21 The Permission Slip!

"Hmm, so what you're saying, young man, is that the Headmaster allowed you access to the restricted section of the library. But he forgot to give you any permission slip to prove it. So, you want me to let it go for this once and allow you to enter that area. Am I right?" asked Madam Pince in a deceptively calm tone. She has parchment-like skin tone with sunken cheeks and a hooked nose. Everyone calls her the vulture. She likes to hover over the students using the library books and was very unpopular due to her strict rules.

Harry had rushed to the library after getting Flitwick's list. He couldn't wait to get his hands on those books. But he forgot a very important detail. Although Dumbledore had allowed him access to the restricted section, he didn't give him any permission slip. Harry would have to submit a list of books he wanted to read along with the reasons and if Dumbledore feels its safe to let him read those books, then he would give him his written permission.

But Harry forgot to go to him in his excitement.

So here he was trying to get past the librarian, Madam Pince, in order to get his books.

But she was obviously not going to budge just because some kid said some bullshit. She has seen a lot of these pranks in her years as a librarian and thought Harry was also trying to do the same.

"Listen, young man, even if the Headmaster allowed you to access the restricted section, I can't allow you to go in like this.

So, why don't you go back and talk to him and BRING ME THAT DAMN PERMISSION SLIP" shouted Madam Pince. She was clearly pissed off at Harry thinking he was also like those other kids trying to make excuses just so they could get some powerful spell books which they were clearly not allowed to read.

Harry was dejected at that and ran off at his top speed towards Dumbledore's office. The password was still the same so he stepped on the revolving stairs.

As he reached the office, he saw Dumbledore off to the side bent over the pensieve looking at his memories. Harry didn't see what was Dumbledore looking at, but it clearly had the old man in fits as Dumbledore was really concentrated to the point he didn't even sense Harry's arrival.

So, Harry decided to wait for him to finish.

He then went towards Fawkes who was looking at him piercingly. If Harry had any ill intention towards the headmaster, the legendary bird would have torn through his thick skull.

Harry obviously had no such intentions.

He walked to the bird and gave a bright smile.

"Hi Fawkes, I am Harry, nice to meet you" Harry greeted the Phoenix.

Fawkes looked at him for a second and then chirped lightly with a nod.

Harry was excited to see the Phoenix greeting him back. So he thought of stretching it a bit. He picked up the snacks kept nearby his stand and tried to feed it to the bird. Fawkes chirped and pecked the snacks out of Harry's hand. He seemed to like it.

As it was eating, Harry slowly extended his arms to touch its feathers.

"I wouldn't recommend that."

"Whaaa....., Professor, you scared me. Did you really have to sneak up on me like that?" complained Harry to the old wizard who suddenly appeared behind him.

"Hahahaha, I was just doing what you were trying to do to Fawkes. You should know that a Phoenix is one of the most powerful creatures alive. They are considered equal to dragons in some cultures. So, you trying to sneak up on one of them is the dumbest thing to do. Do you have any idea how hot the Phoenix flames are? Even dragon breath can't match it.

So, what would have happened if it got spooked?" Dumbledore asked Harry feeling amused.

Harry started sweating after hearing what Dumbledore said. He didn't even consider the possibility of anything like that happening. For a second there, he totally forgot that he was standing in front of a legendary creature. He almost got burnt to ashes due to his foolishness.

"I am sorry Professor. I had no idea. I would keep your warning in mind" said Harry apologizing to Dumbledore.

"Hahaha, Harry relax. I was just scaring you. Fawkes is a highly intelligent bird. Its sensory ability is one of the best in the world. It's impossible to sneak up on such a powerful creature. So, you weren't in any danger.

But, still, you better keep this in mind and never let down your guard against anyone, no matter how harmless it seems" advised Dumbledore laughing jovially looking at Harry's terrified face.

Harry couldn't process what to say to him.

'Sigh, old fogy.'

"Professor, I am here to get that written note from you. Madam Pince wouldn't allow me to enter the restricted section without it. Here, I have the list you asked for. I got this from Professor Flitwick who agreed to guide me in the magic duels" said Harry giving the list of books written by Flitwick to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore was surprised to see Flitwick agreeing to Harry's request.

He knew the little guy's history and could only imagine what it would have taken Harry to impress him to such an extent.

But since Flitwick had accepted Harry as his student, he wasn't going to rain on their parade. So, he signed the note and gave Harry his permission.

"There, now go and give this to Madam Pince. I am sure she wouldn't stop you anymore" said Dumbledore giving him the note.

Harry took it and left Dumbledore's office. On his way out, he didn't forget to say goodbye to Fawkes, who chirped more energetically this time.

He then went to the library and showed the permission slip to Madam Pince smugly. As she took the note she was surprised to see Dumbledore's signature at the bottom. It's not every day that the Headmaster signs these notes. She then saw the smug look on Harry's face and threw the note back towards Harry. But instead of his hands, she threw it towards his face.

'Thwack'

"Owww, hey, what was that for?" cried Harry. The woman was really fierce. He couldn't even see her hands move, neither did he feel any magical fluctuations. It seems she really is good at charms and can use non-verbal spells efficiently.

Even a librarian was way above his league. Looks like he needs to start his next phase of training soon.

"Nothing much, I just didn't like the look on your face, so I wiped it off," said Madam Pince nonchalantly looking at Harry with a deadpan look on her face.

"Your note is good enough. You can go into the restricted section, but you are not allowed to take out any book from there. Now go, don't bother me."

Harry could only nod politely and go about his business.

He crossed the red velvet rope separating the general and the restricted sections.

He directly went to the rows pertaining to the dark arts and starting searching for the required books.

The first book he needed was, 'A Compendium to Restricted Spells'. It was a revised version released by the ministry. Originally it was known as 'Awaken the Dark Arts - A Beginner's Guide to Dark Spells'. Later they removed the evil parts from the book and only left the spells and theory that were classified as 'Restricted'. But what the ministry didn't know that there was a copy in the Hogwarts of the original along with the revised version. In order to keep it safe from the prying eyes, they added a small hologram on the top right corner of the revised version while keeping the original version in a separate location with just the revised name. Only someone who knows this secret could find the original. Everyone else would only be able to look at the ministry approved version.

Next book on the list was, 'Understanding the Darkness - A Study into the Darkest Minds in History'. It was a very special book written by multiple authors who were some of the best wizards of their time. It has been compiled using the notes of these wizards and then released in the form of a book. It contains the personal experiences of the wizards who fought against the dark wizards. It explains in detail how the dark wizards fight, what spells they use, their strengths and weaknesses and some insights into their psyche obtained using 'appropriate' interrogation techniques.

This was also the same as the previous book. Harry was instructed to get the original version, not the dummy version released by the ministry.

Even the next book on the list, 'Advanced Practical Charms - How to use them in Battle', had two different versions.

This was surprising as it goes to show how much the current wizards were missing out on the knowledge of their seniors. No wonder the quality of wizards was declining with every generation.

The people in power want to stay in power and for that, they need to control their competition - the next generation of young magicians.

So they sealed a lot of information about magic which used to be common knowledge a hundred years ago. This went on for decades and now the new wizards only learned the watered down version of the original spells.

However, Harry didn't have to worry about all this as he had the full support of Dumbledore and there was no one in the entire magical world who could compare to him when it came to knowing the secrets of magic.

Maybe, Nicholas Flamel could compare but considering that he was a shut-in nerd, Harry doubted whether he was interested in anything other than alchemy. So, Harry could learn all the knowledge he wanted and no one other than him, Dumbledore and Flitwick would know. This perfectly suited his requirements. So, he collected all the books he needed to read and took them into the secluded study room at the back of the restricted section. It was specially created for the Professors in case they need to consult any books. There were five such study rooms built and Harry took one of them.

After neatly stacking the books on the table, Harry sat down on the chair with his eyes closed. He meditated for a few minutes before opening his eyes. There was a calmness in his gaze and his breathing was a little quicker. He just manipulated his mana to increase the blood flow to his eyes and brain.

Since he couldn't take the books with him, he decided to make a copy in his mind. He thought of using a magical quill to make a copy but then dropped the idea since he knew there would be jinxes placed on the books to prevent duplication of any kind. So, you could only study the books the normal way.

But Harry figured out a way to speed read and memorize the contents of any book without using any spells. He made use of his strong soul to increase his memorizing capabilities and his body manipulation to ease the burden on his eyes and brain.

He picked up the first book and started using his memorizing technique. It took him twenty minutes to go through the entire book. He then went through it again, this time with double the speed. So in almost half an hour, he had memorized the first book.

He repeated the same for the other titles.

By the time he was done, it was already way past bedtime. His stomach started making grumbling noises.

'Looks like I missed dinner' thought Harry.

His head was hurting a little due to the strain of memorizing so many books at once.

"Hehe, I overdid it a little. Oh well, I guess I won't need to come back here, again and again, to go through the books" Harry thought out loud.

He then picked up all the books and took them back to their appropriate sections and left the library.

"I am hungry. Hmm, although I can get some food from the kitchen, I don't want to deal with the elves for now. I guess frozen food will have to do."

Harry had stored some food in the refrigerator kept inside his trunk. He did this in case he ever felt hungry while studying in his personal library.

So, he went back to his dorm and got inside his trunk. He heated a piece of roasted chicken in the microwave and had it with some lemonade.

After that he climbed out and fell into his bed, dozing off to sleep.

It was a really tiring day but it will get much more tiring starting tomorrow, especially since the first class in the morning was Flying Lessons.