Tom Riddle's "inner circle" had begun to take shape, but he gradually realized that Ares Phoenix's very existence was like an invisible crown, radiating a unique allure. This attraction did not come from deliberate cultivation, but from an innate temperament flowing through his blood.
This first showed itself among the younger students, especially those who were sensitive or filled with inner confusion. During Charms, as Professor Flitwick explained the flow of magic in a complex spell, a first-year Ravenclaw girl's eyes reddened from repeated failures. Ares happened to be seated diagonally behind her. He did not offer any verbal guidance; when her magic feebly collapsed after another failed attempt, his fingers unconsciously traced an extremely simple Ancient Runes symbol representing "convergence" over his knee.
The girl did not see the symbol, yet she inexplicably felt a gentle but steadfast force brush over her heart, calming her agitation. She drew a deep breath and raised her wand again. This time, the spell succeeded! Delighted, she turned around, her gaze meeting Ares's calm mismatched eyes. Ares gave her a slight nod without a word, but her eyes were already filled with gratitude and an indescribable trust.
Similar things happened quietly. In the library, a Hufflepuff boy was left dizzy by complicated Herbology charts. Ares merely sat beside him, silently organizing his Ancient Runes notes, yet the tranquil, focused air around him somehow calmed the boy as well, allowing him to finally find the solution. Ares would even "accidentally" leave some of his neatly organized diagram notes on the table for the boy's reference.
These subtle, unintentional gestures were not deliberate on Ares's part. They stemmed from Dumbledore's compassion and guiding strength in his bloodline, as well as Grindelwald's bewitching charisma, which could easily perceive others' needs and exert influence without being seen. He was like a magnet, naturally drawing in souls who longed for guidance, understanding, or were simply attracted by his contradictory yet harmonious nature.
At first, Tom welcomed this. It gave him more potential choices for recruiting his "foundations." He even made use of it, having Ares approach students who seemed withdrawn but might possess unusual talents.
Yet Tom soon found that things were slipping somewhat beyond his control.
At one of Slughorn's club gatherings, the conversation happened to turn to the applications of Ancient Runes in alchemy. Ares did not speak up on his own, but when an older Ravenclaw student put forward a mistaken idea, he corrected him with only a few concise, precise remarks, citing a passage from an obscure text and naturally explaining the magical philosophy contained within it. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly. Under the lights, his mismatched eyes seemed to hold endless wisdom.
At that moment, not only the corrected Ravenclaw, but even several older Hufflepuff and Slytherin students who had remained watchful until then, cast genuinely interested looks at Ares. They were no longer looking at "that mysterious follower beside Riddle," but at an independent individual worth taking seriously and associating with.
Tom's hand tightened imperceptibly around his Honey Wine. His perfect smile remained in place as he joined the conversation at just the right moment, steering the topic toward power structures more to his liking in an attempt to reclaim the spotlight. He succeeded, yet an inexplicable irritation rose within him. He enjoyed the added value Ares brought, but he absolutely did not want that "invisible crown" resting on anyone's head but his own—not even Ares's.
What displeased Tom even more was that Ares seemed not to realize, or perhaps simply did not care about, the appeal he naturally exuded. He reacted indifferently to the appreciative or inquisitive gazes directed at him, remaining as quiet and distant as ever. But to Tom, that "indifference" was almost a silent provocation.
The conflict erupted one evening. Tom was speaking in low voices with Avery and Rosier in a corner of the Common Room, consolidating his influence. Ares sat farther away by the window, watching the giant squid glide through the depths of the Black Lake. A third-year Slytherin girl gathered her courage and approached Ares, her cheeks slightly flushed as she handed him a letter written in silver ink. It seemed to contain a question about some point of Magical Theory.
"Mr. Phoenix, I... I greatly admired your views on Runic script at the last club meeting. I was wondering if..."
Before she could finish, Tom's cold voice cut in, carrying an unquestionable edge. "Sorry, we have important matters to discuss right now." His gaze did not even fully settle on the girl, resting instead on Ares with a subtle warning.
Startled, the girl's face reddened further. She awkwardly murmured, "Sorry," then hurried away.
Ares raised his eyes and looked at Tom. A trace of confusion flickered through his mismatched eyes, though calmness outweighed it. "It was only a question," he stated.
"A question?" Tom stepped closer, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. "Ares, you need to distinguish priorities. Our time should not be wasted on such meaningless socializing." There was a possessiveness in his tone, almost overbearing, that even he himself had not noticed.
Ares looked at him quietly. He did not argue, but neither did he obediently lower his head. He merely turned his gaze back toward the dark lake beyond the window and said softly, "I know what matters, Tom."
This brief clash did not grow worse, yet it lodged between them like a thorn. Tom began making a more deliberate effort to draw Ares into his "domain." In public, he was almost inseparable from Ares, silently declaring ownership through his actions. Ares went along with it, but the proud blood of two legendary wizards within him left him faintly uncomfortable with such excessive control.
Meanwhile, Professor Peverell's third letter arrived. This time, he did not beat around the bush. Instead, he directly enclosed a blurry copy of an obviously ancient magical photograph. In it, two young men stood beneath a tree in Godric's Hollow. Though their faces were indistinct, the blond hair and spirited bearing made the younger Grindelwald faintly recognizable, while the red-haired boy beside him... On the back of the photograph, a line of small writing had been penned in aged ink: "...the bond of blood, light and darkness born together..."
The letter descended with an owl onto the table in the Common Room, landing right between Tom and Ares. Tom's gaze swept over the blurry photograph and the writing on its back, then slowly moved to Ares's face before finally settling on the golden chain-like mark beneath his left eye, as though it echoed the words "bond of blood."
His black eyes instantly became unfathomable.
The invisible crown radiated its allure, while the restless stirrings in the shadows had finally found a clear opening. Tom's thirst for power and his displeasure at Ares's uncontrollable charm, provoked by Professor Peverell's almost revealing letter, were about to turn into a relentless pursuit of the truth. The secret of Ares's bloodline could no longer remain hidden.
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