Across any Divide

Chapter 19

Nothing showed up in his mirror. It was blank - completely and perfectly blank. Malfoy stared into it all night until the sun's rays started to illuminate the horizon and not once did the girl show up in the mirror.

He, however, had had way too much time to think. Her eyes - her eyes were the same as his mirror girl. He was absolutely sure of that. But her face... he couldn't be positive. Not without getting another glance at the girl in the mirror.

Perhaps his mirror girl was some relative of hers, someone over in America.

Hope filled his chest as that thought just as someone pounded on his door.

"Oi, Malfoy!"

Draco pushed to his feet, wiping the exaughtion from his eyes as he crossed the room and opened the door. Matteo stood in the doorway looking as cross and irritable as Malfoy felt. Riddle's eyes fixed on Malfoy's as soon as he opened the door. Matteo was sporting a shiner - his left eye bruised purple and swollen completely shut. Draco couldn't resist the satisfied smile at seeing the damage he'd inflicted on Riddle.

And then Riddle grinned back at him, and Draco realized he'd split open his lip again. He cursed at Riddle, blaming him for his condition, "Fucking asshole."

Blood dripped from Malfoy's lip and he wiped it away with a grimace. Matteo gestured to his own eye, "You're the fucking dick. Can't bloody see out of it."

Malfoy rolled his eyes, accepting that truth and looking at the boy sourly, "What do you want?"

"Breakfast."

Suddenly, Malfoy was starving. His stomach gnawed with hunger at the mere mention of food. He nodded once, turning back to grab his cloak and wand before joining Matteo in the corridor. They walked together in silence, Draco keeping his pace a little slower than he normally would due to Riddle's limp. It would seem that Draco wasn't the only one who had decided not to trust that witch's healing potion.

They didn't say a word until they were seat across from each other at the end of the table. Draco's left arm was still sore and swollen; he couldn't extend it all the way and it hurt to do even the slightest movement. Matteo seemed to realize this because he reached out and dumped a heaping helping of eggs onto Draco's plate, followed by several strips of bacon.

Malfoy nodded his thanks as he dug in. Riddle said nothing - didn't even look up from his plate as shoveled food down his throat. Minutes ticked by and Riddle pushed back his empty plate which immediately disappeared and was replaced by a perfectly new, shiny clean plate.

A familiar voice drifted down the table, grinding on his ears. Draco's head snapped up, eyes searching up and down the Slytherin table until he landed on the Bonaccord girl sitting halfway down the table with Nott and Weasley.

"That fucking cunt," Riddle growled, eyes suddenly dark as he glared at her. As if she sensed their gazes, Casey looked up. She spotted them immediately, hunched over their food and grimacing in pain. Draco half expected her to gloat - to take some measure of pleasure in their discomfort and denial of her help.

She simply lifted her goblet of orange juice in greeting before turning back to laugh at something George had said.

"She's a fucking lunatic," Riddle muttered under his breath, crossing his arms and looking decidedly away from her.

"What do you know about her?" Draco found himself asking. He knew virtually nothing, and he couldn't win her game if he didn't know anything about his opponent. And she clearly knew things about him - specifically what, he didn't know, but her little conversation last night about her home definitely wasn't all she knew.