"So, who wants to be the first to try one of these?" Lita asked.
"I'll do it," Nora said, taking one of the beans and popping it into her mouth. "Pineapple, not bad."
"As long as it doesn't go on your pizza, we're good," Kara said. "And that's most certainly hot pepper. Although a rather milder one."
Kryptonian taste buds met Kara barely had been affected. They passed the bag around.
'I'm not sure what I tasted here, but it's disgusting," Zari said.
Harry flashed up a list of beans.
"Dirty gym socks," Harry said.
"Oh, that's going to be a hot seller," Zari said.
"Yeah, you know what would go good in a bean," Sara said while popping one in her mouth. "My dirty…ooh this one tastes like mud."
"Likely because it is mud," Lita dryly said.
"Vomit," Mick growled. "Really, you had to give me this one?"
"Don't complain, I'm pretty sure this is a boogie flavored one," John said.
"Ugh, liver and onions," Hermione said.
Hermione pulled a face as if she tasted something putrid.
"Not a fan?" Lita asked.
"Granny Granger cooked it all of the time, so no," Hermione said. "At least this is a nice coffee flavor. Almost washes it down."
"You are mental eating those things," Malfoy said.
"It's an adventure in every bite," Sara said before she screwed her eyes shut. "Although some adventures are admittedly less interesting than others."
"So, going back to the entire broomstick thing," Zari said.
"Yeah?" Harry asked.
"I'm just wondering what non-magical people might be thinking," Zari said.
"UFOs," Malfoy said swiftly. "Half of the UFO sightings are because of wizards or witches on broomsticks. It's an explanation most would be willing to keep to themselves, you know, not to come across as a mental case."
"Makes sense," Sara said. "That's how we hid our time travel escapades one time."
"Oh, I remember," Harry said. "The entire Gulf Breeze mess."
"Seriously?" Hermione asked. "Isn't that one of the biggest con jobs ever?"
"Yes," Harry said. "But, the real con is that we managed to fool everyone into thinking the guy was nuts. Put the UFO model in his attic and everything."
"Got us on Unsolved Mysteries though," Sara said.
"I've met Robert Stack," Harry said nonchalantly. "Cool guy, awesome guy."
"Godfather of true crime," Ava said in awe.
"And he could read the ingredients off of a cereal box, and make it sound as gruesome as your average murder," Kara added.
"Before my time," Lita said. "I'll take your word for it."
Hermione had been thinking about the next chapter coming up. At least the worst of her was over. Until her third year. And parts of her fifth and sixth year. She must have been mental thinking it was a good idea to relieve some of that stuff. Especially since none of Harry's friends seemed to really be too fond of her.
And given what Hermione witnessed, she was not too fond of younger her either She came across as way too strong and overbearing.
Still, one friend in particular seemed just one wrong move away from strangling Hermione on sight.
"Astra?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Astra coolly said.
"We need to talk,"Hermione said.
"Do we?" Astra asked.
"To clear the air," Hermione said.
Time seemed to stop when Hermione and Astra made their way out of the room.
"If they're not bad in ten minutes, I'll send someone," Sara said.
"Just hope we don't have to scrap what's left of Hermione out of the temporal zone," Ava said.
"Kara?" Harry asked.
"I'm listening," Kara said to him. "Amazing on that broom by the way. It's one thing to read about, and you to tell me, but I had no idea."
"I was there, and it still is amazing," Ron said.
"Yes, brilliant," Malfoy said with a sullen look on his face. "I didn't hear the end of it for five years. Slytherin reminded me of it. Everyone rubbed it in my face that I was the one who gave Potter the chance to show off and get put on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It's embarrassing."
"You brought it onto yourself," Sara said.
"I didn't expect Potter to be that good," Malfoy said. "He was raised by Muggles."
"And that's what happens when you assume," Zari concluded.
X-X-X
Astra and Hermione moved out into the hallway.
"You wanted to talk to me," Astra said. "So talk."
"You don't like me," Hermone said.
"Well ,you are a genius," Astra said sarcastically. "That's right, I don't like you. And I'm trying to figure out how you and Harry ever become friends."
"Things changed," Hermione said.
"And they must have changed again, given you haven't spoken to him in years," Astra said.
"He did," Hermione said. "He changed."
To be honest, it was not one really big thing. A bunch of little things, as the books would cover later.
"For the better," Astra said. "Or maybe he outgrew you. The truth is, if I was there, I doubt you would have been friends. Ron, I'm not sure about. But he hasn't gotten on my nerves yet."
"We'll see if you change your opinion on Ron later," Hermione said. "Or me."
"We'll see," Astra agreed. "The truth is, as annoying as your past self is, your future self is just refusing to see what's in front of your face. Albus Dumbledore is not the great wizard you feel he is."
"Dumbledore made mistakes, but you can't be too hard on him," Hermione said.
"You still can't accept the fact that Dumbledore wiped Harry's memories," Astra said. "Oh, he has his reasons because what Harry saw to me was traumatic. But, he never intended to give them back until Harry went back in time and pretty much forced the issue."
"Dumbledore did everything he could," Hermione said. "You can see how much he did for Harry and us all. We would have fallen to Voldemort a long time ago."
"Voldemort feared Dumbledore," Astra said. "Maybe because he understood what Dumbledore could be capable of, if he did not have to wear his benevolent mask in public."
"Are you saying Voldemort is justified?" Hermione asked.
"Don't twist my words, you daft cow," Astra growled. "No, he's not. He killed my godmother. My mother's best friend. And so many others. But, Dumbledore may have created the circumstances which allowed for a monster like Voldemort to exist."
"You're biased against Dumbledore," Hermione said. "Because he had to make a bad choice to spare Harry grief."
It was more than one bad choice regarding Harry. It was constantly making the same bad choice, sending him back to those people. Astra fumed that Hermione could not get that through her thick skull.
"And you're biased for him," Astra said. "But, we'll go through the entire story. And we'll see who is right in the end. Fair enough?"
"Fine," Hermione said.
"And we'll see if you can change my mind," Astra said. "But, I still think you're a toxic friend that Harry was better off not having in his life."
"Maybe Harry would have been better off if…" Hermione said.
"I wasn't sent to Hell?" Astra asked. "I agree. And some idiot didn't get liquored up to his eyeballs and drive into my mother's car."
"Drunk drivers are terrible," Hermone said. "It's really irresponsible to be behind the wheel when you're intoxicated."
"Well, at least we can find common ground somewhere," Astra said. "Keep an open mind and I'll try to do the same."
Hermione nodded, but one could tell she was confident that she was correct in this matter. But, maybe she could see things from the other side, for now. And Harry was rightfully upset that he had been sent to a place where he was not liked.
Still, if he was in any true danger, Hermione thought Dumbledore would step in. And Harry did not really talk much about the really awful things that happened at the Dursleys.
A small voice nagged Hermione which said that maybe she should have asked more questions when Harry just casually talked about how he and his relatives did not get along.
X-X-X
Astra and Hermione returned back to the reading room.
"We've come to an understanding," Astra said. "For now."
"I just hope you'll remember that later," Harry told her. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Happy for you getting on the Quidditch Team, annoyed about the entire Forbidden Corridor bullshit," Astra said. "Mostly because she shouldn't have been able to unlock a door with a simple unlocking spell."
"McGonagall was as shocked as you were," Harry told Astra.
"For a Deputy Headmistress, she was kept on a need to know basis way too much," Lena said.
Harry nodded in response. For being Dumbledore's second in command, it was frustrating how little she was let in on the loop. And that trickled down to the other students causing them problems.
"There's much more I want to ask you," Nora said. "About the thing in the corridor. But, we'll get to it later."
"I'm sure a lot of people have questions to ask about it," Harry said.
"These years later, there's no sane reason for it being there," Ron said.
"So, we had a nice little break," Sara said. "Had some good coffee. Had some beans of questionable taste."
"It's an adventure with every handful, Lance," Malfoy said.
"So, let's get into the second half of this book," Ava said.
"Ready when you are all," Harry said.
Halloween. Well, Hermione wanted to get this one over with. This was the worst she would be until third year. She believed.
She hoped.
To Be Continued.