The group made their way to a suitable Quidditch playing field, and Kael suddenly seemed to recall something and asked, "Did you guys mention me earlier this morning?"
"It was Harry..." Fred said, "Oh no, I should say it was Hermione... never mind, you tell him."
He handed the question over to Harry, mounted his broom, and went to snatch the "Quaffle" woven from vines with George.
Kael looked at Harry...
"It's nothing important," Harry said. "Are you selling automatic ink spray quills? How much for one?"
He thought for a moment and added, "The kind you gave Ron."
Kael shook his head and said, "We probably won't sell them, why, do you want one too?"
The quill was something he had casually made while practicing Alchemy, never intending to sell it as a product.
There was no need.
No matter how magical, it's still just a quill for writing. Selling it for a high price isn't appropriate, and no one would buy it. But selling it cheap would really be a waste of time, as it's quite troublesome to make.
Besides, this year he might be taking twelve classes, and Kael didn't want to give himself extra work.
"It's not for me, it's for Hermione," Harry explained. "She seems to really like that kind of quill."
"No wonder..." Kael realized.
Harry wouldn't be interested in quills, but if it's Hermione, it makes sense.
"I'll give her one after school starts." Kael continued.
"I bet Hermione will be very happy."
"It's just a quill, it's nothing," Kael waved his hand.
After all, he had just used her template, so it was only right to give a gift in return.
...
The group played until evening before returning, mainly because Ginny was unconvinced and borrowed Harry's Nimbus 2000 to compete with Kael.
The result, naturally, needn't be said... Ginny lost so badly she almost doubted life.
On the way back to the Shabby Residence, she held Ron's clunky "Meteor" and gritted her teeth, gesturing behind Kael as if trying to find the right angle to give him a knock.
Fortunately, they were in a hurry to eat and walked quickly, returning to the Shabby Residence before she could make a move.
In the days following, Kael seemed to forget about the Diary entirely, either researching the production of new maps each day or helping Fred and George perfect their Trick Wands.
Until three days later, he finally reopened that box.
As soon as he flipped open the notebook, a line of words appeared on the blank paper.
[Long time no see]
Riddle didn't complain but greeted him like an old friend not seen in a while.
[Have you been busy recently? If it's because of schoolwork, I can help you.]
"Sorry, Tom."
Kael wrote, "I've been a bit obsessed, working with a neighbor's classmate on a magic item."
[No problem, I can understand because I'm the same way.]
"You like magic items too?" Kael asked.
[Of course, don't forget this magical diary was made by me.]
[I still remember in the fourth grade, trying to uncover the secrets of those Magic Portraits, I sat in a secluded hallway all day and even forgot to attend class.]
[So, did you succeed?]
"Not yet, there's one problem we just can't solve."
Kael quickly wrote with a quill: "Tom, can you help us?"
[Of course, we are friends after all.]
Kael recalled the problem Fred and George were having and recounted it to Riddle.
It took about ten seconds or so...
[There are some issues with your Magic Text Formula; the rune representing "trigger" should be placed at the end, not the front.]
Next, Riddle detailed what each rune represented and what to watch for in their arrangement.
The Magic Text Formula is essential to Ancient Runes and a crucial part of Alchemy.
The Alchemy notes and books that Kael couldn't understand before were mainly because he wasn't familiar with Magic Text.
Nicolas could hardly teach him this part... nor could he, as over time, those runes had become second nature to him, like writing and speaking.
He'd just use them when needed, without recalling why they're arranged that way.
But Riddle's teaching was much more detailed, which Kael hadn't expected.
Thinking about it, though, without a grasp of ancient Magical Text, Riddle wouldn't have landed an internship at Borgin and Burkes immediately upon graduation.
The standards for hiring at the Dark Arts Store are much higher than those at Diagon Alley.
Kael's eyes lit up. What he thought would take a long time to learn now seemed within reach much sooner than expected.
From then on, Kael treated the Diary as an E-Reader… pointing where he didn't understand.
Riddle dutifully answered each time, sometimes adding personal summaries to aid Kael's understanding.
The only downside was that he would occasionally insert some private questions, overtly or covertly inquiring about what was happening outside.
Kael didn't mind though. Even if the experience was slightly lacking, it was a free resource, and he wouldn't have to pay later, so why demand more?
Just like watching ads, he could just ignore them.
A few more days passed, and Riddle finally couldn't help himself.
[Can you tell me about the school?]
Kael was enthusiastically noting down the derivative meanings of Magic Text and the significance of different formulas when he looked up and read that mood-killing line.
He was learning well, why interrupt?
However, Riddle had asked so directly, it wasn't feasible for Kael to pretend he hadn't seen it.
"Why do you suddenly ask this?"
The diary was silent for a while...
[Considering it's been fifty years, it's only natural to be curious about how the school looks nowadays.]
[Have you met Headmaster Armando Dippet? Is he very old now?]
"You mean the former headmaster, I haven't met him."
Kael wrote, "The current headmaster is Albus Dumbledore."
The diary fell silent again, with no new writing appearing for a long time.
"Tom, are you still there?"
[Sorry, I suddenly thought of something else.]
"Is it because of Headmaster Dumbledore?"
[Yes, though in my memory, he wasn't the headmaster but the Transfiguration professor.]
"I guess you must miss him a lot."
"Don't worry, Tom, as a friend, I'll help you."
[What?]
"After school starts, I'll take the diary to him, so you two can have a good chat."
Kael wrote playfully, "After fifty years, I'm sure Headmaster Dumbledore will be very pleased to see you."
...