Order of the Hidden Dragon

It seemed the Knocker was bored, as it didn't take many hours before he returned again. Sophia had managed to get herself up in a sitting position, but her body still didn't work properly. Her near-death had made her body quite weak on top of the chain apparently seeping out all her energy.

"Who are you?" he asked, and for the first time he sounded like he actually cared about the answer. "Why were you of all people tasked with tracking me down? Where did they find you?"

"In a cave," Sophia answered, which wasn't a complete lie. Potter had first found her there. "And they asked me for help because I showed them how incompetent their Department of Technology really was. They didn't even know what the Dark Web was, until I showed them."

"And why did you show them?"

Sophia didn't want to get into the whole story about Albus. Maybe she could turn this around on him instead. She slowly got back on her feet. Or at least she got up on her haunches, the cage didn't allow her to stand up completely.

"I'm from the Order of the Hidden Dragon. You sicced the Ministry on us. That was a big mistake. I gave them the information they wanted, when they explained the situation. Tell me, what have we done to you, for you to try and frame us?"

The Knocker responded only by giving her another nasty shock through the chain. Her feet gave out and she got the wind knocked out of her. That was really painful. He gave her several more shocks, each stronger and longer than the last. If this was what Yang had been submitted to, she understood why he was so motionless. It was horrible.

"I won't tolerate lies. I know the Order quite well. They have bought several creatures from me. You are not one of them."

Sophia was barely able to reply through the pain.

"That wasn't the real Order. That was just a group of idiots using our name. They are all gone now. The Ministry killed or arrested every single one. But the real Order is still out there. Even if you're not afraid of the Ministry, you should be afraid of us."

Her defiance earned her more sharp shocks. How had Yang been able to survive this torture for weeks?

Finally, he finished, though he still glared at her murderously.

"I don't fear anyone," he said. "Not any government, nor any secret Orders. No one can defy me for long. You have come the closest, yet even you failed in the end."

Sophia could only whimper in response. What would he do to her now? Would Albus find her in time? Scorpius had mentioned that the chain would be permanent after three days, but Rose had been able to remove them from some of the animals. Would that work on humans as well?

The Knocker left the chain giving her a low-level amount of pain as he checked the boundary. The constant stimulation made her body tense up, making her even more exhausted. It seemed he had travelled to a new location and was working on placing jinxes and traps on all the entrances. Yet she still saw the continued blinking from her tattered computer. Did that mean someone was tracing the location? She leaned against the bars, trying to discern what the screen looked like. It was shattered in places, but something was happening on the screen. Was it just the bluescreen of death, or was it a sign of someone accessing it remotely? Behind the computer, she also noticed a mirror. It had just had shadows earlier, but a few of the shadows had started to become clearer. She had to distract this man, so he didn't notice. If she could only reach the computer, she could tilt the mirror away from him.

"Feeling trapped in that cage?" the Knocker said as he returned, kicking her arms back inside the bars, then chaining her hands together while smirking at her. "Don't worry. In about a day or so, there won't be any need for that cage. Then the chain will be permanent, and I can find other ways to keep you with me."

He really believed that didn't he? Despite Yang not showing the least sign of bending to his will. She suspected these chains weren't as effective as he thought. Most creatures would become meek and obedient from that shock treatment, but sentient creatures were different.

"I don't think we need to wait that long," she said as she saw something move in the shadows from outside. The shadows in the mirror became even clearer. The whites in their eyes were showing now. Three figures in particular were coming to the forefront. She needed to keep talking.

"I can't move very well as it is, there is little use in keeping me in a cage. I was trying to reach the bucket. Maybe your other guest has given up on trying to stay clean, but I haven't reached that stage yet." There was a bucket on the floor, so it was a plausible excuse. She definitely didn't want him to notice the still-blinking computer or the shadows.

"You're right, I had forgotten such details. Forgive my lack of hospitality," he said with a surprisingly calm tone as he moved the bucket inside the cage with his wand. He didn't look away as she sat down on it, but luckily, her robes covered most of her even while bending over a bucket.

When she was done and had placed the bucket outside the cage again, the pain came back. It now seemed to come in waves. She couldn't help the screams. At least it kept the man's focus on her.

"No thank you? Do you want to get shackled to the floor next? I don't know why I even bother."

Sophia screamed in protest as her hands and feet were fastened to the floor, making it impossible for her to move. However, she did see what she thought was a small hole being drilled into the wall. Or maybe it was just her hallucinating. She needed to keep his attention on her. She couldn't see the mirror anymore, but looking towards it too often would probably give her away anyway. She kept talking as she saw a shadow inside the warehouse move closer and closer to them.

"You really are a monster," she said through gritted teeth. "I thought they were exaggerating, but they're right. Who else would find pleasure in torturing others?"

"I'm a monster?" the Knocker said. "Am I the one who leaves creatures abandoned on the street? Wizards go to great lengths to hide these creatures, leaving them in cages just slightly larger than mine…" whatever else he was about to say was cut off as Albus knocked him on the head and he fell on the floor. She knew he would come, yet she was so relieved to see him that she started crying even as she said his name. And she couldn't even muster the energy to raise her hands to wipe them off even as the restraints on her limbs disappeared. A few moments later, the place was swarming with Aurors. Several of them ran to secure her captor, but Albus ran over to her. The cage around her vanished in a flash and he was right next to her. She didn't even care that others were watching. She held on to him as hard as she could. He ripped the chain off and at once she felt a lot better. That thing really did sap her energy. She looked over and saw that Albus, Rose and Scorpius were the three characters that had become visible in the mirror. Had she been one of the shadows in there too? She didn't know exactly how the Foe-glass worked.

"Can you walk?" Albus asked. She just shook her head.

"I can barely even move. How did you find us?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you when we're out of here."

"Where are we?"

"In Blackpool."

"He returned to Britain?" she hadn't expected that.

"Yes. He probably thought he was clever."

She became aware that he was carrying her bridal style. Why did she notice that, when everything around her was such a blur? Albus began lowering her down on something,

"No. Don't leave me," she said, trying to hold onto his hand to prevent him from leaving, not even having the energy to be embarrassed for asking such a thing.

"I'll be right here," he whispered. He didn't let go of her hand. Not even when whatever she was lying on started to move.

"What about Yang?" she asked.

"We got him out as well. Don't worry. It's all over now." Albus reassured her as everything flashed to white.