Christmas crept up unnoticed. Most of the students, despite the dangers of the outside world, went home for the holidays. Among them was the overly curious Miss Know-It-All, which could not help but please Harry — he could avoid worrying for at least these couple of weeks. In addition, Cormac McLaggen had left, another reason for concern. After the assassination attempt on the Quidditch pitch, the Boy-Who-Lived-Anyway preferred to give that lout a wide berth, so to speak, staying away from sin.
And so, since there were no reasons for worry, Harry gladly opened his eyes on that Christmas morning. Flamia woke up right after him. For some time they did not even want to say anything, especially since one look, full of love and care, was worth a thousand words. Flamia was the first to break the silence:
"Merry Christmas, beloved!"
"And to you too!.. Everything about Christmas at Hogwarts is good, except you still have to get up for breakfast! All right, let's see what we have here…"
As always, there were quite a lot of presents. Here was Hagrid's stone baking, from which one could just about build houses; here was another book from Hermione, she had somehow managed to find a guide to Legilimency called "How to Penetrate the Mind"; Ron had once again sent a book about Quidditch (interesting, was he getting rid of his own collection?); the twins had sent several new jokes; Mrs. Weasley…
"Harry! Mrs. Weasley always congratulated you on Christmas! What's the matter?"
"Well, how should I put it… Even if her attitude toward me doesn't change, female solidarity with her daughter won't allow her to give me any gifts… Look, there's something here for you too!"
Harry handed Flamia a small box. Inside it lay an unusual pendant: inside a heart-shaped diamond, a magical fire was burning. The girl was extremely surprised, but, meeting the eyes of her beloved, she understood that it was from him.
"I decided that you couldn't be left without a gift, and so I sent an order to a jewelry workshop…"
"But this is so expensive!"
"But eternal, like my love…"
At breakfast in the Great Hall there were very few people. As always in such cases, instead of the House and teachers' tables, there was one common table. Dumbledore, whose hand still did not want to heal, was having fun as if nothing had happened. Apparently, he had sensibly reasoned that even he, the Headmaster, sometimes needed to simply relax and enjoy life. Fred and George Weasley were clearly helping him with that, since after his treat, the teaching staff had safely turned into a zoo. When the Best Couple entered the Hall, Albus winked at them and offered them seats closer by. They did not refuse, although they treated the food with great caution. Harry was somewhat surprised that the ferret had stayed at Hogwarts, especially since his retinue had left in an unknown direction. But what surprised him even more was the displeasure that could be read in Snape's gaze, directed at Malfoy… It created the impression that the latter was hiding something from his Head of House, and it was very possible that this something was the blond's trips to the Room of Requirement. However, Harry did not manage to think about this, because Albus Dumbledore unexpectedly invited him and Flamia to his office, to, so to speak, keep an old man company… Even from their madcap Headmaster, such a phrase sounded unusual. He clearly wanted to tell them something without outsiders, while not arousing suspicion…
In the office, Dumbledore unhurriedly took his place, offered his guests seats, and immediately got down to business:
"Do you remember our conversation about Horcruxes after that incident with the necklace?"
"Yes, but what is the problem?"
"I thought for a long time about the unusual nature of your origin, Flamia. I greatly regretted even mentioning those creations of Dark magic back then, because I could not connect them and you. That conclusion, that you are something like a Horcrux, was fundamentally mistaken! A Horcrux is a part of a murderer's soul, enclosed in some vessel for the sake of attaining immortality. However, you are not a direct part of Harry's soul!"
"How so? And what about the fact that I cannot manage without him for more than an hour?"
"I will explain everything now… No wizard of modern times has encountered such a phenomenon, but I managed to find an old chronicle, practically a myth, in which the Fire Maiden was mentioned. It is a being that appears from fire when a wizard sacrifices part of his soul at a moment of mortal danger. Yes, Harry's soul allowed you to come into the world, but it was only a kind of nourishment that allowed you to awaken. As for the fact that he has already twice avoided death and returned to our world at your call, that is the duty of the Fire Maiden — to protect the wizard who summoned her from death. And it is precisely worry for him that forces you to constantly remain nearby.
"But if that is so… Am I a person?"
"If you mean — do you have your own soul, then of course! Even if you remember everything that Harry remembered at the moment of your appearance, even if your appearance formed as his ideal of a girl, you are capable of making certain decisions yourself, feeling yourself, thinking… Yes, your unchanging goal in life will be to protect him, but do you not like that?"
The Headmaster, in his usual manner, slyly winked at both of them and let them go enjoy the holiday…
If after the conversation in the hospital wing Flamia had been glad that, despite everything, Harry liked her, now she was simply happy! She truly was something like an angel, protecting him from death…
Meanwhile, the ferret was heading toward the corridor on the seventh floor, where he hoped to continue his work. Snape had once again tried to pry out the reason for his disappearances, but Aunt Bellatrix's lessons had not gone to waste… Here he was already on the fifth floor… Damn it! That Potter again with his girlfriend…
"What, Potter, spent your inheritance on a year's supply of Amortentia to bewitch this little Veela?"
"Shut up, you unfinished ferret! Your faithful bodyguards aren't here, so who will ensure your safety?"
"I am capable of standing up for myself, unlike some!" Draco said, taking out his wand.
Draco had clearly taken not only Occlumency lessons, but also lessons in nonverbal spells. If someone had looked into that corridor at that moment, they would have seen two teenagers actively waving their wands without saying a sound… Flamia stood somewhat to the side, since, like Harry, she believed that a duel should be fair…
The ferret resisted for quite a long time; it was even surprising that Snape had changed his habits and had not appeared in the middle of the duel to punish the Boy-Who-Is-Always-Guilty. Malfoy's arsenal had also expanded, but the modified shields allowed Harry to withstand the attacks, after which he mockingly aimed Liberoarmus at his opponent, from which the blond was unable to defend himself…
"Harry! Is he even alive?" Flamia asked anxiously when she saw Draco's demonstrative flight across the entire corridor, ending in a hard collision with the wall. The disarmed Slytherin showed no signs of life.
"Unfortunately, his heart is still beating… But we won't be able to penetrate his mind any time soon, for the collision with the wall clearly echoed in his brain… However, I do have one idea of how to arrange a full-program holiday for Malfoy…"
With these words Harry made several waves of his wand, and there before him already stood a wrapped Christmas present.
"One final touch remains… 'With love from Potter'"
"Who have you decided to gift this ferret to?"
"You'll find out now! Dobby!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Deliver this box to Professor Snape's office…"
"This very minute, sir!"
Dobby and the box disappeared. After the fit of laughter finally passed, Flamia was at last able to say:
"Perhaps this is the best Christmas present for the Terror of the Dungeons. Malfoy in gift wrapping!"
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