Thank you for all of the support the last chapter and the story in general has received. Thank you for also sticking with me during my leave but now I am back and hopefully producing better content. Anyway, here we go.

Changing My Life

Chapter 34: Premeditated Destruction

Sometime later the group had spread to different areas of the room to think of plans or ideas. Neville and Luna were sitting together in the living room part of the room, shockingly Hermione and Draco were discussing it in the library section of the room which left Harry, Daphne and Hayden in the research part of the room. They were in an immensely awkward silence just exchanging looks waiting for one of them to say something.

"This is ridiculous!" Daphne blurt out throwing her hands up which grabbed Harry and Hayden's attention. Eyes shooting to look at her, they waited for her to elaborate. "Yes it's slightly weird that our future daughter in standing in front of us who also happens to be older than us and much more experienced but we don't have to make it awkward." She continued exasperated, Hayden and Harry shared a glance.

"Really? Slightly weird?" Hayden commented dryly only to receive a glare from Daphne in response. "Just saying." She put her hands up in surrender.

"Incredibly weird is the word I'd use." Harry muttered under his breathe but it was just loud enough for the other two to hear. Hayden smirked and held in a laugh while Daphne sent Harry a death glare. She was about to say something when Hermione and Draco walked over to them.

"We're looking at this wrong." Hermione started as they approached. Neville and Luna also entered the research area of the room and stood around the table.

"What do you mean?" Neville questioned from his place next to Luna.

"We're looking for a way to save Daphne." Hermione continued.

"And we shouldn't be." Draco continued only to receive glares from almost everyone in the room spare Hermione and Hayden.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? What, you want to let her die?" Neville snarled clearly angry. Hayden and Hermione shared a quick look.

"Nothing like that." Hermione hastened to continue. "Draco is right. W-"

"Excuse me?" Daphne interrupted loudly looking between the two of them incredulously.

"Their right." Hayden intervened receiving dubious looks. "That's not the problem. Dumbledore is and we should be looking for ways to kill him." She continued only receive silence. They were all looking at her like she had two heads. Hermione shook her head.

"No, just no. We should be looking for ways to detain him." She corrected looking slightly wearily at Hayden. This time it was Hayden's turn to shake her head.

"Wrong. Kill not detain." She argued. Everyone was looking at her amazed and not in a good way. All but Draco and Luna. He looked at her with understanding in his eyes. He understood why she was adamant about taking him down once and for all, and it wasn't just about Daphne. Hayden seemed to have a reason for disliking Dumbledore and it was understandable. He wasn't good nor as light as he claimed to be. Draco could see it. Luna well Luna was just kinda staring curiously at her.

"I get that he's done bad things to Harry in the past but that doesn't justify killing him, it's still wrong." Neville reasoned. Everyone around the table waited for Hayden to respond.

"I don't give a sh*t what he's done to Harry." Hayden began, shocking them. Draco could see that she wasn't lying about that, she really didn't care. "I care about the fact that he is an obstacle in the way of ending all of this and resetting time. I don't give a rats ass about anything other than fixing the timeline. As for it being wrong? It's war, circumstances can change right and wrong. There is no right and wrong only necessary measures and putting down the enemy is a necessary measure." Hayden finished with a sharp look around the table.

"That's really extreme." Hermione commented but didn't really deny that it was true.

"There are people in the world that deal in only extremes, and it is naïve to think they can be dealt with in anything less than extreme measures." Hayden countered.

"You seem to care an awful lot about the timeline." Neville commented matching Hayden's gaze.

"Of course she does dumbass." Draco remarked causing Neville to balk. "She, like anyone else would, doesn't want to be personality wiped as since the timeline was screwed her parent and life changed meaning so would she. It just hasn't caught up yet." Draco explained dryly.

"She's a cold blooded killer so maybe it would be for the better." Neville shot back.

"Enough!" Harry burst out angrily. "This debate isn't getting us anywhere." He stated firmly putting an end to any further comment about it.

"You haven't exactly voiced an objection on offing Dumbledore." Daphne commented bringing attention to that point as everyone looked at Harry curiously.

Sighing, Harry answered, "Because Hayden's right. I've been an advocate of it since I truly got involved in all of this. Just detaining or knocking out people doesn't do anything. They just get out or back up again. I'm not saying to actively plan to kill him, I'm just saying, if we get the shot to we should take it." Daphne, Neville and Luna just stared at him with mixed feelings about the matter while Hermione, Draco and Hayden understood and more or less agreed.

"That's still not a good plan." Neville remarked, Hayden gained a grin.

"No it's not." She paused as her grin widened into a smirk. "I have a better one. What's the reason we can't go after Dumbledore?" She inquired waiting for an answer.

"Because while we have done damage to his image, the public still believes him the leader of the light." Daphne answered.

"And what might happen if say, they didn't?" Hayden questioned.

"He would lose his standings. His image, everything. But one problem, we've already tried that." Neville interjected.

"No, you haven't. Not truly." All eyes were on Hayden waiting for her to continue. "You wanted to be able to get your way yes, but while you didn't like him you never actively tried to take him down."

"So what? You want to take him down?" Daphne wondered, trying to piece together where she was going with it. Hayden shook her head.

"No. No I want to destroy him." Hayden corrected. "And what better way to do that then to take away one of the most critical parts of all of his plans? His standing with the people. You burn that? You burn him and all of his plans to the ground. Before you were just trying to distract him, alter or make his life a bit harder, now? Now it's time to make his life impossible. That's the easiest way to win a war, you don't have to kill all of your enemies, nor the leader, you just have break them. Take away the very ground they walk on. Show them that the person they're following isn't who they say they are, that they have skeletons too. It's as simple as that."

"Really? As simple as that?" Draco commented with sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Hate to say it but I'm with Malfoy on that one. How the hell do you plan to do that? Even if you air some of his dirty laundry he still holds deep sway in the people after all he's done. He's called the leader of the light for a reason." Neville looked around the table.

"By using the one person that the public loves more. The one person that resonates deeper." Hayden continued.

"Me." Harry realized looking at Hayden, she nodded in answer. "That might just work. I tell them about how Dumbledore isn't helping the people but rather hurting the war effor-"

"No." Hayden shook her head interrupting him. He turned to look at her confused. "No, you tell them what he did to you. How you Life was, how you were treated, your parents, everything. You tell them that. And disbelief will take over, that someone could do that to a child. Then rage and anger that someone would do that to their hero. To the Boy-Who-Lived."

"You want to use the public's own need to feel indebted and love for Potter against Dumbledore. They can't help but to feel angry against someone that did that to their savior." Draco chuckled shaking his head. "Very Slytherin of you. It's perfect." He clapped as Hermione nodded.

"He is right. They wouldn't be able to fathom following or supporting a man that could do that." Hermione added.

"Alright." Harry nodded accepting and agreeing. "But who do we talk to? The Quibbler?" He questioned, Hayden shook her head.

"No, not the Quibbler. We need something that a lot of people'll read. That everybody reads. The Daily Prophet." Hayden answered.

"How do we convince them to print exactly what we want? No alterations whatsoever." Neville inquired.

"The Potters own 40% of the Prophet. The Black own 20%, and the Evans own 5%. Meaning, you," Hayden pointed at Harry. "own 65% of it. That's over the majority, so you have controlling power."

"Well then." Harry looked at each of them around the table. "I guess it's time to do an exclusive."

Next Day

"Alright, I've set up an exclusive with one of the junior reporters. Figured I could boost someone's career at the same time." Harry announced as he entered the room and jogged down the short set of stairs into the main area. Hermione, Draco and Hayden were in the area to the right, the original research area flipping through books and papers. While Neville and Luna were in the library area. "It's for today at one. I'm going to give my full life story for the first time ever. And with no alterations."

"And remember to really make sure they understand who put you there. And everything that Dumbledore has tried to control in your life." Hermione reminded. Harry nodded as he approached and moved to stand beside Hermione as she was standing opposite Draco and Hayden.

"Got it. So hour till show time. Anything I should know? Remember?" Harry looked at them.

"Don't screw up?" Hayden suggested with a shrug.

"Anything else?" Harry questioned looking at her waiting.

"No, just that." She shook her head. Harry nodded before looking to Hermione.

"Anything from you?" He asked.

"Good luck?" She offered. Harry looked at Draco next.

"What they said." Draco cut him off before he could ask.

"Just be ready for anything that may happen when you get back. It's not just going to be in the paper but on the wireless as well. The papers just going to be a piece on it, the full interview will be heard over the wireless so when you get back-" Hermione started.

"Be ready." Harry finished cutting her off. "And all of you be in here. He can't touch you in here." Harry ordered before looking at Hayden. "And if anything happens, you're the most capable. I can't believe I'm about to say this." Harry muttered shaking his head. "But if anything does happen, put him down." Hayden nodded in assurance. They both knew she wouldn't hesitate at the chance to do it.

They discussed the plan a bit more when Daphne arrived until it was time for Harry to leave. As he getting ready to leave, he pulled Hayden over to the entry way and spoke quietly, "Remember, anything happens, you end him. I know your capable." He paused and looked past her to the group standing around the table. "More than any of them. Hell, more than me. Just make sure they're all safe. Especially Daphne."

"Trust me, there's no way in hell he wouldn't regret it." Hayden assured him. He met her eyes and saw there was no wavering in them. The emerald irises were like flames, he could see the power behind them and in that moment he knew, truly that he could leave and know that nothing would happen to any of the people in the room. His eyes softened.

Nodding, he didn't speak, but he didn't need to. His eyes told her. It was a silent thank you but a powerful one. Turning, Harry opened the door and left the room shutting the door behind him.

Thank you for all of the support and the feedback. Hope you enjoyed and like the story! See ya next week! -DS