[He reaches into his pocket for the magnet, holding it out for Merlin to see.]

"That decision will be the responsibility of his Warden," because "with all due respect, Professor, the Barge has rules."

[Charles fights to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but there's still an undercurrent of it.] I suppose I should be grateful he bothered to reply to me at all.

[Although with that kind of answer and obvious lack of understanding, he's wondering if he'd have been better off just thinking the Admiral was ignoring him.]