Chapter 283: Come on, Tom, Let's Hurt Each Other
Chapter 283: Come on, Tom, Let's Hurt Each Other
After encountering Lucius in the courtyard, the group's mood was slightly affected. They returned to the castle in silence and then retreated to their respective common rooms.
The next day, Ron remained in the hospital wing.
According to students from Slytherin, it seemed that Malfoy had been taken away by his father to St. Mungo's.
Kyle didn't pay it much mind.
He had more important matters to attend to today.
After breakfast, Fred and George left for Quidditch practice with Wood.
Kyle made his way to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor and spent the entire morning transferring his Moony creatures and some plants into his trunk.
He left behind only the slow-growing plants, such as the poisonous tendrils.
The seeds of these plants had been given to him by the Ministry of Magic as compensation just last year, so they were still in the seedling stage. The unique properties of the Room of Requirement had fostered their growth.
There would be plenty of time in the future; he didn't need to rush it now...
After transferring the last Moony, Kyle returned to the small hut at the trunk's entrance.
However, instead of leaving, he pulled out a box from under the bed.
It was only after seeing Lucius Malfoy yesterday that Kyle remembered that he hadn't looked at that diary since Fox last visited.
He wondered how Riddle was doing...
Kyle took out the dragon blood he had bought from Diagon Alley and poured it into an empty ink bottle, diluting it with a bit of water.
Dragon blood was so expensive; he might as well save some if he could.
After preparing the blood, he finally opened the diary.
Soon, faint words appeared.
["I'm sorry, I haven't recovered yet."]
["I don't know why, but my recovery of magic is extremely slow."]
"Don't worry, I've brought dragon blood." Kyle wrote in red with a quill.
The words were quickly absorbed.
After a few seconds...
["Strange, it is indeed dragon blood, but why is there so little magic within it?"]
"I don't know..." Kyle wrote, "I bought it from Diagon Alley."
["Then you chose the wrong shop. This is not pure dragon blood."]
"Is it useless to you?"
["It's still useful, although the effect is significantly reduced."]
These words were much clearer than before.
Kyle nodded in satisfaction. As long as it worked, he wasn't going to complain.
Now that the Riddle reading device was back online, Kyle continued to ask about the arrangement of the magical text...
But Riddle's attention was elsewhere. He was intrigued by something Kyle had mentioned before.
Who was this person who could easily kill an enemy that even Dumbledore found troublesome?
And that strange-named Dark Wizard that Kyle spoke of could very well be him in the future.
The only person who could give Dumbledore trouble was undoubtedly... himself. No one else had that qualification.
He was eager to learn more and understand the reason for his failure.
After patiently answering a few of Kyle's questions, Riddle couldn't contain himself any longer.
["I recall you mentioning someone stronger than Dumbledore. Is that true?"]
["And... what's his name? Is he from my time?"]
Kyle looked up from the array of symbols and magical text, glancing at the diary as he casually wrote:
"Are you very concerned about this matter?"
["Just too curious,"] Riddle replied.
["After all, in my memory, Professor Dumbledore has always been the strongest. He was the target I strived to catch up to."]
"I can't help it; it's hard for me to concentrate," Riddle's writing replied.
"Mhm, I understand..."
Kyle looked at the parchment, his fingers gently tapping on the table as he regarded the combination of array formulas he had just written down.
While the arrangement of symbols appeared normal and no different from the others, two of them were familiar to Kyle.
In Nicolas Flamel's alchemy books, it was clearly stated that the symbols representing "light" and "strike" should never be placed directly together; a buffer was necessary between them.
Otherwise, there was a ninety percent chance that any alchemical item crafted with such a formula would explode.
Was this intentional? Or a careless mistake...?
Kyle hesitated, ultimately deciding not to bring it up.
There was no point; Riddle could easily excuse himself by saying he was distracted and momentarily negligent.
And if he knew that Kyle had knowledge of alchemy books, he would undoubtedly be even more covert in his mischief-making.
That would be troublesome...
Sighing, Kyle lightly drew his quill across the parchment, then casually added some of the nutrient solution meant for the venomous tendrils from a nearby bucket, stirring it into the ink bottle.
Then, dipping his quill into the new "ink," he wrote:
"I'm sorry, Tom, I was joking earlier. The person who killed that Dark Wizard isn't stronger than Headmaster Dumbledore."
【I figured as much... but I had my suspicions.】
Riddle's handwriting became even clearer.
【I knew it. There can't be anyone stronger than Professor Dumbledore...】
"No, Tom, you're wrong," Kyle wrote.
"In fact, Dumbledore doesn't even rank second."
【What?】
"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it earlier, but now I've decided to tell you the truth...
The wizarding world is home to many reclusive families, some with histories spanning thousands of years. They possess immense power, capable of moving mountains and filling seas with ease.
However, these families rarely interact with ordinary wizards, instead, choosing to quietly safeguard the safety of the wizarding world from the shadows."
【That's impossible!】
【If that were true, why did I only encounter mediocre people during my time at school?】
Riddle's writing became so hasty that the words blurred together.
"They don't attend Hogwarts," Kyle wrote. "It's a matter of family tradition... I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth."
This time, Riddle did not respond.
After a long while, words finally reappeared on the diary.
【If that's the case, how did you come to know about them?】
"Many people know about them now..."
"It was over a decade ago. That Dark Wizard, Voldemort, and his followers were rampant. One of them boldly proclaimed, 'Our Master, the Dark Lord, possesses the might of a God of Magic,' infuriating those from the reclusive families.
So, an old man stepped forward and, with a two-handed sword, slashed Voldemort to near death."
The diary fell silent once more for an extended period.
...
【What happened after that? What became of the Dark Lord?】
"It was probably just a few days later that he met his end at the hands of an infant. That's the only news report that came out about it."
As he wrote, Kyle attached the prepared newspaper clipping to the diary.
Several minutes passed...
"Tom, are you still there?"
This time, the diary remained unresponsive, as if it had broken down completely.
...
(End of Chapter)
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