He spent the first few hours making sure he would be able to get out in a hurry, if he needed to, while listening to the arguments happening outside. The ceiling was solid, but not impossible to break. That would be very visible though, he should only do that as a last resort.
Albus was glad that George had him testing a new version of the Extendable Ears. One that didn't need a string. Apparently, he had been inspired by some Muggle technology and found a way to make it work with what he called an earbud.
He missed parts of the initial conversation, but it seemed McLaggen wasn't happy about what had just happened. He had probably expected Albus to refuse.
"… Can't believe I let him stay here. What do we do if he gets past the first night?"
"This was your idea," a male voice replied.
"I didn't think he'd actually accept. Why would a Potter need to hide from the Ministry, and why wouldn't he try some family member first?"
"He sounded genuine to me," said a feminine voice. Was that Piers' sister, or someone else?
"And how would you know that?"
"I could observe him just as much as you could. He looked genuinely surprised when he first entered as well. There was no moment of triumph or anything, just confusion and shock."
"If he really came here to infiltrate our group, why would he claim to have killed someone? Let alone a member of this group."
"And infiltration is more Malfoy's territory. Why send in a known Auror?"
Then they either moved away or were silent for a while. Then a second female voice came.
"He spoke the truth on one part. Logan really is dead. I just got an owl from the Ministry about it." The choked-up voice was probably Piers' sister. How had he not known that Piers had a sister?
"I'm sorry to hear that," the first female voice said. "Did they give any details about what happened?"
"No. Maybe they don't want to spread it, if one of their Auror's killed another."
"Or they're still investigating it."
"You sound awfully defensive about him. Have you even met him before?" McLaggen asked.
"No. But I think he's telling the truth, that's why I suggested the truth serum."
"If you believe in him so much, you won't mind being his Minder then?"
No one said anything for almost 30 seconds.
"Me? I don't know how to do that. Why do I suddenly need to do it?"
"Jack can show you what to do. You are the one who seems to want to have him here. but if you truly don't want to, I can assign someone else."
"I can do it. But what about in the morning, if he's still here?"
"You better hope he's still here. He's your responsibility now. Find something to show him, to keep him distracted from asking too many questions. You have many strange things, show him those. Just don't let him out of your sight."
Albus heard the woman sigh, but she didn't protest. He didn't know what to think about any of this. He listened as the footsteps walked away from his Extended Ear range. Some of them would probably check on him. He took out the earbud and sat down in the chair. He had spent the time while he listened to see if he could find any hidden mechanisms to trap him, if he sat down on the chair or lay down on the bed. But there didn't seem to be any. What was this test they insisted on?
He thought he felt when someone looked at him through whatever was in the corner. He considered giving a wave, but that would probably not be a good idea. No need to antagonise these people when he genuinely wanted to stay with them. He sat in the chair, which he had moved from its original position, just in case, and waited for something to happen. But nothing did. He sat motionless for an hour before he decided to change position. Maybe it wouldn't start until he was in bed.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he heard the faint sounds of a wail, and the feeling of being watched again. Was that a Caterwauling Charm? Would that be triggered every time he touched the floor? Several ideas for mischief came to mind, but he decided to hold off on triggering them. A series of knocks came from the ceiling. Albus jumped, but nothing more happened.
He cautiously went over to the bed. There didn't seem to be any triggers here either. He sat down on the bed, still fully dressed, and no hidden traps or restraints came at him. He lifted up the blanket, then cautiously lay down underneath it. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, they would do whatever this test was about.
Albus was sure he lay awake under his blanket for hours. He had learnt how to feign being asleep. Apart from some other sounds, probably meant to make him nervous, nothing happened. He must have fallen asleep for real at some point, because he suddenly woke up with a start when a sound like an air-horn went off. Looking at his watch, he had slept for hours. It was 7 am in the morning. Well, maybe he should show these people what he did when he was woken up for no reason. He sat up and placed his feet on the floor. He heard the wail again and had to stop himself from chuckling. Whoever they had placed to watch him would probably hear that.
Nothing seemed to have changed in the room during the night. Had they really not done anything? Was that the test, to see how he dealt with anticipation and fear of the unknown? Or would something happen the next night, if he let his guard down? He stretched and yawned, trying to act normal.
He usually didn't like to exercise on an empty stomach, but now he felt like doing some morning gymnastics. Especially exercises that made his feet leave the floor temporarily. Jumping up and down from the bed. Using the door trim as a bar for pull-ups. He heard the wail again and again. He made sure to do some other things as well, such as sit-ups, that didn't make him leave the floor. He didn't want them to suspect that he had heard the alarm go off, he was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to hear it.
Finally, the door opened. The woman standing there was the one who had suggested giving him the truth serum. Albus hadn't noticed how pretty she was. Maybe it was the way she tried to hold back a smile. She had probably seen at least part of his escapades this morning. Albus was glad he had thought to put his clothes back on before starting his morning routine.
"Can I come out now?" he asked.
"Yes. I have been assigned to be your Minder."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that I am in charge of showing you around and answering any questions that you have, the ones I can answer anyway, and make sure that you don't do anything stupid."
"Does that mean you can show me where to get something to eat? I'm starving."
"No wonder, with how much you moved around this morning," the woman mumbled under her breath. Then, louder, she said: "Yes, we will begin with a short tour, and that includes the communal kitchen."
"I realise you probably already know who I am, but I want to introduce myself anyway. I'm Albus Potter." He held out his hand. Would this woman give her name, or would she continue to dodge any questions he had?
"I'm Sophia," she said. No last name. At least he had something to call her.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed something yesterday. It really wasn't my intention."
"So you've said. Repeatedly."
"But I still feel that you don't believe me."
"Wouldn't you be a little sceptical if a person suddenly drops down into your house, claiming it was an accident, yet wants to stay?"
"I offered to leave."
"Let's not talk about this right now. It won't change anything. You've been given a chance to join us, the rest doesn't matter."
Join them? He hadn't said anything about joining them, only asked to be allowed to stay.
"And what exactly is it that I am potentially joining?" Albus was genuinely curious at this point. If these people were doing something illegal, they wouldn't have let him stay. But if they weren't doing anything illegal, why hide even from the Ministry?
"We're called The Order of the Hidden Dragon. I don't expect you to have heard of us."
Albus almost stopped moving after Sophia in shock. The Order of the Hidden Dragon? How could this be The Order of the Hidden Dragon? That didn't make any sense! Albus hoped his poker face was still in effect, but this changed everything.