Chapter 283: Come on, Tom, Let’s Hurt Each Other!
After meeting Lucius in the courtyard, the group's mood was noticeably affected. They returned to the castle in silence and went straight back to the common room.
The next day, Ron still hadn't been discharged from the hospital wing. However, according to someone from Slytherin, Malfoy had apparently been taken away by his father, most likely to St. Mungo's.
Kyle didn't give it much thought; he had more pressing matters to attend to that day. After breakfast, Fred and George were taken off by Wood for Quidditch training, while Kyle headed to the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor.
He spent the morning transferring all the Mooncalves and some of the plants there into his suitcase. However, he left plants with slower growth cycles, like the Venomous Tentacula, undisturbed.
The seeds for these plants had been given to him by the Ministry of Magic as compensation the previous year. It had only been a year, and they were still in the budding stage. The unique qualities of the Room of Requirement allowed them to grow better. There was plenty of time to tend to them in the future—no need to rush.
After transferring the last Mooncalf, Kyle returned to the small hut at the suitcase's entrance. Instead of leaving, he pulled a box out from under his bed. Seeing Lucius Malfoy yesterday had reminded him that he hadn't checked the diary since Fawkes's last visit. He wondered what had happened to Riddle in the meantime.
Kyle took out the dragon's blood he had bought in Diagon Alley, poured it into an empty inkwell, and diluted it with a bit of water. Dragon's blood was expensive, so he wanted to use it sparingly. After setting everything up, he finally opened the diary.
Soon, faint words appeared on the page.
[I'm sorry, I haven't fully recovered yet.]
[For some reason, my magic is returning very slowly.]
"That's okay, I've got the dragon's blood," Kyle wrote back in red ink.