"Muffliato!"

Draco Malfoy sighed in relief as the soft buzzing of white noise replaced the din of the Christmas carolers and bell ringers in Diagon Alley below. He attempted to return to the mound of year-end reports on his desk, but soon was interrupted by a knock at his office door.

"Come in," he called, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice. His assistant had used Christmas Eve as an excuse to leave early, allowing any one of the many blithering idiots he employed at Malfoy Enterprises to disturb him.

"Oh, it's you, Granger. What is it?" he asked with marginally more civility. As the head potions researcher at his firm, she was anything but a blithering idiot. She was always welcome in his office, particularly when wearing one of her fitted wool skirts under her lab coat. She was even more welcome in his office bent over his desk with her skirt hiked up to her midriff and her knickers down at her ankles, not that he had enjoyed her in that position since just before her birthday, back in September.

"I'd like to take the rest of the week off," she announced without preamble.

"Impossible," he said in crisp denial. "I agreed to let you take a half day tomorrow, but those potions can't remain under a Stasis Charm for more than twelve hours."

Her chin lifted in a mulish obstinacy that Draco was well-acquainted with. "I do apologize, but I need to take some time off. Ron was going to take Rose and Hugo with him to Chudley for Boxing Day and the rest of the winter hols, but something came up."

Probably the Weasel King's dick, in response to some tart. But Draco kept that thought to himself. Granger was sensitive about her ex-husband's infidelity, not to mention quick with her wand.

"It's only for a week, while the children are home from Hogwarts," she said persuasively.

Draco sniffed in disapproval. "Scorpius stayed at Hogwarts to study for his OWLs. Maybe he'll actually manage to beat your little ginger swot's marks next term."

"I could manage to come into the lab for a few hours each day," Granger offered, not diverted by the fierce and ongoing academic competition between Rose and Scorpius.

"Not good enough," he shook his head.. "I pay you - quite handsomely, I may add - to work full time."

"But it's Christmas," she protested, as though that were a clincher.

"It's just a Muggle holiday," Draco shrugged. "We've traditionally celebrated on the winter solstice."

"Please, Draco," Granger begged.

He leaned back in his desk chair, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Say that again, Hermione. Those words sound so nice coming from your lips. And I haven't heard you beg like that for months now."

Her cheeks flamed at the reminder. "Pardon me, Malfoy," she said stiffly. "I see that appealing to your better instincts was a waste of time."

"Now, now, Granger. It wouldn't be very professional of me to give you time off on such short notice, would it?" he asked, throwing her words from September back in her face. "And we wouldn't anyone to think there some sort of inappropriate quid pro quo."

"No, that's precisely right," she agreed bitterly. "I wouldn't want you to sully your precious public image." She gave him a sneer that rivaled his own. "Happy Christmas, Malfoy."

She turned on her heel and retreated from his office, too dignified to slam the door behind her, but not troubling herself to close it. For better or worse, the witch knew how to push his buttons.

"Happy Christmas, Granger," he called mockingly after her.

A/N: The structure of the story is derived from A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, while the characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The title of the story is derived from Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of A Secret of Christmas, which is quoted in chapters 2 and 6. I do not own any of these works, and write for fun rather than for profit.

Endless thanks to I_was_BOTWP for beta reading this over Thanksgiving and Black Friday, and to whomever nominated me to write for the most recent round of D/Hr Advent. I am truly honored!