Chapter 261 - 261. The Dragon's Way
Magnus made the best shocked and offended face he could and pointed his finger at her face. He was trying to scare her away by acting angry, "HOW DARE YOU. I have a name, do you know whom you're talking to? The King Of Britain, Magnus Grant Emrys Pendragon. Your attitude is extremely offensive and unfitting to a woman of your occupation."
"SO WHAT? These books are my life, I will not let a spoiled brat like you mess with them. I warned you before too, but you have been secretly taking books out, what? You thought I didn't notice?" She scowled and shouted back.
Magnus's face twitched, ~She's really getting on my nerves now.~
He fiddled in his pocket and took out a money pouch. *BAM* He threw it at her, resulting in it slamming to her chest. "Here, 10,000 galleons. There is more money in it than decades worth of your salary.
"And, mind your tongue. I am no spoiled brat, every single Knutt I spend is the money I made myself. All that I inherit is used to doing good for the world. Now take that money and keep quiet. This is a library, not your home."
He was getting genuinely angry at her by this point so he decided to leave her and just go and read some books to take his mind off of this witch.
*THUD*
Pince didn't have it in her nature to take such harsh words silently. In the years she has been a librarian, nobody has dared to talk like that to her, not even the teachers when she refused them for taking some book home.
So, she reacted, a big mistake in itself, because Magnus was not a teacher, nor a normal student who would be afraid of some librarian, the boy had killed Death Eaters in the first year for god's sake, that should have been enough of a warning to anyone. But not to her.
"TAKE YOUR MONEY BACK! Do you think you can buy my library? YOU ARE BANNED FROM HERE FROM NOW ON, FOR FOREVER." She shouted at him madly. She had a short temper it seems, even shorter than Moody or Magnus.
~Calm down, Magnus. She's just crazy, it's not worth the headache.~ Magnus told himself and continued on his way.
"CAN'T YOU HEAR? GET OUT! You are not to step inside here ever again." she seethed, but when she saw him ignoring her, she got angrier "ARE THESE YOUR MANNERS? DID YOUR MOTHER NOT TEACH YOU ANYTHI..."
*CLING*
"SAY ONE MORE WORD ABOUT MY MOTHER AND THIS SWORD WILL SEE THE INSIDES OF YOUR THROAT." When she was mid-sentence, Magnus suddenly moved, making a turn and jumping at full force towards her. Before she could even take out her wand, the Despair sword rested on her neck.
She gulped her saliva and stayed silent. Her face looked pale as if she had just lost all her blood.
"Listen to me, Witch. You are acting like a real b*tch here. I have been very respectful to you from the start, but you continue to test my limits. READ WHAT'S WRITTEN ON THIS SWORD AND TELL ME." He ordered.
Pince turned her eyes down and read. The word made her scared to the core. "D-Despair."
Magnus nodded coldly, his eyes burning red. "Yes, do you want to experience it? Just like how many Death Eaters did when I chopped them with this exact sword?"
"N-No... s-sir." her legs trembled.
"Now, you better understand one thing. I am not your subordinate. And this is a library, where one can come and study, these books are meant to give knowledge and you not allowing me from consuming that knowledge is against the job you're meant to do. If you really have some kind of a fetish about these books that makes you see them as your lover, then quit this damn job. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He sternly said, his tone continuing to be threatening.
"Y-Yes... sir."
"NEXT! HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK ILL OF MY MOTHER? She is the kindest person in the world and your vile mouth even uttering a word about her is disrespectful. DISRESPECT, which seems to be your forte. That old man, Dumbledore, is THE, if not one of the strongest wizards in the world. And you dare talk back to him? Woman, the day he stops respecting you is the day you will experience a fate worse than death. So, you better respect people.
"While I. Do you know why I am here to read these books?" He asked her.
By now, Pince had become as pale as a ghost. After all, she grew up as an entitled witch all her life, before she was a proud only daughter, then she was a school beauty at the school, now she was a librarian with power over students. So she had never really faced any punishment her whole life.
"N-No, sir. I don't know."
"Hmm, I reckoned. You see, some really bad Dark Wizards have continued to try to kill me. So, I often kill them instead. But, I want to prepare for more such attacks, for which I need to gain knowledge in this library. So, you tell me, is your action to stop me right, Madam Irma Pince?" He asked her in a very calm voice this time.
And to her, this seemed more chilling than the angrier one, because she had no idea what he was thinking.
"M-My actions were wrong, sir. I shouldn't have misbehaved." She was on the verge of crying.
Magnus nodded and retracted his sword. "Good. You do a good job at being a librarian, Madam Irma Pince, but you can not deny a student from learning, as long as it's not something from the restricted section. Your responsibility is to watch over those reading here and take care of the books, you are in no way allowed to be the gatekeeper.
"I have permission from the headmaster to read whatever I want, so I will go and do it. If you still deny me permission then I will get it written by the Minister for Magic, or if even that does not satisfy you then perhaps I can make the full Wizengamot vote on it. Of course, they will all allow me but then I won't be able to guarantee your job... or a good life."
"No sir, please. I allow you as per respected Headmaster's orders. Please, read anything you want... here is the list of all books and their location." she was extremely respectful now. Maybe the close call with death was an eye-opener for her.
Magnus smiled gently and took it, "Thank you, Madam Irma Pince. Have a good day."
He went to enter the library blocks. However, he was stopped again.
"Sir..."
He looked back in confusion. Pince looked scared to even speak to him now, "Yes?"
"Sir, the time... It's 6 PM, the library closes at 8." She meekly informed him.
He smiled and nodded, "Oh, thank you. Don't worry, I will leave before that."
Soon he was gone from her view. Madam Irma Pince was left in a daze. She looked at her hand, they were still shivering. Then she put her hand on her neck and felt it. "I... Mum was right, I need to control my mouth from now on."
Magnus at the same time had come to a bookshelf. He felt that there was a book calling his name for some reason. After looking around, he finally found it. Reading its name, Magnus became interested. It was called "Secrets of the Darkest Art"
...
Outside the library.
Dumbledore had not actually left. He disliked the librarian too, as she was too disrespectful to everyone. She oversteps her authority and forgets that her authority only lies above the students, not the teachers, as her rank was equal to what Argus Filch was.
But, he was the old headmaster, he could not look bad by punishing her harshly. So, today he grabbed the opportunity and let Magnus give her a lesson. He knew that Magnus' methods were sometimes a bit extreme but Madam Irma Pince did need that right now.
However, when the scenes inside the library unfolded and Magnus ended teaching her a lesson, he felt alert and made a mental note. ~I must inform all our allies and staff to never talk bad about his mother.~
__________
[A/N: It is canon information that Madam Irma Pince was a real b*tch. And even in the canon, she disrespected Dumbeldore. At some part in the canon timeline, Albus Dumbledore visited the library with the goal of publishing "Quidditch Through the Ages" for Muggles to raise money. However, Madam Pince was extremely disrespectful and reluctant to let the book leave the confines of the library, as well as the wizarding world, and Dumbledore had to pry each of her fingers from the spine to take it. Once he had taken the book, she wrote a warning, threatening the readers that the consequences of mistreating the book would be as horrible as it was in her power to make them.
So, no, what she did with Magnus was not an exaggeration as she has the authority to scold the students but not to physically punish them.]
[A/N: I understand that the plot may seem sluggish and boring right now. I agree with you folks too. But I have started picking up the pace and a major battle is currently starting in advance chaps. It will start from Chapter 279. I will keep the pace fast even after that is finished. I plan to finish the novel in the coming 100-150 chapters. Or maybe even less.]
[You can see the book and Dumbledore on my Discord - https://discord.gg/DgHkrAn OR see them on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mister_immortal_novel]
GIVE SOME LOVE TO ME!
______________________________
You can read 20 advance chapters or my Naruto fic, and more at -patreon.com/misterimmortal.
Special thanks to *Douglas Flower* *Umar Latif* *Julian Rocamora* *Darrien Steely* *Franklin Walley*