Idiot

Scorpius was an idiot. That was the only thing he could say to himself. He had known deep down that something was wrong from the moment Dawson had suggested this. He knew the Ministry didn't operate like this. Yet he had blindly followed Dawson into the trap, like the idiot he was. Though it may not have made any difference if he had refused. That scene in the bar could have played out just as well without his initial cooperation. But then at least he might have had time to tell Rose, Albus, or Harry about what Dawson had suggested. 

The moment he came out on the deck, he knew he had made a huge mistake. This was not Azkaban. He didn't know what this place was, but there wasn't any impressive fortress in sight. Instead, there were several dark, dreary houses on a small island with no trees or any distinguishing features whatsoever. From what he could see on the horizon, there were no other islands in sight. Dawson dragged him off the boat without saying a word, entirely unconcerned by the view. This had been his destination all along. Scorpius' ropes were so tight he couldn't even try to run. Dawson tied his end of the rope to one of the moorings while he made sure the boat was secure. His boat was the only one here. 

"Dawson, what are you doing? This isn't Azkaban, where is it? What is the meaning of this?" Scorpius tried desperately to get out of the many ropes that held him, but he knew it was useless. This wasn't the temporary holding binds that he had learnt to escape from, this was tightly wound magical ropes. The ones specifically designed so that no spell from the one that was bound could undo them. The more he tried to undo them, the tighter they bound him.

"Shut up. No need for more talking from you. You'll see soon enough, if you haven't already guessed." 

"What are you doing? Why have you taken me here? This is not what I agreed to."

"Your agreements mean nothing here. You will finally get what you deserve, Malfoy." Dawson sounded pleased to say this. Scorpius started to panic a little. How would he get out of this situation? Would anyone even know where he was? He silently tried every spell he could think of, but none of them made any difference. He had let himself be trapped in this situation, now he had no way out of it. What good was it that he had a wand, when he couldn't reach it? Oh, why had he ever agreed to something like this? He should have taken James' warning more seriously.

When Scorpius tried to protest further, Dawson gagged him. That seemed to give him greater pleasure than silencing him with magic earlier had. When Scorpius tried to talk, the gag just got tighter, until he was in danger of choking if he moved his mouth. Dawson took hold of his ropes again and tugged at them to get him moving. He had made invisible cords for his feet, in contrast to the visible bonds around his upper body. Scorpius hadn't noticed that before, but now he understood why. He was moving almost as a puppet, being dragged after Dawson as he pulled different strings, making it seem like he was walking on his own. When he tried to stop walking, he didn't even fall, he just kept on moving as Dawson walked on, letting him pointlessly struggle to get out of his bonds as he was dragged from the small dock over to a few buildings. Dawson stopped as they got closer to the buildings, but he didn't say anything. It was unnerving how little emotion showed on his face, after how gleeful he had been earlier. The mask was back on.

Dawson placed Scorpius in front of him and pushed him, instead of letting him drag behind. He went towards the larger one of the few buildings on the island.

Scorpius tried to protest further by refusing to cooperate even a little, making Dawson push him for every step forward, but when he saw who was waiting for him inside, he stopped struggling in shock. That was Sam Crickey! What on earth was he doing here?

Sam's eyes went wide in shock too. He definitely recognised him. Scorpius tried speaking to him through the gag, but he was only able to make gurgling noises and Dawson quickly Silenced him again so he couldn't even do that. He was now held so tightly he wasn't even able to struggle anymore, to try to show Sam that he wasn't here voluntarily. He only moved when Dawson made his feet move for him and his hands were bound so tight, he couldn't even lift a finger. Even his head was frozen in the same position. 

It seemed to give Dawson great pleasure making Scorpius walk around like some marionette. He even made him sit down on a chair, like it was totally normal to be tied up and gagged like this. Why had he ever let himself get into this situation? He was an idiot. He continued trying to loosen the bonds on his hands, but he couldn't even move them. He tried saying different spells, but none of them made any difference. He needed to show Sam that he wasn't here by choice! No sound escaped from his mouth, no matter how hard he tried to make it. 

"What are you bringing him here for?" Sam asked.

"We need to test top-security. Since you didn't like the first option I proposed to you, he will be the test person, as I arrested him in his disguise just a few hours ago. Your job is to make sure he doesn't escape. Get it?"

Sam nodded. He even smiled!

"I just finished that part yesterday. It works just as you wanted. How long will you give him to get out?"

"At least a week. If he hasn't escaped by then, no one will ever be able to. He has proven to be good at thinking about unorthodox solutions, which makes him an ideal test person."

Oh no. Sam would think that none of this was real. Whatever Scorpius said, if he was even going to be able to talk to him, Sam would just think that it was part of the game. He would have to try and convince him of the truth. Why would he be tied and gagged, if it was just a test? He hoped Sam would realise that. So far though, he hadn't even questioned it, despite the angry looks Scorpius directed at both of them. 

They marched out the door, Sam first, then Scorpius being floated by Dawson, but still with his legs moving as if he was walking. He hoped they wouldn't go far; the gag was making it hard to breathe. He felt some tears coming, but Sam didn't see them.

Top-security on this island, which was apparently some sort of prison, meant a literal hole in the ground. Scorpius' ropes, both the visible and the invisible ones, were removed two seconds before he was thrown into the hole, still gagged. He felt like he dropped down for a very long time, but it was probably no more than ten seconds or so. His momentum was stopped for a brief moment right above the ground, to prevent serious injury, but otherwise there seemed to be nothing at all in this cell other than a small tube that was probably there to make sure there was a steady air supply. There were some sources of light from the ceiling, but Scorpius couldn't see what it was. He heard Dawson give instructions to Sam above. 

"Remember, don't talk to him, or let him get to you. That is part of the game. Food and water are given through that tube, so no need for interaction. That will make human faults much less likely. I will return in a few days to check on him. Until then, only talk to him if you see him escape, and then place him in another cell and wait for me."

"Why another cell? Wouldn't that mean he escaped successfully, and the game is over?"

"No, he needs to escape from this island without you seeing it. That is the main job of guards, isn't it? So, if you catch him, he needs to start all over again." And with that, the opening closed, and Scorpius was left with just a dim light from above. 

It sounded like Dawson had thought of everything, he thought bitterly as he finally managed to get the gag off. He should probably be grateful that neither of the two had remembered to search him properly. He still had the wand. Much good it would do him, down in a hole. Apparating didn't work, and if he tried to explode his way out of this cell, the whole thing could come crashing down. How could he get away from here?