Although most of what he had learned was not especially useful in a practical sense, it was academic gold and would make the report he intended to write far more thorough. Still, since he had only asked the elderly mermaid for information regarding merfolk culture and history, that was all she had given him. Contrary to what the wizarding world liked to believe through its own bias, merfolk were no less sharp or intelligent than humans. They simply lived in a more straightforward way. Julian did not mind that in the slightest, as he had already met three intelligent non-human species personally, namely house elves, manticores, and goblins.-
After filling nearly three pages with notes on merfolk history, Julian moved on to the sea rope weavers to learn from them next. He was stunned to discover that, despite how simple the finished product appeared, the process itself was actually very complicated. First, the seaweed and kelp had to be treated in a special way so that magic could flow smoothly into the finished ropes without causing conflict. Julian immediately became eager to learn every exact step involved, since it seemed possible that this knowledge might solve several of the problems he had been facing with organic smithing, and perhaps even with mixed enchantment systems.-
'It's depressing that something this valuable has gone ignored for so long because of wizarding prejudice.' he thought with a sigh while trying to weave sea rope himself under the patient watch of the lead weaver. The merfolk had perfected the craft of weaving seaweed and kelp to such a degree that even Julian struggled with it unless he worked painfully slowly. If one fold was too loose, he had to begin again from the start. If it was too tight, the kelp or seaweed tore and forced him to start over anyway. In the end, he spent the entire day just trying to master the weaving stage alone and had not even reached the magical component yet.-
As the sun began to sink, he said his farewells to the merfolk and swam back up toward the surface. Once there, he pulled his broom out of Greed and rose into the air while holding onto it tightly. After clearing the water entirely, he hauled himself fully onto the broom and sped across the lake toward the castle beneath the astonished stares of the students still lingering on the grounds. The ride helped dry him off, and once he landed at the entrance to the courtyard, he undid the transfiguration on his clothes.-
After putting his broom away, Julian walked casually into the castle in a fairly good mood after such a productive trip. "Making friends with the fish in the lake?" Luna asked from right by the entrance with a teasing smirk. "No, I already did that the last time I went swimming in the lake. This time I made friends with the mermaids instead." Julian answered honestly, grinning when Luna's eyes widened. "Are they as pretty as the stories say?" she asked eagerly.-
"Not really. They're not exactly ugly, but they're definitely not beautiful either. In my opinion, they look a bit too much like fish for that." he replied honestly. Luna looked disappointed by that answer, but Julian could not exactly change reality, and merfolk appearances were not a secret to begin with. "I wrote down all the history they told me today as well, if you'd like to read it." Julian offered, pulling out the three sheets covered in his notes. Luna's face brightened instantly, and she eagerly snatched the pages from his hands before devouring the information written across them.-
'Yes, she definitely belongs in Ravenclaw.' he thought with a chuckle. He remained there for the next five minutes while Luna read through his notes carefully, amazement clear on her face the entire time. "Is all of this true?" she asked curiously once she finished. Julian nodded. "I got it directly from the leader or shaman of the merfolk in the lake, so most of it should be true. The part about them being descended from Oceanus is questionable at best, but the rest of it seems entirely possible." he said with a smile.-
"Did you know everyone was looking for you all day and couldn't find you anywhere?" she asked, changing the subject without warning. Julian was not caught off guard, since she did that sort of thing often whenever they spent time together. "I don't doubt it, since deciding to go was a bit impulsive on my part. It isn't that serious though, so I'm sure it'll be fine." he said dismissively. Luna nodded. "They didn't look surprised, so you're probably right. Want to walk me to dinner?" she asked with a smile. "Why, it would be my privilege, Mrs. Lovegood!" he said dramatically, drawing a giggle from her.