The List (Draco Malfoy)

Chapter 4

Chapter Four - Your bed, or mine?

It took Lainey a particularly long time to find the strength to open her eyes. She knew she was conscious, because she could hear the shuffling of feet as someone paced through the room. She could hear cheering from outside, a distant, unfamiliar sound. She recognised the fact she was controlling her own breathing in an attempt to remain still and calm.

She realised she was still alive, despite the happiness she had felt with her last thought. Her hopeful last thought.

Lainey remained perfectly still, breathing in and out, refusing to move.

What if she couldn't move? The fear that had stricken her when she realised that she was numbing and steadily losing control of her limbs was fresh in her mind, repeating like an avalanche each time she thought she had gathered enough courage to try to move again. If she couldn't move, and instead was destined to live in her bed, paralysed, she would pay her entire fortune to have a time turner, and go back and simply let Voldemort kill her properly the second time. And she would do it with a grin and a bow. No, the fucked up thing called 'Destiny' had already screwed Lainey over enough for one year...paralysing her would be bloody smash her head in when she was down...and only then would the kick come.

Lainey slowly opened her eyes, fighting the wave of nausea that hit her as she stared at her still body. She glared at her hand, calling each and every miniscule spec of courage she had left...and her finger twitched. Oh, thank Merlin!

Lainey sighed shakily, clenching her fist and lifted a trembling hand to her face, pure relief coursing through her. She wasn't paralysed. Pomfrey had fixed her again.

She could go on living this very unfulfilling life.

Lainey dropped her hand again, shaking her head in disbelief of her own foolish fears. She yelped the next second, hastily lifting her hand again. Touching the soft blanket had hurt, a sharp jab of pain lacing through her fingertips. It had felt different, more pronounced.

Barely even breathing, Lainey dropping her hand again, running her fingers over the blanket and shivering at the touch. It was coarse and unsteady, like running a hand over gravel. She half expected her hands to be bleeding, but they only stung viciously instead. Huh. Only.

Lainey's head jerked around as Pomfrey came bustling over, shaking her head sadly and not blatantly not meeting Lainey's eyes. "What's wrong with my hands?"

The nurse sighed obvious relief as she though, her entire body sagging as if some great weight had suddenly been removed from her shoulders. She slumped onto the bed, her hair frazzled and her eyes bloodshot. With trembling hands did she check Lainey's pulse, her wand disregarded. Thankfully. Lainey wasn't even sure she could hold it straight at the moment, let alone cast a spell.

"...What's wrong with my hands?" Lainey repeated, swallowing to try to withhold some of her rapidly growing anger. She still ignored her, instead lightly touched her wrist.

Lainey yelped and jerked away from her, as if burnt. She could feel every groove of her fingerprint, the ragged skin blazing as it pressed into her.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with me?"

Finally, finally, Pomfrey flickered her eyes to meet Lainey's fearful ones, hastily turning back to stare intently at her hands instead. "Your magic was more aggressive this time." She managed to get out, and once she had started, continued on ruthlessly. "It tried to shut you down. It immediately started to shut down your nerves and sensory cells; I believe that was the 'bubbles' you felt. It spread down your arm, to the rest of the body, shutting off organs as it went. You're lucky you got here when you did!" She snapped, suddenly jerking to her feet and glaring at Lainey. "What were you doing using spells? And outside of class no less! What were you thinking?"