A/N: While slaving away to essays and other such horrible work, this idea popped into my head. Sadly, I don't have time to turn this into a proper story, so you'll have to make do with this one-shot. Enjoy.

We're just friends, right?

Sleety rain pelted down like catapults on their heads. Draco, looking very bedraggled and cold, glared at the redhead beside him.

"Perfect. Not only did you manage to get us lost in some backward part of Muggle England, but, thanks to your brilliant idea to not take our wands, we now have no way to get back home or even out of this damn rain."

"I didn't know it was going to rain!" Ginny retorted, also looking very grumpy. "And don't forget that you agreed that there was no challenge unless we couldn't use magic."

"Yeah, well that was before I knew you were going to get us lost."

"Well, I'm sorry I bought the wrong map."

"Being sorry isn't going to make this rain stop or get us back home."

Ginny let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, arguing with each other isn't going to achieve anything. It's late, we're both cold and hungry, and it's obvious we're not going to get anywhere but more annoyed with each other if we keep walking. I'm pretty sure I saw a motel not too far back. Why don't we get a room there for the night and tomorrow we can figure out how to get back home?"

Draco folded his arms as he pondered the pros and cons of sleeping in a Muggle motel. "Fine," he relented, "but I don't like this."

"You don't have to like it, but unless you want to freeze your arse off out here in the cold, you really have no choice."

She turned on her heel and walked back down the muddy track towards where she saw the motel. Draco followed behind with a moody expression on his face. This was the last time he let her drag him off on one of her harebrained adventures.

"Let's pretend to be Muggles for a day," he mimicked under his breath. "It'll be fun, Draco." His mouth twisted into a scowl. "Fun, my arse."

"Hurry up, Draco! I'm freezing!"

Draco grumbled something about redheads and his loathing of the whole female species in general, but he still quickened his pace to catch up to her and together they walked back to the motel. It was an old, rundown thing, hardly the kind of place a Malfoy would stay in, but the smoke coming from the chimney promised a warm fire, and the roof, though badly in need of repairing, would at least shelter them from the storm for the night.

He followed Ginny inside and realised that it was more of an old English pub than a motel. A buxom woman with a sharp face greeted them at the counter.

"We'd like two rooms for the night," Ginny said while rummaging in her purse for what was left of their Muggle money.

"Sorry, love. We've only got one room available."

"That's fine," Draco interposed. "One room will do."

Ginny paid for their room, and then the two friends ordered the lamb stew special for dinner – it seemed the safest option – and sat by the fire to eat. Neither was in the mood for talking, but by the time they were both full and dry, even Draco was feeling somewhat content and managed to admit that the pub wasn't so bad. Muggle beer was certainly something he could get used to.

They decided to retire to bed early that night, as both were tired from spending the day doing everything without magic. They bickered over who would get the bed closest to the window as they walked up the stairs to their room. Draco seemed to feel that Ginny should be the one to suffer the draughty fate.

"It's only fair," he explained. "You were the one who got us lost."

Ginny, quite naturally, disagreed with this verdict. It was a cold night, and sleeping by a draughty window was hardly her idea of fun.

Both received a shock when they entered their room. There was only one bed.

"Oh, great," Ginny murmured, closing the door behind her. "We've got the honeymoon suite."

"I'm not sleeping on the floor," Draco said bluntly.

"A gentleman would."

"Well, I'm not a gentleman; I'm bloody cold, and if you think I'm going to sleep on a hard floor just for you, you're highly mistaken."

"Well, I'm not sleeping on the floor. There's not even a fire!"

Draco stared at the double bed, then glanced back at the wooden floor. It looked very uncomfortable.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," he said in exasperation. "Why are we making such a fuss over this? We can just share the bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Why not? We're adults, aren't we?"

Ginny shrugged. "I suppose so."

Glad to have got that sorted, Draco set about taking off his coat and boots. Ginny did the same.

"Can you turn off the light?" she asked, slipping between the covers of the bed.

Draco flicked the light switch off and then joined her in the bed. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them not to stray towards the middle. After shivering for a few minutes on the cold edges, though, Draco decided that this was a stupid idea.

"Are you cold?" he asked, and was certain his breath would have shown had he been able to see.

"Y-y-yes," Ginny answered through chattering teeth. "It's f-f-freezing in here."

"I know." He sighed and stared up at the darkened roof. "This is so stupid. Why are we so afraid of sharing the bed together?"

"I d-don't know," she admitted with a laugh. "It does s-seem s-stupid now that you m-mention it. I mean, we're just f-friends, right?"

"Right."

In another unspoken agreement, they shuffled closer to the middle of the bed so that they were almost touching. It was warmer, if only a little.

"Better?" he asked.

"S-s-still c-cold."

He sighed. "Then I'll just have to keep you warm."

Draco placed his arm around her, and Ginny immediately huddled closer to him, grateful for his warmth.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You're welcome."

They lay in silence for a moment, neither really knowing what to say or do. Draco had never been this close to her before, though he had certainly been with women, but there was something different about holding her in his arms. It was awkward in a way, yet it seemed so natural at the same time. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that he wasn't supposed to feel this way about her.

They were just friends, right?