Author's note: Chapter 4 is here. This is probably the last chapter, unless I think of something for an epilogue. So, yeah, enjoy! I forgot to mention this in the last chapter: I don't own the Potter Puppet Pals. I also don't own House of Anubis.

Chapter 4: Trial Time

The day of the trial arrived, cold and rainy. Due to the weather, many roads had been closed off. Assuming no one else would arrive, the trial started early.

The judge banged his gavel. "Now, the jury is here, as are the lawyers, the persons of interest, and the stenographer. I propose that, due to the rain, we begin this trial early. All in favor?" he asked. Everyone raised their hands, except for Mara and Mick. They still had a small hope that some one would burst through the door, with evidence of their innocence. Sadly, they were ignored, and the trial began.

..~0~..

Meanwhile, the remaining residents of Anubis House were in Victor's car, trying to figure out how to get to Liverpool City Hall.

"Okay, Jerome, turn left on Elm Highway," Nina instructed, trying to read a large road map.

"No, he should turn RIGHT on Birch Road," Amber contradicted.

Alfie shook his head. "The quickest route to City Hall is on Maple Avenue."

"Is SOMEONE going to tell me where to go?" Jerome yelled. "And WHY are all these streets named after trees?"

Patricia smirked. "Well, didn't someone forget his Happy Juice this morning?"

"Shut up Patricia," Jerome said crankily. "I just wish we could all agree on a road. So, what will it be?" He turned to the others.

"Just turn on Balsa Lane," Fabian said. "It's the closest to where we are now."

Jerome turned up the road, only to discover that it was blocked by a fallen balsa tree. "Stupid irony," Jerome muttered. He put the car in reverse and tried Elm Highway. That on was flooded. He also tried Maple Avenue. Suddenly, the car lurched.

"Jerome! You ran over a hedgehog!" Patricia yelled. She jumped out of the car and picked up the despairingly pathetic hedgehog.

"Oh, it's so sad cute!" Amber squealed.

Jerome looked mad. "We are not going to be late for the trial because of a hedgehog," he exclaimed.

"Besides," Alfie added. "What if it has rabies?" Nina agreed with him, but then she saw the little animal.

"Jerome, you did run it over. And isn't Mara trying to save the hedgehogs? " she asked.

"Please?" Amber begged. "Please please please please please PLEASSSSSEE?"

Jerome's eye began to twitch. "Fine! but if that thing bites me, it's going back to the street." The girls found this agreeable, and the car continued driving.

Jerome tried all the other roads. He drove left, right, forwards, and backwards. They were all either dead ends, flooded, or closed off.

The six of them were about to give up and just run there through the rain, when Fabian saw another road. It led directly to City Hall, too.

"What's this one called?" Jerome asked. "Spruce Boulevard? Pine Turnpike?"

"Tree Street," Fabian replied. Jerome banged his head on the steering wheel. The tree-themed roads were really annoying him. Fortunately, though, Tree Street was not closed, and they made it to City Hall at 10:45. They did not know that the trial had actually started at 10:15.

..~0~..

Back in the court room, the trial was going miserably. They were almost done, and there was no one with proof that they were innocent.

The judge began to speak. "So, if no one has further objections, the jury will now vote if these two," he gestured to Mick and Mara.

Suddenly, six soaking wet people burst through the door, one covered in mud, another carrying what appeared to be a wet porcupine that was run over. Then, Mick (shocking, right) realized that it was their friends.

"What are you doing here? And why did you bring a muddy bum with you?" he asked. The 'muddy bum' pushed back their hood. It was Amber

"I fell in a mud puddle outside, okay? Oh, and we're here because Nina found proof that you and Mara were innocent," Amber explained. Nina nodded.

"You're Honor, I have proof that these two are innocent," she said.

The old judge knit his eyebrows. "Really? How did you find proof, and the cops couldn't?"

"Let's just say, they were looking in all the wrong places," she replied. Then, Nina reached into her coat pocket, and pulled out a disk. Borrowing a laptop and a projector from closet outside the room, she played the disk.

It showed Victor, sitting in his office. He just sat there for a while, looking depressed. He took a few painkillers after about a minute. For a few more minutes, nothing happened. Then, Victor got up and began talking to Corbierre. The entire room heard the whole conversation. Then they watched as Victor collapsed on the floor, hit his head on the desk, and died. They also got to see the children's reaction to the corpse. The jury found it especially funny when Amber pushed Nina onto the corpse. Eventually, though, they saw what had really happened to Mick and Mara.

"Well," the judge said once the video finished. "I believe that these two are indeed innocent. Jurors, what do you think?"

The jury left the room for a minute, discussing the matter in the hall. They then entered the room. "We, the jury, find that Michael Campbell and Mara Jaffrey and not guilty, but innocent." The room burst into cheers, and everyone was hugging and yelling.

"Wait," Mara started. "Where did you even get that footage?"

Then it all came together. "Remember how Victor put up those cameras in the house? He left one in his office. I had completely forgotten about them, until, Alfie came in wearing a ghost costume. Victor got rid of all but one of the cameras, the one in his office," Nina explained quickly.

There was a short chorus of "Oooohhhh," "of course," and "that makes sense," but eventually, they all got into the car and drove home.

"I still have one question, though," Mara stated. "Patricia, why are you holding a sick hedgehog?" Everyone else tried to explain, all at the same time. Mick and Mara could decipher the main idea, though: Jerome had run over Tree the Hedgehog.

It's amazing what you miss in a few short days, Mara thought. It's ironic, because not much had happened when she wasn't there, and the whole Cup- of- Ankh mystery had occurred when she was there.

End of Chapter 4

Author's Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! I THOUGHT OF AN EPILOGE WHILE WRITING! I'll try to upload it on August 1st. In the meantime, review. The anonymous review is on. Shout outs to furgil12, izzi08, S.I.B.U.N.A. 1398, and charn14. Those who review get shout outs.

~Apocalyse