Neko

* Immune to mind-affecting magic, including mind control, obliviation and love potions

### Status

Extant

A **neko** is a non-canonical semi-human magical being described in *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*; the term *catgirl* (and, presumably, *catboy*) is also used. Using feline hair in freshly-brewed polyjuice potion has a high chance of turning the drinker into a neko permanently.

A neko looks like a human with cat ears, yellow cat eyes, a tail and facial fur. Less obviously, they have fangs and, at least if they are female, four extra pairs of nipples. The tongue is rougher than a human's, but looks the same, and the nails are longer and sharper. The ears and tail react to and signal emotions: the ears flattening when upset or angry and the tail fluttering around when happy, swinging violently when angry and drooping when sad. Rubbing them behind the ear or stroking their tail is highly pleasurable, and makes them purr. The fangs are retractable, at least when aroused.

Nekos, like veelas, mate for life. A neko and their mate will defend each other to the death, and if one survives the other they will be completely devastated. Instead of their monthly cycle, female nekos go into heat and release pheromones, turning themselves and their mate on; during such times an instinctual need to breed takes them over and their rational mind becomes a mere passenger with little control over the body. Unless contraceptive measures have been taken beforehand, this generally results in pregnancy. If the mate is not present when the neko goes into heat, she will send out a telepathic *call* to him that may drown out his other senses.

Like many magical creatures, nekos are practically immune to mind control and obliviation, love potions and other magics affecting the mind. They have sharper eyesight, hearing and sense of smell than most humans, allowing them to recognize the presence of dark spells and artefacts and to tell the difference between a real animal and an animagus in animal form; they also themselves give off a distinct, if faint, scent that while being unnoticed by humans allows e g goblins to recognize them even when in disguise. Nekos have an instinctive reaction of discomfort in the presence of canines, including werewolves and (possibly) dog animagi.

Since, historically, young nekos have often been kidnapped and abused, neko colonies do not allow humans to enter unless they are the mate of somebody living there.

Nekos seem to be rare, at least in Europe; Albus Dumbledore claims to have met three in over a hundred years (he was born in 1881 and said this in 1992). Based on the name, they may be more common in East Asia.

## Etymology

*Neko* (猫) is the Japanese word for "cat"; presumably the English word is a shortened form of a longer term with this beginning. (Japanese muggles tend to refer to catgirls in pop culture as *nekomimi* (猫耳), literally "cat ears", from the popular hair accessory, but presumably the knowledge of nekos in Magical Japan is older than that and some other term is likely to be in use.)

## References

1. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 38
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 1
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 2
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 13
5. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 21
6. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 7
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 3
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 32
9. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 10
10. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 35
11. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 11
12. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 31
13. ↑ *Harry Potter: Neko's Mate*, Chapter 36