It had taken a while, but Harry finally realised his mistake. Dumbledore was not fit to be a leader. His manipulations had damaged others. Some were in Azkaban. Others were dead, or worse. They all had one thing in common. A loss of freedom.
The day Harry had charged into his office, radiating pure rage, Dumbledore was calm. He knew why Harry was angry. Before letting him even begin to rant, he was asked one question. Would you rather have peace or freedom?
Dazed by the question, Harry had faltered. His words disappearing from his brain. That question changing everything. Harry had simply left the office. He dragged his feet to the lake and sat for many hours. That was a lot to think about.
Dumbledore saw the people he had manipulated as sacrifices. Harry was sick of being one. However, he had never thought of the difference between peace and freedom.
If those manipulations had never happened, it changed who had freedom and who did not. Professor Snape gave up his freedom to Voldemort and Dumbledore. He allowed himself to be controlled. He would never admit it, but that was what happened.
If Snape had not become a Deatheater or a member of the Order, he would have had a relatively peaceful life. Harry shook his head, laid on the grass. Snape would been wanted by other people because he was a Potion's Master. He had the choice of freedom, but it would be hard to get away from everything because of the path he had chosen.
Harry thought about his paths. As an automatic thought, he wanted freedom more. He had been trapped his entire life by a prophecy, the Dursleys, Voldemort, and whatever else. Would freedom give him peace? Yes. Freedom from responsibilities would do that for anyone. He sighed.
Responsibilities gave him peace to some level. Harry halted his thinking about the life-changing question. He sat up and walked the path to Dumbledore's office. He did not deserve an answer, but Harry wanted to give him one. He only needed one word.
Harry spoke the password to the office and walked in. Dumbledore was still sitting at his desk. He did not appear to have moved.
"Freedom." Harry left the office without an answer and kept walking. He knew that problem had been something he was avoiding. Freedom or peace? It was hard, but it was necessary.
He had some people to talk to.
Prompts: word: daze, Would you rather have peace of freedom? -Supernatural