Chapter Thirty Five: The Veela Council

Emalia's holidays started as they always did. She started and finished her homework in the first couple of days; thinking at least that way she could enjoy her holidays with no homework looming over her. She had written to all her friends and to Harry, but after that she was idle.

She had been re-reading a book Albus had given her for her tenth birthday and was outside in the sunshine in the wild garden that Albus had cultivated over many years. Those were her only activities until her friends wrote back to her.

Fred had written to her the most, but eventually they had to stop the constant responses, as even Grif was tiring from the journey, and the Weasley's owl Errol had to take a four-day rest after his last trip.

Mid-July and Emalia had sent Harry a birthday present, she sent it early so it would get there in time. She knew he was collecting chocolate frogs, so she sent him two big boxes and a book about the history of the Quidditch World Cup.

She had not heard from him as the summer holidays progressed which worried her, but he had promised her at the end of term that he would write if anything happened. She pushed her worry aside when Albus knocked at her door 'May I come in Emalia?' he asked. Emalia put down the book she was reading and nodded.

Albus came and sat on the bed beside her. He looked slightly nervous. 'What is it? Is something the matter?' she asked worriedly. Albus smiled gently.

'No, no. Nothing of the sort. It is just I will have to say goodbye to you for two weeks.'

Emalia looked at him, confusion clear on her face.

'Your mother wanted you to spend two weeks at the Council of Veela, learning about your heritage, your magic. Your Veela side.'

Emalia looked at him and nodded a little stiffy. She was not sure she liked the sound of this, the only member of the Council she liked was Celeste, and even then, she was not sure she could trust her.

'So, tomorrow morning we will be travelling by Floo. It is only two weeks, usually they would have you stay for the whole summer, but your mother argued otherwise.'

Emalia sighed and got out of bed 'I guess I should start packing' she said resignedly.

'Emalia do not look at this in a negative light, you can learn much more about yourself here than I can ever teach you. They have knowledge about Veela and Veela magic that is only known to them.' He said, trying to mask the sadness in his eyes, he hated having her far away from him ever since the incident with Corisande.

Emalia kicked her truck gently and nodded dumbly. Albus sighed, he could tell she was not happy.

'Emalia. Will at least promise me on thing?' he asked, 'Keep an open mind.'

'I promise' she muttered as she dumped some clothes into her trunk.

The next morning, she hauled her trunk downstairs, making as much noise as possible to let Albus know that she was not happy about this arrangement. She sent Grif off with a letter to each of her friends letting them know that she would reply to any letters they send in two weeks' time.

When the fire roared to life green flames licking the stone bricks at the back of the fireplace. Emalia looked at Albus surprised, usually the fire only lit up like that when the user of the Floo network was already in the fireplace. Albus hugged her tightly, ignoring her confusion 'I will see you in two weeks. I promise it will fly by.'

Emalia nodded and stepped into the fireplace and watched as Albus quickly disappeared from her sight and was replaced by Celeste who smiled at her warmly. 'Welcome Emalia, to the Council of Veela.'

Emalia nodded, she did not feeling like saying much. She pulled her trunk out of the fire and began to drag it across the room when Celeste stopped her. 'You are our honoured guest Emalia. Leave your trunk here, we will get someone to fetch it for you' she said cheerfully.

Emalia dropped her trunk purposefully, causing it make a loud thunk that echoed around the large room. Celeste's smiled faltered briefly, but she recovered quickly.

'Follow me, I will bring you to Lada.'

On their way, Celeste chatted making polite conversation while Emalia remained mute taking in her surroundings. Celeste led her into a large room with a table full of people with Lada seated in the centre. Lada watched Emalia curiously as she stood in front of her before speaking.

'Welcome Emalia, it is a pleasure to have you here and a great honour for us to have the opportunity to teach you about your Veela side.'

Emalia nodded in response, which seemed to annoy the woman seated to the right of Lada. Lada watched Emalia as the woman to the right shifted to the harpy form. Emalia remained unphased, but subconsciously her hand reached to touch her arm.

'You touched your arm just now. Why?' asked Lada curiously.

Emalia spoke for the first time since arriving. 'When I was cursed, I was attacked in my dream. The wound manifested itself on my body, I still have the scars.'

Lada looked at her arm closer, sure enough she could see the silvery outline of a scar left by the talons of a harpy. 'Interesting' thought Lada 'Very interesting'

'You are probably wondering why you are here' began the lady to Lada's right.

'Not particularly' cut in Emalia.

The woman who had spoken had balled her hands into fists, her face contorted with anger 'You are just like your mother. No respect for your elders' she spat.

'Respect is earned, not guaranteed' Emalia replied.

Lada smirked to herself. Emalia was very much like Aven, she too saw the value in questioning those in positions of power. The woman to her right had shifted once again into the harpy figure. Lada held up her hand, attempting to diffuse the tension on her side of the table.

'As you are aware, you are part Veela. But not only that, your grandfather was Veela, which makes you and those of his blood more precious to our community' said Lada, smiling gently.

'You have gifts Emalia, given to you from your Veela side. Not only have you been gifted with incredible beauty, but you also have magic that you can harness that will enhance your magic as a witch. We are here to teach you, as your mother was taught before you.'

Emalia was looking at her, trying to feign indifference, but her curiosity was peaked. As soon as Aven was mentioned, Lada knew that she had Emalia wanting to stay here, she could see it in her eyes. Emalia wanted to learn what her mother had learned.

'It will be an intense two weeks Emalia, but I think you will be the better for it afterwards' finished Lada. Emalia nodded. Lada smiled back at her 'Celeste will show you to your room, and let you get settled in. If you need anything you only have to ask.' Lada motioned for Celeste to escort her out of the room.

'She is as disrespectful as her mother was' sneered the Veela woman.

'Sofia' said Lada warningly 'You know as well as I do that Emalia was not brought up with our customs and traditions. She was brought up in the wizarding world, ignorant to her heritage and that is no one's fault but our own.'

'I fail to see how that is our fault Lada' huffed Sofia.

'We should have protected Aven and her family when they needed us, yet we turned our backs on them, we failed ourselves as much as we failed them. Emalia is right, trust and respect is earned, and we must work to earn hers.'

'I do not see why she needs to learn all this'

'You know why Sofia' snarled Lada, her eyes turning black, her fingers elongating and shifting into talons. Sofia bowed her head in respect. 'I apologise Lada, I spoke out of turn.'

Lada's talons dug into the table, leaving deep grooves in the wood.'

'LEAVE ME' she roared causing those seated to flinch. They pushed their chairs back and filed out of the room as quick as they possibly could, not wanting to be left in the room while Lada dealt with the rage.

'Calm yourself Lada' she muttered to herself as she took deep slow breaths in and out, until her talons disappeared, and her eyes returned back to their normal colour.

'Sixty-three years old Lada and you still lose control of yourself and your emotions.'

Emalia was getting settled into her room when Celeste reappeared. 'Emalia. I cannot say much, the walls have eyes and ears' she whispered looking around the room 'Be wary of the Veela, those who are of pure blood. They are not as welcoming to outsiders, and you have been raised by a wizard, not by someone of our lineage.'

Emalia looked at her curiously, opening her mouth to respond. Celeste shook her head to quieten her. 'There are purists everywhere, not just in the wizarding world. This thinking is dangerous and given our other abilities; can make the world a more difficult place.'

There was a noise in the hallway which caused Celeste to jump. Emalia looked at her worriedly. 'They will not harm you; you do not have to be afraid of that. Your blood won't let them. In our world, male Veela are rare and you are descended from the last known male Veela. And I will not let anyone harm you, I owe your mother more than my life.'

Celeste took hold of her hand 'I do not expect you to trust me. Just keep your head down, try not to interact with Sofia. I have to go.' Celeste turned and walked out of the room, leaving Emalia more confused than she had been at the start of the conversation.

Emalia sighed 'Why do I feel like I have just walked into a prison…'

Later that evening, Emalia was brought down to an over-the-top feast. There were over a hundred guests, all had Veela blood to some degree. All were there for her, so she was told. Emalia felt awkward, out of place. She was being drawn into conversations about Veela heritage and history, and when they discovered she was lacking she was snubbed.

During the feast, she sat to the right of Lada, with Sofia taking the seat next in the line. She felt like she was on edge, the anger that was radiating out of Sofia was almost overwhelming. Lada on the other hand was neutral, she portrayed emotions, but Emalia could not get anything from her.

'What is happening to me?' she wondered to herself 'How am I sensing their emotions?'

Lada watched Emalia curiously, she could see the confusion on the young girl's face, and she could feel it radiating off her. Emalia looked up at Lada as if she could feel her eyes on her. Lada smiled at her 'Is there something on your mind?' she asked quietly.

Emalia averted her eyes and shook her head. Lada smirked to herself. She could feel how tense Emalia was focusing on the revellers, watching them interact. Eventually she grew tired and excused herself from the gathering. Celeste escorted her up to her room, not a single word was exchanged between them.

The next morning Emalia was woken by Celeste, who brought her food and informed her that her first lesson would take place in the library with Lada. Emalia stretched in the bed, she had to admit the bed was extremely comfortable and if she was being honest, she would much rather stay in bed than find out what was waiting for her.

She sighed in resignation, pulled on her jeans and a t-shirt, she looked at the jumper Mrs Weasley had knit her for Christmas. She decided against it, even though it was July, where she was staying was considerably cool, but not intolerably so.

She wolfed down the food Celeste had brought, nearly choking on a piece of toast in the process. 'Ok Emalia remember to chew. Chewing means you won't choke' she muttered to herself after a lengthy coughing fit.

When she opened the door, she was greeted by another woman who led her straight to the library. Once she arrived, Emalia took in her surroundings. There were many desks that lined the centre of the library.

Bookshelves, that spanned from floor to ceiling, lined the walls. There were no windows, but the room looked as if it was bathed in sunlight. At the very end of the room was a fireplace and sitting on the mantle was a very ornate gold clock.

Lada was sitting in an armchair near the fireplace, watching the flames as if they were talking to her. As Emalia approached her, she noticed that there was no one else in the library. When Lada noticed her, she turned to her with a smile on her face 'Ah Emalia! Good. I trust you slept well?' Emalia nodded in return.

Lada gestured to the armchair opposite her 'Please, have a seat.' Emalia obliged and smiled politely. Lada sighed, the smile slipping from her face.

'I know you do not trust us Emalia, and for that I am sorry. I understand why, we have not given you reason to trust us' she paused looking at Emalia trying to gauge her reaction 'But I am hoping that we can rectify that.'

Emalia shifted in her seat, she felt uncomfortable, and she for once she had no clue what to say back. Lada, sensing the young girl's unease moved the conversation to the topic at hand.

'I am sure you are wondering why you had to come here for some of your summer break' began Lada.

'Because my mother promised you that you could teach me about Veela history and heritage' shrugged Emalia.

'Yes, that is true, but it is important to know that most Veela visit us to learn about their magic, their heritage. Especially when there is no one else around to show them our ways' Lada informed Emalia.

'So … I would have had to come here anyways?'

Lada smiled. 'Well, I would hope you would have yes, but of course that would have been up to you and your guardian'

Emalia looked at her, without saying anything she nodded. Lada reached across and gently placed her hand on top of Emalia's. Emalia fought the urge to rip her hand from Lada, but she could not stop herself was becoming tense.

'I have much to tell you, but maybe I will start with our history, about who we are and where our ancestors come from -

How much do you know about Veela?' asked Lada curiously, her hand still resting on Emalia's.

Emalia glanced down at Lada's hand and then back up to the woman's emerald eyes 'Not much, just what I have read in books.'

Lada smirked and sat back in her chair 'Those books know nothing, or very little. I guess some semblance of the truth was bound to seep through. Our secrets are closely guarded, and only a select few outside of our ranks are privy to them.'

Lada turned her attention to the fire, watching the flames dance before speaking again.

'We are more than creatures of beauty. We are two sides of the same coin. We are beauty, we can entrance people with a glance, ensnare them, convince them we are their world; but we are also what could be described as monstrous. That harpy creature, it reminds us that beauty is not superficial, inside each of us lies our being and that can be beautiful, or it can be monstrous.'

Emalia was listening intently hanging onto every word.

'We are not monsters, although some would argue otherwise. Veela are tied to their emotions, some are even at the mercy of their emotions. You may have read that Veela are vain? Well, I guess that is a little true, but not for the reasons everyone thinks. I think it was something that we developed over time that became ingrained in us. We were always seen as creatures of beauty; praised for our beauty and not for our value for knowledge or our abilities. It was all surface praise, and after a while we too fell into believing that stereotype.'

Emalia opened her mouth to speak but Lada continued, not allowing her to speak.

'Of course, then when our looks became our defining detail, we guarded that heavily. So, when that gets threatened, our emotions take over and we change. Though to be fair that is quite a generalisation, everyone is different, and we all have our own crosses to bear.'

'Does it affect others? I mean, people like me, whose parent or grandparent were pure Veela?' asked Emalia curiously.

Lada smiled sadly 'Unfortunately yes. You are special Emalia. You grandfather was a pureblood Veela, born from two other pureblood Veela. Male pureblood Veela are incredibly rare, incredibly, incredibly rare. So, you have access to those things that make us who we are. You, like the rest of us, are effected by our emotions.'

Emalia nodded, at least that made sense to her. At least she could explain why she needed more help channelling her emotions, specifically her anger. She found that she was quick to anger, increasingly so.

'I can tell that this is something you have already experienced?' asked Lada gently.

Emalia nodded.

'Don't worry my dear, we will teach you how to manage, but I wonder if I could ask you another question. You have been experiencing this influx of emotions since you were cursed?'

Emalia nodded 'Yes, well I think everything got amplified. I think I always felt like my emotions ruled my behaviour at times.'

Lada nodded 'The curse made it worse. Your emotions were consuming you, all you could do was supress them. That is why that curse was killing you. You are not what some would term pure Veela, but that curse was Veela magic. It was meant for other Veela, they would be cursed to always be in the harpy form. It was however, an incredibly rare curse. Those who used it were often ostracised from the Veela community.'

Lada continued to explain to Emalia, the teaching she would receive her. She would not need to study, but that once she learned this information that she would use it and adapt it to her life. When Lada had finished explaining, an uncomfortable silence settled between them. Thankfully they were rescued by Celeste who brought them lunch. Lada, noticing the emotional link between Emalia and Celeste, invited Celeste to have lunch with them. Immediately, the tension in the air disappeared and Emalia began to relax.

Emalia slowly began to let her guard down around Celeste, she still did not trust Lada, but she knew that she was not in any danger around her. Celeste, aware of the tension between Lada and Emalia, began to ask Emalia about Hogwarts.

'I love it there' said Emalia smiling happily 'I have my cousin, my friends and my boy-'

Lada and Celeste smiled at each other as the young girl flushed bright red and began to talk about her classes instead.

'A boyfriend?' asked Celeste her smile widening.

Emalia wanted the ground to swallow her up, but she nodded.

'Could you tell me about him?' asked Celeste.

Emalia shrugged 'His name is Fred. He is in my year.'

'Is that all?' teased Lada gently, smiling. Emalia looked at her, questioningly. 'I am not going to force you to share with me Emalia' she said holding her hands up, to show she did not mean anything by her teasing.

'Well, I suppose I could tell you more… He is kind, he is funny, he can be very stubborn like me. He cares about me a lot, and I care about him' began Emalia.

'He is my best friend. I don't know what I would do without him in my life. When I am sad or anxious or angry, he has a way of calming me. He makes me feel safe. He feels like home.' Emalia blushed bright red once more, she had never admitted that before, she had not even spoken the words out loud.

Lada and Celeste were watching Emalia as she was talking about Fred. The young girl began to glow, it was dim at first but the more she talked about him, about how he made her feel the stronger it became. Until Lada and Celeste could feel how she felt, Emalia was pushing her emotional state on them without realising it.

Celeste looked at Lada with confusion and whispered 'Lada, how is that possible? She is only a quarter Veela. Even with the male Veela line she should not be able to influence us like that?'

Lada shook her head wordlessly; she had no answers. Emalia looked at both of the women as they spoke.

'What do you mean I am influencing you?' she asked confused.

Lada hesitated before speaking 'Full blooded Veela have the power to influence other's emotions; make them happy, sad, angry even feel a form of love to a certain extent. That magic is tied in with the magic that makes us beautiful to others…'

Celeste cleared her throat and nodded her head to the direction of the door, and Lada stopped talking immediately. There stood Sofia, her face clouded with rage, shock and some other emotion that Emalia could not put her finger on.

All three of them could feel the anger and hatred rolling off of her, her form even beginning to shift. Lada stood up immediately.

'Sofia. Out. NOW' commanded Lada loudly. Sofia screeched loudly before turning on her heel, slamming the door behind her loudly.

Celeste looked at Lada worriedly 'Is that going to be a problem?' she asked quietly trying not to let Emalia, who was still staring at the spot Sofia had just stood in, hear.

Lada sighed 'I am not sure. I hope not.'

The next couple of days Emalia spent her time immersed in Veela culture, their songs, their magic, their history, myths and legends. It was all theoretical and literature based, so she spent much of her time reading.

The second week had just begun, and Emalia was now getting fed up of reading and hearing lore and stories from other Veela. Lada once again summoned her, but this time it was not to the library, but the banquet hall.

When Emalia arrived, she noticed that the hall was clear of any tables or chairs. Instead, lining the windowless wall were mirrors that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. She stared at the mirrors curiously before turning her attention to Lada.

'So today we will be showing you how to use the gifts you have. The mirrors will allow you to see how it works, how you influence the people around you' said Lada 'for the most part it won't work on other Veela, or part Veela. Though there are always exceptions.'

Emalia looked at Lada 'Does this have anything to do with me glowing?' she asked.

Lada was surprised, she hadn't expected Emalia to know that this happened to her. She blinked a few times before responding to the girl

'Yes … that is part of what I wanted to show you and is the main reason for the mirrors.'

Lada put her hands on Emalia's shoulders and gently turned her so that she was facing the mirror.

'I want you to keep focused on yourself, keep your eyes open' she said gently as she let go of the young girl 'Cast your mind back to when you felt a particularly strong burst of happiness, excitement or love.'

Emalia looked at Lada confused 'Why?' she asked. Lada shook her head, and gently directed Emalia's attention back to the mirror.

'Keep your attention on the mirror and think of a strong happy memory.'

Emalia took a deep breathe in and keeping her attention on the mirror in front of her, thought of when discovered her mother was alive again. Happiness flood through her enveloping her, until the memory became tainted with her mother's death and sadness consumed her.

Her reflection stayed the same. 'Nothing happened' she said staring at Lada through the mirror. Lada looked at her for a moment, thinking about how best to approach this.

'Ok, I want you to close your eyes'

Emalia did as she was told, even though at this point she failed to see the relevance of this to her life. How would looking at herself get her to understand how her Veela side worked.

'Can you tell me about your boyfriend, Fred' asked Lada quietly.

Emalia opened her eyes and was about to ask why when Lada quickly said 'Keep your eyes closed …. Just humour me Emalia. Tell me about Fred. What is he like? What does he look like? His personality.'

Emalia shut her eyes again, at least Lada wouldn't be able to see her roll them. 'This is ridiculous' she thought to herself, but in the interest of co-operating, she obliged Lada.

'His name is Fred Weasley. He is in my year in school, we are both Gryffindors. He has a twin brother; they are identical so most people can't tell them apart.'

'Can you tell them apart?' interrupted Lada.

'Of course!' huffed Emalia indignantly, she was annoyed at that innocent question.

'Tell me about the differences' asked Lada gently.

Emalia sighed 'Fred is slightly taller than George. It's not really that noticeable, probably less than an inch. But he holds it over George sometimes when he is teasing him' Emalia smiled to herself.

'Fred has brown eyes, but if you look closely, there are small specs of gold flecked through the brown. His eyes are warm, kind and mischievous. He has freckles like George but not nearly as many as George does. His nose is shorter, where George's is longer.'

She paused for a second to think, visualising Fred's face in front of her, a bright smile crossed her face, she was no longer thinking of the differences between Fred and George. Her thoughts were focused on Fred.

'He always has a smile on face, so he has either pulled a prank on someone or he is about to pull a prank on someone. Sometimes he can take it a bit far, but he does eventually realise that there is a line. That smile though, it makes everyone around him smile. Its infectious. And if you ever have a bad day, he will do everything he can to make you smile. He is not afraid to make himself look silly. He is so stubborn as well, almost as stubborn as I am, I think…'

Emalia continued to talk about Fred, Lada watched on smiling. Eventually she interrupted the young girl.

'Emalia. Open your eyes and look in the mirror' she said.

Emalia opened her eyes, her eyes taking a second to refocus. She gasped at what she saw. Her reflection was glowing. She was emitting a soft silvery glow. Emalia looked down at her hand, it looked completely normal. She glanced up at Lada, utterly confused.

Lada beamed at her 'This is what others see when you feel a particularly strong emotion. When you glow like this, well it makes people more open to your suggestions. I told you Veela are renowned for their beauty, this amplifies it. Have you ever noticed people acting funny or extra attentive to you?'

Emalia shrugged 'Sometimes, I guess.'

'It is easy to control, more so when you find someone to direct that energy to.'

Emalia looked at her confused once again.

Lada laughed 'When you find love, the one person who fits the other part of you perfectly. All that emotion, that glow will be directed towards them. The attention from others will lessen.'

Emalia nodded slowly.

'That's already started to happen, sort of' she thought to herself.

Lada continued 'To stop this, and it's the same for influencing other people's emotions, you have to visualise locking that magic away, or blocking it. Imagine placing it behind a door and closing it. The magic is still there for you to use, you just have to open the door again.'

She looked at Emalia expectantly 'Try it now. Close your eyes, imagine a door and imagine shutting that glow, that flow of magic behind the door.'

Emalia closed her eyes once more, she tried to imagine a door, for some reason she kept imagining the front door of The Burrow. She opened the door, placed that shine, behind it and closed it behind her.

When she opened her eyes she was no longer glowing, but she still felt that flow of emotions she had felt moments before. Lada smiled at her proudly

'You are a natural. Anytime you feel like you are feeling everyone's emotions or that you are glowing and influencing others' emotions just imagine placing it behind a closed door.'

Lada walked over to a chair and sat down, she gestured for Emalia to take the seat opposite her which Emalia did. 'You are coming to the age where all Veela begin to be able to use their gifts. So being able to control them as they manifest is good. Your time here with us is coming to a close, but I want you to know that if you need anything please write to me and ask' Lada sighed deeply and looked at Emalia, regret painted clearly all over her face.

'If I could go back, I would have helped your family. Things were different then, I was not involved with the Council, I am trying hard to change it now. So please, we are always here to help should you need it.'

Emalia nodded, she could hear the sincerity in Lada's voice, she could feel it rolling off her in waves. 'I will. I promise.'

Emalia went to bed that night, but she could not sleep. She tossed and turned all night, finally falling into a fitful sleep as the sun broke through the horizon. Her dreams were haunted, she was running through long dark corridors, turning behind her. Whatever or whomever was behind her was gaining on her, and fast. She did not know where she was going, but she knew she had to keep running, to put as much distance as she possibly could between her and the person pursuing her.

Emalia woke up in a cold sweat. There was something wrong, but the more she woke up, the less of her dream she could remember. She rolled over and closed her eyes once more, hoping to gain another hour of sleep.

All too soon there was a knock on her door and Celeste let herself into her room. 'Emalia?' she called softly 'It is time to wake up.' Emalia rolled over and groaned, she had definitely not gotten enough sleep. Rather reluctantly she sat up in bed and stretched, before making her way to the bathroom.

Once she was changed Celeste began to escort her down to the banquet hall to have breakfast. They had only walked down two hallways when Celeste stopped dead in her tracks. She stretched her arm out, pushing Emalia behind her.

'Show yourselves' she called out assertively. Mere seconds later Sofia emerged from the shadows, flanked by two other Veela.

'Celeste, step aside' she spat venomously. Celeste did not budge.

'Emalia, run to Lada, now' she whispered urgently. Emalia turned on her heel and ran back in the direction they had just come from. She could hear the commotion behind her, the shrieks and screams. She did not look back, instead she ran as fast as she could, looking for somewhere familiar; hoping she would run into Lada.

She could hear heavy footsteps behind her, gaining on her. Emalia pushed further, she could feel the blood pumping through her veins, her lungs felt as if they were on fire as she struggled to breathe enough oxygen.

She turned a corner; she saw the library. She pushed through the doors causing them to slam behind her. 'Emalia!' called a shocked voice. Emalia ran towards the voice and embraced Lada, almost knocking her down in the process.

Lada did not have a chance to ask Emalia what was wrong when Sofia and the two other Veela burst into the room. Emalia looked at them wide-eyed, horrified to see blood on Sofia's hands. 'What is the meaning of this?!' demanded Lada angrily.

Silence fell between them, the three Veela women were staring at Emalia, their eyes practically baying for her blood.

'SOFIA' shouted Lada.

'SHE IS NOT NORMAL. SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE THESE POWERS. SHE IS AN ABOMINATION' screeched Sofia as she launched herself at Emalia. Lada pushed Emalia aside as she took out her wand and stunned the three women before they could do any harm to the young girl.

'How could you? You know our rules Sofia' Lada muttered shaking her head sadly. Emalia watched as Lada and three others moved them from their position on the floor and out of the room. Emalia did not know where, nor did she care to find out.

Emalia was in shock and visibly shaken. When Lada returned, she carried with her a large cup of hot sweet tea. 'Drink' she said gently as she handed it to Emalia 'It will help.'

Emalia nodded absentmindedly and took the cup. She took a small sip and felt the warmth of the tea begin to spread through her body. Lada was right, it did help.

It was only when she finished the tea did, she find the words to speak.

'Why? What.. I don't understand why did Sofia want to attack me? What happened to Celeste? Is she ok?'

Lada allowed her the time to ask these questions without interrupting her. Only when Emalia had stopped talking did Lada respond. 'Celeste is fine, she is being looked after now.'

Emalia sighed with relief.

'As to why Sofia attacked you? Well, I can only take an educated guess. Only Sofia will be able to tell you why she felt the need to attack you. I can explain as best as I can if you would like?'

Emalia nodded; she could not find the words to say anything, her brain was still trying to make sense of what had happened.

'We have all noticed that you have access to a lot of magic that only full Veela should have access to. Like being able to sense and influence other Veela's emotions. You shouldn't be able to do that'

'Then how am I able to do that?' asked Emalia

'I don't know. My best guess is that when you were cursed, it triggered some sort of dormant magic in you. Veela from a male bloodline, full blood or half tend to be more powerful than others from a female bloodline. This curse, it amplified that side of you. You feel everything more acutely, you will feel all the joy and happiness more. But you will also experience incredible pain and sadness because of this.'

Emalia glared at her angrily 'What do you mean? I thought this is why you brought me here? To help me deal with my emotions and teach me about my Veela side!'

Lada hesitated; she knew the next part of this would be difficult to share but she could not keep it from Emalia.

'TELL ME' she shouted, shaking Lada out of her thoughts.

'You feel emotions more intensely. We all do, and sometimes when we lose someone, when we experience grief, it can drive us to the brink. Most can pull themselves back, but others either cannot or do not wish to. It can drive them quite mad.'

Lada paused for a moment; she could see the frustration on Emalia's face being slowly replaced with confusion.

'When your father died, his best friend also lost his life. That friend also happened to be Corisande Guinevere's fiancé. When she lost him, she was never the same. The spark that made her, her… it was dimmed. She threw herself into teaching to distract her from her pain, she never allowed herself to heal.'

Emalia shook her head in disbelief 'No. So you're saying I could go crazy?'

'No child. You do not go crazy. You experience an insurmountable loss, and it takes a piece of you with it. You can choose to let it break you, let the crack get bigger until you are a shell of the person you used to be. Then, all it would take is something to remind you of what you have lost. For Corisande, it was you. You reminded her of your mother, whom she blamed for the death of the man she loved.'

Emalia sank back into the armchair near her. She was overwhelmed. She had just been attacked and now she was being told that she could lose her mind if she experienced an incredible loss. 'How is this fair?' she whispered hoarsely.

Lada knelt down until she was eye level with the young girl 'It is not fair, and you should not have had to experience the things you already have. But you have to remember that you have so many people around you who love you, who will support you not matter what.'

Emalia looked up from her lap into Lada's eyes, she could see the sincerity.

'Even though it seems otherwise right now, you have the full support of the Veela Council. You have my support; you will always have my support.'

For the remainder of her time at the Council, Lada kept Emalia close to her at all times. She did not want to risk another incident like the one with Sofia. Not that she needed to be worried about that, most others that were in the building were disgusted with Sofia's actions.

All too soon, for Lada at least, it was time for Emalia to return back home. Lada had done her best to try and repair the mistrust that lay between the Council and the Potters. She hoped that she had at least gained some of Emalia's trust.

'It has been a pleasure having you here Emalia' said Lada smiling 'I hope you will visit sometime, and if you ever need anything you know where we are.'

Emalia nodded smiling; she extended her hand much to Lada's surprise. But she took hold of the young girl's hand and shook it gently.

'Thank you, Lada' said Emalia politely. She turned and walked into the fireplace, soon she was engulfed by green flames.

Moments later she arrived back in her living room. There she was greeted by a very happy looking Albus Dumbledore. 'Welcome home my dear' he beamed. Emalia ran towards him, dropping her belongings and embraced him in a hug.

'It's good to be home' she muttered smiling brightly.