POP! In place of a large, fluffly golden-white kernal of popcorn stood Voldemort, looking bewildered. The last thing he remembered was waiting on word from his Death Eaters about Malfoy's mission, and if the miserable little git really died during his task or not. He was really looking foward to the news-- either Dumbledore or Draco was out of his
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"Hallo, sir. It's nice to see you again. Not hurt or anythin' I hope?"
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He blinked, then instead tilted his head to a side and tried to look behind Voldemort, searching for Sev. After all, in his note to Ryuuji, Sev had said that he'd return to normal once Voldemort came back, so he should have come back now as well!
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"What did you just call me?" the Dark Lord snarled at Ryuuji. He had no recollection of ever being here before... When the David Brown look-a-like tried to look behind him, Voldemort took a step back and pointed his wand at him instead. "Who are the two of you and what are you doing at Hogwarts?"
Curious enough about what Ryuuji might have been looking for, Voldemort stole a glance behind him as well and spied the plaque with names. A brief glance couldn't give him any specifics, though.
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Which Voldemort probably had, if he didn't recognize Adam, at least. Ryuuji couldn't blame the man for not knowing him, seeing as Ryuuji had changed practically everything about himself including how his voice sounded, but surely Adam was still memorable?
Tone one of concern, he waved at the wand with his bare hand dismissively, "Suneku -- it's your nickname. Japanese for a particular type of dangerous serpent. And I'm Ryuuji, currently in disguise -- it's a long story -- and this is Adam. We're students at Hogwarts, like you."
Cue another blink, and Ryuuji tilted his head to a side, tawny locks of hair swinging over his eyes, "Are you feeling okay? You were popcorn for quite a while."
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"I have no such nickname and you-- you are severely mistaken." Ryuuji seemed to think that Voldemort was a student at Hogwarts, which he definitely was not, unless-- was he forced to timetravel? "What year is it? Who is the current Headmaster?"
Voldemort turned away from Ryuuji for a moment, looking back into the room full of popcorn kernals. His eyes strayed back to the plaque and he read off a few of the names he recognized, skimming over the ones he didn't. Macnair? Lucius Malfoy? Swinging back around, Voldemort pointed his wand instictively at Ryuuji again. "So you're telling me those with their names listed on here are currently... popcorn."
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Studying Voldemort openly, Ryuuji nodded and confirmed, "Yeah, anyone with their name listed there is a kernal of popcorn in an unbreakable case. And you were one, after having spent a few months here -- originally, you were a student, but then you got the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."
Amnesia? Kon acted kinda different after he was unpopcorned as well. Ryuuji thought mentally, more than a little worried. His turn to ask questions, "S- What's the last thing you remember?"
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When Ryuuji explains further, Voldemort concludes he must have been Confunded. There is no way he'd allow himself to be Transfigured into a large kernal of popcorn for so long, and there was no way Dumbledore or any Headmaster in their right mind would allow him to become a student, much less a Professor, at Hogwarts.
He is silent during Ryuuji's explanation, expression blank. Only when a question is asked does he respond, albeit reluctantly. "Of what importance is it to you?"
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Ryuuji's words seemed to go in one ear and out the other as Voldemort turned around the inspect the plaque again, in detail. There was no answer to his question.
"Snape told you he would come back when I came back?" he snapped as he looked back at Ryuuji, tone not purposely curt. Voldemort needed to know if this was just his mind overreacting in a Confunded state, and he was starting to have his doubts. "You aren't real, are you? Blast it, Snape is probably behind all this."
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Ryuuji blinked, then reached out to Voldemort slowly, giving the older man more than enough time to back away, "Riiiight. Okay, S- sir, listen to me. I am real, Hogwarts is real, Sev is currently popcorn and only got turned to popcorn after you did, and yes, he said that he'd come back when you did. Gave me a note about it too."
Pause. "You know, this is probably something of a shock to you. How about we go to the infirmary so that you can get a Calming Draught and sit down somewhere? Or back down to the Slytherin quarters, if you'd prefer that."
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Ignoring Ryuuji's offers completely, Voldemort tapped his head with the tip of his own wand, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Nothing happened. He opened them, and saw Ryuuji and Adam, still standing there, annoyingly existing. The only words that can sum up the expression on his face is 'Drat. Foiled again.'
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Crossing his arms over his chest, he pouted, brown eyes showing slight annoyance. "And I am too real. Anything you want me to do to prove it?"
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"You can't prove your existence to me any more than I can prove to myself that I am going insane." He need to know, though, how and why. His red eyes studied Ryuuji carefully.
"Actually, yes, you can tell me one thing. How do I get out of this... place? I have matters to attend to, and this seems like the wrong time and place."
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Dimension-hoppers? Voldemort couldn't believe he was hearing what he was hearing. "So--but--" He clamped down on his teeth, hard. He couldn't remember once in his lifetime that he would be lost for words and stuttering. This was totally unbecoming.
"So there is no way for me to return to my universe," Voldemort said smoothly, seemingly calmed for now. "And someone named Suneku who is definitely not me but looked and acted like me knew you." Because, of course, the real Voldemort would never accept a manicure set as a gift.
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Running one hand through the short, brown hair that he currently had, Ryuuji canted his head to a side and pointed out logically, "I didn't say that. There are certainly people that could take you back there -- it's a school, not a prison -- but you'd need to get on their good side to have them willing to do something like that for you. And he wasn't named Suneku, I called him that. He was called Tom Marvolo Riddle when he was born, 'cause that's what his Horcrux called himself and then he called himself Lord Voldemort, but since I don't use titles with people, I called him Suneku instead."
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