The Last Drop |Tom Riddle|

Chapter Twenty One: Playing With Fire

"Well, you've got your diamonds and you've got your pretty clothes
And the chauffeur drives your car
You let everybody know
But don't play with me, 'cause you're playing with fire."
-- The Rolling Stones

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"Just kill her, Colin. She's on their side."

"I'm not going to do that. Remember, you're all under my command and my command only. I can easily turn you all in if I must."

"Spare me. You know the consequences would exceed your imagination if you turned us in."

"You took this all too far."

Eleanor blinked slowly, her body aching yet unable to move all the same. The stiffness was painful even and as her eyes adjusted to the dreary basement, it all came back to her.
She looked at the warm lighting over the bar, sleek wood and golden trims with a wall of liquor and here she sat, in a quite uncomfortable chair on the small stage. When she looked around, all she could imagine was a crowd of ordinary people dancing.

Eleanor's been here before.

The voices came from two figures hiding in the shadows of the musty bar and she narrowed her eyes.

It was Colin Ludwick and Ruby.

A fire rushed through her blood and as she tried everything in her power to move, not only was she bound to the chair but some stunning spell was keeping her immobilized. She grew angrier the more she looked at them.

"Glad to see you're awake." Ruby chimed, striding over to her. "You and your fiance have caused quite a lot of trouble for us, dearie."

Eleanor glared at Ruby who's short hair was tucked behind her ears, revealing her small and sharp face that looked down at her deviously. The more Eleanor wanted to pull and rip the girl to shreds, the more she could feel the weak points of the spell they placed on her.

"You underestimate me, dearie, and you underestimate the fact that your life will one to nothing but a long, slow, and painful death if anymore harm comes to me." Eleanor seethed, her eyes darting over to Colin who stood back against the wall.

"And you!" Eleanor laughed absurdly. "You don't even have the balls to make an appearance while you stand back there letting her do all your dirty work. If you're going to kill me, Colin, be a man and look me in the eye!"

As she yelled, she couldn't rid herself of the underlying hurt she felt as she looked at Colin. The day she knew would come was here and it stung more than she would have known.

For the first time since this mess started, the line between them felt real, as they stood on opposing sides as obviously as they did now. Even now, part of her didn't want to admit that he was truly gone to this side.

"Actually, Eleanor, we don't want you dead. Not yet entirely." Ruby said, roughly grabbing her jaw to turn her face back to hers. "If you want to live, by Ludwick's request, you will play by our rules."

Eleanor scowled and jerked her head away.

"The only rules I play by are the ones that end up with you rotting in Azkaban."

Colin sighed, coming from the wall he leaned upon and appearing from the shadows of the bar to approach her as he uncrossed his arms.

"Everyone they've brought down from the ranks of the Ministy was another family saved from whatever they were going to do. It may not be your way, but it was the right thing to do. The Minister sympathizes with both sides too much. She'd never take the necessary action."

"So you murder people?!" Eleanor roared. "Colin, believe me, I see your endgoal here but the means by which you obtain it make you no better than them!"