struct super_block *sb = seq->private;
        ext4_group_t group = (ext4_group_t) ((unsigned long) v);
        int i;
-       int err;
+       int err, buddy_loaded = 0;
        struct ext4_buddy e4b;
+       struct ext4_group_info *grinfo;
        struct sg {
                struct ext4_group_info info;
                ext4_grpblk_t counters[16];
 
        i = (sb->s_blocksize_bits + 2) * sizeof(sg.info.bb_counters[0]) +
                sizeof(struct ext4_group_info);
-       err = ext4_mb_load_buddy(sb, group, &e4b);
-       if (err) {
-               seq_printf(seq, "#%-5u: I/O error\n", group);
-               return 0;
+       grinfo = ext4_get_group_info(sb, group);
+       /* Load the group info in memory only if not already loaded. */
+       if (unlikely(EXT4_MB_GRP_NEED_INIT(grinfo))) {
+               err = ext4_mb_load_buddy(sb, group, &e4b);
+               if (err) {
+                       seq_printf(seq, "#%-5u: I/O error\n", group);
+                       return 0;
+               }
+               buddy_loaded = 1;
        }
-       ext4_lock_group(sb, group);
+
        memcpy(&sg, ext4_get_group_info(sb, group), i);
-       ext4_unlock_group(sb, group);
-       ext4_mb_unload_buddy(&e4b);
+
+       if (buddy_loaded)
+               ext4_mb_unload_buddy(&e4b);
 
        seq_printf(seq, "#%-5u: %-5u %-5u %-5u [", group, sg.info.bb_free,
                        sg.info.bb_fragments, sg.info.bb_first_free);