The Sock

The Sock

James Potter has a hole in his sock. It's quite large, about the size of Knut, and when he walks, it makes the ball of his foot stick to the inner lining of his shoe.

He knows he should have been more careful that morning while he was getting dressed, but he had wanted nothing more than to pull the covers back over his head and sleep the day away. And he would have too, if Padfoot, in his conniving and sinister ways, hadn't made him go on this date.

Padfoot thinks that pretty, sweet Catherine will take James's mind off of Lily, because frankly, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail are getting sick and tired of James's pining.

James thinks Padfoot's an idiot.

Yes, Catherine's pretty, with her soft brown curls, big gray eyes, and small, puckered mouth. And yes, she has no problem with Quidditch talk or Zonko's toys. But James looks at Catherine and can't help wishing he's there in The Three Broomsticks with someone else.

Someone with wild, fiery hair, passionate, flashing eyes, and a full mouth he usually sees in a contemptuous sneer. Someone who'll make him forget his worn-out sock.

He returns to the table carrying two mugs of Butterbeer, and after he gives Catherine her drink, he stumbles forward slightly. She asks him if he's okay, an expression of genuine concern on her face, and he says yes, he's fine, thanks. But then he notices that when he tripped, his foot had slammed forward, cramping his big toe and forcing it out of the corner of his sock.

He sits, attempts a small smile and asks Catherine how she finds Transfiguration. She beams and starts gushing about how fascinating she finds Conjuring. James nods in feigned interest, following the melodious lilts in her gentle voice but letting her words sail straight over his head, missing his ears completely.

He wishes he could pay attention to what she's saying, because Padfoot'll be sure to take the mickey out of him when he gets back to the dormitory, but that damn sock is digging into the space between his toes and it's driving him insane. Maybe if he twists his foot slightly to the left and forward, the sock will fall into place...

Behold Failed Attempt #27.

Catherine asks him about his favorite Quidditch team, and James absently tells her it's the Wimbourne Wasps. A slow smile creeps over her face until she is positively exhilarated. You see, she explains, she's been a supporter of the Wasps since she was three years old. He nods and says that oh, that's so nice, but his toenail's just started to dig into the rubber bottom of his shoe and he can't help but wonder what it would be like to see a smile like Catherine's on a different face, a face usually twisted into a ferocious glare.

And as Catherine talks and her eyes light up, he slowly imagines that her hair is lengthening and brightening and that her skin is growing pale. And if he closes his eyes for just a moment, he can almost hear her voice instead, smooth, strong, and utterly beautiful.

There's a sudden pause and James opens his eyes to see Catherine's quizzical expression. Under the table, James bounces his foot up and down, trying to relieve the sudden, sickening feeling that the hole's widening. Everything's okay, he tells her, just drank the Butterbeer a bit too quickly. She looks at him sympathetically and reaches over the table to pat his arm.

And she doesn't move her hand. Catherine still has her warm, feminine hand on James's sleeve and a second toe has slipped out of the sock. He abruptly asks her if they should be going now because he has Quidditch practice soon. She looks as though nothing would make her happier and he goes up to the bar to pay, limping slightly as he frantically moves his foot around in his shoe.

They return to Hogwarts, and as soon as he gets to his room, he throws off his shoes and runs straight to his chest of drawers for a change of socks.

Later that night, James goes to meet Lily Evans for rounds, and she asks him smugly how his date went. She looks up with a mixed expression he doesn't quite understand, and for some reason it makes his heart skip a beat even though he never quite understands what's going on in her head.

And he tells her the truth, how it was quite terrible and how he couldn't wait for the whole thing to just end. She raises a contemptuous eyebrow and lets out a small sneer, asking what the matter was, and wasn't darling Catherine pretty enough for him.

And again, he tells her the truth. He talks about how pretty and sweet Catherine is and lucky a guy would be to have her.

The expression on Lily's face grows even more odd and unreadable and she blinks quickly before avoiding his gaze and asking him what the problem was then, since such a pompous jerk like Head Boy Potter would probably bask in all of that female attention.

He tilts his head to the side and she looks up at him for an answer, all of the smirk gone from her face. He opens his mouth and says a simple sentence.

"Well, I had a hole in my sock."

Her eyes widen, and for a glimmer of a moment he catches her features softening before her dark red eyebrows pinch together in puzzlement and she walks away.

And James vows right then and there to retrieve his ragged old sock from the garbage bin and have it framed to preserve it for all eternity.

After all, the sock may have a hole in it, but James has a feeling it just might pull everything together.

A/N: Quite a departure from my usual stuff...Let me know what you think!