. He wondered just how far Draco was willing to go to save his husband.
"Strip?" Draco repeated.
Harry recognized that tone of voice. It spoke of certain death for the one who had so displeased Draco. "Strip," Harry confirmed. "Slowly. I want a show." Harry could have sworn he heard his husband's teeth snap when Draco closed his mouth and glared.
A long moment passed. Harry could tell Draco was thinking of ways to get out of the situation, and while part of him was frustrated by the delay, Harry was pleased that Draco wasn't keen on removing his clothing for another man. "Delaying will only prolong your husband's suffering," Harry growled. That much was true--his cock was throbbing already, and the ache only increased with each passing moment.
Draco's lips twisted in a sneer of revulsion as he reached for the top button of his shirt.
~*~
Draco had no problem with slow, because his shaking fingers didn't want to cooperate. He tugged his shirt free of his trousers and finished unbuttoning it. Draco allowed the shirt to slip off of one shoulder before he spun around and let it drop down to reveal both shoulders and his upper back. He heard the man behind him make a sound of approval, and Draco blanched. He was hoping to get out of here without having sex with the stranger, but if it came to that, he would do what he must to save Harry.
Draco pulled his shirt on once more and whirled around to face the enemy. He held the edges of the garment together with both hands before abruptly whipping his shirt open to reveal his firmly muscled chest. A gasp sounded from the corner. Draco wondered if he could kill the bastard and what would happen to Harry if he did. He tossed his shirt to the floor and reached for the buckle of his narrow belt. The man leaned forward in his seat.
Draco fumbled his belt open and unbuttoned his trousers before toying with his zip. He eased it down reluctantly, grateful that was wearing loose-fitting boxers. Once the zip was lowered, Draco turned away again before sliding his trousers slowly down his hips. The breathing behind him grew labored, and Draco felt nausea churn his stomach as he toed off his shoes and kicked his trousers away. It seemed certain now that he wouldn't leave this room without being coerced into having sex with the stranger. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and turned his back to the man again. He began to tug his underwear down, revealing the upper swell of his arse.
"Mm, Dragon..."
Draco froze, and his breath caught. "Harry?"
~*~
Sensing the sudden change in Draco's demeanor, Harry blinked to clear the fog of lust from his mind. His husband turned to face him, and the look in his eye could have felled a fully grown basilisk.
"Harry. James. Potter," Draco hissed, raw fury dripping from each syllable.
Harry's glamour dropped, and he scrambled to his feet and held up both hands, palms out in a placating gesture. "Draco, I can expl-" Harry's words were cut off with an oof as Draco's flying tackle knocked him into the wall and drove the breath from his lungs.
They fell on the floor, and Draco launched an all-out attack. "You cock-sucking arsehole!" he yelled, fists pummeling Harry wherever he could reach.
Harry yelped and tried to protect himself as best he could. When the flurry of punches paused, Harry lowered his hands from his face and peered up at his husband's flushed and angry countenance. Draco swooped down and crushed Harry's lips in a fierce kiss. It was brutal. Harry could taste blood in his mouth, but none of that mattered.
Draco's hands slid into Harry's hair and tightened an instant before he lifted his head to glare down at Harry. "I believed you were in danger," Draco snarled, punctuating each word by raising Harry's head by the hair and thunking the back of Harry's skull onto the floor.
"Ow, ow!" bleated Harry, trying to rescue his hair from Draco's death grip. "Stop, Draco, stop!"
Draco let Harry's head fall back one last time before scrambling off his husband. Harry clambered unsteadily to his feet, wincing at the aches and pains his beloved virago had inflicted. "Draco, I-"
"Give me your wand."
"What?" Harry blurted.
Draco held his hand out and snapped his fingers. "I'm going home. Give me your wand."
Harry quailed at the tone of Draco's voice and withdrew his wand. He handed it to his husband and ventured, "How will I get home?"
"You can crawl!" Draco spat as he snatched up his clothing. "It will be good practice for all the groveling you'll be doing."
Harry cringed and rubbed the back of his head where a lump was already forming. Draco sent one final, furious glare in Harry's direction before Disapparating with a crack. Harry sighed and straightened his glasses. Fortunately, he had a Muggle credit card with him.
He trudged to the door, quickening his steps at the sound of a knock. Hoping Draco had returned to kiss and make up, Harry swept the door open. Standing in the corridor were two of London's finest with nightsticks in their hands and scowls on their faces.
"We've been summoned to investigate a disturbance of the peace."
Virago 2