25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Dumbledore might be one of the most well-known wizards in the Harry Potter world, but these other wizards are just more powerful than he is.



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25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Harry Potter is one of the most popular book/movie franchises on Earth, making the Harry Potter fandom one of the biggest. In this article, we’ll be discussing 25 Harry Potter wizards who are arguably more powerful than Albus Dumbledore. When J.K. Rowling first published Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997, British children and young teens were hooked. The fantasy tale of a young boy entering wizard school was interesting, and J.K. Rowling’s writing was absolutely gripping. A year later, the second book, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, was published, and the world began to take notice. It was pretty much an overnight success.

Five more books followed, along with film adaptations that kicked off the acting careers of many of the child stars in the films. To this day, Harry Potter is a wildly loved household name, and we bet nearly every house on Earth has at least one book stowed away in the bookshelf. Even though the film series has ended, with the last film being made in 2011, they are still loved and watched by many (we’re thinking of bingeing them later, actually). In this list, we’re not focusing on the phenomena of Harry Potter, but rather focusing on the world of Harry Potter. We’ll tell you 25 wizards in Harry Potter who we believe are more powerful than the supposed ‘most powerful wizard ever,’ Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

25 The Boy Who Lived

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

This one shouldn’t be that surprising; it’s kind of obvious. Harry Potter is the boy who lived. He’s frequently known by that title throughout the books and movies. He lived through the story’s main villain, Voldemort (the bald guy with no nose for those who aren’t well versed in HP knowledge), trying to end Harry as a baby. Of course, this makes him popular in the wizarding world, and pretty powerful. When we first meet Harry in the books, he lives in the muggle world (meaning normal humans with no wizard power or knowledge of) with his mean Aunt, Uncle, and cousin Dudley. Throughout the series, as Harry gets older, he gains more knowledge about wizardry and hones his skills with help from other wizards who train him.

Harry Potter is the wizard who ultimately ends Voldemort.

Remember that all the other students at Hogwarts have known about wizards and magic all their lives, and Harry only found out right before he started school. Harry already had a reputation before he even knew who he was, meaning that when he got to Hogwarts he was always labeled as the special one. He also lived up to his name by being challenged by Voldemort every year and winning.

24 He Who Shall Not Be Named

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Again, this one was pretty obvious but very necessary. He may not be many people’s (or anyone’s) favorite character in HP, but he was extremely powerful. Being evil or not, he was easily more powerful than Dumbledore. It took literal years to end him, after countless efforts from nearly every wizard in existence. That’s a pretty good effort from someone with no nose. It must be tough to suddenly be bald and snake looking after you used to be the handsome Tom Riddle.



Voldemort vs. Dumbledore is an argument that divides many opinions. Some people say that Voldemort is definitely more powerful because he was the wizard that Dumbledore couldn’t defeat. Others argue that Dumbledore is a greater, more powerful wizard because he has more powers than Voldemort, but is too good to use them.

Today we will be taking the side of Voldemort, because yeah, it took seven books to end him. We’re also going to argue that he was possibly smarter than Dumbledore because all of his planning and trickery to end Harry Potter, along with his six Horcruxes, kept him alive and terrorizing for so long. We’ll allow that we don’t see why it was so important to end Harry; Voldemort could have done some damage if he focused his power elsewhere.

23 Not So Mad After All

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Here is the first of probably many surprising wizards that will make you think “Hmm… really?” Well, yes, really. There are many wizards in Harry Potter that are unrecognized for their powers and talent in wizardry, and we’re here to name and discuss them all (or 20 something of them). Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody was a pureblood wizard worked as an Auror before joining Hogwarts. An Auror is a wizard who spends their time capturing and stopping dark wizards who practice the dark arts.

Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody was also an old friend of Dumbledore.

He went to Hogwarts and started to teach Defence Against The Dark Arts in Harry’s fourth year. He had a pretty big role in the Goblet Of Fire. Since retiring from Auror work, it was obvious he’d been through a lot since Mad-Eye Moody had lost a leg, an eye, and part of his nose. The reason he’s on our list today? He fought Voldemort off, even if he was fearful of the Dark Lord he stood his ground and chose to try and fight off Voldemort, even though it ultimately cost it all. Mad-Eye Moody was also considered to be the best Auror of all time, which definitely sets him up as being a very powerful wizard.


22 Something Strange About Bellatrix

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Bellatrix Lestrange is another unsurprising addition to this list. She should be one of the first to pop into your head when you’re thinking of powerful wizards because her talent and wizardry skills are intense, but so is her demeanor and love for the dark arts. Bellatrix Lestrange is very powerful at witchcraft and wizardry, and she’s especially skilled in the dark arts. This, paired along with her naturally cruel and evil nature, make her a serious threat and a dangerous opponent. Her sadistic side was shown in the books and films, and she is seemingly amazed by Voldemort, but it’s probably more his power.

Bellatrix is also shown throughout the books and films as insane, and incapable of understanding love. Even though Bellatrix is married to Rodolphus Lestrange. Her affection for Voldemort is believed to be an amazement for his power, but either way, it is not reciprocated because Voldemort sees her as a simple servant for his plans. Bellatrix may be a very powerful witch in the films and books, but there is another witch on this list who we will be discussing, and she is the one responsible for Bellatrix Lestrange’s timely demise.

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21 A Boss Lady

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Professor Minerva McGonagall was one of the first characters to be introduced into the Harry Potter world, as she’s in the very first chapters of the book along, with Albus Dumbledore and Hagrid, of course. She is deputy headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House, and a professor of transfiguration. Transfiguration is a set of magic spells that transform objects from one thing to another. Her Patronus is well-known as she transforms herself into a cat, which is actually the form she is introduced to the reader in the first book (a Patronus is a defense mechanism against dementors).

Professor McGonagall is often seen as cold and distant, but it is said she does this to hide her sensitive side.

A few times Harry is unsure of McGonagall’s intentions, as her usual stiff, cold moods can change to nice. In the end, we know that she is an ally of Harry and Dumbledore. McGonagall is a pretty regular character all throughout the books and film adaptations. Throughout both, she is fiercely loyal to Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts and to stop Voldemort from ending Harry Potter and taking over. As a former Hogwarts student herself, she is well versed in the knowledge of Voldemort’s history. McGonagall is so loyal to Hogwarts she even battles Professor Severus Snape, her fellow teacher at Hogwarts.

20 The Potion Master

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

As discussed earlier, Severus Snape was a main character of the Harry Potter story, and like Professor Minerva McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore, he was also introduced in the first book and film. Also, like the other two, he is consistent with the storyline, and his character is learned to be an important part of Harry’s past. That is a fact that we as the reader/watchers discovered with Harry when he first found out. Severus Snape was the Potions teacher at Hogwarts. Like McGonagall, he was head of a house as well as a teacher, but he was the Head of Slytherin. Slytherin is the most ‘evil’ and dark of the four houses.

Snape is introduced as a very cold and distant character and was often seen as being unnecessarily mean and cruel towards Harry Potter and his friends while favoring Draco Malfoy and children from Slytherin, his house. Throughout the films and books, it’s difficult to tell where Snape’s loyalties lie as he is seen serving both Dumbledore and Voldemort. Snape is a very powerful wizard and potions master, along with being a very intelligent person which no doubt aided his abilities. In the end, his demise comes from his former master Voldemort, who orders his pet snake to end Snape.

19 Close To Dumbledore

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Gellert Grindelwald is more known now because of the wonderful 2016 film Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Played by the troubled, half hated and half loved Johnny Deep, let’s just say that while watching Fantastic Beasts, Grindelwald was an easy character to hate. There is an upcoming movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald about, you guessed it, Gellert Grindelwald. It’s set to be released in November this year. If you’re not a huge Potterhead and haven’t seen Fantastic Beasts (which we recommend you do), here is a summary of Gellert Grindelwald, and why he was so good for being so bad.

Grindelwald was a very powerful wizard, who existed and perished long before Harry Potter came along. He attended Durmstrang Institute but was kicked out at sixteen for his twisted experiments and attacks on other students. He was obsessed with power and dark magic. That’s why he became obsessed with The Deathly Hallows and wanted to become the master of the afterlife. After being expelled Grindelwald met a young Albus Dumbledore, and the two quickly became friends. Dumbledore was in awe of Grindelwald and his dark ways, which concerned his brother Aberforth Dumbledore. He had it out with both of them, and Albus’ sister Ariana perished in the crossfire. Grindelwald fled and years later in an intense battle, Dumbledore finally ended Grindelwald.

18 The Bookworm

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Back to the good side for a moment, let’s talk about how amazing Hermione Granger is. She’s the best friend to Harry Potter, and her husband ended up being the third party in their trio, Ron Weasley. She was an original character from the first book and has stayed a fan favorite since. Hermione came from a muggle family, meaning her parents were normal humans and not wizards. That didn’t stop her from becoming a very powerful witch and one of the smartest, arguably the smartest student at Hogwarts.

Her power came from her academic knowledge and dedication to learning everything she possibly could. In the third book of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione uses a time turner (a time travel device) to attend more classes. Although it does catch up with her, we can imagine all the work would be exhausting, we still think it was pretty cool of her.

Like best friends should, Hermione is always there alongside Ron and Harry to help out when they’re in trouble and to help ward off Voldemort. In the first book, it’s thanks to Hermione’s smarts, skills and actually paying attention in class that Ron and Harry aren’t ended in The Devil’s Snare. Throughout the series, Hermione is shown saving Harry and Ron from imminent danger, as well as showing us what studying should look like. Yes, Hermione, you go girl.

17 The Founder

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of Hogwarts and the founder of Slytherin house. He’s considered to be one of the greatest wizards of all time, and he and the other founding member’s of Hogwarts existed long before the wizards of Harry Potter, or Fantastic Beasts. Salazar spoke Parseltongue, which is the language of serpents, meaning he and other parseltongue speakers (Harry Potter himself included) could talk to snakes. Also to each other in parseltongue language. It is said that Salazar Slytherin was particularly skilled at legilimency. Legilimency is the act of magically going through someone’s mind. Think of Harry Potter meets Inception.

Salazar was cruel just like the Slytherin members after him, and wouldn’t allow muggle-born wizard children into his house.

After founding Hogwarts Salazar slowly grew apart from the other members, and it is believed he fought with Godric Gryffindor over letting only pure-blood wizards into Hogwarts; Gryffindor didn’t agree. Salazar then left his Basilisk behind in the Chamber of Secrets. Apparently, the Chamber of Secrets was created for the specific reason of getting rid of the muggle-born students. However, once it was closed, it stayed closed until Harry, Ron, and Hermione opened it in the second book. It isn’t known when Salazar Slytherin passed (but we’re kind of glad he did because let’s be real, he’s a bit of a jerk).

16 A Mother’s Love

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Molly Weasley was one powerful woman, okay. Not even just her witch powers, she was a strong woman who raised seven children into wonderful people and wizards (and a witch; we’ve got you, Ginny). We first meet Mrs. Weasley when Harry is trying to catch the train to Hogwarts for the first time. Molly notices him all alone and helps him get to platform 9 and 3/4. Without a thought of how she and Mr. Weasley are already struggling with their seven children (well, five, really, because Bill and Charlie were off), Molly welcomes Harry into their home and lives like he’s her own son.

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Molly Weasley has a lot of defining moments: the howler she sent to Ron (a letter that sends voices through the mail, like on your iPhone), her amazing talent for cooking for the whole Weasley brood, and more. We feel the most defining moment for Mrs. Weasley was definitely when she took on Bellatrix Lestrange. This is the moment we talked about earlier when we mentioned Bellatrix. Mrs. Molly Weasley is the one who took on an insane dark arts witch and won. With the power of motherly love and fear for her daughter, Molly dueled literally to the end of Bellatrix Lestrange. Let’s have a round of applause for that!

15 The Godfather

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

The ever-popular Sirius Black is played by the wonderfully talented Gary Oldman. A strangely popular crush in the HP fandom, Sirius Black was the godfather of Harry, because he was best friends with Harry’s dad James Potter. It was discovered in the HP books that Harry’s dad James, Sirius, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew were all friends and decided to form an alliance. They called themselves the Marauders. The group joined the Order of the Phoenix, whose mission was to go after and take down the dark lord Voldemort during the first wizarding war.

Peter Pettigrew betrayed the Marauders and switched to the side of Voldemort. Pettigrew framed Sirius for the ending of 12 muggles and Sirius was unfairly sentenced to serve in Azkaban, the harshest prison in all of the wizarding world. Sirius became the first ever prisoner to escape from Azkaban. He did it by being an Animagus, which is a wizard who can transform themselves into an animal at will. Sirius’ Animagus was a big black dog which was often mistaken for a Grim. Shortly after escaping and rejoining the order, Sirius was ended by Bellatrix Lestrange (who was his cousin), but not before he saved his godson Harry’s life from Dementors first.

14 The Wolf

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Remus Lupin as mentioned above, was the best friend of James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew before he turned dark. Remus Lupin was a half-blood wizard, meaning that one parent was a wizard and one was a muggle. In this case, his father was the wizard. Like his friend Sirius Black, Remus Lupin was introduced in the third book of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Remus came to Hogwarts as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher that year. Hogwarts generally went through one a year.

Remus Lupin’s big secret in the series was that he was secretly a werewolf.

Affected by lycanthropy through an attack as a child, his parents tried yet failed to get Remus cured of the disorder which made him turn into a wolf once a month. While attending Hogwarts Remus was taken to the Shrieking Shack. The Shrieking Shack was an abandoned house used by Dumbledore specifically for Remus Lupin’s once a month visits. Is he the coolest headmaster ever or what? Lupin was arguably one of the best characters in HP, and one of the most powerful wizards. Lupin had serious knowledge of the dark arts and instead chose to focus on teaching defense mechanisms against it. Sadly Lupin perished when attacked by the Death Eater Antonin Dolohov.

13 The Mother

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Of course, we had to have more than one Potter on this list. Lily Potter (maiden name Evans) was Harry’s mother and a very powerful witch. She, like Harry, was a muggle-born witch and didn’t know that she was a witch, or even the existence of magic, until a neighborhood boy, Severus Snape, told her. She then attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when she was of age. Like her son, she was placed into Gryffindor and became Head Girl. She started to date James Potter (much to the disgust of Snape) and then came graduation, fighting Voldemort, and Harry.

Lily’s story ends the way our beloved Harry Potter begins. When Harry was a baby, Voldemort came to end the Potter family and succeeded in ending Lily and James but failing to end Harry. Lily is proven to be a powerful witch, especially for a Muggle-born, as even Voldemort asked her to join his dark side. She, of course, said no, and used her powers against him. According to Professor Slughorn Lily was especially skilled in potions. She was also said to be skilled in Transfiguration and her wand was good for charms. Her power was proven alone with James’ because they escaped Voldemort three times before being caught.

12 The Underdog

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Professor Filius Flitwick was somewhat of an underdog in Harry Potter history. Profesor Flitwick taught charms at Hogwarts and was generally loved and considered a great teacher by all. He was also the Head of House for Ravenclaw. Special because he was part wizard part goblin, Filius Flitwick attended and graduated from Hogwarts, and you guessed it, he was sorted into Ravenclaw. Filius is a very powerful wizard because he opposed Voldemort and lived through the first and second wizarding wars. Filius was also known for being opposed to Dolores Umbridge (aren’t we all?!).

Professor Flitwick was a dueling master, which made him a very talented wizard so it’s no surprise that he lived. He took part in The Battle of Hogwarts and survived. He stayed on at Hogwarts teaching charms. What was special about this is that so many well-known, powerful wizards perished during the battle, and yet Flitwick showcased how talented and powerful he was by taking down many Death Eaters and living. Filius Flitwick was obviously very skilled at charms and a surprising fact is his Patronus is not known. That or he didn’t have one. Filius Flitwick also took down the powerful Death Eater Anton Dolohov, who is responsible for the passing of Remus Lupin.

11 The Infiltrator

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Barty Crouch Jr. was a follower of Voldemort in his teens. He was the son of Bartemius Crouch, who worked at the Ministry of Magic. Crouch was basically the politician’s kid who can never get in trouble in the wizarding world. He took the Dark Mark (like a tattoo to show loyalty to Voldemort) as a teenager and was given a trial by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Even though his father was present at the trial, Barty Jr. was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban. His mother couldn’t take him being stuck in prison, and as she had fallen ill she convinced her husband to let her take her son’s place. A bit of Polyjuice potion later and poor Momma Crouch perished in the cell while her son was back home.

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After escaping his father’s hold at a Quidditch tournament, Barty launched the dark mark into the sky, and to make a long story short, all heck broke loose. Barty used Polyjuice potion once again to go undercover as Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody. It worked until Barty admitted who he really was, and told that he had dropped Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire and tried to end him to prove he was Voldemort’s number one follower (obsessed much?). Barty was caught but before he could go to trial, he was deservingly given a Dementor’s kiss. A dementor’s kiss means a dementor comes and literally sucks out your soul.

10 Choosing His Side

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Antonin Dolohov was one of the first Death Eaters in existence, and one of the first followers of Voldemort. He was following the Dark Lord when he was still Tom Riddle and a student at Hogwarts. During the first wizarding war Dolohov took pleasure in bothering and ending muggles. He was a sadistic wizard, and his felonies were things which he paid for when he was sentenced to life in Azkaban. He rotted in a cell for the next 14 years. After that, he teamed up with many other Death Eater convicts and escaped from Azkaban and rejoined Voldemort. During this time he helped Voldemort during one of his attacks on Harry Potter. This is when Dolohov ended the good wizard, Mad-Eye Moody.

After this, Antonin Dolohov was once again sentenced to prison in Azkaban. Just like deja vu, he once again successfully planned to escape from prison. He once again rejoined Voldemort and joined other Death Eaters. Seriously, did this guy ever take a break and rethink his choices? Apparently not, because he continued to follow Voldemort, and it ultimately cost him his life. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Dolohov was attacked by Professor Filius Flitwick. We all know how that turned out, thankfully.

9 Naive, But Powerful

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Professor Horace Slughorn was an old timer at Hogwarts. He worked there for years as the Slytherin Head of House and taught potions. He taught Lily Potter and Tom Riddle while he was a student. His skills were potions, transfiguration, and occlumency, which is the act of blocking your mind from being read. This protects the mind against wizards trying to use legilimency. Professor Slughorn, for all the power and knowledge had, was remarkably naive. Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) as a student would get Slughorn to tell him secrets because he knew Slughorn reacted well to flattery. Slughorn was the one who let Tom know how to create Horcruxes. For this Slughorn retired from teaching in 1981 after Voldemort tried to end Harry.

He returned to Hogwarts upon Dumbledore’s request in Harry’s sixth year.

He went back to teaching Potions, taking over Snape’s position. Snape finally got to transfer and teach Defence Against the Dark Arts. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Slughorn finally gained the courage and showed off his skills as a very powerful wizard. He took Voldemort on and held his own for a while. He survived the battle and continued to teach at Hogwarts like Professor Flitwick. After his retirement in 2016, a portrait of him was hung in the Slytherin common room.

8 The Minister

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Rufus Scrimgeour was originally an Auror like Alastor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody. Rufus then joined the Ministry of Magic where he worked his way up to becoming the Head of the Auror Office, and one of the most successful Aurors of all time. He then took over Cornelius Fudge’s position as the Minister of Magic in 1996. His idea was to harden laws against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Rufus sold the idea that the Ministry was safer than it really was. This false pretense of the Ministry being protected didn’t work, and the Ministry was attacked by Death Eaters. The Ministry was now under the control of Voldemort, the worst thing that could possibly happen.

He was described as being a smart, cunning, and persistent individual.

Rufus Scrimgeour was repeatedly attacked by Voldemort for the location of Harry Potter, but to his credit, he never gave anything up. This lead to Voldemort ending him, but Rufus passed protecting Harry. Rufus Scrimgeour may not have been the most useful Minister, but in the end, he passed a hero. Though it’s not disclosed, it’s been decided by HP fans that Rufus would have been in Slytherin if he was in any of the four houses.

7 Not To Be Underestimated

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Newton Artemis Fido Scamander, aka Newt, is a wizard from the old world. Newt was around at the same time as the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, before Harry Potter. His book was on Harry Potter’s textbook list for his first year at Hogwarts. Newt Scamander also attended Hogwarts, but about 90 years before Harry and friends. Unsurprisingly, Newt was a Hufflepuff. He loved creatures from a young age, something that probably lead him to his future career. At the time he attended Hogwarts, Dumbledore was still the Transfiguration teacher.

Newt Scamander was a magizoologist and author of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

Newt was very skilled in the Care of Magical Creatures, as he was able to tame and communicate with them which was a very rare trait for wizards. He was also very skilled in charms, as well as dueling and potions. It was surprising what a skilled duelist Newt was, as he was known for his calm and friendly nature. Using his skills, he was able to escape unharmed from an attack by the dark and powerful wizard Gellert Grindelwald. After writing his book, Newt lived a pretty calm life and last we heard of, he lived peacefully with his wife and three pet creatures.

6 The Auror

25 Harry Potter Wizards More Powerful Than Dumbledore

Kingsley Shacklebolt worked for the Ministry of Magic as an Auror. In 1995 when Voldemort returned Kingsley joined the Order of the Phoenix. He is often a wizard mentioned when people talk about some of the most powerful wizards in Harry Potter. Kingsley fought in the Battle of the Department of Ministries, and the Battle of Hogwarts and succeeded both times. As a child Kingsley also attended Hogwarts, and even though it’s never told what house Kingsley was in, it is often presumed he was a Hufflepuff like Newt Scamander.

Kingsley was especially skilled in dueling, and once took on and ended two Death Eaters at once. He battled Augustus Rookwood who was a powerful wizard skilled at dark magic. During a battle, he defeated three Death Eaters and fought Voldemort all in the same night, while managing to escape uninjured. He was a highly skilled Auror, good with charms during his education at Hogwarts, and skilled in Defence Against the Dark Arts. This helped his job at the Ministry, especially when he was assigned to protect the Prime Minister. He learned to blend in well with muggles and was so good at blending in that the Prime Minister was shocked when he learned the truth about Kingsley.

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