Harry felt something he had not in quite some time. He felt shock as well as a smidgen of anger at Hermione and Luna.
"What do you mean?"
His voice was the softest it had been since the traitors were dragged into the room.
Luna and Hermione, however, winced. This was the harshest his voice had been to either of them since they had declared themselves for him.
"I mean, Harry, that this entire process was me. It was my fault. It was my decision."
The anger and confusion fought on Harry's face. He once more asked the questions.
"Why."
"Because of what I knew." She turned her hazel eyes on the blond. "Luna shared with me, early on in her career at Hogwarts, some very disturbing facts which I just had to resolve. I met her in her first year. I was struggling being the odd one out in our trio since you and Ronald did not want to study, and she was already being teased. It was while meeting one day in the library that she shared of herself.
"Luna informed me that if things stayed on the current path, you would die." Tears were starting to form in Hermione's eyes. "If I continued to grow as close to you as my heart desperately wanted, it would lead to your death. And so I started to plan. It took a lot of work, let me tell you. Had Dumbledore been at his prime, there is no way a second year, no matter how determined, could have gotten the drop on him to add some compulsion charms. The lack of confidence you had from the Dursley's meant you could only see me as a sister. So I managed to get him to, as your legal magical guardian, continue to send you back there. I continued to ask Luna if things had changed, but she just kept saying we would be together and you would die.
"It was my third year, however, which changed the game. That Time Turner. Having that thing in my hands…well, at first it could only go back for short periods of time, but once I really got into arithmancy and ancient runes, it almost became a time machine."
Here, there were grins on several faces, no matter how faint. Of course Hermione, of all people, could figure out the secrets. But the grin on the witch's own face faded as she continued her story.
"I cried myself to sleep over that damned fight about the broom, but I knew it was right. It pushed you away, for however brief a moment. Luna kept saying us together meant death. I could never be the cause of your death.
"Fourth year, I knew you needed someone, but as the ball and the second task arrived, I knew I had to push you away again. Another tricky moment to confound Dumbledore, but it worked. Fifth year, Umbridge was easy enough, and you helped me in sixth by going on and on about Draco. I knew you were right from the start, but it was a simple and easy way to push you. The book, however, I still say you were wrong to use."
Here, Hermione glared imperiously down her nose for a moment at the dark lord Potter who stood in pure shock. Her glare lessened immediately, as she returned to the tale.
"The hunt, again was difficult. I'm glad you got the hallows, otherwise that piece from Snape and Dumbledore would have killed you. But after you left to face Riddle that final time, Luna told me you wouldn't die.
"I was thrilled. Finally, no death for Harry Potter. It meant killing everything my heart fought for. Then again, I had started that years before. I knew how I felt for you, so I started getting Ron to potion me and Ginny you. While I hate having treated them as such, I knew they could make you happy, but more importantly they could ensure you lived.
"But damn it all if you are not every bit the most stubborn individual on this planet Harry James Potter. It took potion levels that could have killed a crowd of Dragons. And you still fought them. You burned through them nearly as fast as it could be brewed. I actually had to create a whole new love potion, specifically for you.
"They say necessity if the mother of invention. Well, they're wrong. Love is, at least for me."
Hermione paused, the tears threatening to overwhelm her. After a moment, where everyone else was too shocked to speak. As she gathered herself, Hermione cleared her throat and continued.
"Unfortunately, even my marriage to Ronald did not change things. She noted that you were still on a path to death. So I continued, doing all I could to change that. Strangely enough, it was not until you discovered the potions that things changed. Luna finally shared that death was no longer in the cards.
"And I don't care if it took turning to the dark, or tearing down the world Harry. All I care about is that you live."
The room settled into a stunned silence at this. There was sudden movement as Luna launched herself across the room to slap Hermione. It was pure fury on the blond which drew everyone's attention, more so than the slap.
"You foolish, stupid woman. You didn't pay attention to anything. And for that, this entire thing is truly your fault. Love has truly blinded you, Hermione. You never allowed me to finish, nor saw the smile when I spoke of death. Death to follow a life of love. You never saw the horror at the moments when Harry was immortal. You never once paid attention to what not dying could possibly mean. You merely focused on Harry Potter."
Here the blond collapsed almost in tears.
"For indeed, so shall the earth burn when the blind eyes of love gaze or the truth.
"You never let me finish my tale to you, Hermione. So blinded were you by this supposed care, that you never took Harry's feelings into account. You never let me help. You assumed you knew it all, and as such, drew the world to this. We are well past the brink of collapse.
"And it all lies at your feet, Hermione Granger"