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So, I wrote this to clarify my thoughts on veela for a fanfiction idea. One of my friends read it and suggested I post it. I Hope you enjoy.

A TREATISE ON VEELA

By: W. T. Wolf

What are veela? This is a question that many believe they know the answer to.

Whether it be as beautiful seductresses, eager to steal the virtue of any man that strikes their fancy; or Vicious harlots whose beauty mask a monster hiding under the skin, veela today face many stereotypes. But what is the truth? In this treatise I attempt to explain what I can about veela.

Of course, only being an outside observer, I will admit that I may not be entirely accurate. Nor do I have all the information. While I have been allowed to observe, and even live, among veela for a time, there are aspects of veela that they do not share with outsiders. What qualifies me then to write this treatise? The answer is simple, I have been allowed to.

Veela have long been a subject of interest to me. A society of beautiful women, shrouded in secrecy. What red-blooded heterosexual male would not be interested in veela? But where other authors have written about veela based only on a few experiences, and with their own bias', I have asked, and been permitted, access to a veela commune for the sole purpose of observing their people and culture to educate others. This was not an easy task to accomplish, and I had to agree to certain...stipulations, before being granted access. The exact nature of these stipulations mostly consists of how I am to behave while I reside within the commune, as well as that I submit this treatise to the Matriarch of the clan for approval before I publish.

I will begin this paper with a brief explanation of where exactly I am, delve into what is 'commonly' known about veela, before venturing into less common, if potentially unknown, knowledge generally not spoken of to outsiders.

Currently, I am in southern France, the exact location I am not permitted to say. It is here however, that the Veela Clan Delacour have built their commune. And it is Clan Delacour that I currently reside as a guest to.

Now onto the veela themselves.

Veela are beautiful, almost ethereal women. They are capable of producing a magical 'allure' (for lack of a better word) to attract men to them. They are lustful creatures. When angered, veela are capable of transforming into a winged and feathered form, complete with beak and talons, capable of throwing fire from their hands. Veela are capable of bearing children, always daughters, with regular wizards. These, so called, "facts" are generally all outsiders know about veela.

While, in general terms, these statements are true, they are the equivalent of calling the ocean damp, technically true, but lacking in detail and scope. And I shall address each of the above items in turn...beginning with the first statement, that veela are beautiful, almost ethereal women.

Veela do indeed appear as beautiful women, though admittedly it depends upon one's view of beauty. While it is true that I have, in my time in the Delacour Clan, not once seen a veela that could be termed, obese, veela come in a vast array of shape, size, hair, and eye color. I have seen veela as short as five foot, and those that tower over me at over six feet. I have seen veela that are skinny, muscular, and a little plump. I have seen veela with eyes of blue, brown, and many other colors. And I have seen veela with hair or gold, hair of fire, and hair of night. There is no one universal appearance to veela.

What then makes veela seem so beautiful when compared to regular women? The answer lies in small, subtle features. Beginning with the fact that, unless injured enough to the point of scaring, veela have what can be termed as flawless skin. Veela never develop acne, freckles, or warts. And while they may tan, no veela experiences the phenomenon of sunburn. Adding to their beauty are perfectly straight teeth, as white as fresh, clean snow. Just as their skin is flawless, so too are their teeth, which do not even stain. Then there is their body hair...or rather their natural lack thereof. Veela, by nature, only grow hair upon the crown of their hear, above their eyes, and upon their mons pubis. Why this happens, I have no true idea, and if the veela themselves have an answer, they have refused to tell me. Then there is the fact that veela are perfectly symmetrical.

And of course, there is the fact of their "agelessness." The Matriarch of Clan Delacour is one-hundred and six years of age yet appears no older than her late twenties. That is not to say that veela are immortal, they day of old age just as any witch, wizard, or muggle do. It is simply the fact that, once they reach their physical prime, veela cease to age. In fact, they know no degeneration of their bodies, unless it is from an injury beyond their capability to heal.

I feel that, having now explained why veela appear so ethereally beautiful, this is the time to reveal exactly what veela are.

Veela are the followers of "The Goddess".

Who, and what, this goddess is, is information I have not been privy to know. What Has been shared with me is that veela, believe they have been created by her to follow, and spread, her ideals, which I shall delve into a little later in this treatise.

The important part is that anyone may become a veela.

The exact process and method to becoming a veela is kept a closely guarded secret. In fact, the only way the priestesses of the clan (whose responsibility it is to oversee this change) would allow me this knowledge would be if I had decided to become a veela myself and undergo said procedure.

What I can say about the process is that it may be performed any witch, wizard, muggle, or any other sentient creature.

Those that become veela, gain the abilities of veela, along with any they naturally carry over. As an example, a muggle who becomes veela would in essence have access only to those skills and abilities that are naturally belong to a veela, In the meantime, witch or wizard that becomes a veela would still be able to use a wand to cast magic with.

In terms of non-humans that become veela, such as the one centaur veela that resides within the Delacour commune, they become a veela equivalent of their natural species. The centaur, for example, gained the ethereal beauty of veela, but retained the centaur build. In fact, her wings, rather than sprouting from her back as they do with most veela, sprout from the sides of her horse half, similar to pegasi.

As for males that become veela, they become fully functioning female veela. I really cannot explain better.

What all "new veela" that I have witnessed since I have begun my stay within the commune have in common is that they are still recognizable as who they were before. Their hair bay be a bit brighter in color, or silkier in texture, their skin may suddenly seem flawless, they may look as a whole much healthier, but they are still recognizable. Even the men merely appear as a gender-flipped version of who they were before.

I should also mention that becoming a veela can be used in healing, but only in the most dire of circumstances as the change is irreversible and, potentially life changing. As an example, I was introduced to an older veela that had been diagnosed with cancer as a young man, before he had turned ten. Being the nephew of a veela in the clan, when his case had reached a point of desperation, he was made into a veela. He was twelve at the time. He had awoken as not only a veela, but a female, and with the body of a fully developed woman.

The veela told me she did not regret that her aunt and parents had made the decision to turn him into a veela. It had been to save his life, and she would take what had happened to her over death any day. And she admitted that she loved being a veela, yet it had still been quite jarring to suddenly be a woman, with a fully grown body, on top of learning what it was to be a veela.

The next topic I shall dive into shall be a veela's allure, their transformation, their ability to produce fire, and their childbearing capabilities.

Veela actually possess several remarkable abilities, which every veela shares. The most famous of which is, arguable, their allure. The allure itself is hard to describe. What is of note is that it is targeted...and it contrary to the belief that it only affects males, it can affect females as well. The allure is, at its base, a defense mechanism. Desired for their beauty, the allure was used in the past to distract, and incapacitate, threats, not that this always worked. That said, many veela also use it as a test, determining the will of an individual. Strong-willed individuals are highly prized in veela society as mates. Of course, strong willed individuals may also become threats, which is where a veela's transformation comes in.

A fully transformed veela is a far cry from the beautiful, ethereal creatures we have been discussing. Growing long, hard beaks to replace their mouths, and sprouting razor sharp talons from their fingers and toes, with scaly skin, and feathered wings erupting from their backs, a transformed veela is perhaps a creature of one's nightmares. Yet each detail of this transformation has a point. The beak, and talons are weapons, used to defend oneself. The scaly skin is hard, akin to armor. And their wings allow them to flee quickly if they are unable to best their attacker.

This is, sadly, a necessity for veela. Being beautiful, youthful looking women, in ancient times, and even today, there are many that seek to assault or enslave veela. A fact that their reputation as lustful creatures has not helped with. But sometimes, armor, weapons, and the ability to flee is not enough.

In this scenario, a veela has fire. Specifically, they have what they term as "passionfyre." And contrary to popular belief, a veela need not be transformed to produce it, though it has been explained to me that it is easier to do when transformed. As well as a weapon of defense, I have observed veela using their passionfyre for a wide variety of tasks. From lighting candles, to forging weapons. Very little information about passionfyre has been shared with me, despite my questions. All I can add is that veela see their passionfyre as a gift from The Goddess and hold it in high regard.

A veela's childbearing ability may not seem like an magical ability, but in truth it is. And I fear that, in describing this ability, I must be blunt, for I can find no great ways of explanation. As I mentioned above, every veela is female. Every child they have will in turn be female, even though they will not be veela themselves. And, perhaps most importantly, veela can not only be impregnated, but impregnate other females. Again, this is something that I do not know the exact details of, for no doubt the obvious reason that I myself am male, as well as the fact that I was warned by the Clan Matriarch to not even ask, as it is considered a private affair in veela culture.

As for the children born to veela, often called "half-veela," while they are not veela themselves, they do inherit certain traits from their veela parent. Most prominently is an almost ethereal beauty, perhaps not as apparent as their parents, but children of veela are themselves still considered quite beautiful. They also can inherit a weaker version of a veela's allure. Lastly, children of veela will, while not exclusively, be more prone to birthing females than males. These traits can persist for a few generations, though have typically faded by the third, non-veela, generation.

This covers the magical abilities of veela, at least those I have been privy to, with one exception, which I shall explain in detail shortly.

The last "commonly known" fact about veela that I must address is that they are lustful creatures. Perhaps a more accurate statement is that they are passionate creatures. This is cultural, rather than magical in nature.

To return to The Goddess that veela worship. Her virtues are a love of beauty and passion for life. Veela, as her followers, take this quite literally. Every veela I have met has found a... passion, for lack of a better term, for some form of art. While they do not devote every waking moment to it, it is not uncommon for veela to spend hours a day working on their art. But what exactly is art... that's the beauty of veela philosophy.

Anything, when one has devoted the time and energy in learning, can be art. Within the Delacour commune, I have seen statues, paintings, and other traditional artwork that would be worthy of our greatest museums. I have tasted food, the veela in question have devoted a lifetime to perfecting, and I have seen warriors, referred by other veela as Paladins, that can make battle seem like an elegant, if deadly, dance.

At this point, I would like to take a slight detour to discuss veela paladins, as they hold a unique place in veela society.

As I mentioned above, every veela finds an art they are passionate in to follow. Yet they also have jobs to keep their commune's going. Some lucky veela are even fortunate to find their 'art' in their career (such as a red-haired young veela I met named Linda, who see's healing as an art form itself, and works as one of the clan's healers). That said, every veela, due to the risk they face from the world outside their communes, is given basic warrior training. Some veela take that further and endure more advanced training, becoming the guards of the clan.

Then there are the paladins. These are veela that, for one reason or another, see battle as their art. They always work as guards to the clan and are considered to be the elite of the elite. Of course, to be a paladin requires much more than simply seeing battle as a form of art, it requires hours upon hours of practice, and experience. Currently, within the Delacour Clan, there are two paladins. I have not spoken to them, though I have seen them spar against one another...

I cannot find the words to describe the sheer skill and ferocity with which they fought. Had I not been informed by the Matriarch herself that it was a simple spar, I would have been in genuine fear that one of them was going to kill the other. They moved with a speed, and grace, that would be a threat to any wizard or witch they faced, and that was without a spell cast, passionfyre thrown, or a single transformation. They spared ferociously for near an hour, and by the end were breathing easily.

And their amour, black, inlaid with silver, was as beautiful as it was intimidating. Matriarch Delacour informed me that a paladin's armor and weapons were forged by the best smiths and enchanters in the clan.

Truly, watching them spar in their armor was a sight to behold. And that was before I was informed by the Matriarch that the duties of a paladin included laying down their lives to defend the clan. They are heroes and celebrities within the commune. Yet they do not act as such. I witnessed one of the paladins help a young girl who had scrapped her knee while playing, and the other I have witnessed aiding in the repair of a broken cart.

But I digress.

As I said above, veela are creatures of passion. This extends to their relationships. Veela see no shame in sexual intercourse, or their sexuality. As long as the act in between consenting adults, and no one is truly harmed, they see so shame or harm in carnal activities. Single veela often take many lovers, male and female (though due to the nature of a veela commune, most often female). I will admit that I myself have enjoyed many nights with a veela while a resident of their commune. It is here that I learned about the last of a veela's magical abilities.

Veela sexual stamina is incredible. To the point that, with non-veela partners, they must frequently "finish" themselves. I know this not from my own experiences (which I make no boast of) but from talking with veela themselves. It is apparently quite difficult to find a non-veela partner that can keep up with their sexual appetite. The one exception is when veela take a mate.

Veela do not require that their mate also be veela, though many often become one themselves. When they take mate, and formally accept them before The Goddess, a bond is formed, allowing their mate to "keep up" with veela in bed. It is also required among veela to form this bond in order to have children. Sadly, once more, no one would provide me with more information on the why's and how's of this phenomenon.

That said, veela find loyalty of utmost importance. Once they have taken a mate, veela themselves will not stray. And should a single veela discover that a lover in her bed is either cheating on her, or another, they will be lucky to escape without severe burns to some very sensitive areas.

In their treatment of their children, veela are akin to mother dragons watching over a nest. They love and care for their children dearly and find crimes against children extremely heinous. It is not unusual for veela to bring back and adopt children they have rescued from abusive situations. These children are treated as though they are the veela in questions own flesh and blood.

Lastly, I shall discuss the Delacour Clan, and its structure, as much as I am allowed anyway.

First, I shall clarify. I have mentioned the Delacour Clan and Commune. The Clan is the individuals that follow the Matriarch, the Commune is the land and buildings they have made their home. From my understanding, this is veela standard. Exactly how many clans and communes there are, I have not been informed of. What I can say is that every veela takes their surname from their clan. Children born to to the clan also take the surname, even if they are not veela. Which is one explanation as to why there are several prominent wizards with the last name Delacour in France. Said wizards, may in fact, have no blood connection, simply being descended from veela of the Delacour Clan.

Every veela clan is led by a Matriarch. I am told that the role of Matriarch, once appointed, is for life, and each Matriarch is chosen by The Goddess. How exactly The Goddess chooses a new Matriarch has not been revealed to me. Though I have been told that, every now and then, a new Matriarch is chosen while the current still lives. This new Matriarch will, along with any other veela from the clan that wish to follow, leave and start a new clan and a new commune.

Perhaps of equal importance to as the Matriarch, is the High Priestess. Every veela commune, or so I've been told, will have a shrine to The Goddess. It is the High Priestess job to lead veela in their spiritual journey, oversee the other priestesses, and aid those who wish to become veela to do so. She often works closely with the Matriarch but will defer to her in non-religious matters. Sadly, I have not learned much about the goings-on of the High Priestess or veela Priestess' in general.

There is really no other position of extraordinary note within the clan. That said, there are many jobs and professions within the clan itself. And every veela within the commune sees it as their duty to contribute to the clan in some way. The only reasons veela are known to leave are to experience the world before returning (often these are veela that have been born into the clan and become veela before leaving), to find or be with their mate (should their mate not be veela themselves), the occasional vacation, being sent out on some duty for the clan itself, or some other kind of business. Even those that live elsewhere often visit their clan's commune.

The commune itself does not hold only the veela of the clan, but also their non-veela mates and children. I could best describe it as a village, that sees all its residents as family. Disputes between individuals of the clan are rare, and often taken before the Matriarch or High Priestess (depending upon the dispute in question), and quickly resolved. The residents are protective of not only themselves, but those that have earned their trust and friendship.

While this treatise is not too long, certainly no book, I hope that it may help educate you on the true nature of veela, without bias or condemnation. Too many see veela as no more than creatures, when the truth is so much more. While a secretive people, they are more than willing to welcome others. In truth, it is my belief that a veela is happiest when left to their family, their clan, and their art. And find it absurd that these women would be considered creatures, let alone dark creatures as some countries label them.

That's it, I hope you enjoyed.

If anyone wants to use this, or my idea's on veela, in their own story, feel free.

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