Previously on Machinations…
"What's this spell supposed to do anyway?" Ron asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"It's supposed to enhance one's natural abilities," Hermione replied, still looking at her notes.
"Natural abilities?" Ron asked, curious.
"Yeah, you know. Vision, hearing, sense of smell. That sort of thing." Hermione replied, looking up from her notes and drawing her wand.
"Oh okay. That's cool, I guess. Are there any side effects I should know about?" Ron asked.
"Ron, Ron are you okay?" Ginny said, kneeling beside Ron trying to help him.
"Oh my," Luna stated, somewhat surprised.
"Weird. Ron seems to have undergone a creature transformation." Hermione stated, waving her wand over him.
Hours later, in the library, Hermione sat reviewing her notes, studying the data from the diagnostic scans and passages from several books in front of her and let out a gasp.
"Merlin's beard. It can't be. Ron's an…" She whispered to herself.
Chapter 10
Ron sat on the bed, overwhelmed with all these new changes. All the news smells and changes to his hearing and vision as well were still making his head spin but it wasn't so bad now that he was sitting down. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to try and clear his head. Gradually, he became aware of new smells, coming from the girls. At first, he couldn't identify them, but opening his eyes he concluded that it was the scent of arousal, if their expressions were anything to go by.
Ron felt a shiver run through him and then something almost like a breeze stir through the room although he noted that the window was shut. Suddenly the smell grew much stronger, and the girls slowly began to approach the bed, their eyes slightly glazed, when the door to the room burst open.
Hermione rushed into the room, her eyes darting around, taking in the whole scene. "I was right. I knew it. Ginny, Fleur, Luna, Ron's become a male veela." She said loudly, snapping the other girls out of their trances.
Shaking their heads slowly, they all turned to look at Hermione as Ron did the same. "I'm a what?" Ron asked.
"How can that be? Male veela are very, very rare." Fleur said softly, looking at Ron in astonishment.
"I'm guessing one of his ancestors was a veela and the gene was passed down through the generations and lay dormant inside Ron until the spell caused it to activate," Hermione stated, as they all took seats around Ron on the magically enlarged bed.
"But the veela transformation still wouldn't explain the heightened senses," Fleur said, looking at Ron.
"Well, maybe not the veela transformation, but the spell I designed was meant to enhance one's natural abilities. In addition to activating the dormant veela gene, it also enhanced his hearing, vision, and sense of smell as it was originally designed to do. So, in a sense it did work." Hermione said, pleased with her new spell.
"What can you tell us about the veela transformation? What exactly is going to happen to Ron now?" Ginny asked, turning to face Fleur.
"Well as I said, male veela are quite rare. Only one in a hundred veela are male so it's hard to say. I do know that they have the same special allure as female veela, only their allure affects women. Like all veela, they have a larger magical core than regular witches and wizards, so their spells and enchantments tend to be much stronger and more effective. Veela usually tend to mate for life, and like all veela, they live in covens in order to stabilize their volatile magic." Fleur finished.
"Covens? Aren't those illegal in Magical Britain?" Ginny asked.
"No. They're frowned upon but not illegal." Hermione supplied, helpfully.
"Covens? How can a coven help stabilize my magic?" Ron asked, confused.
"Witches and wizards who enter into covens place their magical knowledge and abilities into a sort of collective pool. In essence, what one member of the collective knows or can do, they all know and can do. Plus, if a member of the coven is ever injured or in danger, and their own magical core is depleted, they can draw on the magic of the other members of the collective to escape to safety or defend themselves as needed. The collective becomes larger and stronger with each new person who joins the coven. The trouble is some covens throughout history have gone rogue and turned to criminal behavior which is why the British ministry put a limit on the number of people that covens, in Wizarding Britain, can have." Hermione finished.
"Wow, that's incredible. It sounds really useful. I wonder why more people don't form them." Ron said.
"That's what we should do then. We'll form a coven to help Ron." Ginny stated confidently.
"Oui. I think it's a good idea. Count me in." Fleur added.
"I agree. I'll do some research and try to find out how covens are formed so we can make one." Hermione said.
"Exactly how many people can covens in Wizarding Britain have?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.
"Seven, I think. It's the most magical number. We have five people here, and when Harry gets back he can join and that will be six. We'll have room for one more person if we want." Hermione said, after thinking for a moment.
"Excellent. We can try to form our own coven before we go to Hogwarts then." Ginny said.
"I'll go get started on the research then. I think I saw a couple of books on covens while I was in the library earlier." Hermione stated, excited as she climbed to her feet and headed for the door.
"I've been wanting to explore the library a bit more myself. I'll come with you." Luna said, standing as well.
"Me too. I'd love to learn more about covens with non-veela members." Fleur said, joining them as they left the room and headed towards the library.
Alone in the room, Ron turned to face Ginny, a grin on his face. "Now that we're alone, Gin Gin, why don't we…" Ron started only to have Ginny push him away and shake her head.
"Not for the next few days, Ron. Sorry." Ginny replied, with a sigh as Ron began to sulk.
"What? Why not?" He said, slumping back against the headboard.
"Because it's that time for me. Besides, I need a break." Ginny replied looking away embarrassed.
Nodding, Ron blushed and looked away awkwardly. "Oh…okay then." He said, trying to ease the awkward feeling that had developed suddenly. This wasn't a topic he was comfortable discussing. "Why don't we do something else then? Fancy a game of chess?" Ron asked, excited at the prospect of a game of chess.
"Sure. I'd love too if you're feeling up too it. You were having trouble walking earlier and we had to practically carry you out of the library and up the stairs." Ginny said, glancing at him worriedly.
"I'm better now. My chess set is in the drawer over in the corner." Ron said, standing on shaky feet and slowly walking to retrieve the chess set before setting it up on the bed between them.
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"That's interesting. According to this, members of the coven can communicate telepathically and even share memories." Hermione said, skimming through a paragraph in the book she was reading.
"It sounds like it could be awkward and embarrassing. Having no secrets from each other. I mean there are some things you'd rather nobody else knew." Fleur stated, chewing her bottom lip nervously.
"Apparently its one of the main reasons few people ever form covens. It's impossible to have any privacy." Hermione continued.
"And Ron certainly has a secret he'd rather nobody else knew," Luna said, absentmindedly.
"A secret? What kind of secret?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Oh nothing," Luna said, turning back to the book.
"Oookay then. Moving on. According to this, the members of the coven have to pledge an oath of loyalty to each other. That is, they can't ever betray each other, or their oath will kill them. I wonder whether that's a good thing or not. Not that any of us would ever betray each other." Hermione said, chewing her bottom lip.
"Maybe we should rethink this. I'm not sure how Harry would react to the relationship between Ron and Ginny. They were quite close before Harry ended things. It could cause some trouble if he were included in the bond." Fleur said, absentmindedly.
"You think Harry should be left out of the coven?" Hermione asked, surprised.
"I just think the whole lack of secrets and the loyalty bond could cause some trouble between us all. And if anything happened we could end up really regretting it." Fleur said.
"I hadn't thought of that. You make a good point. What do you think, Luna?" Hermione said, sighing softly and turning to look at Luna.
"I agree. It could cause some major problems between us." Luna replied, somewhat glum.
"I suppose. I just don't like excluding Harry from this. We've always been a group, Ron, Harry and me. It feels wrong not to include him, but I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him." Hermione said, downcast.
"I suppose we have everything we need to start the coven ritual," Hermione said, at last, closing the book in front of her.
"Excellent. We can set up everything and perform the ritual this weekend before the start of term." Luna said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
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The next day, around ten-thirty that morning, they gathered in the parlor around the floo to wait for the Delacours who would be arriving any minute. Ron had asked the house elves prepare a big lunch to welcome them.
Ron stood somewhat impatiently a few feet back from the fireplace, fidgeting nervously.
"Calm down, Ron. They're going to love you. I promise." Fleur said trying to comfort him before adding, "as long as you try to eat like a normal person during lunch."
Groaning, Ron turned to glance at Fleur who just smiled back and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be alright. Trust me." She said.
"I suppose so," Ron said, trying to overcome his fears.
Just then the floo roared to life and a tall man who appeared to be in his early forties, with short dark brown hair, green eyes, and a stern look stepped out of the floo followed by a woman who could only be Fleur's mother, holding the hand of Gabrielle, whom Ron recognized from her visit to Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament.
"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Delacour, Gabrielle, to the Barrows manor. I'm Ron and this is my sister, Ginny and our friends, Luna and Hermione. I, err, believe you've already met her." Ron said, trying to act confident. Inside he was panicking.
"Thank you. I'm Jean and this is my wife, Camille, and our daughter Gabrielle, whom I believe you already know." Jean said, stepping forward and offering his hand for Ron to shake.
"Yes, of course. A pleasure to meet you both and to see you again, Gabrielle." Ron said, shaking Jean's hand.
After the pleasantries had been exchanged, they sat around the parlor with Fleur catching up with her parents while Hermione and Gabrielle talked animatedly about all that had happened since they last saw each other.
"I understand you're in your seventh year at Hogwarts," Jean said, turning to face Ron.
"Err, yes. That's correct. It's my last year." Ron said, turning to look at Jean.
"And how have you enjoyed your time at Hogwarts? It's it a good school?" Jean asked, considering him carefully.
"Oh yes. Hogwarts is one of the finest schools in the world. I've made many friends and had a lot of great times. I've played on the Quidditch team for my house, helped to win the house cup and had a lot of interesting adventures. To be honest, I'm going to be heartbroken to leave Hogwarts after graduation." Ron said, slightly downcast at the prospect.
"I see. Fleur is going to take up a teaching position there, and Gabrielle has expressed a desire to transfer there, but I've been a little hesitant since it's so far from home and she would be leaving all her friends behind for a totally new environment. She really didn't have much time to explore Hogwarts and make many friends during her last visit, so I've been worried that she might not fit in well." Jean finished.
"Well, Hogwarts is a great school, filled with many wonderful and friendly people. Plus, Hermione, Ron, Luna and I will be there to support her, if she decides to transfer and since Fleur is going to be a professor, she'll be well looked after if she does transfer from Beauxbatons." Ginny added, trying to reassure him.
"Thank you. That's very reassuring. I'm glad that my daughter has you all to support her during this rough patch in her life. To be honest, we were a little unhappy with Fleur marrying Bill. There just seemed to be something missing from the relationship, somehow." Camille added, turning to face them while Ron, Fleur, and Ginny sat awkwardly, unsure what to say.
After lunch, they gave the Delacours a tour of the manor and the grounds and spent a few hours relaxing and enjoying the gardens, before the Delacours said goodbye for the night and after making plans to meet up in Diagon Alley the next day, they took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron.
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Ron woke up the next morning to the sunlight streaming through the window. Casting a quick tempus, Ron sighed. Six thirty in the morning. He missed the times when he could sleep till noon, but the girls had insisted he be more active and not sleep all day and his desire to please them had made him more productive.
Sitting up in bed, Ron slowly extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and bed covers. Fleur, Luna, and Ginny had all taken to sleeping in the same bed as him each night, returning to their rooms, only to shower and dress for the day.
Striding across the room, Ron headed towards the bathroom to shower, groom and use the restroom before returning to the bedroom to dress for the day. Selecting a pair of blue jeans, socks, boxers, and a maroon t-shirt with the Gryffindor crest stitched into the breast, he quickly dressed and made his way downstairs for breakfast.
Helping himself to a plate of toast, eggs, and bacon, Ron sighed. The girls were up late last night making sure the preparations for the coven ritual were finally complete. To his surprise, Gabrielle had requested to join their coven when she learned of their plans since her parents had given her permission to transfer to Hogwarts to finish her education after spending time with them the previous day. She would begin her fourth year this term, and her parents felt that joining a coven with trusted family and friends would be good for her.
Ron looked up from his plate as Ginny and Luna walked into the dining room and took a seat at the table. "Morning. How did you sleep?" He asked, looking at them.
"Fine, I guess," Ginny said, spreading marmalade on toast.
"I slept very well, and you Ronald?" Luna said, piling scrambled eggs onto her plate.
"So, so." Ron supplied, while secretly wishing he were still asleep as he poured himself a cup of tea.
"That's good. Are you looking forward to visiting Diagon Alley today?" Ron asked.
"I guess so. I was going to ask you, if you could loan me some gold, Ron. There are a few things I need while I'm there, and since we've left the burrow, mum no longer takes me shopping." Ginny said, awkwardly.
"Oh, um yeah, of course. Sorry, I should have thought of that before. We can go to Gringotts and set up a vault for you with a yearly stipend from the Dumbledore vault." Ron said, eagerly.
"Really? Are you sure? Err, that is I don't want to be an imposition." Ginny said, quickly.
"Nonsense. It's only right that I provide for all of you, considering our relationship. I was already planning to do the same for Hermione, and it's not like I can't afford it. The four of you are the most important people in my life. I depend on all of you." Ron said, reassuring her while feeling somewhat awkward at the sudden expression of his feelings. Emotions had never been his strong suit, but he had begun to try where they were concerned.
Just then, Hermione and Fleur came into the room dressed in casual attire for their trip to Diagon Alley later in the day. They arrived just in time to catch the last bit of the conversation. "Ron are you sure you want to do that? I mean its fine for them since you're all in a relationship, but I'm not and I don't want to be a burden to you." Hermione said quickly.
"Yeah, Ron. I have plenty of gold saved up. Besides my family is very well off." Fleur said as they took a seat at the table.
"I'm positive. It's important to me. Before I never had any money to spend on my friends and loved ones and now that I do, I want to share it with the people I care about." Ron said.
"Well, I guess its okay then. As long as you don't go overboard." Luna said, before digging into her breakfast.
"Excellent. It's settled then. I'll set everything up when we visit Gringotts today." Ron said, happily.
"While we're in Diagon Alley we need to visit Strickland and Talfoots," Fleur said, sitting down.
"What? Why?" Ron asked.
"Because you need to finalize the arrangements with them for the contract with House Dumbledore, and I need to hire a barrister who specializes in divorce. Not to mention, you need to take legal action against that Skeeter woman for libel. Now that you're a public figure, you need to protect your reputation." Fleur stated.
"Oh yes, of course." We can do that too then. I'd nearly forgotten about Rita Skeeter for the moment." Ron said with a sigh, finishing his breakfast. "I'll fire call them and make an appointment for us both."
Standing up, Ron left the dining hall and headed to the parlor to fire call the law firm and make an appointment for himself and Fleur to meet with barristers.
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Later that day, they exited the floo in the Leaky Cauldron and met up with Jean, Camille, and Gabrielle in the common room of the Leaky Cauldron where they had lunch together before setting out into Diagon Alley.
TBC
In the next chapter, the group goes into Diagon Alley and visit Gringotts and Strickland and Talfoots and then a small time skip to the weekend before the start of term and the creation of their coven.