Harry carried her most of the way to the Gryffindor Tower, and it was only at the very end that she seemed to come to herself a bit. She walked into the common room on her own, and it was only then that Harry realized how exhausted he was. In this wild day, he had managed to complete part of his enormous Potions assignment, escape a near-fatal attack, and discover many astonishing things. Until now, curiosity and the anticipation of answers had kept him going, but now his head felt heavy, and his thoughts were muddled and sinking into the fog filling his mind. His companion, he thought, looking at her, appeared even more worn out.
"How are you? I know it's a silly question, but it's the only one I can think of," he said, leaning against the railing of the staircase leading to the dormitory.
"I don't know… I think I just need some time to process it all... and find those... positive sides."
"Well, then, good night." Harry began to climb the stairs while she headed to another staircase leading to the sixth-year girls' dormitory, where a bed had been set up for her.
Harry entered his familiar room, which looked slightly different this time – only one bed was made up, and the window was wide open due to the sweltering heat. Most of England was cool and damp, turning into the Foggy Albion as the newspapers had reported, due to the spread of dementors.
All his things were already placed by his bed. Harry sat on Ron's unused bed, reminding himself that he was back at Hogwarts, less than a week since he had left. His head simply wouldn't work; he barely undressed and collapsed onto his bed, instinctively pulling the curtains shut and falling asleep almost instantly.
Harry awoke when the curtain over his bed brushed against his face, meaning only one thing: the dormitory door had opened, causing a draft. Startled, Harry opened the curtain to find her standing at the doorway, in a light nightgown, which was slightly small for her and revealed her stunning figure. For a moment, Harry was captivated, but then her terrified face caught his attention. Before he could think, her face softened as she saw him, and the next moment she was sobbing on his shoulder. Harry was completely at a loss; this had taken him by surprise, even compared to the times with Cho. Not knowing what to do, he awkwardly patted her hair, and whether it helped or she simply regained a bit of composure, she stopped crying and spoke in a halting voice.
"I… I don't know what happened. I fell onto my bed after I got to the dorm and had barely changed, but about fifteen minutes ago I woke up for some reason, feeling utterly panicked… I turned in bed for a while, trying to make sense of it, but the terror only grew, becoming unbearable. At some point, I completely lost control, and my legs brought me here instinctively. The moment I saw you, though… I felt better," she trailed off, finally pulling away from his shoulder. Their faces were level, and their eyes met.
Looking into her mesmerizingly green eyes, just like his own, Harry felt a strange new sensation, and his shorts suddenly felt very small. Forcing himself to ignore it and looking away, he asked, "So, you panicked when you were alone, but calmed down when you saw me?"
"Yes… and, if I think about it, I realize I was running here just to see you… Harry," she sobbed, "what does this mean?"
"I don't know. We'll need to tell the professor… Although, didn't he mention that we should stay close?"
"Yes, he said something about our kinship, though whether the fact that I am technically a part of you qualifies as kinship is up for debate… Are you suggesting…"
"Why not? If we accept this theory, it makes sense that parts of a single soul might yearn, if not to reunite, then at least to be near each other. And eyes… they're said to be the windows of the soul, aren't they?"
"So, on top of everything, I can't go an hour without you," she glanced at the clock on the nightstand, "and I mean it?"
Harry glanced at his alarm clock – it was half-past midnight; he'd barely been asleep for an hour and a half.
"What should I do?" she asked, her voice breaking again. "I can't run here every hour, can I?"
"Don't worry," he said, stroking her luxurious hair again. "We'll work something out… In the morning, we'll tell the Headmaster, but for now… if I'm right, we need to stay close. So, you'll have to sleep here, because I can't go up to the girls' dorm…"
"On the floor?"
"Well, no, I'd sooner sleep on the floor myself… though there might be a simpler solution… Dobby…" he called out cautiously.
"Harry Potter called Dobby?!" With a soft pop, the elf appeared, ecstatic at being summoned.
"Yes, Dobby…" Harry couldn't help smiling at his enthusiasm. "Could you help us?"
"Anything I can, sir! Harry Potter!"
"For certain reasons, this young lady has to stay here tonight, but her things and bed are in the girls' sixth-year dormitory. Could you bring them here? And set it up… right here," he pointed to Ron's bed.
"Of course!"
Ten minutes later, after Dobby had brought everything and practically polished the room, he left. They settled onto adjacent beds, leaving the curtains open to stay within each other's line of sight. She fell asleep almost immediately, but sleep eluded Harry. After some tossing and turning, he finally realized why he couldn't sleep despite his exhaustion: he was not alone. Sure, he'd spent five years sharing this room with other boys, but now, lying on the next bed, was a girl. And what a girl! Carefully, he glanced in her direction; even the blanket couldn't hide her figure… Quickly turning away, he noticed the growing bump under his blanket, a new experience for him. It was different from Cho or even Fleur, though there was something Veela-like about her as well. Harry was sure the other boys would find her intoxicatingly beautiful too, but she attracted him without overwhelming his senses. "She's not just any girl; she was born from my soul!" came an unexpected thought. "She's my dream girl, the embodiment of everyone I think is beautiful… like Cho, Fleur, even Mum…" With that thought, Harry unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep, uninterrupted for the rest of the night.
When Harry opened his eyes, it took him a few moments to realize why it was already so late and why Aunt Petunia hadn't woken him. Then everything that had happened the previous day came back, and he was pleased to conclude that his plan had worked and everyone had slept well. Sunlight was streaming in through the open window, and it was almost eleven; he had slept quite late. Looking around, he saw her, sitting on her bed, quietly reading… Hogwarts: A History.
"Hey…" he said, startled by the sight of the book.
"Oh…" she looked up, slightly flustered. "Good morning. Sorry if I woke you… but I didn't feel comfortable staying in the common room too long."
"Oh no, it's fine. How was your sleep?" he asked cautiously.
"Our concerns were justified – I woke up about five times… That worry kept coming back, but as soon as I looked at you, it disappeared, and I fell back asleep right away."
"Yes, it looks like you've got a rough time ahead…"
"You know, I had time to think, and, in the end, I can't complain! Yesterday morning, I didn't even exist! Thanks to you, I have a life! And life, I think, is worth all these inconveniences. I'll adapt… But if anyone should be upset, it's you… I might become a real burden…"
"Well, first of all, you saved my life yesterday; second… I don't think you're a burden at all… and finally, I'm ready to accept this; I think you're worth it!" The last words slipped out unintentionally, making Harry blush, while she beamed at him. "Listen, you probably need a name… If we're to be together all the time, then…"
"Yes, I've thought about that too. Since I was born from fire… I like the name Flamia."
"Flamia? Beautiful name," was all he managed to say. "Alright, I think we should head to the Great Hall and then talk to the Headmaster." As soon as she looked away, Harry got up and went to the shower. Upon returning dressed, he asked, "Where'd you get that book? I didn't have it in my things…"
"You wouldn't believe it – it was lying around in the common room. I flipped through it, hoping to find a name inside, and guess who it belongs to?"
"Neville."
"Right, who else would leave a book lying around… Alright, let's go; I got hungry while waiting."
The Great Hall was empty, but as soon as they entered, a hearty breakfast for two appeared at the Gryffindor table, and they didn't need any further invitation to begin eating. While they ate, the Headmaster himself entered and did something nearly unheard of – he sat down with them. As far as Harry knew, the times when a professor sat at one of the House tables could be counted on one hand, and that was over a thousand years!
— How did you sleep? — The question was asked in a deliberately neutral tone.
— Relatively well, but we encountered one unexpected difficulty...
— May I know what it was?
— I can't go more than an hour without seeing Harry...
— Could you explain, please? — The Headmaster clearly didn't understand what the girl meant.
— During the night, I woke up almost every hour because I was scared and needed to see Harry. The first time, I didn't know what to do and was in a different bedroom, and as a result, I almost lost my mind from fear. But then, probably instinctively, I rushed to him, and I felt better immediately. After that, we moved my bed to his room, and it got easier, but I still woke up, and to calm down and fall back asleep, I needed to see him.
— Ahhh... — The Headmaster thoughtfully stroked his beard. — Well, I suspected something like this might happen, but this is far more serious than I anticipated. I'd suggest you keep a photo of Harry with you, although I seriously doubt that will help, but it's worth a try. — He paused for a few seconds. — Well, I've had time to think about the situation. I believe you all would agree that you should stay at the school. At first, I thought it would be better for Harry to go to the Burrow, but now that's impossible, as no one would understand if you both went there together...
— Agreed. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't object, of course, but there would be questions, and it's already cramped at the Burrow… And, in my opinion, your background, Flamia, should remain secret.
— Flamia?
— Yes, I chose that name...
— I understand, and I completely agree that no one, absolutely no one, should know about your background. Besides the rumors and prejudices, if Voldemort finds out, your life would be in great danger. I thought of admitting you to the school as a foreign student who had moved to England; it has happened before, although not often. But now there's a new challenge — we'll need to find a separate room for the two of you, as separating you is clearly not an option. And it would be quite strange if we placed a new girl in the boys' dormitory… I'll think it over, and we'll also need to come up with a backstory for you, a family name, and other details…
After discussing the family situation, which wasn't yet resolved, he quickly moved on to financial matters. Here, Harry, without a second thought, took responsibility for providing for her, remarking that, in a way, Flamia was also part of the Potter family. This argument seemed convincing. Flamia appeared wary of depending too much on him, but Harry wasn't concerned. He had already assessed the size of his account, and the wealth was enough for several generations to live comfortably.
— Well, in that case, you should go to Diagon Alley in the next few days; the young lady needs to get some supplies. I'll arrange for someone to accompany you; I would go myself if I weren't so busy at the moment. I also need to take care of the legal matters…
The day passed relatively peacefully; after their conversation with the Headmaster, they returned to the Gryffindor common room, deciding that, until their situation was confirmed, it was better to avoid being seen in public. Flamia seemed to adopt Harry's resolution to make the best of their summer homework, and they focused on that. A brief trip outside showed that the library was closed for the summer, and they were beginning to lose hope of getting any extra reading material. But then Flamia remembered the Room of Requirement. There, they found everything they needed, and much more — staying at Hogwarts over the summer had its own advantages...