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“Pansy, you need to let it go,” Daphne said, looking at her friend pleadingly.
“I can’t,” Pansy insisted. “He ruined my life.” She shook her head angrily. “He’s going to do the same thing to his new wife!”
“Hermione can take care of herself,” Daphne assured her. “Besides, she and Tony seem happy. Maybe he’s changed? Put his cheating ways behind himself?”
“Once a cheater, always a cheater,” Pansy insisted. “I won’t let him ruin Hermione.”
“So what are you going to do?” Daphne asked. “They’re married - it’s not like you can just convince her to move out of his place.”
“I’m going to get proof. Show Hermione what he’s really like.”
Daphne gave her a look. “Don’t be mad, but I have to ask...” she trailed off.
Pansy sighed. “What?”
“Are you really doing this to help Hermoine? Or are you just trying to get revenge on Tony?”
Pansy gave her friend a wicked grin. “Why can’t it be both?”
When Pansy had reached out to Hermione to meet, she truthfully was a little wary. She didn’t know Pansy really well, and what she did know was all things that Tony had told her. She was his crazy ex…
But when Pansy insisted that it was important, Hermione caved and set up for them to meet at a local coffee shoppe. She was sitting at a table, waiting for Pansy to arrive. Sipping at her hot chai latte, she wondered what the witch had to say.
“Hey!” Pansy said, greeting her as she entered the door. “Sorry I’m late,” she said as she sat down.
“No, you’re fine,” Hermione assured her. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves as she tried to figure out what was happening.
“So, thanks for meeting me,” Pansy began, taking out a file and putting it on the table. “I know this is out of the blue, but I…” She paused. “I wanted you to see what kind of man Tony is before it’s too late.”
Hermione frowned. “Pansy, if you’re just here to make me leave my husband, it’s not going to happen.” She went to stand, but Pansy grabbed her wrist.
“Wait!” Pansy said. “Listen, I know you don’t trust me - we really don’t know each other that well - but Tony is cheating on you! That’s why his first marriage to Pepper didn’t work… It’s why I left him before our wedding…” She shook her head. “He’s a slimeball, Hermione, and you deserve so much better.”
Hermione looked at her in confusion. “What? He would never cheat on me.” Her heart raced wildly in her chest as she spoke the words. “How can you even… No, he would never.”
Pansy looked at her sympathetically. “Open the folder, Hermione.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. She didn’t want to see what was inside the folder. She didn’t want to know what Tony was doing before her back… She wanted to stay in her oblivious and happy little bubble.
“Open it,” Pansy said. “If you don’t do anything with the information, that’s fine, but I wanted you to know.”
Hermione sank back down into her chair, an air of defeat about her. She knew what she would see if she opened the folder. Sliding it towards herself, she looked inside.
Tears pricked her eyes as she looked through all the evidence. Multiple pictures of Tony with other women… A few of them from inside their own home. She frowned when she saw bank statements. “What are these?” she asked, looking at Pansy.
“He’s taking money from your charity,” Pansy said. “I… um, had a friend at the bank pull your account details for me. He cleaned out my inheritance before I realised what he had done, so I was curious to see if he did the same for you… And he did.” Pansy shook her head. “What kind of asshole steals charity money?”
“Tony, apparently,” Hermione said in a small voice. “I… Fuck,” she let out a broken whisper.
“I’m sorry,” Pansy said once more. “I just… I wanted you to know.”
“That asshole,” Hermione hissed. “I… Oh my god, what else could he be lying about?” She looked at Pansy. “Why… Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Pansy nibbled at her lower lip. “I’m sorry, Hermione. I was trying to avoid all news of him in the paper, and by the time I saw you were getting married, it was too late.”
“I just can’t believe this.” She let out a sniffle.
“Don’t get sad; get even.”
“What’s in it for you?”
Pansy met her gaze. “Revenge.”
It was all over the news.
‘Hermione Granger Divorces Tony Stark’
‘Scorned Woman Gets The Assets’
‘Cheating Stark Strikes Again’
Pansy couldn’t contain the glee she felt from it.
Her phone began to ring, and she grinned when she saw who was calling her. “Hello,” she said, answering it.
“I know you had something to do with this,” Tony spat at her angrily. “You just couldn’t leave me well enough alone!”
Pansy licked her lips. “She needed cold hard proof, so I gave her some. She had the envelope; where do you think she got it from?”
“You bitch!” Tony hissed. “After I take care of Hermione, I’m coming for you next!” He yelled through the phone.
“We’ll see about that. Enjoy prison, darling,” Pansy said before she hung up the phone, not wanting to listen to his angry retort. She didn’t start shit, but she knew how it would end.
Hermione met Pansy at the small cafe once more.
“Thank you again,” Hermione said, smiling at Pansy. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Pansy waved her off. “Nonsense, you did this all on your own.” She took a sip of her drink.
“But the FBI finding out? That he was stealing money and trading secrets? S.H.I.E.L.D. funds being misused?” Hermione shook her head. “I couldn’t believe my luck that someone had tipped the FBI off.” Looking at Pansy, Hermione vaguely wondered if Pansy was responsible for that. In the end, however, she decided she didn’t want to know.
“To new beginnings,” Hermione said, lifting her teacup.
“To new beginnings,” Pansy replied, clinking her teacup against Hermione’s.
Revenge was sweet.