"If we had gillyweed, we could go see the merpeople. I think that would be brilliant. Well, at least some merpeople. I guess they are more mean than nice, at least to wizards." Gia thought the idea of talking to mermaids exciting, but the stories mother told and the one her English nanny spoke of were very different creatures. Her quill started sketching in the margins of her parchment, swirling filigree in ink. As she sketched, she wondered, her hand continuing its looping as she considered Miss Spaans. "Are there Dutch mermaids?"

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