Veela Hair

• Type: Magical Ingredient, Wand Core
• Origin: Sourced from a Veela.
• Known Users (in wands): Fleur Delacour

Veela hair is the hair obtained from the head of a Veela. While the hair's specific appearance can vary, it is sourced from beings known for their stunning beauty, who possess shining, moon-bright hair that flows behind them without the aid of wind. This magical origin infuses the hair with potent magical properties. The single known strand used in a wand was a gift from Fleur Delacour's Veela grandmother, suggesting it is willingly given rather than taken by force.

The primary known use of Veela hair is as a magical core in wand construction. It is considered a powerful substance, but also a difficult one to work with.

• Temperamental Nature: According to the esteemed wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, wands containing Veela hair are “temperamental.” He personally found them challenging and never used them in the wands he crafted, preferring the “big three” cores: Unicorn hair, Dragon heartstring, and Phoenix feather.
• Power: The inclusion of Veela hair as a wand core alongside the “big three” during the Weighing of the Wands indicates that it is a substance of sufficient power for crafting a viable, tournament-worthy wand.
• Owner Allegiance: Wands with a Veela hair core are known to be deeply attached to their original owner and are considered particularly difficult for other wizards to master. Harry Potter briefly possessed Fleur's wand after the escape from Malfoy Manor but noted that it felt resistant and did not work well for him.

The use of Veela hair as a wand core appears to be a known, if somewhat uncommon, practice in wandlore. The most famous example is the wand of Fleur Delacour, the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic champion. Her wand was made of rosewood, nine and a half inches long, unyielding, and contained a single hair from her grandmother, a full Veela. Garrick Ollivander's refusal to use Veela hair suggests its use may be more prevalent among wandmakers outside of Great Britain, perhaps particularly in France, where the Delacour family resides. The fact that Fleur's wand was crafted with a hair from a family member implies a personal and possibly traditional element to its creation.

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Veela hair is first introduced during the Weighing of the Wands ceremony. When Garrick Ollivander inspects Fleur Delacour's wand, he identifies its core, remarking on its temperamental nature. This moment serves to formally confirm Fleur's Veela ancestry and highlights the diversity in wandlore beyond Ollivander's own practices.
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: After escaping Malfoy Manor, Harry Potter takes Fleur's wand along with others. He attempts to use it but finds it does not respond well to him, reinforcing the core wandlore concept that the wand chooses the wizard and that a wand's allegiance is difficult to win, especially for one with a finicky core like Veela hair.

• In writings on the Wizarding World website (formerly Pottermore), J.K. Rowling confirmed Garrick Ollivander's assessment, stating that wands with Veela hair cores are temperamental and difficult to handle. She elaborated that they have a reputation for being possessive of their original owner and can perform poorly for others, which is consistent with Harry's experience using Fleur's wand. (Pottermore)