I could have sworn we had a thread for this from a while back, but I couldn't find it, and in any case I think I have something new to add to the discussion.

Let's try to settle the issue of the fanon-favourite "Veela allure" once and for all. In the past I tried to argue that there was no Veela power beyond that of looking attractive, but I believe this argument went too far. Let's look at the key pieces of evidence.

I think those are all the pertinent passages.

I think there are a few key things to take from this.

The big one is that Veela have three distinct powers:

1. Incredible, supernatural beauty, which includes photoluminescent skin. Harry was actually able to see the silvery glow lighting up the forest at night.

2. The ability to cast an enchantment over men which robs them of their senses. This enchantment is tied heavily into their voice: note the repeated stress that was placed on putting your fingers in your ears to protect yourself from the enchantment. Dancing also appears to cast the spell, but to a lesser extent. Also note that the enchantment does not exactly inflame sexual desire or make them seem more attractive. Rather it seems like an almost defensive power that makes men do stupid things.

3. The ability to turn into fireball-throwing humanoid avian creatures.

A second point to take away is that the presence of a Veela alone does not cast the "stupid-inducing enchantment". Harry was completely enchanted by their singing and dancing, but felt absolutely no effects from their presence in the forest. That implies that the effect of their presence is different in kind to the enchantment they can cast. That also ties in with the fact that looking at them doesn't put you under their spell so long as you have blocked your ears.

A third point is that Fleur is definitely not a full Veela. She's beautiful, but her skin doesn't literally glow silver. If it did, then it would have been obvious that she was a Veela, and yet everyone seems to just assume she's an unusually attractive witch - Harry telling them she was related to a Veela was news.

Now, this leaves a couple of hanging questions:

Firstly, if the presence of the Veela does not cast their enchantment, then what was going on in the forest clearing with people saying stupid things to the Veela there?

Secondly, what exactly was Fleur doing that enchanted Ron, given that it's unlikely that she started singing or dancing?

I consider the two questions essentially related.

One explanation is that these are just the natural reactions of certain men to supernatural beauty. One only has to walk past a construction site to see that some men have little filter between brain and mouth when it comes to beautiful women, and presumably inhibitions would be proportionally lower for a woman of supernatural beauty.

However, I think a superior explanation is that singing and dancing are the ways to cast the full "stupid-making enchantment", but that other uses of the voice and bodily movements may be able to project a similar spell in weaker form. So if Fleur was acting in a coquettish manner, maybe giggling or playing with her hair, then these actions would also project a similar power. While a Veela's presence alone doesn't cast the enchantment, various actions they take can do so unless you block them out by closing your ears.

Crucially, however, a Veela can't just sit there and mentally "turn on" some kind of "aura" of sexual attraction around themselves. Like most magic in the HP series, it has to be cast via physical actions. It also has to be perceived through the senses: there is no "area effect". Rather you have to hear and, to a lesser extent, see the Veela to be affected by them. Equally, since Veela are considered beautiful all the time (except when in bird form), but since the enchantment is not always there, a Veela's beauty is not a mental manipulation. They really are physically that beautiful.

 

It's also interesting that Harry thinks Cedric being with Cho is some sort of deterrent to Fleur. If you're crushing on someone else, does that block part of their effects, at least if the caster is a 1/4 Veela, not a full Veela?

 

I find the most interesting question is "what exactly does being a partial Veela mean?" Is it binary, meaning you either have a certain ability or you don't, or is there a middle ground? Does it mean anything at all?

One can look at other half-breeds, such as Hagrid, and see that he got some traits. He got some spell resistance and of course, his larger size and strength. He can do magic with a wand as well.

So, where does that put Fleur? The only real hint of anything Veela-like that we see his a second-hand account of Ron being dumb around her. We don't see any hint of her being able to do anything special like turning into a bird or throwing fire. What exactly is genetics role when talking about magic?

 

A way to explain their glowing skin and such could be by looking at the situation. We only see them there pretty much as cheerleader. It is possible they used a charm or two to increase those effects to get a better reaction from the audience.

In the end I would go with your second point. On the one hand veela simply ARE beautiful. The reason that their dancing is that much more appealing is maybe sparked by the fact that (good/erotic) dancing or singing are just more charming than just standing and talking. The effect in the forst is significant weaker than Harrys in the stadium.
It could also be a matter of „preperation“. Harry was surprised to see them in the stadium at first but seems less effected after this first burst.

 

It's worth noting that Ron was still being befuddled by Fleur's presence even after she had been staying at the Burrow for a bit.

I think the effect can be included in stories without souring enjoyment, so long as the writer skips the fanon reference to 'Allure'. Describing how Fleur's arrival made a character pay attention to her and when she spoke it would enhance the attention-drawing effect is reasonably realistic.

Referencing a Veela's Allure(tm) makes it sound like a game effect.

Allure: radius 5 yards, Range doubled when Veela moving, doubled again if chosen action is Singing. Effect: male characters forced to make saving throw or suffer effects of Slow; First exposure saves at normal, successful saves add two to the next roll. DM optional/Hard mode: affects gay or bisexual women characters as well. Since in gaming, all women are bi-, affects all characters.

 

I see Veela as a pseudo cross between the Sirens and Harpies of Greek myth. Given their abilities and physical attributes (transformed or not) I think looking at the legend of those two creatures could give some more insight to the powers of a Veela.

Additionally it would seem that Human-Veela hybrids (Fleur's mother) would be similar to other Human/Magical Creature hybrids. Flitwick has Goblin ancestry, Hagrid's mother was a Giantess.

We can see reduced levels of certain Creature aspects in them as well, be it HP canon things like Hagrid's spell resistance or greater size and strength (as an aside Hagrid would not necessarily be as strong as he is due to size alone, as your limbs get longer you lose leverage and are actually weaker when compared to a smaller person with the same body makeup percentage-wise. Source: I am a biomedical engineer) or more mythological things like Flitwick being the Charms professor and having an apparent love of mild mischief, heavily associated with goblins and other fae creatures in Gaelic and Irish legends.

In regards to Veela powers I think Taure has done a reasonable job expanding on what we know from canon, while remaining with-in the bounds of canon itself. However, personally I think there is a subtle 'Look-At-Me' mental effect that comes into play. It helps explain how Fleur seems to have an effect on Ron despite living in close proximity for some time.

I would further venture that, given a dilution effect, Fleur has less control over the more passive parts of her Ancestry then a full-blooded Veela as well as simply less access to the powers they have. I don't recall any moment where she fully transforms or uses fireballs though I will be the first to admit the my recollection of Canon is a bit hazy and the mix of Fanon is hard to separate at this point.

 

On the contrary, while there may elements from those creatures, the Wila/Vila are supernaturally beautiful women of Slavic myth, their analogue for nymphs. One of the more interesting parts of their legend is that they will die if you pluck a single hair from their head.Their voices are also meant to be very alluring.

 

I know we never see Fleur glow in the fourth book, but as wordhammer found, she does glow in the sixth book with no obvious body language or speech to cause it, similar to the Veela in the forest. Because of this, I'm not sure we can definitively say what Fleur's status as a quarter/half/full Veela is.

I hesitate to use a cliche, but is this change just Fleur showing more Veela attributes as she matures? Going from 17 to 19 can bring a lot of physical changes. Fanon has really twisted puberty to make Gabrielle older than she was in canon, but it seems the simplest answer to Fleur's change.

Alternatively, Fleur glowing silver could be a result of her relationship with Bill. A solid, committed relationship with an man several years older could improve Fleur's confidence and emotional state. Confidence can affect body language, which as Taure said is a part of how Veela use their enchantment. IRRC Tonks' depression over Remus affected her as a metamorph, it seems likely that Fleur's happiness could cause the glow.

 

I'm not sure we can say for sure that Fleur was using whatever we want to call Veela "charm" on Cedric. Harry was not there and his assumption was simply that she was flirting with Cedric and Ron caught her powers full on. Were this the case, Cedric must have turned her down flat (which must have taken incredible willpower as it was stated that Ron is a slack-jawed mess around her) or he would have an epic amount of explaining to do with Cho.

The older Weasley's do not seem affected by Fleur either. I suspect that some are more susceptible to her magic than others and Ron's emotional immaturity may make him more susceptible. Although Harry had the odd moment, he was nowhere near as bad as Ron was, nor did he shout when the men were around the full Veela at the Quidditch World Cup.

After the initial shock of seeing a Veela for a first time, perhaps it only works on certain men.

 

Maybe being 1/4 of a Veela gives her a predilection towards magic associated with Veela's? I would assume that would be anything to do with fire, and I know this is a stretch, but anything to do with a strong surge of anger or hatred? I'm not sure if it's explicitly said in the book, but I believe Ollivander stated that Veela hair for wands was very temperamental, which I take to apply to Veela's while they are alive as well. So, maybe her being 1/4 Veela allows her to use a wand with Veela hair in it, giving her advanced capabilities in certain areas?