Natsuhi's Harbor and the Golden Key

The Hogwarts Express, spewing white steam, sent students filled with the joy of returning home to London with a long whistle. However, for Tom Riddle and Ares Phoenix, the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross Station was not an entrance to a warm family, but the starting point for returning to that gray cage—Wood Orphanage.

On the return train, Tom was even more silent than on the way there. The Natsuhi sun was bright outside the train window, but it couldn't dispel the gloom that settled between his brows. He rubbed his yew wand, his eyes vacant as he watched the fleeting scenery. The oppressive aura radiating from him made Billius Black, who had intended to come over and chat, shrink back sheepishly. The thought of returning to that place full of stupidity, filth, and indifference for the entire two-month holiday made him feel physically nauseous.

Ares sat opposite him, able to clearly feel the surging resistance and violence churning within Tom. He also didn't want to return to the orphanage; there were no secrets, no magic, only endless scrutiny and deprivation.

[Host, Host! (;′д｀)ゞ Detecting extremely high emotional risk in target individual! Negative emotion correlation with 'Return to Orphanage' option is 99%! Alternative solution urgently needed!]

The System's voice sounded in Ares's mind, with its familiar, slightly exaggerated urgency.

"I know," Ares replied in his mind, "but we have nowhere to go right now."

[Ding! (????) Detecting that the host has completed the hidden milestone 'Successfully Completed First Year and Consolidated Bonds'! Reward distribution in progress...]

[Congratulations on obtaining: Deed to 'Serene Residence' in Hogsmeade Village (includes basic living magic protection and concealment measures) x1! Golden Key (one-time use, destination: Serene Residence) x2!]

[Additional Information: The property is located on the outskirts of Hogsmeade Village, with a quiet environment conducive to secret gatherings and magical research. It is regularly cleaned by a House-elf. Host no longer has to return to that dilapidated orphanage! ?(????)?]

Ares was stunned. Property in Hogsmeade Village? This reward came too timely, too... coincidental. But he didn't have time to delve into why the System was so "thoughtful"; a tremendous sense of relief instantly washed over him.

Just as the train was about to arrive in London, Tom's face grew increasingly grim, his fingers almost crushing his wand. Ares took out the two antique-looking keys, shimmering with a soft golden light, from his robe's inner pocket (actually the System space). The handles of the keys were carved with intertwined ivy and star patterns.

He pushed one of them onto the small table in front of Tom.

Tom's gaze was drawn by the golden light, shifting from the window to the key. He frowned, his eyes filled with confusion and wariness, "What is this?"

"An option to not return to the orphanage," Ares said calmly, his heterochromatic eyes flickering with a faint light. "Hogsmeade Village, a place of our own."

Tom's pupils contracted sharply. He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Ares as if to confirm if he was joking. "Hogsmeade? How can we..." He immediately realized this could not have been obtained through normal channels, and his voice dropped lower, "Where did you get it?"

"It doesn't matter," Ares evaded the crucial point. The System's existence was his biggest secret and couldn't be shared. "What matters is that it belongs to us now. A place where we can quietly study magic without worrying about being disturbed by Muggles." He picked up his own key. "With this, we can go directly there."

Tom picked up the heavy golden key, feeling the stable and powerful spatial magic fluctuations attached to it. Elation, suspicion, shock, and an indescribable sense of relief, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood, intertwined in his heart. He clutched the key tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, as if afraid it would disappear.

"How do I use it?" His voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"Hold it and think 'home'," Ares instructed according to the System's guidance.

As the train slowly pulled into King's Cross Station, and other students cheered and rushed towards the doors, Tom and Ares exchanged a look and tacitly stayed behind. They avoided the crowd and hid in an unoccupied carriage compartment.

Tom took a deep breath, gripped the golden key tightly, and closed his eyes. Ares did the same.

A dizzying, pulling sensation swept over them, gentler than Floo powder, but equally disorienting. After a few seconds, the feeling of solid ground returned.

They appeared in a spacious, warm living room.

Real flames flickered in the fireplace, emitting the scent of pine. The furniture was dark wood, simple and comfortable, with a thick carpet. The bookshelves were already filled with various basic magic books (thoughtfully provided by the System). Heavy dark green curtains hung on the windows, currently drawn open, revealing the snow-covered rooftops of Hogsmeade Village and the blurred outline of Hogwarts Castle in the distance. The entire house was enveloped in powerful protective magic, so quiet that only the crackling of burning wood in the fireplace could be heard.

There was no musty smell or noise of the orphanage, no Mrs. Cole's scrutinizing gaze, no whispers from those foolish companions. There was only freedom, peace, and... a space belonging only to the two of them.

Tom stood in the center of the living room, looking around at everything, silent for a long time. The cold mask on his face completely shattered, revealing a look of almost bewildered helplessness, overwhelmed by immense surprise. He walked to the window, looked at Hogwarts in the distance, then back at this warm and comfortable house, finally resting his gaze on Ares.

"This... is your 'difference'?" he asked softly, his tone complex and hard to decipher. He realized again that the secrets Ares held were far deeper than he had imagined, and... more reassuring.

Ares walked to his side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as they gazed out the window. "This is ours, Tom," he reiterated. "This summer, we can do anything we want."

Tom slowly exhaled, as if expelling all the pent-up frustration from his chest. He turned around to face Ares, his dark eyes reignited with a flame, no longer of anxiety and violence, but of planning and control.

"We need to make a plan," his tone returned to its usual calmness, but with evident excitement. "Magic practice, reading, and... exploring Hogsmeade. This place is safer than the Room of Requirement, and more... respectable."

He almost immediately got into character, beginning to plan for this unexpected holiday. Ares watched him regain his energy so quickly, feeling a sense of satisfaction himself.

This summer was destined to be completely different from any summer they had spent in the orphanage before. Here, they could practice magic without restraint, discuss dangerous topics, and even secretly observe the wizarding residents of Hogsmeade.

That evening, as they lay in their respective beds, far more comfortable than those in the orphanage, Tom spoke in the darkness. "Ares."

"Hmm?"

"This place is good."

Three simple words, yet they contained all his approval and... a sense of belonging.

[Yay! Mission accomplished! (★ ω ★) Target individual's emotions are stable, sense of belonging +! Soul Anchor stability increased!]

[Hint: Jointly managing a 'home' is the best breeding ground for building bonds! (???) ]

Ares listened to the System's cheerful notification sound, looked at the Hogsmeade starry sky outside the window, and the corners of his lips curved upward.

This golden key opened not just a house, but a summer harbor for him and Tom, far from the shadows of the past, and also provided a solid and secret anchor for their future of shared light and darkness. Here, certain emotions might, like summer vines, quietly grow more lush in the undisturbed tranquility.