diff -up rpm-4.8.0/python/header-py.c.header-refcount rpm-4.8.0/python/header-py.c
--- rpm-4.8.0/python/header-py.c.header-refcount	2009-12-09 15:37:32.000000000 +0200
+++ rpm-4.8.0/python/header-py.c	2018-03-21 13:55:17.294541869 +0200
@@ -370,6 +370,7 @@ static PyObject *hdr_new(PyTypeObject *s
 	h = headerNew();
     } else if (PyCObject_Check(obj)) {
 	h = PyCObject_AsVoidPtr(obj);
+	headerLink(h);
     } else if (hdrObject_Check(obj)) {
 	h = headerCopy(((hdrObject*) obj)->h);
     } else if (PyBytes_Check(obj)) {
@@ -692,8 +693,7 @@ PyObject * hdr_Wrap(PyTypeObject *subtyp
 {
     hdrObject * hdr = (hdrObject *)subtype->tp_alloc(subtype, 0);
     if (hdr == NULL) return NULL;
-
-    hdr->h = headerLink(h);
+    hdr->h = h;
     return (PyObject *) hdr;
 }
 
diff -up rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmmi-py.c.header-refcount rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmmi-py.c
--- rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmmi-py.c.header-refcount	2018-03-21 13:55:00.353541049 +0200
+++ rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmmi-py.c	2018-03-21 13:55:00.524541057 +0200
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "rpmsystem-py.h"
 
 #include <rpm/rpmdb.h>
+#include <rpm/header.h>
 
 #include "rpmmi-py.h"
 #include "header-py.h"
@@ -76,6 +77,7 @@ rpmmi_iternext(rpmmiObject * s)
 	s->mi = rpmdbFreeIterator(s->mi);
 	return NULL;
     }
+    headerLink(h);
     return hdr_Wrap(&hdr_Type, h);
 }
 
diff -up rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmts-py.c.header-refcount rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmts-py.c
--- rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmts-py.c.header-refcount	2009-12-17 11:06:03.000000000 +0200
+++ rpm-4.8.0/python/rpmts-py.c	2018-03-21 13:55:00.524541057 +0200
@@ -355,7 +355,6 @@ rpmts_HdrFromFdno(rpmtsObject * s, PyObj
 
     if (rpmrc == RPMRC_OK) {
 	ho = hdr_Wrap(&hdr_Type, h);
-	h = headerFree(h); /* ref held by python object */
     } else {
 	Py_INCREF(Py_None);
 	ho = Py_None;