The Truth Comes Pouring Out

Knock, knock!

Startled, Hermione looked up from her desk where she was busily brainstorming various ways to convince witches and wizards that house-elves were useful to the community. Standing in her doorway was Ace, smirking as always.

"You rang, master?" Ace asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"Yes. I wanted to speak with you for a moment." Hermione said, shortly. "Close the door, please."

"Ooh, close the door, huh?" Ace asked, winking at her and unfolding his arms. Hermione had her serious business voice on, so obviously it was not what Ace was thinking.

"Don't be thick." Hermione shot back. "I wanted to speak with you about Draco."

"The dick?" Ace asked, innocently. "What about him?"

"I have offered Draco a joined partnership with me, so both of us will be CEO of SPEW." Hermione informed, feeling rather pleased inside because she was well aware that Ace would not approve.

"What?" Ace exclaimed, unsurprisingly angry. "You can't do that! There are two high positions in a business, Granger. Those positions are Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer. You are CEO, I am COO. Bottom line. There is no 'joined partnership', or whatever the hell it is that you call it."

Hermione sighed, even though she was already prepared for Ace's pointless argument. "Exactly, Ace. I am CEO, which means that I can do whatever the hell I want. If I want another CEO, than I can get one."

"Well if I knew that you were doing that then I would have demanded that position!" Ace cried, whining like a five-year-old boy whose mother took away his lollipop.

Hermione grinned internally as satisfaction washed over her. Good, Ace was upset. Maybe he'd quit. "Yup, but you didn't know, did you? You demanded vice-president, COO. Your loss, not mine."

Ace, feeling that this was nearly a lost cause, decided to take a different approach. "Speaking of Draco Malfoy, I seem to feel a slight pang of guilt every time I'm around him. Perhaps it would be best if I informed him of what went on between the two of us. What do you think?"

Hermione opened her mouth to reply, and then shut it instantly. What a prick! How dare he use that against her, especially in a work-related issue! "Ace, you had better drop that. It was a mistake. A huge mistake on my part, and I'm sorry that it ever happened. I wish it didn't, but it did."

Hermione's apology felt like a knife in Ace's heart. As much of an asshole as he was, his feelings for Hermione were genuine. She was beautiful, intelligent, and independent, so why wouldn't he like her? And as much as he told himself that it didn't, that kiss meant a lot more to him than he let on. Ace straightened up, not wanting Hermione to take his hesitance as a triumph. "Exactly. It did happen. And that guilt is just going to snowball until I can't take it anymore. I honestly think it would be best if we came forward with our illicit actions." Ace grinned a phony, sarcastic grin, which told Hermione that Ace was full of shit and that he was not guilty at all; in fact, he looked as though he took pleasure in seeing Hermione suffer because of the situation.

"Guilty, my ass!" Hermione cried, feeling helpless. "Ace, Draco will never forgive me. He's thrown into Azkaban and I'm making out with a jerk! Come on, how does that look? Seriously, you need to keep this quiet."

"And why should I?" Ace asked, folding his arms across his chest once more. "Not only have you used me for my money, which is fine because I offered my services in the first place, but you also used me as your little play toy because the honey-bunny wasn't around. You've basically treated me like dirt, Granger. And now you just expect me to do as you say?"

"You came on to me!" Hermione cried, outraged at Ace's erroneous accusations.

"No I didn't." Ace replied. He turned his back to her and walked towards the door; however, before he left, he turned around and said, "You came on to me."

Hermione's jaw dropped as he closed the door and disappeared from sight. He was going to lie and say that she had come on to him. Oh god, he was going to destroy her life. That prick! Hermione couldn't let it happen. She couldn't let him take Draco away from her, not again. Hermione's bottom lip began to quiver, and soon enough tears began to slide down her cheeks. Feeling so incredibly helpless, Hermione wrapped her arms around her legs and wept, terrified about what was to come if Ace followed through with his threat.

…………………………..

On the other side of Hermione's closed office door, Ace's head was dropped in his palms. What am I doing? He asked himself, confused beyond words. It's not my life mission to ruin her life! So why does it seem like that's exactly what I'm doing?

"Problem, McGonagall?" A familiar voice drawled.

Ace lifted his head from his hands, only to see the person who he despised most at that moment. Draco Malfoy. This was his opportunity to tell Draco about the kiss. This was it. Do it, Ace, he told himself, trying to boast his own confidence.

Draco, on the other hand, was disgusted beyond belief. All he wanted to do was reach out and wrap his hands around Ace's neck as tightly as he possibly could until Ace could breathe no more. If Draco had hated Ace before, it was nothing compared to the hatred that he was feeling at that moment. That –thing –had been with Hermione only moments before Draco's return. That thing had touched Draco's girlfriend in a manor that did not involve a simple, business handshake. It made Draco want to be sick, and he wished nothing more than to sucker punch Ace right in the face and then perform the Avada Kadavra curse just like he had done it on Will. Sighing, Draco closed his eyes. That was a lie; Will's death was probably the thing that he most regretted in all of his life, and it was torture having to live with it on his conscious. He did not need another death right beside Will's, that was for sure.

"Go fuck yourself, Malfoy." Ace said, tired of playing games with Draco's mind and certainly not up for it at that moment.

"I'm in no mood to fuck with anything, especially not myself." Draco replied. "You sicken me, you know that?"

Ace smirked. "Honestly, I don't really care. I don't need the respect of some seventeen-year-old punk."

"Punk? Punk?I think I've proven myself to be much more than a punk, you stupid sack of dung."

"Oh, really?" Ace asked, his eyebrow raised. "Killing someone and being thrown into Azkaban is proving yourself? If that's what it takes, then I never want to prove myself to anyone. You should still be locked up in that cell and you know it. God only knows why they let you out."

"No, Fudge only knows why they let me out. And thanks to you, I'll get to stay out. Good day, fucker." Draco said, shoving past Ace and opening the door to Hermione's office. Inside, he found her crying at her desk, but felt absolutely no pity for her.

Hermione lifted her head to see Draco enter her office. "Draco!" She exclaimed, taken aback. Her face was blotchy and tear-stained and her eyes were still brimming with tears; to Draco, it was almost pathetic to see her attempting to hide the fact that she was crying. What had just happened? Her "boyfriend" probably just broke up with her, Draco thought to himself, feeling no remorse for her at all. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, after all. It was too soon, Draco just wasn't ready for this.

Draco turned to leave, but before he could get out the door, Hermione said, "Draco? Please, don't go."

Draco closed his eyes and sighed. He must have looked like such a prick; he walks in on his girlfriend crying and just turns to leave right away afterwards. Wait a minute, you're not the prick, she is! Draco told himself. Ooh, she was playing the guilt card very well. Well, Draco would not give her the satisfaction. She was the bitch in the relationship, not him.

"What?" Draco asked, coldly.

"I… I just need you right now, that's all." Hermione sniffed, a bit taken aback that Draco was being so rude when clearly she was in a great deal of pain.

"Why don't you call Ace back?" Draco demanded, unable to control himself. "I'm sure he'd comfort you."

Hermione opened her eyes widely and disbelievingly. Her voice shook as she said, "Did Ace tell you?"

Draco's face changed from angry to incredulous. "No! I can't believe you, Hermione! You fuck around with some asshole while I rot away in Azkaban, and I had to find out from some stupid Pensieve. A fucking Pensieve!" Draco punched the wall, leaving a large hole and causing Hermione to jump at his sudden, rash action.

So he knows, she thought to herself, her bottom lip trembling as she tried with all of her might to not cry again. Crying would just make things worse. She got herself into this mess, and she would have to get herself out in a mature, adult way. Of course, Draco's anger did not help at all.

"Draco, please," Hermione whispered. "It was an accident. I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear."

Draco's incredulous look transformed into a look that clearly said Hermione was full of shit. "I don't give one fuck more than another if you meant for it to happen or not! It did, and it was sickening to watch! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to not beat the shit out of that fucker out there?" Draco asked, pointing his thumb in the direction where Ace was only moments before.

"Please, don't be angry." Hermione pleaded. "It will never happen again, I promise. It was a mistake."

"I DON'T CARE!" Draco shouted. "I WAS IN AZKABAN PINING FOR YOU AND YOU WERE FUCKING AROUND WITH HIM?"

"It's your fault that you were in Azkaban!" Hermione cried. "You're the one who up and decided to commit cold-blooded murder! I can't even understand why you're out of Azkaban!"

Draco glared at Hermione, almost too livid to speak. How dare she bring that up? It was bad enough that she threw it in his face every chance that she got, but to do it now when it was he who was furious with her? "You can burn in hell, Granger. And to think that I was actually going to spare my own sanity for you and your thick, brainless spew."

Draco did not say another word, nor did he wait for Hermione to say anything. Instead, he turned on his heel and left the office, not bothering to give her a second glance. The moment Draco had disappeared from sight, Hermione broke down. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she dropped to the floor, her entire body shaking. She had never cried so hard, except for the time when she realized Draco had left her for what she thought was forever. Maybe this was the same situation. Draco had left her once more. Possibly for forever, this time.