Draco Malfoy took out a pair of black leather shoes out of his locker and dropped them on the floor. Then he removed the white shoes he was wearing and stepped into his black shoes.

Just then, Ginny Weasley dragged a bucket of dirty water across the corridor. She stopped in front of a mirror to smooth out her untidy uniform and make sure that her hair wasn't untidy. She then picked up her bucket and continued walking, still peering in the mirror until she bumped into someone and spilt a generous amount onto the floor, as well as someone's shoe. She gasped and looked up.

Grey eyes stared back at her.

It was the prince! Ginny cursed her luck, at the same time wondering why the prince's bodyguards didn't appear and arrest her right there and then.

"Sorry!" she apologized and quickly dropped to her knees, taking out her wand and pointing it at the prince's shoe, saying, "Scourgify!"

Unfortunately, the liquid she had in the bucket was too strong, and even though it vanished from the prince's shoe, an ugly stain remained. Ginny was horrified. Oh great, she thought. I've just ruined a prince's shoe. And seeing that it's the Prince, his shoes are probably expensive. Dammit. And then a thought came to her. I might have the magical ground covered, but what about the Muggle part? She whipped out a piece of cloth the scrubbed furiously at the shoe.

The Prince looked at the girl scrubbing at his shoe with no expression whatsoever. "Stop it," he said.

Ginny continued scrubbing.

"I said stop it!" he said loudly.

Ginny froze and looked up. Slowly, the prince took off his shoes and wore his white shoes again. Then he pointed at the black shoes. "Throw them," he said coolly, before walking off.

Ginny stared after him. A kind of anger surged through her.

"Hey, you idiot," she called after the prince.

The prince turned around slowly. "Idiot?"

"Yes, idiot," she said. "Do you think I'm your servant? Does Prince mean being everything? I'm also a princess in my home!"

The Prince turned around again and walked away.

Anger made her do the unthinkable.

She reached over for one of the prince's discarded shoes and flung it at the prince's retreating back. It hit its intended target and left a mark on the back of his robes.

The prince turned around. Ginny was overcome by the horror at her own recklessness.

Then the prince started walking slowly towards her. Ginny backed away slowly. At last the prince reached her. She stared at him, filled with dread.

"You're the first girl to resist me," began the prince. "You're different from the rest." He walked around her, surveying her. "I like you."

Ginny's eyes widened. The prince bent down, as if about to kiss her. She shut her eyes as well…

Ginny stared after the prince as he made his way down the corridor and disappeared round the corner. And she sighed. What a daydream. "Never mind, Ginny," she consoled herself. "Today the jerk was lucky."

"Ginny, what happened?" asked Hermione, walking towards her.

"The prince," said Ginny gloomily.

Then Lavender and Parvati suddenly appeared, each grabbing a shoe from off the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" squealed Lavender, hugging the shoe to her chest. "The prince wore this!"

"We'll be the envy of the school girls!" squealed Parvati. "I'm going to show this to my twin! Oooh, she'll be jealous!"

Ginny stared at her friends, then picked herself up from the floor and stalked off.

Lavender stared after her in surprise. "What's eating her?"

--

Ginny was planning to go to the Library so that she could borrow a few books to finish her Herbology essay. On the way, she passed a couple of empty classrooms. Wait, they weren't empty. She heard a voice or two coming out from the one she had just passed.

She doubled back and crept closer to the door, and peered into the classroom. There was a boy and a girl in it.

Thinking she was about to witness an obscene scene before her, she hastily withdrew, but the next few words caught her attention.

"What if I were to propose to you?" said a male voice.

Ginny peered into the classroom cautiously again. It's the prince! she realised. And that must be his girlfriend.

"Sorry?" the girl said.

The prince stood up and started pacing. "I said, what if I were to marry you?"

Ginny turned around so that her back leaned against the wall, her hands clasped to her chest in dramatic gesture. This is a nineteen-year-old prince dreaming of married life with his love! she thought. Sooooo romantic!

"But— why?" the girl asked.

"In the Royal family, we have a habit of marrying young. I'm supposed to marry the girl my parents picked for me, but I thought, perhaps if I told them I liked you, they won't force me to marry that girl."

The girl was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Well, I'm not sure if I want to become a princess. I mean, life in the palace isn't very interesting, is it?" She turned to look and smile at the prince.

Her choice is wise, observed Ginny. I mean, who would want to marry that jerk of a prince?

The prince nodded, his eyes lowering.

Ginny was practically melting. Oh my gosh, his eyes are so adorable!

"Maybe you think it's stupid of me to reject your proposal," the girl continued, "but I have a great career ahead of me in potions. If I become the Crown Princess, doesn't that mean that I have to give up everything?"

At that moment, Pigwidgeon came hooting loudly towards her with a note tied to his feet. There was a sudden silence in the classroom. Ginny grabbed the owl and was about to run off when the prince's voice came from the classroom.

"Stop."

There was something so authoritative in that monosyllabic word that Ginny obeyed it promptly, her back facing the classroom.

Footsteps came closer to her. "Who're you, and how much did you hear?"

Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and started singing in a disguised tone.

"Your voice sounds weird," the prince said. "Turn around slowly."

He came closer.

Oh my god! Ginny mentally screamed. She edged away, still singing in an affected voice. And then she ran off.

"Oy! Stop, track pants!" the prince yelled. Ginny paid no heed. She ran for all she was worth till she was out of sight. Then she dared to stop.

--

As the school day ended, the prince walked back to his limousine, protected by his bodyguards, cheering crowds surrounding him. He got into his car and sat, picked up the newspaper and began to read.

After some time, the car stopped at a traffic junction. He put down the newspaper and at once the Royal Secretary Apparated by his side.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness. Today at four, you will have to go for your fencing lesson at the—"

Draco cut in smoothly, "I've memorized my timetable by heart, thank you."

The Royal Secretary bowed while sitting, and Disapparated.

Draco looked out of the window. He so rarely visited the world outside the Palace and his school. And then he saw something that made him stare.

A girl dismounting from a broom, wearing track pants.

Was it the same girl who eavesdropped on him and Camilla Nott? It should be. She was wearing pants with the same print and all.

"Stop," he ordered his chauffeur just as the car started to move. The chauffeur hesitated. "Stop," he repeated.

The car stopped. Draco got out. He walked slowly over to the girl in track pants.

She had eavesdropped on a conversation. And now she would have to pay.