Well, but not your best.

The Friday after your last exam for the term you and sitting in the library, staring out the window, trying to come up with a plan. Jennifer was talking about exams and how she was nervous about her scores. You agree noncomittally. Flitwick had approached you after the test and asked if you were ok. You had scored less than he expected on your charms exam. You had nearly aced it, and with the extra credit question you had scored 100%, but apparently someone had scored perfect. Probably Hermione Granger, she was sharp- and a perfectionist to boot.

"- Hullo Marvolo" Jennifer said exasperatedly. "You've been staring off for ages, you ok?"

"Yeah," you start, "I'm just thinking."

"I've seen that look before," said Jennifer. "You're still worried about the stone."

"Of course I am still worried. What's Changed?" You mutter sourly. "The Enemy isn't going to stop trying for the stone just because the term is over."

"Well what do you propose to do about it?" asked Jennifer drily.

"I don't know." you day resignedly. "I've thought of stealing it for my own, but again I doubt I could best the other layers of security even if I figured out a way past the dog."

"What other layers of security?" asked Jennifer.

"I attempted to contact Dumbledore, but our grand Headmaster doesn't see fit to grant audiences to first years. Fair I suppose." you continue more to yourself than Jennifer. "I could attempt to ferret out the Dark Wizards and trick them into leaving, but that would only last for a little while, and likely end with me dead."

"So then why not get a Professor to listen to you, you and Snape seem to get on well enough, and we know he's interested in keeping the stone safe." says Jennifer falling back into the detective role.

You shake your head. "While tempting, it would seem that the professors don't trust each other, that is why they each made their own layer of security."

"You don't know that, you dreamed it," interrupts Jennifer.

You ignore her. "If we move to a professor, even a professor we know is trustworthy, they will just move in a way to make the other Professors suspicious." You tap your thumb against your bottom lip. "So we have to start making guesses. We can guess that the disloyal professors are working with knowledge of any other disloyal professors, if not their direct cooperation."

"Second, Dumbledore may have suspicions on who is disloyal, but not enough to know for certain who the disloyal parties are. Hence multiple layers of security. The Headmaster must figure that he has at most one or two traitors, regardless of who they are, so the other professors are loyal. Therefor the other layers of security are there to safeguard against Dumbledore picking the wrong people to trust."

"So kind of like an inverse prisoners dilemma?" said Jennifer. "You can trust them all to perform properly as long as they don't know the intentions of the other professors."

"But there is the issue!" you say grumpily, "Three men may keep a secret, if two are dead!"

Jennifer looks at you with a mild look of shock. You continue.

"If the Headmaster needs to keep the stone secret, it would be better to have fewer people know about it. Instead he hasn told every professor, making sure that the Enemy Teachers *did* know. Which means whichever professors are loyal are unaware of which levels of security are compromised. Every professor knows where the item is, and the disloyal professor or professors are able to move around and gather more information. The loyal professors at a disadvantage to stop them."

"What if there is a loyal professor pretending to be disloyal?" asks Jennifer. "Wouldn't that even the playing field of information?"

"Maybe, but I doubt that's happened." you say sadly. "Our biggest problem has been lack of information. Its frustrating because Ron and Harry have seemed to just stumble upon all of the relevant clues. What is their angle-"

You pause. Out of the Ravenclaw Common Room you see a flash of red hair, accompanying two other dark-haired students. Ron, Harry and Hermione no doubt. They were marching across the campus, Harry's arms waving emphatically. They knew something. Grabbing your wand you gestured to Jennifer and started down the stairs towards the entrance hall. Jennifer was calling after you, but you couldn't hear her.

You hit the stairwell at a jog, taking the stairs two or three at a time. You aren't the most fit wizard, but you managed alright, and round the corner to Professor McGonagal dropping an arm load of books. Slipping back around the corner you strain to make out what the Professor is saying, but her tone is clear. Looking to the stairwell you slink behind a suit of armor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione round the corner shortly after. They are talking softly but you hear them say that Dumbledore is out on Ministry business, and that it has to be a trick. They think Professor Snape is the traitor, and that he will move on the stone tonight.

You stay hidden behind the suit of armor. You muse over what you've overheard. The Gryffindor trio is running into danger, sure of their assumptions. You are about to follow them, both up the stairs and in their assumptions, when you hear quiet conversation from down the hallway.

"Severus they know about the stone." It was McGonagal's voice.

"It was probably Rubeus, he's too close to the boy." came Snape's cold reply. "However, the children have a good point. Albus may have been called away as a distraction. Perhaps they have found a way around the dog."

"Well then, our course is clear we need to send for Albus." Came McGonagal's stern voice. She really was a terrifying witch, she was distraught when talking to the others, but had since regained her composure and was now acting with an enviable decisiveness.

"Shall I head to the Ministry?" Snape asked coolly.

"No, Potter will try something ****, we need to keep an eye on him, and keep him safe." McGonagal said, considering. "You watch Harry, I will send for Albus, and we need to try and keep an eye on the Third Floor corridor."

Feeling that you have heard enough, and that the others would want to hear that Snape was on "babysitting" duty, you scrambled up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room hoping to catch them before they disappeared behind the Fat Lady.

When you arrive in front of the Gryffindor Portrait they are nowhere to be seen. They must have already gone in, or have discussed their plans somewhere else.