Ron Weasley and the Alternative Unforgivable Curse

*Owls sent between Neville and his Grandmother and Neville's POV*

I sit on my bed and write the letter to my Gran. I really feel apprehensive about asking her. Will she see through me, and ask why I'm asking such an odd question? I put quill to parchment and start to write.

Gran

Hello, I hope you are well. I am doing fine. The other Gryffindors are safe and are coming back to Hogwarts in the next few days.

But lessons still go on, and we are studying veela, its part of our homework to write about them and their habits, and in particular the magnetic attraction between them and a potential mate. We get some bonus points if we discover if there is any veela blood in the family. And because you have always said you wanted me to do well in my lessons and you would help me in any way that you could... is there any veela blood in our family?

A reply before Wednesday would be great because its due in on Friday and I want the time to write it up.

Love

Neville

I take a walk to the owlery, and refuse Ron's company. I use a school owl and tie my note to its leg. I watch it fly away, and again worry whether what I had asked was suspicious. I didn't have long to wait because the next night, Gran replied.

Neville

I am glad that you are doing well, and yes in myself I am good, but I feel a cold coming up - but never mind.

Regarding your question on whether there is any veela blood in the family, I have to say that there is no immediate veela blood that will affect you. My great Grandmother was a half veela. So your great great great Grandmother was a half veela. I don't know if that is any help to your essay or not. It is possible you could have veela blood inside you if it was on your mother's side as it is recessive and Frank may have received that gene too from my great grandmother. But I doubt it very much. So don't you worry, especially if they have taught you about the inheritance etc.

Good luck on writing it up and tell me what grade you got

Love always

Gran

Well that's encouraging, but what about my mother's side? I know a little bit about genes and such - you have to for herbology to know what kind of plants you will get. We have two little genes that make up... us. Veela gene is recessive and to be a proper Veela you must have 2 recessive veela genes like vv. Now since one of my ancestors had a Vv, the little gene goes on through the line if that one is chosen to make us. If my father was a Vv and my mother was a Vv, I could be a fully-fledged veela and it would explain everything I have done with Ron and we will now have bonded and will have to spend the rest of our lives together. If I am, I came into my inheritance a bit late. And how do I know that I have achieved my inheritance? Wouldn't I feel different? I have felt a little strange and more receptive to feelings and such since Louis kissed me in the summer.... But then again I was a late developer - it took me a while to show signs of magic, and my voice didn't break until I was fourteen. I think I better reply to Gran and make up a grade.

Hi Gran.

Thank you very much for your help - the extra information got me an Acceptable, which I am very pleased with. Do you think that my mum had that gene? Just a thought.

Love

Neville

Gran's owl comes in the morning while I eat my breakfast; it gives me an evil glare while it drops the note in my cereal. I return the glare and let it nibble some dry cereal I put into my hand in thanks. She doesn't seem to like it much, and flies off in a huff. I open up the letter. Gran's answer is a bit terse. I know that she is always happy to go through any questions that I have concerning anything, but she sounds edgy, like she's hiding something. Immediately, I'm suspicious of whether she is being straight with me.

Neville

I am very happy for you and your good grade. But I don't have time to pacify you with infantile worries about whether you are a veela or not being brought on by exposure to the concept. My cold has got worse and it may be flu and I'm too tired to answer long questions like the ones you have been asking me. However I still want owls on your progress, as you are important to me.

Gran

Maybe I was being a bit distrustful of my own grandmother. Maybe she did think that I was being childish and worrying. She is well used to my anxiety by now. I've got a lot better in the past few years, and come into my own, but I'm still scared of the old hag! Only joking. I love her really. Although her attitude seems cold, I know that it's her way of expressing that she cares for me. She didn't answer my question though. I don't think I'd expect her to know anyway, but she could at least tell me if there was in the any doubt that my mum has a veela gene.

I read this letter at my desk. I'm careful to put it away, and hide it from Ron. I really don't know what to make of it all. I don't want him to know that I'm feeling all mixed up. I'm finding out about my heritage here! I'm learning about my parents, who I've never really known for goodness sakes!

I'm a guilty person with this too - I'm guilty because I've lied to my Gran, and with what I'm getting up to. It never feels wrong at the time.... Maybe I'm just a sexual deviant and whether I have any veela genes or not is not the problem.

I'm angry with myself that this can happen. If I had feelings for another boy, I should have just hidden it and gone out with a girl instead and try and forget my feelings. We could never go public or confide in an adult, we would be quite literally... toast.

I look at my Gran's letter, and slam it in my desk drawer in disgust and anger that I'm not getting any solid answers.

***

I leave it for a day before I write another owl to reply to my Gran. If she were coming up with a cold, she wouldn't want to be bothered with an owl during the night or early morning while she was in bed. I sit outside on the grounds to write, but soon give up - it's getting cold. It's mid-October now.

Gran

Sorry I upset you, I hope you get better soon. I won't ask again and I won't go prying into mum's family tree. It's just a curiosity, because quite a few of us have a little veela blood inside us from a very long time ago, its incredibly interesting to see where we come from. Only one person is a proper veela and our teachers will not tell us who, as they are in the third year and haven't come into their inheritance yet and it worries them a lot that they will settle down young.

Write back soon

Neville

I think it's a dignified response to her note. Humble enough to have her think I've still got respect for her, but assertive enough to not be grovelling. I don't want to pander to her all my life....

After I send the owl, I have a word with Ron about my Gran's reply and ask if he thinks that she knows something about my mother's heritage and wasn't telling me. He's being very sensible about it and reassures me that like she had told me about my dad, she would tell me about my mum if she knew anything and it was probably her flu that had made her snappy as it was as sure as hell that his mother was like that when on the rare occasions that she gets sick. We talk about my mum and her colouring and if there was any chance of veela blood. Even though my mum has blonde hair and blue eyes, they are not of the silvery veela kind. Even though there was a hint of it in my genes. We worked out that at the best my genes are Vv and I am most possibly VV. The trail runs cold on my side.... It's not totally impossible though because of my dad, but maybe we'll have better luck with Ron.

*End of Neville and his owls and POV, beginning of Ron's owls and POV *

I write the owl with Neville next to me. Neville hasn't been himself around me since he owled his Gran a few days ago. He tells me that his grandmother has told him that his dad's side has one recessive veela gene; there is nothing that can be said for his mother. It just leaves a giant great big question mark. I doubt there is anything on my side, but I don't see the harm in asking.

It's bloody well hard enough as it is. How am I going to convince mum that we are studying veela? She'll want to know exactly what lesson it is AND complain to Dumbledore if she don't think it suitable. Well, I'll try and owl dad instead, he never asks.

Hi Dad

How are you, mum and the Muggles? I'm doing fine. I expect you're confused why I have sent you an owl. I have a question about our family bloodlines, I didn't want to owl mum because she fusses and stuff. (Please don't tell her I said that.)

We are studying veela in one of our lessons and we are given the task of writing about them and their inheritance and stuff and we can get some extra marks if we can provide a brief summary of our own blood line as it is predicted that everyone will have a little bit of it in us - for example Neville's great great great grandmother was a half veela - which is very interesting you have to admit. Are you aware of any veela blood in our family?

Can you reply by Saturday please as it is due in Monday and I want the time to write it up?

Thanks

Ron

Dad replied quite quickly for him. He sounded very surprised I asked such a question when we are pureblood through and through. - But surely there is a little in there somewhere - around the 1700's there was an influx of the things and running off with British wizards. There was a chance - right?

Dear Ron

You know full well that we are pure blood and that we only have the one Muggle relative. I suppose we do have some veela blood from maybe a few hundred years ago, but you have to remember that it will not be dominant in your system, or not even in your genetic make-up at all. There is none at all on your mother's side either as I remember doing a veela project at Hogwarts though it was a lot earlier in my time there that we did it and your mum and I had not being going out long - but we did the project together anyway. Not having veela blood will not hinder your mark at all so don't worry.

Keep smiling.

Love Dad

That sucks You-Know-Who's bollocks. So, Neville has to be the veela. He doesn't look like one or appear to have any veela traits - but it's the only explanation. The both of us couldn't suddenly turn gay with no warning or... anything. So Neville must have this blood in him that finds the person who completes him in every way regardless of sex, race, wizardry etc. I must complete him. But if he is - wouldn't when we... you know, feel different - more spiritual and floaty? It feels good, but there is a detachment in my mind. I talk to Neville about this and he reckons I must not have given my entire self to him, only my body and not my mind or soul. I smile wantonly. With the others due back at least tomorrow, I have tonight to submit one or both of those things....

But, no funny stuff now because it's nearly dinnertime. I suggest that we go to the library before lunch and see what we could find on veela, magnetic attraction and if it is possible with one recessive gene, or a bolt of lightening, being dropped from great heights, being a sidekick to the saviour of the wizarding world. All we could find was a book by Clare what sit's face. It just told us what we already knew - it briefly mentions a spell cast when the veela and its mate have sex for the first time - but the incantation isn't in there. Madam Pince said there was another book that explained it all in greater detail, but Professor Snape had taken it out. I dread to think why he wants it....

*End of Ron's owls and POV*