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After the second batch of Wizard Cards went on sale, one name quickly drew Hermione's attention.
Tom.
Or rather, the hidden card called Mysterious Alumnus: Tom.
The card was not especially flashy at first glance. It did not carry a title like Headmaster, Minister for Magic, or famous Auror. It did not even state a surname.
But the effect printed beneath it was terrifying.
When this card was on the field, all Dark Magic cards received a massive power boost.
One hundred and fifty percent.
That number was so exaggerated that even Ron, who usually judged cards by whether they looked impressive, knew something was wrong.
"Dudley."
Hermione held the card between two fingers and looked across the library table at him. "Who is this Tom?"
Dudley was reading a book on ancient magical communication. Without looking up, he answered calmly, "A former student of Hogwarts."
"I can read that much."
"Then why ask?"
"Because this card is too strange." Hermione placed it on the table. "The effect is completely unreasonable. Even Dumbledore's card does not strengthen an entire category of magic this much."
Dudley finally raised his head.
Hermione lowered her voice. "And the card is called Mysterious Alumnus: Tom. Not Professor Tom, not Minister Tom, not Tom the Great. Just Tom. You would never design a card like that without a reason."
"Maybe I was being mysterious."
"You are many things, Dudley Dursley. Subtle is not usually one of them."
Harry and Ron, who were nearby, both nodded before they realized what they were doing.
Dudley closed the book.
"All right. Guess."
Hermione stared at the card for a long moment. Her eyes moved from the vague portrait to the Dark Magic effect, then to the word Tom. The color slowly drained from her face.
"Tom Riddle."
Ron blinked. "Who?"
Harry's expression stiffened.
Dudley smiled faintly. "Correct."
For a moment, the library table fell silent.
Hermione's fingers tightened around the card. "This is Voldemort?"
"A young version of him."
Ron almost dropped the chocolate frog in his hand.
"You put You-Know-Who into Wizard Cards?"
"Not You-Know-Who." Dudley tapped the name on the card. "Tom."
The difference was small, but Hermione understood it at once.
The name Voldemort carried fear. It carried myth, blood, corpses, and stories that adults still lowered their voices to tell. Tom Riddle was different. Tom was a student. Tom was a name that could be printed on a trading card, drawn from a pack, argued over, and beaten by a better deck.
That was exactly the point.
"You are trying to take away the mystery around him," Hermione said.
"Fear comes from the unknown." Dudley leaned back in his chair. "Once a person becomes a monster in everyone's imagination, people stop judging him like a person. They do not ask what he can do, what he cannot do, where he came from, or how he can be beaten. They just tremble."
"So you put him in a card game."
"A very popular card game."
Ron looked down at the card again. "But why make him so strong?"
"Because he was strong." Dudley did not soften the answer. "If the card was weak, people would say I was insulting him. If it is strong, they will use it, study it, counter it, and eventually get used to seeing his face lose."
Harry was quiet for a long time.
"Can he really be beaten that way?"
"Not by cards." Dudley's tone stayed matter-of-fact. "But cards can change how people think. If everyone treats Voldemort like a forbidden nightmare, then he will always be a forbidden nightmare. If everyone starts treating him like a powerful but beatable opponent, that is already progress."
Hermione looked at him with a conflicted expression.
Dudley continued, "The greatest fear is not Voldemort. The greatest fear is not knowing enough and not having enough firepower."
Ron opened his mouth.
"Firepower?"
"A broad concept."
"Is that a yes?"
"It is a very Dudley yes," Harry said.
Hermione did not laugh. Her thoughts had already moved ahead. "Does Dumbledore know?"
"Of course."
"And he allowed it?"
"He brought Voldemort to Hogwarts himself." Dudley spread his hands. "Strictly speaking, I am only making proper use of existing educational resources."
"Dudley."
"What?"
"Only you could describe Voldemort as an educational resource."
Dudley picked up his book again. "The Headmaster should be grateful. I am reducing the psychological pressure of his future teaching work."
Ron looked between them, then quietly slid the Tom card farther away from himself.
Hermione, however, did not move.
She sat beside Dudley and looked at the card for a long time. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how dangerous the idea was, and how useful.
If even a Dark Lord could be reduced to a name, a face, a card, a strategy, and a counter-strategy, then he was no longer an untouchable terror.
He was a problem.
Problems could be solved.
"You are going to the Ministry soon, aren't you?" she asked.
"Soon."
"For the Order of Merlin?"
"Among other things."
The Wizengamot would not open its doors for a child under ordinary circumstances. Even an outstanding one. But Dudley had never been ordinary, and the recovery spell for werewolves had given Dumbledore enough reason to push the matter forward.
Hermione suddenly realized that the person beside her had already begun preparing for a war that most people still refused to name.
Her shoulder brushed against his arm.
Dudley looked down at her. "Scared?"
"A little."
"Good. Fear means the brain is still working."
Hermione glared at him, but she did not move away.
Dudley raised one arm and rested it lightly around her shoulders. The gesture was steady, almost casual, without any force behind it.
For several seconds, Hermione did not react.
Then she seemed to notice how close they were.
Her ears flushed red.
Harry and Ron both looked away with impressive speed.
Hermione opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but in the end she only lowered her head and continued staring at the card on the table.
She did not push Dudley away.
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