The Veela Witches

Delphine and the Unbreakable Vow

A Veela's pregnancy differs from that of Muggles and wizards; in five months, a Veela baby is born with long hair and translucent skin. As Monsieur was often absent, Delphine always made up excuses to delay his arrival, avoiding the need to hide the newborn and invent elaborate explanations. The first daughter was named Madeline, the second Francine, and the third, Clemence. Count Gautier, dissatisfied with the third daughter being a girl, saw the marriage collapse, despite the flourishing business.

With courage, Delphine revealed the truth to her husband, leaving him surprised and frightened. He accused her of casting a curse on the Gautier family, including himself, for being enchanted by Delphine's exuberant beauty.

Monsieur Gautier later redeemed himself, accepting the reality of never having a male child. To fulfill his dream of having two sons and two daughters, he conceived the last daughter, Louise. However, before proceeding, it's important to mention that the letter found in the attic never received a response as Count Gautier confiscated it, keeping Delphine's clandestine activities a secret. Gautier intensified surveillance on his wife's steps, discovering that Roger, besides being a lover, had become a faithful follower of the dark forces. However, what he did to Delphine was even more cruel.

Louise was born in the spring of 1928, beautiful and healthy, following the tradition of all the women in our family. When she turned one year old, Gautier, as a form of revenge for all of Delphine's betrayals, proposed an Unbreakable Vow.

- Sorry to interrupt, Mother, but what is an Unbreakable Vow?

An Unbreakable Vow is a relatively obscure magical practice in which one wizard or witch swears an oath to another. If either party breaks the terms of the oath, they face death as a consequence. The vow ceremony occurs with both parties kneeling face to face while holding each other's right hand. A third participant holds their wand close to the joined hands, placing the wand's tip over them as a guarantor of the pact. In this ritual, the first individual requests a specific number of vows from the second, which the second accepts. If the person refuses to accept any of the proposed vows, the Unbreakable Vow is automatically nullified. With each acceptance, a subtle chain of fire emanates from the guarantor's wand, skillfully intertwining around the hands of the pair, solidifying the terms of the oath. After the ceremony's completion, if the person who accepted the vows violates them, they will face the fatal fate of losing their life.

- What did Count Gautier make Delphine swear? And who was the guarantor of these vows?

Monsieur Gautier designated Rose Gilmore as the guarantor of the vows, relying on her loyalty to Madame Delphine, including her in one of the commitments. The first vow established that all women born into the Gautier family should never put their husbands' names first; Rose and Delphine were responsible for overseeing their daughters' marriages. In the second vow, it was determined that, from that day forward, all Gautier family wands, especially those of the women, should have a core of golden hair. The third vow committed Rose Gilmore to remain loyal to Delphine and the daughters until after her own death.

The last vow, marked by perversity, possessiveness, and revenge, declared that if either of them hurt the other's feelings in any way, by words or deeds, or if any unusual act was discovered within the relationship, both would face a painful and slow death. However, the only element to survive and be passed down to all generations of Veelas would be the golden hair strand in the wands.

- You can probably imagine what happened next, right? - While Rose Gilmore stored her wand and both employers stood up. Instantly, both began to tremble and foam amber liquid from their mouths. Rose, overcome by panic, didn't understand what was unfolding before her eyes. The employers writhed on the wooden floor for many minutes until their lives ceased entirely. Feeling her right hand burn, Rose watched a scar form on her wrist, understanding that the task of caring for the Gautier daughters had to be followed to the letter.

Crying through the room in search of help, she came across a notice floating at the entrance, with sparkling letters signed by the Count:

- "I confiscated a letter that was never delivered to you; it's in my cloak, in the left pocket. By now, my wife and I will already be far away, somewhere among the stars. The letter will provide explanations about why all of this is happening. The owl Eclair has already been instructed to help you. Good life, Rose Gilmore!"

- But Mother, what happened to the lover Roger? Did Rose Gilmore manage to follow everything the Count asked her to do? How did the daughters find out about this later? If a Veela can have female children, how do you explain Uncle Louis? How did all this information reach you?... I'm completely speechless; it's a strong and sad yet fascinating story. We could stay here until dawn hearing everything about our family!

- Emma, I've only shared one percent of our family's story, just to satisfy your curiosity about some facts before continuing. Roger, Delphine's lover, joined Grindelwald, but I assure you that before his defeat in 1945, a Gautier sent him to Azkaban, and I believe he's still there to this day!

There was a moment of pause, and my mother and I glanced at each other as we heard the sound of my father's car pulling into the garage, and distant thunder signaled an approaching storm, darkening the glass greenhouse. My mother stood up and waved her wand at the trunk, making it suddenly invisible, picked up the package of letters, placed it between her arms, and said:

- Enough for now. Let's go welcome your father. We'll continue with him. I want him to be close when I show you the love letters he used to send me with cheesy decorations during our adolescence. I bet he'll be embarrassed!

The atmosphere in Southwold might have hinted at rain, but inside the house, the dark clouds were being pushed away by sunlight.