Author's note- Two chapters in this post. Thank you for your comments.

All Rise and Fall

Ted Tonks had forgotten so many details about being in a court of law. He wanted to keep it that way. If he did his job properly, Ted's clients would never be charged with a crime let alone would they have to enter a courtroom. True, these were not his clients, but there they sat at the defense table while everyone waited for the judge. Ted had not been in a courtroom in the last ten years. It would have been back in law school when he had last observed a criminal trial. In his professional opinion, the judges of the Triwizard Tournament had been foolish. A wise man talks to the sharks before he goes for a swim. Now they were in over their head.

Tonks looked up and noticed Lord Potter in the far corner of the room. That surprised him since Potter's presence wasn't required as the defendants heard the charges against them. Ted was going to pay his respects until he noticed the three Aurors sitting around the young lord. He would be an unwelcome guest. Reintroductions could wait for a better time.

The bailiff called the court to order. They stood. It was the Crown verses Bagman, Crouch, and Dumbledore. Dame Jennifer Theis was the presiding judge. The judge was easily heard across the courtroom without using her wand.

"This hearing presents the charges against the defendants and establishes if they have representation to face those charges. Barrister Robbins, at present you are speaking for the three defendants. Can Mister Bagman pay for his own legal representation?" the judge asked.

Ludo Bagman started to stand but his attorney grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him back into his seat. "Wizard Bagman does not have the funds to hire a competent barrister for the duration of this trial," Robbins said.

Friends of aging Quidditch stars might be good enough to spot you a pint, but they did not routinely stand before judges and argue for your future. In fact, Ludovic Bagman didn't have a cauldron of his own to piss in.

"Barrister Robbins, does the defendant accept you as his designated counsel?" Judge Theis asked.

The lawyer turned to Bagman and waited. It took several seconds but Bagman finally nodded his head. From what Ted had seen of the two men, he thought that Barrister Robbins was better than Bagman deserved.

Judge Theis sorted through the parchment on her desk before she spoke again. "Director Crouch, I have a preliminary report that you were Imperioused by your son for the last year. Any legal proceedings you bring against your attacker would be addressed in a separate case. Counsel, have you sought medical treatment with a mind healer for Director Crouch?"

Tonks had wondered who Imperioused Crouch. Now he knew. At least one of Crouch's sons was dead. Ted was surprised that there was another heir.

"I have made several inquiries, your honor. We have a meeting scheduled this afternoon," Robbins said.

"Let's get the Minister some treatment. See the Healer twice a week for the first month, and then once a week until these proceedings are concluded. See my clerk to verify the Director's schedule.

"Does your client have the financial means to engage a healer?" the judge asked.

"He does, your honor. I'll submit the requests to release the funds from the Director's accounts," Robbins said.

"Then I expect a report on my desk Monday morning detailing who you engaged for a Healer, when they met, and the Director's prognosis. Do you have any questions?" Judge Theis asked?

"Would Director Crouch be escorted as he seeks treatment?"

Robbins had questions and Dame Theis had answers. "He would not. The Healer will conduct treatment here inside our secure section until the victim's magic is released by the Goblet of Fire. Will the Director seek private counsel?"

"That is under discussion," Robbins said.

The judge put down her notes and tented her fingers.

"Director, I'm going to speak plainly so I'm sure we both understand each other. We will read the formal charges against you in a moment. The charges are as serious as they come. You could face the veil. You do not need a hack lawyer that you met when your friends made backroom deals in the Wizengamot. I expect an answer immediately after lunch, including statements from Gringotts that you have available funds to pay your barrister and that your barrister can clear his schedule to represent you. Until that time, Barrister Robbins will represent your interests.

"Am I understood?" she asked.

Judge Theis didn't need to shout. Crouch looked like a balloon that had suddenly lost its air. Dame Theis was going to run her courtroom her way and old Barty would have to live with it. Crouch spoke to the barrister sitting next to him.

"Yes, your Honor. My client understands."

Robbins, the defense counsel, started to sit down when there was a deep rumble behind them and the floor shook. Everyone felt the sudden flood of magic fill the room. Ted Tonks tried to turn toward the main doors, but his body moved as if he were swimming through cold honey. He saw Alastor Moody moving down the aisle toward the judge's bench. It looked like Moody was running, but Moody hadn't run in the last decade since he had lost his leg.

Ted saw a bolt of light come from Moody's hand and the spell was aimed at the defendants. Ted tried casting a shield but it took forever to get his wand into his hand and for the shield spell to form. Moody's spell moved slowly. Fortunately, the spell faded before it hit the three men sitting at the defense table. It dawned on Tonks that Moody's wand was disillusioned. There were glowing spells flying through the air, but the spells never made it to their intended targets. One of the young Aurors rolled out of his chair and he tackled Moody from the side. Other Aurors piled on. Short of Moody trying to beat the Aurors with his wooden leg, Moody was out of the fight.

That was the last thing Ted saw before he ducked down behind his chair with his wand in his hand.

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"So, Dad, what do you think of our 'bring a parent to the office' day? Was that exciting enough for you?"

Ted Tonks tasted his tea and then added a lump of sugar.

He loved his daughter dearly. Unfortunately, Nymphadora got her sense of humor from some of the less attractive members of the Black family.

"That was more than I expected. I'll leave it to you as to how much you can tell me and what you should tell your mother. Were you hurt, and did you see what happened?" Ted asked.

"I had a front row seat," she said. Dora didn't say more so perhaps that was all she might be allowed to say, at least for now. She didn't have any obvious injuries.

Though Ted Tonks was there in the courtroom, he wasn't sure what had taken place amidst the chaos. Moody had come through the back door and started throwing spells. The Aurors dove onto Moody as if they were moving in slow-motion. The time-dampening spell affected everyone, and it looked like a rugby scrum taking place underwater. For the next few minutes, he had only seen the top of a few heads and wands.

Ted Tonks stood up when the Aurors lifted the spell. Along with everyone else, he shook his arms to see if he could move normally again. They were told to leave the courtroom, so he picked up his bag and walked. As he was leaving, he noticed that Rita Skeeter, the journalist, was slumped into a corner and also surrounded by Aurors. Everyone else had been led into another room for questioning. His daughter found him after he'd given his statements and was about to leave the ministry. It had been a very full morning.

He took a sip. The tea wasn't bad, though not as good as what they had at home.

Dora must have been wearing another face if she was in the courtroom with him. That wasn't hard for her to do as a shapeshifter. He still couldn't figure out why she would be needed in the courtroom in the first place.

"I hope you weren't hurt," he said again.

"I was too far away. That slow-motion charm makes it hard to get anywhere unless you're a house elf and can pop across the room. I'm glad you weren't hurt too."

So she had not been sitting near him.

They both had their secrets. It was frustrating that he couldn't tell her about Lord Black. He wanted to tell her. Sirius must have met her when Dora was a child or an adolescent. He couldn't place the event. He would tell her about Sirius when he could.

Maybe his daughter would be able to tell him what happened to them today. She usually did, but it took time before her adventures became public knowledge. Most often she could talk about her exploits after he'd read about them in The Prophet. Somehow, they never talked about who was dating whom and who was drinking too much. She had her own life. He was glad she hadn't been injured and that she seemed happy.

"Your mother and I were thinking of closing up the house and going on a trip this weekend. Please send us an owl if you can join us." It was a clumsy lie but saying that they were hiding a wanted murderer in their guest room would put all of them at risk.

"The excitement today will sort itself out. You could talk with Director Bones tomorrow," she said with a smirk.

Ted looked up from his cup and slowly smiled at his wonderful daughter. He didn't know what she knew, but she knew something more than he did.

"Are you sure you're not a mind reader or a Seer? You are far more than we ever imagined, so I shouldn't be surprised if you were," he said.

She smiled at him and all was right with the world, at least for the minute they hugged. Dora walked with him until he left the department. His heart swelled with pride because Dora was on his arm until they said goodbye at the lift.

Again, the day hadn't turned out at all like what he had imagined. He could think that everything had gone wrong, but something important had certainly happened in the courtroom even if he wasn't sure what it was and what it meant.

It was still a good day to be Ted Tonks because he got to hug his daughter.. and for them to share a cup of tea.

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Inside Sources

Ted Tonks took a moment to study the man. Sirius Black looked remarkably good compared to how he arrived a few months ago. Andromeda Tonks could diagram the many important factors of potions, mind healers, nutrition, and exercise. Lord Black was holding up remarkably well given the setbacks they had faced. Solicitor Tonks would be eternally grateful for Black's patience. Then again, it might have been Sirius's genuine concern for his godson that tempered his actions as much as anything else.

The three of them were having a rare Sunday morning breakfast together. Ted had cooked and just sat down at their table. That was when Sirius threw the newspaper at him and scolded him to read it.

Ted blinked. Maybe Sirius was a bit more volatile than he'd thought.

Ted set down his toast and cleaned the paper with his wand. He then suspended the paper between himself and his wife so the two of them could read at the same time. Hovering the paper also gave him a free hand so he could eat with one hand while he held his wife's hand with the other.

Special Report by Xenophilius Lovegood, Editor
Visible and Invisible Forces in the Ministry of Magic

A court of law sometimes uncovers the truth. The truth is seldom revealed as shockingly as what this reporter saw shortly after the legal proceedings started on Friday. The common facts that everyone holds as true were again shown to be wrong.

Bartemius Crouch Junior was reported to have died in Azkaban prison. His father was supposed to be running the British division of the International Council on Magical Cooperation. The war hero and politically powerful wizard, Albus Dumbledore, was supposed to be a model for our students as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and a model for the rest of us as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. Ludo Bagman was widely known as a passionate advocate for magical sports. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was reported to be underfunded, undermanned, and ineffective. Finally, the news reporters in the magical press were supposed to be transparent and trustworthy. All those truths were called into question if not shown to be outright lies.

Bartemius Crouch Junior was arrested yesterday only moments after he mounded an attack in a Ministry courtroom. That sounds impossible since Crouch Junior was reported to have died a decade ago. Crouch Jr., a convicted Death Eater, was sentenced to Azkaban for the horrific torture of the heads of House Longbottom. Crouch obviously escaped, though his escape was never reported. Yesterday, Crouch Junior cast what looked like the killing curse in the court chambers and his father looked like one of the intended victims. We can further report that Crouch Junior seemed to be wearing a silver glove on one hand. We tried but were unable to find further information to explain that oddity at the time this article was published.

Bartemius Crouch Senior was supposed to be running a department within the Ministry of Magic. Yesterday in court, he claimed to have been under the Imperious Curse for the last year. Preliminary reports from Aurors on the scene confirmed those claims. That raises the question as to what the Minister for Magic was doing when one of his department heads had effectively abandoned his post for the last 12 months. No one in the Ministry noticed until Crouch Senior was arrested last week and tested for the Imperious curse. Wizarding Britain wants to know if Minister Fudge was unaware of Crouch's failures or if the Minister was simply indifferent to them.

Ludovic Bagman had an amazing Quidditch career as a Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. He recently worked in the Ministry Department of Magical Games and Sports. Not content with a ministry job and ministry pay, a representative from Gringotts Wizarding Bank explained that Mister Bagman squandered both his income and his life's savings on sports bets. He is now reported to be a compulsive gambler. The pubs of England and Scotland seem full of patrons who loaned Bagman money and will probably never be repaid. Sadly, the same man who many of us once admired cannot be trusted to run a church feis, let alone an international sporting event.

As the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Magic, Albus Dumbledore was trusted by several generations of witches and wizards. Today, he faces charges of kidnapping and abuse of a minor. That minor is none other than the-boy-who-lived, the 14-year-old head of House Potter. The obvious question is if Dumbledore acted alone or if he was a co-conspirator with Crouch Sr. and Bagman, the other judges in the Triwizard Tournament. Reports from inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement say that other charges are pending against the headmaster and the other judges. We do not know the full extent to which the faculty of Hogwarts were also involved in the abuse of Lord H. J. Potter and of other students and staff. Three private sources refused to speak on the record due to the nature of pending civil lawsuits and torts where Dumbledore is named.

In the spirit of full disclosure, this author has a daughter attending Hogwarts. I am deeply concerned like most parents. If the Triwizard Tournament brought assassination attempts within a ministry courtroom, then what threats did the Tournament bring to the students at Hogwarts? Many of our readers may carry important pieces of information that need to be assembled to form a complete picture of what happened to their sons and daughters at school.

Organizations are no better than the wizards and witches within them. Things changed in the Ministry after so many members of our most ancient and noble houses claimed to be under the Imperious curse. Their actions in support of Lord Voldemort a decade ago spoke for them, but these nobles claimed they were not in control and therefore not responsible. Yesterday, bailiffs in the court described a series of recent security measures that now protect much of the ministry.

"How can you accept someone's testimony if they could be Imperioused, Polyjuiced, or Glamoured. We upgraded the wards for that," said assistant Bailiff Bryan Cullen.

For obvious reasons, Ministry officials were reluctant to reveal details about the current security wards. Thank goodness that those wards worked, not only once, but twice in a courtroom yesterday.

Bartemius Crouch Junior entered the courtroom Polyjuiced to appear as the retired Senior Auror Alastor Moody. It appears that Crouch Junior made an unsuccessful attack on one or several wizards in the courtroom. Crouch Junior was hampered by the security wards. Crouch was arrested moments later. Crouch Jr. was identified, and the search immediately began for the real Auror Moody. Fortunately, Aurors were able to locate Alastor Moody. He was last seen at Hogwarts. Moody was reported to be resting comfortably. We hope for his complete and speedy recovery.

An additional surprise in the courtroom was the discovery that News Reporter Rita Skeeter was an unregistered Animagus. Any magical citizen was welcome to enter the courtroom that day. Your reporter was unable to find a single witness who saw Skeeter enter the courtroom. We conclude that Skeeter must have entered the room in her Animagus form. That is the only recognized explanation for the way the security wards responded to her. It has not been made public what Skeeter's Animagus form looks like. Skeeter was being held, but charges had yet to be filed against her. We will bring you more details as that story unfolds.

Not everyone feels that same way about bringing new information to the public's attention. Senior Undersecretary Deloris Umbridge said that capturing Barty Crouch Junior finally closed a dark chapter of our history. Umbridge is currently in charge of the Dementors who now guard both Azkaban and Hogwarts. She seemed unusually eager to have the Dementors give Crouch Junior the Kiss of Death.

Putting a convicted criminal to death may certainly be warranted, but it must never be precipitous. When asked, senior members at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement could neither explain who Crouch Junior tried to attack nor who was working with the convicted Death Eater. There is a great deal of information that the ministry and the public need to hear from Death Eater Crouch Junior.

This publication strives to report the full truth. That is both harder to do and more necessary than ever. Today, we must apologize for leaving so many questions unanswered. As always, we appreciate your support and your many helpful leads.

XL

Well, that was a surprise. The crazy Quibbler was closer to the truth than they knew. Now Ted knew who Imperioused Crouch. He thought of buying Zeno a pint sometime and pondering more of the unanswered questions together. Speaking of unanswered questions, there was little mention that the three judges should be removed from the Triwizard Tournament. Ted would have to talk to the headmasters of the schools to see what they would recommend.

Ted let go of Andy's hand and spread more jam on his toast. "What do you think?" he asked his wife.

Sirius started to comment. Andromeda gave him a silent glare before she told him to finish his breakfast while she thought.

"I think we were lucky. So was the ministry. I would want to read the whole book before I 'permanently closed a chapter' by having Crouch kissed. I'd have him pissing Veritaserum and on a first name basis with all the Unspeakable mind readers before I'd let the Dementors near him. Crouch must know quite a bit about the Death Eaters if he stayed hidden for so long.

Andy folded a napkin and carefully tapped at the corners of her mouth. "Sirius, did you want to say something?" she asked.

Lord Black held up his arms in surrender. "She seemed like such a nice witch when she was taking care of me."

Black's feigned timidity brought a giggle from Andy.

"Just because she knows how to be nice does not mean she can't be forceful. She has a darker side that you don't want to see," Ted said.

All joking aside, Ted needed a moment to listen. Umbridge tried far too hard to appear polite and unassuming. She was a ruthless political operator. It was better to face that now rather than be caught out by it later. It looked unlikely that Ted would get to talk to the Headmasters of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons until late this evening.

"Are you packed," Ted asked Sirius?

"Let throw my potions in my bag, and I'm yours."

Andy set down her tea and looked at her husband. He was obviously worried. "Talk to me," she said.

"Minister Fudge is letting his subordinates break the law. He may not even know what the law requires before someone is given to the Dementors. I may need to go to a higher court and plead Sirius's case. I was thinking we'd talk to Wizard Lovegood about the Godfather Oath."

She nodded and then turned back to her breakfast, "Don't forget Pettigrew, and I'd send a Patronis before you barge in on Xeno."

She was always sensible. He stood up and waved his dishes to the sink. He bent over to give his wife a kiss on the forehead when their house elf popped in.

"Director Bones is at the floo and wishes to see you."

Ted kissed his wife again and then stood up.

"Thank you, Flopsy. I'll be there in a moment to bring her through. Please join us and help Amelia clean up after she arrives.

"Dear, would you put your wand in your hand?" Ted asked.

Andromeda Tonks picked up the paper and hid her wand behind it.

Ted shouted to Sirius. "Change of plans. Grab your wand and hide in the drawer."

They had a bolt hole. He'd rather have Lord Black hidden so they could reveal him at a time of their choosing rather than have him discovered against their will. Ted waited to hear Sirius's reply before he walked into the living room and pressed the runes to let Amelia through the floo.

Amelia Bones saw the stony look on Ted's face and the wand in his hand. "You read the papers?" she asked.

"Only The Quibbler. You go first." He wondered what The Prophet would say about having their lead reporter exposed as a liar and a spy. Flopsy helped remove the soot from Amelia's robes.

"Fudge is being an idiot. I've got both of the Crouchs buried so deep in the ministry dungeon that even their house elves can't find them. I'm.. I'm worried about Sirius. I want to take him into protective custody."

Ted was standing in a nearby hallway with only part of his body exposed. "I'm worried too. Can we keep Lord Potter safe if we bring in Sirius? There was no reason that Potter had to attend the arraignment."

"Potter wasn't at the arraignment," Bones said.

He hadn't seen Amelia in the courtroom. "I was there. I saw him," he said.

"I know exactly what you saw. I spoke to Dame Theis this morning. She is ready to remove the judges or cancel the Triwizard Tournament."

Ted noticed her not so subtle change of topic. She as much as told him that what he saw was not the real Lord Potter and that the illusion in the courtroom was there precisely to provoke or distract an attack.

Ted sighed. His daughter, Nymphadora, had so much to explain. He was glad that the Aurors were being pro-active in protecting both Potter and Black. That said, he hated his daughter facing the wrong end of a wand.

Tonks made his decision. He put his wand away and walked into the room. He said, "I'd like to wait until the judge makes those rulings, but we don't have time. Are you a good friend of Sirius?"

"I was. I think I am," Bones answered.

Ted asked his wife to join them as the three humans and one house elf walked into their guest room. The room looked ordinary and unused except for a few old newspapers lying on the nightstand. Flopsy had already made the bed.

Ted opened one of the desk drawers and took out a large cigar case. He set the case on the floor. He then turned it around two times counterclockwise before he opened the lid. They looked inside the case to see a large room. Pale gray smoke rose up from the opening.

There inside was Sirius Black sitting back in a recliner and smoking a cigar. He blew out a smoke ring and looked up at them.

"Hi, Amy. Just like old times." A moment later Black was trying to suppress a laugh and then a cough. He hadn't smoked a cigar in more than a decade.

Amelie Bones spoke to the house elf. "I don't want that smell in my office. Would you clean him up before I take him, and could I have a cup?"

Over tea they decided to head in opposite directions. Amelia would take Sirius to the Ministry. They would have to co-ordinate Pettigrew's trial and decide when to give Lovegood an interview. Ted would go to Hogwarts and sort things with the academics.

There wasn't a great deal to choose between them. Olympe Maxime was a half-giant. Igor Karkaroff was a former Death Eater. Minerva McGonagall was a Highland Scott and proud of it. Not a single one of them would give an inch to do something they didn't want to do.

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Author's Notes- Feedback is appreciated.

If movie directors can use slow-motion action shots, then so can I. If you're not completely sure what happened, well Ted isn't so sure what happened either.

What do you think of the action and the sub-plots? I am being stingy with the truth and letting the characters reach false assumptions based on the limited information they have. You are smarter and know more than they do. I didn't know what would happen to Professor Snape or to Headmaster Karkaroff as a former Death Eater when Riddle called them to Little Hangleton.

I had fun exposing Skeeter this way. Does Bones seem in character for wanting to put Sirius in safe keeping away from Umbridge?

SiS