Sophia had to stay in the hospital for at least a week and didn't look forward to it. She was surprised when Albus came back the next day.
"I thought you were angry with me."
Albus blinked in surprise.
"Why would I be angry with you? If anything, you should be angry with me. I shouldn't have left you there alone."
"I shouldn't have been so eager to go out with you, I could have just texted you where to go. And I should have watched my back or done anything else when he caught me."
"Sophia, none of that was your fault. You managed to keep calm when he had you at wandpoint. Others would have crumbled under pressure. You even kept talking when you saw that we were coming, instead of crying out to us. You performed beyond what anyone could expect from you. I'm not angry with you. Nor are anyone else."
Sophia blushed at the compliment, though she should have expected him to react that way. She had a lot of time to think and couldn't help but go over what had happened in that cage, and what the Knocker had said over and over. Her mind flashed back to the moment she was pressed down on the floor and tortured. Yang had endured those shocks for days, yet she had nearly died from just three shocks. Was she really that weak? When she accidentally said that out loud, he refuted it at once.
"The Healers said that you endured something similar to the Cruciatus Curse. That was the highest setting the man could have used. With Yang, he started on the low setting and gradually increased it. He was quite unhinged, by the time you got to him. Don't believe anything he said. You are definitely not weak."
Sophia wanted to believe that, but it was hard to forget his taunting words. She had no point of comparison, but no one had died from the Cruciatus Curse, from what she knew. Yet people did die from electric shocks. Mary came the next day and showed her the data. She suspected Albus had talked to her about it. Mary explained how they had been able to test one chain before Potter had them all destroyed. Hers had definitely been on the highest setting, before he lowered it after she nearly died from it. The opposite of what he claimed. Why did she believe what the Knocker said instead of what her friends said and could prove?
It was very helpful that Mary was both her best friend and a Healer. She knew exactly what to say and what she needed to get over her feelings of inadequacy. And Sophia saw from the way Albus talked to her that he did not see her as weak, just because he had to rescue her. That came as a great relief. She had a lot of time to think about him as well. His visits became the highlight of her day, not that there was much else happening. Albus had brought her phone and several books she had requested, so at least she had something to do while bedridden.
She hadn't told any of her family what had happened, but one of her magical aunts found out anyway, and came to visit.
"Aunt Carrie! What are you doing here?"
"Visiting my niece. Who is terrible at keeping in touch. You didn't even tell us that you got a job! Or that you ended up in the hospital! Honestly, with how much time you spend on that computer, couldn't you spare a moment to answer our texts with more than a sentence or two?"
"I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with everything. And I didn't want you to worry about me, especially Mum."
"I can understand that, but why didn't you at least tell me? And Monica? We could have kept it a secret. You shouldn't have to be here all alone!"
Before Sophia had time to explain that she wasn't alone, Albus entered the room on his daily visit. He had impeccable timing, and of course he had chosen today to bring flowers.
"Hi, how are you doing today? I found these and I just had to… Oh, hi. I didn't know anyone else was here."
Aunt Carrie looked at Albus, then back at Sophia. She wanted to crawl deep under her blanket, and she was sure she blushed. Carrie definitely saw it too.
"Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Carrie and I'm Sophia's aunt."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Albus, her friend and coworker."
"You work in the Department of Technology too?" Albus seemed relieved when he realised that this person was magical so he could elaborate more.
"No, I'm an Auror. But I've worked with Sophia several times by now."
"Have you. Well, this is all news to me. Someone is terrible at keeping in touch."
Albus smiled. "Well, things have been fairly hectic, and for parts of it, she wasn't allowed to talk about it. Maybe you read about the Magical Beasts seller we managed to apprehend a week ago? Sophia was instrumental in that process, but we couldn't go public with the methods, in case he found out."
Carrie looked shocked.
"Sophia was involved with that? Was that how you got hurt?" she asked as she turned to Sophia again.
"Yes. But don't worry, I feel a lot better now. I will probably be discharged tomorrow."
"How did you get involved with that though? I thought you only worked with computers?" Her aunt knew a bit more about how computers worked than most other witches, but she wasn't obsessed with them like Sophia was. Her aunts had been most helpful when she had to adjust her worldview to include a whole new world she knew nothing about until she received her Hogwarts letter. Her mother had apologised for not telling her sooner, but Sophia understood. Even though she wasn't a witch, she was bound by the Statute of secrecy. It also explained why her mother's side of the family so rarely came to family events. They were afraid of slipping up. Her father's side of the family still had no idea what she was. They thought she had gone to a private school and now worked at a tech firm.
"It was because of her proficiency with computers that she got involved," Albus said. And spent the next few minutes bragging about her. Carrie looked more and more surprised but also impressed. Sophia wanted to disappear. Hearing Albus bragging about her like that was even more mortifying than having him meeting her aunt. She definitely suspected they were an item now. But had she realised who Albus was? He hadn't given his last name.
"I have to get going now," Albus said after about an hour of them talking. "I'm having dinner with my siblings, which happens too rarely, so I didn't want to refuse. I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, Sophia."
He left the flowers in a vase he had conjured on the table and left. Carrie looked at her with a grin. Sophia thought she knew what was coming.
"Is he why you've been too busy to come to family dinners? Or even text us back?"
Sophia blushed but tried to deny it.
"No. It started even before we met. You know I joined that group of magical scientists. We also had a bit of drama happening, but we managed to get through it."
"Drama? You mean you are part of the Order of the Hidden Dragon?"
Sophia gaped. She hadn't told anyone in her family about that!
"How have you even heard that name?"
"Oh please, it was all over the Daily Prophet. How the Ministry arrested all of you but then released you and found the group they were actually looking for. You should be glad Rita Skeeter is retired, or she would be all over that. But how did you end up working for them just after they arrested you?"
"It was related to that. Albus ended up joining our group as well and saw my computer skills. He asked if I could search for the man they were hunting online, and it all snowballed from there." Sophia gave as few details as she could get away with as she retold everything that had happened since Albus had come crashing into their Base, excluding embarrassing details like the truth serum, or their frequent dinners. In the end, Carrie smiled.
"Well, I'm glad things turned out well for you. I know how much you wanted that job in the Technology Department. But what is the deal with you and Albus? You seem very defensive about him," Carrie said with a suggestive smile. Sophia blushed.
"I don't know. We're friends, good friends, but with everything that has been going on, we haven't really had time to talk about such things."
"But you like him?"
Sophia sighed. She hadn't wanted to think about it, but she couldn't deny it any longer.
"Yes. But I don't know if he feels the same way."
"He showed up today with flowers. And it sounds like he's been here every day. A friend wouldn't do that for no reason."
"He's just feeling grateful. Or obligated because he was there when I was taken. Either way, I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay, but you can't avoid it forever. Have you met any of his family?"
Technically, she had met his father and his aunt, but not as family members.
"Briefly, but not in the way you think. I mean, some of them work for the Ministry, so we've met at the office."
It seemed Carrie hadn't realised who Albus was, as she accepted that without comment. The two of them talked for a while longer, mostly about how other members of the family were doing. Sophia dreaded the interrogation she was in for the next time she showed up to a family dinner. But she couldn't avoid them forever either.