(Walks in, licking fingers) Well, now that I've finished off that bacon, lets get to the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I only own my OC.

Fangs: How come I don't have any OC?

Me: You can have some later. Now lets get to the story!

Fangs: *grumbles* Fine…

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Edwin sat in his classroom, looking over essays he assigned about what a student should do if boggarts were hiding in their room including a scenario that would define a fear and what they could think about to make it humorous. He was down to the last paper when there was a knock at the door, and Rusty walked in. "Rusty, I thought you were going to watch William in his Quidditch practice tonight." the vampire said, surprised.

"I wanted to know something…" Rusty replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Why do you think Lamone never told anyone about his past?"

Edwin shrugged. "I suppose, for people like Lamone, bringing up the past involves bringing up hard memories… and I know that he's had more hard memories than he'd like to look back on."

"Because he felt like a failure?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Why would you think he was a failure?"

"I don't think he is, but I think that's what he thought. He couldn't take care of his daughter, couldn't protect anyone he cared about, and now it turns out he got expelled from Hogwarts because he invented a dangerous spell. You think he has at least one proud moment?"

"Well, he saved himself by giving his heart to your father, thereby preventing his death."

"Yeah, but isn't that part of Finneas' ritual? To have him dormant for ten years then cut out his heart?"

"Well, yes, which is why we must find him."

"What if he doesn't want to be found, though?"

Edwin looked at him, curiously. "Rusty… what are you trying to say?"

Rusty shifted. "Well… what if Lamone is… well… you know how in Harry Potter, Snape was working with Voldemort, despite he was helping Harry? What if Lamone is the same way? I mean, Snape WAS influenced by him-"

"Russel 'Puggsy' Junior, I've known Lamone for many years, and he'd never betray anyone, especially his own family, let alone your mother's. To make a mistake like that would be his biggest fault. Just because he may seem suspicious doesn't mean he's against us."

"I just think it's strange…"

"Now that's enough. Go back to your dorm, we'll talk about it another time."

Rusty muttered but walked out.

Edwin sighed and sat back in his desk. Even now everyone misunderstands him. he thought, shaking his head. Lamone is no traitor. Marlow is a traitor… he killed Johnny and Wulf, killed Brielle's entire family and would've killed Brielle completely if not for her cartoonbrid qualities… why, he was even foolish enough to try to kill Lamone, and force him to leave his daughter. Lamone would never join someone who caused him so much misery.

Yet, he knew about Finneas' ritual as well as I did… Another thought came to him. Why would he allow himself to become dormant, if he knew of the consequences…?

No, he did it to escape death, so he could try to set things right before it was too late… He wanted to make things clear with Toni, Brielle, and Emily. He's not a bad guy. Unless…

He stood up, walking over to the window, sighing and shaking his head. "Oh, Joanne…" he sighed. "Things are growing difficult. Trust is becoming a fragile thing, and splitting up isn't helping us find any sign of success. What are we going to do?"

"Well, for starters, you could grab the kids and join the rest of the gang. They could probably use your help," came a familiar voice.

Edwin turned around, seeing a cloaked figure standing in the corner. "Nightshade… how did you get past the security spell?"

"The old tunnels. Had trouble sneaking through looking for you, but no one caught me- as always."

"What brings you here?"

"I've managed to track down the VCY's hideout. Martin has a lead on them now. Find the others, and get your tails there."

"Where is it?"

"The one place no one thought to look. Finneas' old home in Scotland, in the mountains."

"Scotland? That's his home?"

"His first home."

"First home?"

"Yes. Working with him for so long, I learned that he had three homes. One in Scotland, one in Germany, and one in America. And… I learned something else."

"What?"

"While I worked with him, I asked about his family, where he got his 'cunning, clever, supreme' influence from (I had to suck up to him so not to get killed). He told me that his mother had died during birth, that he had a twin brother… but they had been separated because the people at the monastery where they were born thought he had died in the womb and that his brother only survived. They pitched his body, leaving it in the garbage."

"How did he survive?"

"He started to cry, and someone heard him and took him in… That 'someone', unfortunately, happened to be Marlow."

Edwin blinked. "Excuse me." he grabbed a glass of water, took a sip, then spewed it out. "Marlow took Finneas in? …So that's how he became so evil."

"Yes. Marlow could tell he had darkness in him, and decided to influence it, make it expand… he never knew that Finneas would surpass him, and want to destroy the world, yet apparently he doesn't give a damn. Finneas learned about his brother, how he had failed, and wanted to make sure he avenged his name so no one would ever mock him, and he would prove how powerful their heritage was."

This intrigued Edwin. "Sounds familiar… Who was his brother?"

Nightshade took a deep breath. "Ready for a shock?"

"We've had a ton already, lets hear it."

"Tom Riddle, also known as…"

Edwin raised his finger, silencing her for a moment, then grabbed his water and did another spit-take. "Voldemort?"

Nightshade clapped her hand over his mouth. "Shush, you ninny! (sigh) Yes, the dark lord had a brother that even he never knew about. No one knew… until today. Like his brother, he heard of a prophecy of a hero that would bring him down. Unlike Voldy's prophecy, though, this one included three heroes, specifically cartoonbrids."

"I knew about that. That's how we found Tracker, FF2, and WG-"

"It's not just them. They're only half of the prophecy. You see, Finneas and Marlow brought their defeat upon themselves by hurting more than the authors."

"They practically hurt the whole gang…"

"I know, but they made some of them suffer as much as the authors… and no, I'm not talking about Puggsy."

Edwin snapped his fingers. "Darn, he was going to be my first guess. Who are they, then?"

Nightshade chuckled. "If you don't know, then you need to start paying attention more. Kite, Brielle, and Kasandra all suffered as well."

Edwin's eyes widened. "And they're the counterparts of the authors! Of course! In order to defeat Finneas, they must fuse together!"

"BUT only once."

"Huh?"

"Yes, their next fusion will be their last… and they'll either stay together, or remain apart afterwards. Three of them will lose their powers, becoming ordinary cartoons or realities. And one of them is more blood-related to their half than we'd know, while one has no relation to theirs at all. And only one of them can defeat Finneas."

"Well… that's confusing. But not bad. At least none of them have to die!"

Nightshade sighed. "Actually… that's another part of the prophecy. When three of them lose their powers and end their fusing… they will die."

Edwin gave a deadpanned look. "So much for keeping it original. …How do you know all this?"

Nightshade sighed. "Because… I used to be a Time-Mistress. I've seen it happen, then I gave my powers to another, so I could stay and try to protect my son."

"Why didn't you just go back and try to stop Finneas in the past?"

"Because the only way to stop Finneas and save the world, is by saving the future."

"Are you going to keep speaking in riddles through this whole story?"

Nightshade sneered. "Oh, excuse ME for trying to keep the plot interesting! Look, just meet up with the others! I gotta get back to Martin." With that, she took off.

Edwin sighed and shook his head. "Now I know where FF2 got it from."

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A/N: I love baffling readers… though, as a downside, I baffle myself :P

Well, review! No flames, though. Flames… are a big no-no.