"Dudley, who's this 'Tom Riddle'?" Hermione asked, holding up a card labeled Tom Riddle.
Her luck was uncanny. The first card she pulled from the pack Dudley gave her was this rare hidden card.
The second was a young Dumbledore, and the third was Potions Master Snape.
Dudley swore he hadn't pulled any strings with the staff to rig the pack.
Nope, he'd personally slipped those cards in there himself—no one else was involved.
"He's one of our seniors, graduated about fifty years before us," Dudley explained.
"Isn't this card a bit… unbalanced?"
The Wizard Card character series was meticulously designed, with each wizard's strength tied to their real-world achievements. For instance, Snape, one of England's top Potions Masters, got a massive boost when using potion-based cards.
"His health and mental stats are low, but he gets a 150% boost to dark magic?" Hermione said, incredulous.
A young Dumbledore only got a 180% boost for protective charms. How could some nobody named Tom have such a ridiculous dark magic bonus?
Why?
"No need to be shocked. This is just his incomplete state," Dudley said casually.
Hermione's brow furrowed deeper. "I've read magical histories from France, Germany, and England. There's no dark wizard named Tom."
Her knowledge, even from selective reading, was vast.
"There's no dark wizard by that name among the newer ones either. So, this must be some dark wizard hiding his true identity."
"Dumbledore gets a 180% boost, and this guy gets 150%. That feels like it's no coincidence, right, Dudley?"
"There've only been two dark wizards in recent years who could rival Dumbledore. One is Grindelwald, but that's his real name."
"The other… could only be You-Know-Who."
Hermione's tone wavered with uncertainty. "Dudley, this Tom card… it's You-Know-Who in his youth, isn't it?"
"Bingo! Spot on," Dudley said, snapping his fingers like it was no big deal.
He'd never intended to hide Tom Riddle's identity. Anyone with a bit of curiosity could piece it together. Whether they believed it was another matter.
"Isn't it dangerous to put his information out there?" Hermione asked, her voice tinged with worry. "Didn't you say he's not fully dead?"
"That guy's down on his luck, but he'll come back eventually."
Making a card of a young Voldemort was like declaring war. The moment he returned, Dudley would be his first target.
But then again, even if Dudley did nothing, Voldemort would still come for him and Harry the second he was back.
If they were already mortal enemies, might as well go all in and make it personal.
"The best way to conquer fear is to face it," Dudley said, quoting a famous motivational wizarding vlogger.
"Wizards today make Voldemort out to be this terrifying myth, and that's wrong. Hermione, listen—Voldemort's strong. Really strong. Maybe so strong that hundreds of ordinary wizards together couldn't take him down. We have to acknowledge that. But he's not invincible."
Voldemort's power was on a different level from ordinary wizards, true, but it had limits. He had a health bar.
And anything with a health bar could be defeated, right?
Any boss bold enough to show their health bar was a true warrior.
"All fear comes from the unknown," Dudley continued.
He didn't mention the great wizarding philosopher saying: "All fear stems from insufficient firepower."
"Why was Tom Riddle able to run rampant for so long? Part of it was his cruelty, his bloodlust, his madness. But the bigger reason is that wizards didn't know the limits of his power, where he came from, or who he really was."
Take the Ministry, for example. They feared Voldemort but not Dumbledore, who could match him spell for spell. Why? Because they knew Dumbledore.
"That guy appeared out of nowhere, gathered the most wicked witches and wizards, and tried to dominate the wizarding world with raw power."
"All I'm doing is letting people get to know him, bit by bit."
"Peeling back the layers of his mysterious cloak."
Dudley's voice slowed, deliberate.
"Letting people see what he is. Who he is."
The character card was just the first step. Dudley had more plans to demystify Voldemort.
In the books, during the Battle of Hogwarts, when Voldemort failed to kill Harry Potter, scores of dark wizards defected on the spot.
Why? His myth of invincibility was shattered.
The Dark Lord had failed.
Without the support of dark wizards, pure-bloods, and dark creatures, he was just a dangerous terrorist.
"Even the strongest cages are broken from the inside," Dudley said.
Dismantling Voldemort's influence was something Dudley had been working on from the start.
Hermione's lips paled slightly. She gripped Dudley's sleeve, inching closer to feel the warmth through his clothes. It was the only thing calming her nerves.
The information was a lot to take in.
Even as a talented young witch, she was still far from matching the likes of Death Eaters.
"Does Professor Dumbledore know about this?" she asked.
Dudley nodded. "Of course he does. He's the one who admitted Voldemort to Hogwarts."
"What?" Hermione gasped, covering her mouth.
"He knows Voldemort better than anyone. Why do you think Voldemort fears him so much?"
"Don't worry, Hermione," Dudley said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We've got time to grow. By the time that guy comes back, we might just be strong enough to take him down."
Voldemort's reputation loomed large, and Hermione wasn't as optimistic as Dudley. She was already strategizing how to handle him if he returned within a year, so focused she didn't notice the hand on her shoulder.
Seeing no reaction, Dudley got bolder, shifting from a light touch to wrapping his arm around her.
"By the way, I'm heading to the Ministry in a couple of days. Want to come?"
Dumbledore had mentioned that in two days, he and Dudley needed to visit the Wizengamot.
The First-Class Order of Merlin was nearly finalized.
Hermione shook her head. "I think I'll stay and practice some spells. I've got a few ideas for combo charms."
That was Hermione—once she set a goal, she'd work tirelessly toward it.
"!!!"
Finally noticing their cozy position, Hermione's face flushed red. But she didn't push Dudley away or pull back. It seemed… she was okay with it.