— The —
Daily Prophet
Daily Prophet
Price One Knut
April 8th, 1888
The Veela Problem: Another Lawyer Weighs In
The Ministry Can & Should Intervene
We continue to receive feedback on the matter of veela in Britain and the threat that they hold to the population, particularly those in positions of power.
Though not approached directly by our paper, the eldest-serving female lawyer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Mrs. Angelica Flitwick, said she felt compelled to respond to her colleague's insistence that the Ministry of Magic's hands are tied.
"Veela are beings as my learned colleague stated, but as such, they must adhere to the laws of Magical Britain," Mrs. Flitwick explained. "If I were to cast an Imperius Curse on you and be found out, I would be sent to Azkaban. If I were to use a love potion on you, there is a good likelihood I would face a similar fate. Willingly or otherwise, this is the effect that a veela, and even her progeny, have upon the opposite sex. Even if she does not intend it, her undue advantage overrules an individual's free will, running counter to morality and the law."
When asked what steps might reasonably be taken, Mrs. Flitwick cautioned that their Being status did protect them from all-out deportation, however said that there was more the Ministry could be doing.
"Banning them from entering the country in the first place will, though not immediately, take care of the problem," she stated. "As they do not originate within our boarders, such restrictions upon their movements will mean that in two, three generations, veela influence will have all but passed. In the meantime, however, I would urge the Ministry to re-evaluate its definitions of a legal marriage, for if magic under the influence of amortentia cannot be deemed legitimate, I fail to see how marriage to a veela is any different for the man involved."
Though not approached directly by our paper, the eldest-serving female lawyer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Mrs. Angelica Flitwick, said she felt compelled to respond to her colleague's insistence that the Ministry of Magic's hands are tied.
"Veela are beings as my learned colleague stated, but as such, they must adhere to the laws of Magical Britain," Mrs. Flitwick explained. "If I were to cast an Imperius Curse on you and be found out, I would be sent to Azkaban. If I were to use a love potion on you, there is a good likelihood I would face a similar fate. Willingly or otherwise, this is the effect that a veela, and even her progeny, have upon the opposite sex. Even if she does not intend it, her undue advantage overrules an individual's free will, running counter to morality and the law."
When asked what steps might reasonably be taken, Mrs. Flitwick cautioned that their Being status did protect them from all-out deportation, however said that there was more the Ministry could be doing.
"Banning them from entering the country in the first place will, though not immediately, take care of the problem," she stated. "As they do not originate within our boarders, such restrictions upon their movements will mean that in two, three generations, veela influence will have all but passed. In the meantime, however, I would urge the Ministry to re-evaluate its definitions of a legal marriage, for if magic under the influence of amortentia cannot be deemed legitimate, I fail to see how marriage to a veela is any different for the man involved."
GULLIVER DORAN