The List (Draco Malfoy)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven - It's all in the Wrist

Lainey stared at The List in her hands, a frown crossing her face as she regarded it. It was good in theory, but would it actually work? If she had some sort of goal to aim towards, then her body wouldn't fall into ruin, right? However, some of these were impossible. Not just difficult, but would require a miracle to complete. And then there was the choice of what to do first. One she couldn't complete until the holidays, and even then it would be a fiasco; anything linking with the Dursley's would be.

Number eight was physically impossible. Would apparation count? But then, something so simple wasn't even worth being on this list, now was it? If she only had to apparate it would be a complete let down, nothing at all to celebrate with.

No one would notice if she did number twenty four; they didn't care enough to.

Number Thirty One...who would be willing to play with her?

That was how Lainey found herself by the lake during her study Thursday afternoon, with a pile of rocks in her pocket, flinging them at the water with frustration. She had been at this for about an hour, and no matter how she tried, not a single one of them would skim. She had tried trying to throw them over arm, underarm, at different angles; all to watch with irritation as they sunk into the lake. How did people do it? She had thought this would be a relatively easy one to complete, after all, how hard could throwing a rock at some water be? Oh, only one of the most challenging exercises Lainey had ever known.

She had even tried different sized rocks, pebbles, bits of gravel she had found at the edge of the lake...but none of them seemed to work! It was infuriating; one of the only things she could do at the moment, and it was hopeless. The closest Laineygot to a skim was when the splash made multiple ripples glide across the water.

Gritting her teeth together angrily, Lainey picked up the rocks and tossed them all into the lake, grabbing her cloak and making her way up to dinner. That, at least, she could do. Number Seven. Try everything, no matter how nauseated and simply not hungry she was nowadays. Be subjected to countless glares and remarks, all while she tried to stomach food that didn't want to stay in her gut. Very attractive list, this one was turning out to be.

Lainey hesitated in her storming up to the castle, the uncomfortable feeling of being watching prickling at the hairs of her neck. There was no one here, though, which only irritated her further.

She glanced at the Womping Willow, swallowing as she took in its threatening branches. It seemed to know what she was contemplating, so she shrugged it off, making her way quickly to the doors...Bloody tree, she would tackle that one another day. Number Seventeen.

Great idea, Lainey. Make a list to keep yourself occupied, then ignore the list. Bound to work.

Lainey ignored the voice in her head, and the gaze from someone that followed her pace to the castle. She would complete the list.

She was betting her life on it.

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.

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Lainey was pouring over books in the library, feeling a bit better after her skimming a stone failure earlier that day. If she couldn't do that one, she might as well do another. Keep herself busy. Said other was number ten, learn how to say hello in fifty languages. And yes, English counted.

It was more difficult then it looked, and she for once admired the effort Hermione went into for studying. She not only had to try to find fifty different languages, but she had to find that particular word, and how to pronounce it, and then remember fifty of them. And that being said, some of the languages she hadn't even heard of before. She didn't really know if Hmong, or Navaho were real languages, pure ignorance on her part, but she had found language books on each, and so was busy trying to scribble down the word and the pronunciation.