"Have you noticed..." Anthony Goldstein studied the image on the screen. "Don't these merpeople look different?"
Earlier, the merpeople had clashed with Durmstrang, and many students had seen what they looked like. Michael Corner was one of them.
"The merpeople look different?" Hearing Anthony say that, he began adjusting the screen as well, focusing on the scene at the merpeople's village.
His nose was practically pressed against the screen as he stared with intense concentration. "It looks like... there really is a change!"
"How could you tell?" Chris Moen asked doubtfully. He was also watching the merpeople's village. "It feels like... there isn't much difference."
"I remember it clearly! The merpeople here really weren't good-looking!" Michael recalled the Black Lake merpeople. "Their scales were iron-gray..."
"And they had filthy, tangled dark-green hair... Anyway, there wasn't much difference between male and female merpeople! But look at the male merpeople now. Tell me, do you think they look good or not?"
"Um..." Chris stroked his chin. "Not really?"
"But they used to be ugly!" Michael said. "Look at their hair—it's at least not all tangled together anymore. And their scales aren't iron-gray either. They even have a sheen now."
"Why have you studied male merpeople so deeply too?" Anthony frowned and shrank away as much as possible to avoid touching Michael. "Could it be that you...?"
"It's because I didn't get to see the female merpeople!" Michael loudly explained. "That's what I was focusing on!"
"So that's how it is!" Anthony nodded as if suddenly enlightened, then looked around. "Congratulations! Everyone now understands what you like to study."
Feeling the girls' contemptuous stares, Michael had already drawn his wand. He roared furiously, "Anthony! Draw your wand! I challenge you to a duel!"
It was not only the students who were discussing