Across any Divide

Chapter 8

Casey startled awake in bed from a dream, sitting up straight in the bed. Her eyes swung to the digital alarm clock beside her bed, the red light glowing brightly in the dark. 5:03 in the morning. The realization of her surroundings settled in on her and her heart rate immediately slowed even as disappointment filled her.

She was in her own bed.

With a groan, Casey swung her legs over the side of her bed and padded into the bathroom. Her conversation with Lilac trickled through her mind as she turned the sink on. As much as Casey's scientific mind rejected their conversation as a whole, the Wizarding World fanatic that she was had her drawn. If it was possible... if what Lilac had said was even remotely possible, then she had to try.

Apparently, she had to try again.

The water finally ran warm, and Casey bent over the sink to splash the water onto her face. She'd concentrate on that later - she had to be at the hospital for her shift in an hour anyways.

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"You been quiet," Draco approached Riddle in the common room a few days later. The Dark Lord's son was sprawled out on the couch, chatting with a blonde sixth year Draco vaguely recognized as one of the Dolohov girls.

Matteo's glance swung around to Draco with disdain, "Just because I haven't been talking to you doesn't mean that I have been quiet."

Draco rolled his eyes, glancing at the girl pressed against Matteo's side with disinterest, "Finally found your mirror-girl, have you?"

"Heavens, no," Riddle snorted in disgust, though he gave the girl a trained smile. "We were just getting to know one another."

Draco glanced between them with a look of disbelief before shaking his head and turning away, "Didn't realize someone could get to know you, Riddle."

Draco was half way to his dorm room when footsteps came walking up behind him. Draco turned, expecting to see Theo or Blaise approaching him but instead he looked directly into the cold, dark eyes of Matteo Riddle.

"You really didn't have to say that," Matteo snapped as Draco came to a stop.

Draco sighed, giving his fellow Slytherin a disdainful glance, "What do you want, Matteo?"

"I want you to -" Riddle snapped his mouth shut, grinding his teeth as he unballed the fist his hand had tightened into. "I wish you'd find a way to destroy the fucking mirrors already so we can be done with this bullshit."

Draco rolled his eyes, taking an aggressive step towards Riddle as he ground out, "Once again - if you want a way out, find it yourself. Stop pushing me to do your dirty work."

"My dirty -" Riddle scowled deeper, "I'm pushing you to work with me! You don't want this and neither do I - although lately you've been acting like you don't quite care that we're about to be bound to some bitch we've never met in a marriage we never wanted!"

"I do fucking care!" Draco bellowed indignantly, "I do fucking care about that, but you know what I care more about? Not going back to fucking Azkaban! If I have to find some bitch to stay out of that fucking place, then that's what I'm going to bloody do!"

Draco turned on his heel and stalked away, glancing back over his shoulder in fury as he ripped open his door, "And you'd do it too, if you knew what was good for you!"

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Two weeks went by before Riddle or Malfoy spoke again. In his anger, Draco refused to look at his mirror even once. He wouldn't give Riddle the satisfaction. He kept his mirror in his room, tossed at the bottom of his drawer. He avoided Riddle everywhere, choosing to remain in his dorm room rather than the common room, and leaving classes the moment they ended to avoid him between classes.

He was in no mood to argue again, and he was done being pressed about the fucking mirror. Riddle could pester him all he wanted, but if Draco didn't look in his mirror then he wouldn't have any answers for him.

Not that Riddle pestering him was a problem anymore. He only saw the bloke at meals, and even then it was fleetingly. That's why Draco was so shocked when Matteo slid into a chair across from him in the Library one weekend, a pile of book dropping onto the table between them.

Draco glanced up, studying Matteo as the boy made himself comfortable and reached for the book at the top of his pile.

Riddle opened the book nonchalantly, crossing his ankle over his knee so casually it was as if they hadn't stopped speaking for two weeks. As if everything between them was normal. Draco gaped at him in silence for a moment before his gaze finally returned to the book he'd been reading.

"I took your advice."

Riddle's voice rang out causing Draco to glance up from him book again. He cocked a brow in surprise, "What advice?"

"I started looking in the mirror."

Draco's face mirrored his minor shock. He glanced back down to his book, trying to feign disinterest. "And?"

"And nothing," Riddle's voice was a little too even as he spoke, almost rehearsed.

Draco frowned, looking up sharply only to find Riddle already studying him. "You saw nothing?"

"Nothing," Riddle said flatly. "Nothing for more than a week."

Draco shifted forward, catching the slight change in his friends tone at the careful wording. "It's been two weeks since we last spoke, Riddle. Technically two weeks and a day. If it's been more than a week, but less than two weeks, that implies that you saw something within a few days of our argument."

Riddle's silence was his answer.

"What did you see?" It felt good to be the one pestering instead of being pestered.

Riddle's gaze fell back to the book in his lap as he forced indifference, "I saw her in strange clothes."

"Strange clothes?" Draco's brow furrowed, "Like, night clothes?"

"Kind of? I'm not sure. I can't describe it. Just that they had a lot of pockets."

"Lot of pockets..." Draco trailed of fin confusion. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I wouldn't know - haven't seen a damn thing except myself in that mirror for the past ten days," Riddle humphed, shifting his gaze suspiciously over to Malfoy. "What have you seen lately?"

Smugness filled Draco, a smirk sliding across his face. "Not a damn thing."

Riddle snorted, "C'mon, mate. I shared - now it's your turn."

Draco looked up innocently, "No - I mean I literally haven't seen a damn thing because I haven't looked."

Riddle didn't bother to hide his surprise, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "I suppose we took a page out of each other's books, then."

Draco rolled his eyes, closing his book and crossing his arms, "I wouldn't say that."

Riddle gave him a pointed look, "How's my way working for you?"

"No better than my way," Draco snapped, reaching for his book again. The boys sat in silence for several minutes, each pretending to read as they waited for the other to speak up. Finally, Draco caved first. He snapped his book shut, glancing sourly across the table as he demanded, "Is this what we're going to do now? Pester each other for information over girls we don't even want?"

"Seems to be our fate," Riddle answered remorsefully, giving Draco a grudging glance, "But I figure we're better off figuring this out together than on our own."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, returning Riddle's glance with a stern one of his own, "I seem to recall us 'figuring things out together' last time merely ended in both of us fucking up."

Riddle held his gaze, but his eyes hardened with the memories Draco's words recalled. "Still fucked it up together."

The truth in his words had Draco froze in place for a moment, his guilt and debt causing him to nod his head. "Then together it is."

Riddle went back to his book without another word. Draco stared at him for a hard minute, studying the boy across from him for a moment. The war had changed both of them - that was for sure. Perhaps the war actually broke one of them, too.