[Note: This alternate universe takes place at the height of the zombie infestation as found in the book World War Z. The film version is not part of the background of this novella. The events found in the main Harry Potter novels are concluded, and this story takes place somewhere near the beginning of The Cursed Child (although that particular story does not influence this one). Events in this story coincide with The Truth Between Wands and Zee. Enjoy!]

Domus Defunctorum (or House of the Dead)

The Second Tale in the Wizarding World Z War

by D. O'Shae

Part One

Dennis giggled as he sat against the wall. He knew such a reaction to be inappropriate, but it happened nonetheless. As he snickered Dennis jiggled one knee at a rapid pace since he fully expected the small band of undead to clamber over the wall at any time. The old stone and mortar barrier did not look like it would hold for long, and he could hear zee fists and hands slapping against it. He chuckled again.

"And what the hell is so damn funny?" Oliver grumbled at him.

"Just nerves," Dennis admitted.

Not only did Oliver Wood stare at him in a manner akin to disbelief, but his little brother, Ronin, and Rose did as well. Of the four of them, Dennis rarely showed any overt fear. The thin, some might say gaunt, man with the wild thatch of strawberry blonde hair seldom seemed to lose nerve. Dennis stared back at them, and then laughed again.

"Do nah do this noo, Denny!" Oliver Wood grumbled at him, his Scottish brogue coming to the fore in a more pronounced manner.

"We need to get out of here, but they'll follow, you know that," Dennis rejoined as the ridiculous smile played across his lips. Because his nerves all but audibly twanged, he winked at Ronin simply to vent to some of the tension.

Ronin rolled his eyes and looked away. Dennis found Ronin quite handsome, even though he bore a strong family resemblance to Oliver, but did not consider a mark against him. The infatuation began long ago at Hogwarts during the horrific reign of Dolores Umbridge as head mistress of the school. Dennis never seemed able to get the attention from Ronin in the manner he wished. Of course, Dennis also spent considerable energy trying to woo Seamus Finnigan who completely ignored him. He laughed as the thoughts rolled through his head.

"Dennis, did you even have a plan when you came out this way?" Rose half-yelled at him, her gray-blue eyes flashing with anger.

"We need to get into the armory museum down the lane," Dennis rattled off at a fast pace. "They've got weapons in there we can use. You know how these zed like magic, so we're pretty much done in 'les we get there and get all of you something better to fight with!"

No one needed to make that point a second time. For months Oliver and Ronin teamed up with Dennis when they ran into him outside of Broxburn after escaping Edinburgh. The creatures, whom Dennis heard the Americans call zee, but he change to zed, seemed to come out of nowhere and invade the city. Once Dennis and the Wood brothers identified one another, Dennis learned a pack of zed came through Oliver's fireplace. It told him in no uncertain terms the flue network got contaminated. He and the brothers then spent months circling the city while more and more undead populated the region. Rose Zeller, a recent addition to their band, knew very little about fighting the monstrosities.

"That's well and good for you, Denny, 'cause you know how to wield the bloody things!" Rose snapped back.

"Ye're gonna need ta learn," Oliver chimed into the brewing argument. "Each time we use oor wands, them manky mingers git ragin' fierce!"

Dennis noticed that in high-pressure situations Oliver tended to turn more Scottish by the second. Fortunately his younger brother did not and often time served as a translator. Ronin sidled up closer to Ronin and nudged his shoulder.

"The zed get angry quickly," Ronin told him, and the lilt of his accent could never rival that of his brother.

"True that," Dennis agreed loud enough for everyone to hear, "and a good sword like this one worth its weight in galleons. You can use an axe or halberd or glaive or anything and it will be better than that tennis racket, and that's why we need in that armory."

They watched the only woman in their team stare at the tennis racket in her hands. See seemed overly attached to it regardless of the number of times her three male companions warned her it would not suffice.

"Denny, I never said I'd come back into the city!" Rose rounded on him, making an argument better suited for the day before.

"Bullocks!" Ronin shot back. "Ye knew all along what we planned and ye could've left at any time. No one made ye come along for this bit."

Behind them the undead began to moan and growl. It meant trouble for the group if they did not move since the sound tended to draw a larger crowd of zed. Dennis hopped into a crouch and held out his sword. The edge gleamed despite the dark stains.

The sword came from a house in Stanhope west of where he lived in the upper part of Eastgate in the North Pennines. Dennis went rummaging for a new weapon in the abandoned and destroyed homes when the zed marched through. Rumor followed that the mass of undead came in from Carlisle and New Castle in the north and in the west and Leeds and York in the south. The number of creatures swelled with every mile they advanced. Dennis learned from his first encounter the zed tended to fancy witches and wizards as a meal above muggles. He also saw what happened when the people of isolated North Pennines wizarding communities tried to use magic to beat back the swarms. The zed grew increasing hostile and, as a result, attacked with greater ferocity. Entire villages got consumed in a matter of hours.

"Can't beat a sword for lopping off their heads," Dennis said as he admired the sixteenth-century blade of a rather interesting and unique design.

"I'll take my maul any day," Oliver said. "Now, how is we gonna get oot of this spot?"

Dennis thought for a moment and the idea blossomed in his head. He looked at his compatriots and said: "In through the back of the building next to us, up to the second floor and into the attic. Then we use Ollie's maul to punch a hole in the ceiling and crawl over to the armory on the roofs. Sound good?"

"You want us to get trapped in building?" Ronin asked half a second before the others.

"Nah, you know the zed can't climb to well… at least ladders. Once we're in the attic, we're golden."

"Ye're daft, Denny, know that?" Oliver rumbled.

"What if these things are in the building?" Rose joined in and did not sound pleased.

"Course they're in the building, Rosie..."

"Don't call me that! Only Wills got to call me that!"

Dennis felt bad for three seconds. She told him repeatedly not to use that nickname. All he learned from Rose, who he remembered as Rose Zeller in school, came in fits and starts over the preceding month. She appeared reluctant to say exactly what happened, but the group learned she lost her new husband at their house in Hethpool-at-St. Cuthberts. The undead invaded their home en masse. She escaped the house and managed to make it to Edinburgh, but only found a brief respite before discovering the zed practically controlled the city.

"Right, Rose, sorry," Dennis apologized, and then his brain rapidly switched topic. "They might have vending machines in these places, 'specially the museum since it's all public like."

"Cripes, I could use some scran," Oliver muttered, but then he assumed a crouching position as well. "May not be the best of plans, Denny, but soonds like ye gave it thought. Ye lead and we'll back ye up."

It sometimes appeared Oliver liked to hide behind Dennis. Granted, he thought, no one wanted to be in front of him when he started swinging his sword. Oliver already bore a nasty gash on his left shoulder for making that mistake. As Dennis stood while grabbing his backpack, he saw the look of trepidation on Rose's face. Ronin did not seem very convinced as well.

"Or you can stay here and end up as din-din for these rotting codgers," he offered the most likely scenario if the dawdled too long.

Ronin immediately assumed a crouch, and Rose followed suit. The zed continued to pound against the stone wall giving them temporary sanctuary. Two undead lay decapitated in the blind alley further ahead. An overturned lorry blocked the path into the alley, and within the enclosed space the foursome found a moment's safety from the zed. However, they all knew it would not last. If enough of the undead arrived, they would make a ramp out of themselves and come tumbling over the lorry or the wall.

"Ro, since you're left-handed, you take the left flank with that bat of yours. Ollie, take the right. Rose, stay close behind me," Dennis said and none argued with the assignments.

It never failed to surprise him when people accepted his orders. Dennis never hid the fact he primarily ran on gut instinct for his plans, yet most of the time the impromptu schemes worked. He privately feared for the day when his luck evaporated. In the meanwhile, he got the brothers to adopt leather jackets and heavy canvas builder's pants, along with confiscated military boots, since the apparel offered a modicum of protection from bites and scratches. He did not tell his friends, but Dennis also hoped to find chain maille in the armory to boost the protection factor of the clothing. Plus he also thought Ronin would look very dashing in chain maille.

"Good, now, Rose, warn us if you see any coming up from behind," he instructed her.

"Don't worry 'bout that. My screams will give it away," she dryly rejoined.

"You might want to figure out a different method," Ronin said, and his brother nodded in agreement. "Tends to attract more of 'em, see?"

"Do you know what go fack yourself means? If not, ask your brother," Rose spat at Ronin and used a very Scottish word.

Dennis and Oliver tried to hide their laughter, but only Oliver succeeded. Rose shot Dennis a nasty glance. Oliver turned away as fast as he could. With the arrangements and insults concluded, Dennis rose into a stooped position. He did not want the zed to see his head above the wall. He then edged out into the alley. Fortunately the rain ended the day before, and the sky showed spots of blue. He could see clearly down to the end, and he saw no movement. Dennis reminded himself zed could remain stock still until prey came within their reach; however, those surprises tended to happen more to muggles than wizarding folk.

"Fast walk and pay attention," he stated and began to head toward his left.

Oliver and Ronin took up their positions as instructed, and Rose literally bumped into his back. With the formation squared, the small team began to walk toward the rear door of the building they intended to use. Dennis liked that fact a solid metal surface faced them. As they approached, he saw only a few errant marks on it clearly indicating the zed never attacked it. Zed attacks left brown hand prints and a smell. It led him to believe the alley remained blocked for some time and only the two zeds they dispatched got trapped. At the door, Dennis pressed his ear against it.

"Any sounds?" Oliver inquired.

"I can't tell," Dennis replied.

"Why not?"

"You're talking."

Ronin snorted a bit, and Dennis grinned while he tried to zero in on specifics sounds possibly emanating from the other side of the door. After half a minute, he stood up. He glanced at the others and shrugged.

"Can't hear anything, but they could be dormant," he said and used oft repeated phrase.

Both Oliver and Ronin frowned while Rose went wide-eyed. For nearly a month she tagged along with them while the zed took over England city by city. Since the start of the invasion, Dennis never failed to note the type of victims the horrible creatures preferred of which he happened to be a member. He also discovered staying too long in one place invited disaster. Thus, the man tended to frequently travel around. Of course, he traveled in pursuit of his vocation prior to the zed, so it did not change his lifestyle much. In this way he ran into Oliver and Ronin Wood on the far outskirts Edinburgh in Broxburn. For almost four months the three tried to figure out a way to get back into Edinburgh so Oliver could search for his family. After three months, they found Rose who seemed lost and reeling from the death of her husband. It took two weeks for the three men to discover she and William only got married at the same time Dennis found the Wood brothers. It struck Dennis as entirely bizarre they would marry during an apocalypse.

"Oh, I can guarantee we'll find some in there," Dennis said to avoid giving false hope. "If this is like most buildings around here, there should be stairs near the back. We need to find those and get to the higher floors. We want to get on the roof as fast as we can."

Rose, dressed in blue jeans, a jean jacket over a zip-up hooded sweatshirt, and hiking boots, held up her tennis racket as though ready to return a serve. Time and again Dennis tried to get her to change weapons, but she refused. This time he planned on leaving her no choice. Oliver assumed a stance with his chopping maul raised. Ronin stood to one side and practiced a few swings.

"Right, now who's going to open the damn door?" Dennis inquired.

Oliver, Ronin, and Rose exchanged furtive looks. Then the trio glanced at Dennis, who held the sword above his head so as to strike downward on any zed that came tumbling out. When the others said nothing and gave no indication which one would act, he got a little testy.

"Okay, see the sword in my hand?" He grumbled at his comrades.

Three heads nodded.

"See how I'm holding it?"

He got the same response.

"Now, how in bloody hell do you think I'm going to wield this blade and a wand at the same time?"

One after another their mouths opened as if to answer, but then Oliver and Ronin turned a little red in the face. Rose started shaking her head. Dennis got a little more angry.

"Fine, I'll open the door, but then you'll have to deal with the dead tossers while I try to get out of the way," he warned them.

"No, I'll do it," Ronin said and stepped up. "You've got a right good hand with that sword, and I'd rather have you swinging it."

"What about this?" Oliver grumbled at his brother. Once again Dennis preferred to look at Ronin instead of Oliver.

"You miss thirty or forty percent of the time. Denny only misses one in ten."

Oliver's face dropped a bit and he gave the impression of being betrayed. Dennis tied to keep from laughing, but the tension in his body grew by leaps and bounds as he prepared to face who knew how many undead behind the door. Hence, he giggled. Oliver snarled at him.

"He's your brother… and he's not wrong," Dennis replied, but only whispered the second half.

With that Ronin walked up to the door with his bat in one and his wand in the other. The man held the wand mid-stomach level. He did not look around when he said: "Get ready: here it comes. Alohamora."

Light sparkled around the lock and it clicked. Ronin grabbed the handle, twisted, pulled, and hauled the door open. Silence and darkness greeted the foursome. No one moved. Weeks of battling the permanently hungry and vicious creature trained them how to hold their ground. Nothing came out of the door, not even any sounds.

"Clear," Oliver said from his position.

"Clear," Rose repeated.

"I dropped my wand," Ronin mumbled while ducking down and reaching out for it.

"Doesn't look like any zed are in this part of the building," Dennis said with hint of relief and small chuckle.

"Ever gonna get a grip on this laughing thing?" Oliver grunted at him.

Dennis' blue eyes met Oliver's brown, and Dennis grinned. He knew he could not control his reaction to stress, so he gave into it. Oliver ground his teeth together and returned to scanning the dark interior of the building.

"What's it look like they did here?" Rose asked at a normal volume.

"Only one way to find out," Dennis answered and began walking forward with his sword still poised to strike.

The others fell in behind him, Rose following first, and Oliver closed the door as the last one to enter. The group became shrouded in gloom as the daylight got cut off. No lights remained active in the building mainly because electricity ceased to flow when the lines snapped. The lack of sufficient lighting did not hide the fact they walked through the storeroom of some sort of clothier. Both prefabricated apparel and bolts of cloth lay stacked on shelves. The foursome then faced another door. Dennis approached it first. They replayed the same tactic.

"No sounds, but..." he said after listening for a while. "No telling what's out there. We should check for the stairs back here first."

They split into two teams. Dennis did not get his wish when Ronin went off with Oliver. He did not take it as too much of a personal slight since teaming with Rose could, at times, present an unexpected level of danger. Whatever befell her prior to being found, it caused her to overreact in the presence of zed.

"Stay close," Dennis whispered to her as the moved off to the left and deeper into the storeroom.

Throughout the investigation, a small stream giggling issued from Dennis. Rose threw several annoyed looks his way, but it only seemed to make it worse for him. When the reached a wall and found no evidence of the zed, they headed back to the starting point. Oliver and Ronin waited for them.

"Oy, stairs are back here," Ronin told them. "See anything?"

"Just a lot of tacky clothes," Dennis said.

Rose's face broke into a wry smirk. Oliver and Ronin, and it surprised Dennis how much they resembled one another, although he still thought Ronin more handsome, moved with practiced stealth. Both kept their hair trimmed short, although they each needed a cut by that time. It surprised Dennis to see Ronin stood about an inch taller, but Oliver clearly outweighed the younger brother. The observations piled up in Dennis' head. When they halted, Dennis nearly ran into Oliver.

"Does this look right?" Oliver asked.

Four sets of eyes tried to pierce the twilight-like atmosphere. Dennis shrugged while the others continued to scan the steps.

"Only one way to find out," Dennis stated and aimed for the stairs.

The boards felt solid under foot, and the layer of dust muffled the footfalls even as it filled the air with disturbed particles. The group assumed the same positions they used when entering the building. Dennis tried to keep the stairs from creaking and met with middling success. Years of standing without use could adversely affect stairs, and the worry of wood rot never left Dennis' mind as he climbed. More than once a bad set of stairs nearly got him killed. When he reached the top, he held up a hand to signal the other stop.

Dennis pressed his ear to the door. After a few seconds he frowned. Distinct rattling sounds could be heard. When he faced his friends, they read his visage.

"Now what?" Ronin whispered.

"Doesn't sound like too many," Dennis replied and all but silently spoke the words. He shifted he focus to the door handle, saw what he needed to see, and mouthed: "No lock."

Rose already began to shake her head. However, she remained trapped between Dennis and Ronin. In the face of her protestation, Dennis began to pantomime with his hand what he planned on doing. It involved not much more than opening the door and using his sword. He guessed a hallway lay on the other side and, unlike most others, he preferred to fight in a hall. It limited the number of ways the zed could approach. Of course, hallways could also limit the area he needed to sling his blade. Regardless, he held up a hand, fingers outstretched, and began to lower one digit at a time to signify the count down. Rose's head, and her dark locks, never stopped shaking from side to side.

"Now," Dennis said as he lowered his hand, seized the handle, turned it and pushed.

The moan of the undead instantly met their ears. Dennis leaped into the open space beyond the door, sword flashing left and right, and managed to knock down two zed right away. More light penetrated the hallway from the windows at the far end, giving him good dark outlines at which to aim. Oliver, Ronin, and, to a lesser extent, Rose charged in after him. A chopping maul, a bat, and a tennis racket joined the fray. One zed, split partially down one side, reached out to grab Oliver. The limb dropped to the ground as Dennis began his pirouette of destruction. Seconds later a horrid crunching sound ensured as Oliver brought his weapon to bear. The sound of Ronin's bat, thudding like coconuts tossed on the ground, echoed around them. The rush and twang of Rose's tennis racket reported she did not hold back from taking part in the fight. The foursome carried on with their grim task without speaking.

Six minutes later five corpses no longer moved. Parts of appendages and heads littered the floor. The team acted decisively to take down the animated dead, each bringing to bear their particular weapon of choice. It also helped that the zed tended to be uncoordinated and indecisive when presented with too many targets at one time. They lacked any capacity for planning or thinking. For this reason and a host of others, Dennis decided long ago to never feel bad for returning zombies to the grave. While they looked like humans, whatever agent brought them back to life, and he hated using that word, stripped the dead of any semblance of humanity. However, the sight of two children who looked no older than ten jolted him a bit. It appeared to be a family that attempted to take shelter in the building. The bite marks on all of the corpses spoke to their demise. Dennis could even begin to guess how long the shambling bodies wandered trapped on the floor.

"Search and destroy," Ronin bluntly said as Dennis gazed down at the departed.

"Right, right," Dennis muttered.

Again they broke into teams, and again Rose traveled with Dennis. The hallway seemed to divide the upper story into halves. Dennis and Rose went to the right while Oliver and Ronin searched the left side. The found rooms with various boxes of dusty clothing, some with personal items, and then the one where the family tried to take refuge. Dark brown, nearly black stains on the floor and spattered on the walls gave testament to what they all knew took place. Someone in the deceased family surely arrived after being bitten, and then died following a period of time simply to rise and attack the others. Smears of blood leading out of the room told another part of the tale. Lastly, the desiccated remains now lying strewn about the hallway provided the ending of their story. However and to the relief of the living, the rest of floor did not contain any zed.

"Clear?" Dennis asked when the four reunited in the hall.

"Clear," came the chorus.

"Now onto the next part..."

"Doesn't it even get to you a little?" Rose blurted and stared at him.

"What?" He inquired. "The dead dead… or do you mean what happened to these people that nobody, even Dumbledore at his peak, could change? What's supposed to get to me?"

Rose blinked in response at the taut reply. Dennis took a step forward. He searched her eyes.

"The second you start feeling bad for the dead, you're going to end up one of them, Rose. They're not human any more," he told her and tried to remove the scorn from his words. "These… things would kill you and not even think 'bout it as they ate you. Know why?"

She shook her head.

"'Cause they can't think. Their running on instinct or something much like it. They don't talk. They don't reason. They kill, and they try to eat what they kill. Ever notice how they come after our kind fast as they can, passing up muggles to get to us?"

Rose nodded.

"You want me to feel sorry for the monsters that do that?" Dennis continued his relentless answer. "This is a war, Rose: a day to day to day war. Once you start feeling for them, you're dead."

"Didn't you lose anyone one to these things? See them get up and became part of this… this horror show?" Rose yelled at him.

From without the sound of zed who heard the yelling began to moan.

"Just so you know, and let me make this bloody clear to you, I lost everyone. I'm an orphan now, Rose," he ground out between his teeth, "and don't forget this started for me back at Hogwarts when I had to bury my brother!"

Oliver and Ronin looked crestfallen when he mentioned the death of Colin Creevey. Rose studied his face in seeming bewilderment. Dennis suddenly felt hard and immovable.

"That was twenty years ago, Denny," she quietly said.

"Oh, so I should stop feeling that and start feeling for these rotten bastards who killed off the rest of my family?"

The woman's face lost all color. Following several tense moment wherein Dennis did not chuckle, she turned and walked down the hall to stand before the window facing out to the main street. No one spoke for a few minutes.

"Ye're really all alone?" Oliver quietly asked.

Dennis answered with a curt nod.

"No, mate, you've got us," Ronin said.

The de facto leader of the small band turned and gazed at his friends. Both brothers appeared moved by what he said. Dennis tried to smile, but it came out strained. He twisted his head and watched Rose. He followed her dusty footprints until he stood next to her. Together they watched a sizable mass of zed amble about in front of the building, some of which fixated upon their hiding place.

"I think my family is part of them now," he quietly told her. "Tried to find 'em for two years, but… never… not one sign of them. They just got… swallowed up by all of this."

"Is everything a joke to you?" Rose complained.

"Didn't mean it like it came out, but, no, I don't joke about the zed. They're going to be the end of all of us if we don't come up with an answer soon."

Rose's head swiveled at a fantastic rate to face him. He fixed her with a gaze. His lips never twitched. His nervous laughter did not emerge.

"Don't believe for a second anyone is really on top of all this madness. Have you seen any sign this is under control?" Dennis pressed.

Rose regarded him for a short period before saying: "No."

"Then don't get angry with me, love. Get angry, stay angry with them," and he inclined his head to the mob of undead below. "We need to survive, so we've got to keep our priorities in order. Understand?"

His friend bobbed her head once. Dennis could see she remained upset with him, but he hoped Rose would take heed. Any war between the living humans would doom them as he completely believed the undead went unchecked. It seemed every passing month he saw more of them and less of the living. After spending two years roaming the England in search of a sanctuary and three years before trying to hide, Dennis witnessed the growing onslaught. He spent sleepless nights wondering how the miserable creatures managed to propagate so fast. Few answers ever presented themselves.

The rustle of footstep alerted both to the approach of the Wood brothers.

"Shite and piss, look at 'em all!" Oliver exclaimed.

"Should be okay long as we don't make too much noise," Ronin said even though he did not sound convinced of his own words..

"No, mates. We're not sticking here for much longer. The museum I'm thinking 'bout is just up the lane. We make for that and we'll be better off for it," Dennis countered. "There's nothing here for us. We just need to find a way up to the roof."

"Ye're sure 'boot this, Denny?" Oliver challenged.

"Been there myself back before Edinburgh got overrun. What we need is in that museum."

Dennis' proficiency with the sword presented a compelling argument. Few realized back when he attend Hogwarts, after the war with Voldemort and the death of his brother, he spent many lonely nights talking to the ghosts and pictures. From them he learned pieces of history Professor Binns never explained, and part of the side education he received included knowledge regarding weapons from centuries past. It seemed unlikely when the ghost Peeves took an interest, perhaps a malicious one, in furthering Dennis' understanding of bladed weapons. Hence, Dennis learned to fence and use other arms from a most unusual teacher late at night in uninhabited parts of Hogwarts that remained standing. Later, when the zee infestation began, those lessons paid off beyond measure.

After observing the horde of undead for little longer, a new plan formed in Dennis' head. It still involved travel over the rooftops to reach their destination, but an old memory cropped up. He started to grin in a manic fashion, and his three companions shifted nervously from foot to foot as he started to explain. When he finished, however, they regarded him in with different expressions.

"It's a little daft, Denny, but it might work," Ronin said first in support of the plan.

"Aye, radge as Welshman, but let's give it a go," Oliver added.

"Actually, this will work," Rose commented as she swayed her head back and forth in apparent contemplation over the idea.

It only took a small effort to put the plan into effect. First they collected full suits of clothing still hanging on hangers. The abundance of needle and thread made it easy to attach stray bits and bobs of metal to the clothing, and enough on each suit to make quite a racket. Then the foursome went from window to window on the far side of the building, facing front, and hung out the refurbished garments. The constant breeze that blew through the city provided the energy, but the witch and three wizards used a locomotion spell on the garments to make certain they waved enough. It seemed to work as planned. The zed began to focus on the decoys. The group them went in search of the access to the roof and quickly found it.

"Love to see a plan go off like that," Dennis bragged and quietly laughed when he stood in the open air with the others.

"Might be 'cause ye're off a bit, but these ideas of yers do work," Oliver complimented him in a backhanded manner.

"Bit off?"

"Well, ye know, what with the fellas and all that."

"Don't worry, Ollie: you're not my type. Too… smoldery," Dennis said and clapped him on the shoulder.

Ronin snorted when his brother adopted an offended stance. Dennis winked at Ronin and then began to study the ridge line of the roofs. Most tended to be flat or slanted, but some retained peaks. His only concern centered on whether they could find a point of entry. In the meanwhile, the zed continued to collect below them.

"Best get moving," Dennis said as the situation below progressed.

He began sneaking across the roof in a crouch toward the adjacent building. The others followed his lead. The group climbed up on a drain pipe to reach the next roof and then shimmy down the other side after handing off their weapons and backpacks. On some they found short metal ladders. The peaked roofs proved troublesome since the tiles tended to be slick even on a dry day. It took over an hour in the waning afternoon before they neared their goal. With three buildings to go, someone pulled him to a stop. When he looked behind, Rose pointed toward the street. What Dennis saw did not bode well. The glass of the windows and doors lay in pieces on the ground. It seemed others shared his sentiments for old weapons.

"Fack," Oliver quietly swore for him. "No what'a we do?"

"Nothing changes. We go in through the roof access," Dennis answered.

"And if there's zed?" Rose growled.

"Chop off their heads," Ronin quickly supplied the answer. "Well, Denny and Oliver will."

Dennis smirked at his friend as Oliver let out with a nasty chuckle. Rose, however, appeared doubtful. She cast her eyes about the three men. Trepidation rolled off of her in a palpable wave.

"Rather wait up top?" He suggested.

"No, I go in there with all of you," she whispered.

The answer surprised Dennis, but he felt a swell of pride for her. He glanced at the sky once, noting the position of the sun. They needed to accomplish their primary objective with all due haste. He, and likely the others, hated fighting zed in the dark. Night did not handicap the undead.

"Same plan as last time, except we drop in the buggers. Follow me," Dennis told them and led the charge.

They finished scrambling over the roofs as quietly as they could. Their decoy continued to work, but a few non-living stragglers wandered about. It meant they needed to work as silently as possible. Stealth proved difficult to achieve upon reaching the museum. A locked hatch covered the access point. Dennis retrieved his wand and showed his command of magic when he very quietly opened the lock. He only seemed to use a trace of magic. Rose pursed her lips and nodded in appreciation at his subtlety.

The moment got broken when Oliver's heavy maul slipped out of his hand and crashed onto the surface of the roof. A loud boom reverberated through the air, the building, and the street. Zed began to moan.

"You fucking idiot!" Dennis growled.

"Fack off, mate. Just wait 'em oot," Oliver said, but the brogue in his voice betrayed his nervousness.

"We're losing sun!"

Everyone looked up. Oliver became grim since coming up from the street they could hear zed moaning and shuffling around. Ronin crept over to the edge of the building. A minute later he returned, shaking his head.

"'Round a dozen… maybe fifteen, I'd say. Might be a while 'fore they head off," the youngest Wood brother reported.

"Damn it," Dennis swore and thought for a moment. "Right, let's pop the lid and see what we can see. If there's too many of the rotters, then we head out."

He could not look at Oliver and simply approached the hatch. The lid, coated in tar to prevent leaks and rust, proved far heavier than expected. Once raised, Dennis carefully peered into the opening. Below he could see the floor, but it looked like rough, unpainted lumber. The material perplexed him. He waited nearly five minutes, the others waited in silence as well, for zed to wander into view. None came. Dennis scratched his head and randomly thought he needed a haircut as well. He studied the wooden ladder leading downward.

After a sigh he said: "Nothing to do but go down there and see."

"Don't be stupid," Rose chastised him. "You've no idea what you'll find."

"I think its an attic, and I don't think the zed can get in."

Oliver hummed. Dennis tossed an angry glance at him. Oliver looked away. When Dennis turned to Ronin, Ronin shrugged.

"Hold my bag," he asked and held it out, and Rose took it.

Dennis grabbed the top rung of the ladder, swung his legs over the lip of the hatch, and braced himself once he stood on it. No sounds reached his ears from directly under him in contrast to the zed that continued to groan and shuffle down in the street. He steeled his nerves and began the descent. The ladder felt old and worn, yet stable. When he dropped below the sealed plenum space of building, Dennis paused and looked around. A smile slowly spread across his face. He climbed back up until his head popped through.

"Oh, me buckos, you ain't going to believe this," he nearly crowed. "Get your gear and come down."

The strawberry blonde head disappeared again. The three on the roof clambered down the ladder, with Rose first and Ronin taking the last position. When the four reunited, the each silently assessed their location. The stood in a dry, dusty room lacking any resemblance to a museum. Boxes, crates, and low shelves sat stacked in orderly processions, each numbered or tagged in carefully drawn script.

"Welcome to the reserve collection," Dennis told his friends. "Welcome to the promised land."

"Ye said there'd be food," Oliver grumbled.

"Still might be, but… by Weiss' water tank, this is what we really wanted. I want you, Ollie, to look for one word written somewhere."

"And that is?"

"Maillet."

Oliver stared blankly at Dennis.

"Better known as a war hammer!" The lead man of the group chuckled as he spoke.

Ronin and Rose watched the exchange. It appeared the discovery of the cache removed the sting from Oliver's blunder only minutes before. Dennis claimed his backpack from Rose, and the set it next to where he laid his sword down. He saw during his first inspection the solid wood door of the storage room never got disturbed. While Dennis initially feared the museum would be completely looted when he saw the broken front windows, he realized the real treasure got ignored. Museums typically housed twice as much as displayed.

"Be careful, but look through everything… and don't drop a single damn thing," he instructed his friend, and the last part made Oliver's face go flush.

They spread out. After a few minutes Rose announced she found a tool box, and they each took a tool they could use to open sealed crates. Then the search commenced in earnest. The group found what Dennis promised: swords, main gauches, pole arms, halberds, glaives, mattocks, hammers, and maces. They also discovered pieces of armor that included, to Dennis' great delight, several sets of chain maille. Dennis became giddy when he saw the swords. One long crate contained three claymores, and the one next to it held two beautiful examples of zweihanders. An early seventeenth century French flamberge got nestled with basket-hilted broadswords. One box held a collection of dirks that made everyone gasp. Dennis, his eye trained long before, realized they found the working blades and not a forgery among them.

"Noo this is a thing of beauty," Oliver cooed from where he stood over crate. In his hand a heavy mace gleamed a dull gray in the light.

"Nice German mace," Dennis admiringly stated. "Good find."

"Mine," Oliver blurted as if he expected competition.

It took some time, and the light began to wane, but Dennis helped each person select weapons that they like and, more importantly, could wield without difficulty. Oliver decided to stay with the heavy weapons, choosing the mace and a war hammer with a pointed end. Ronin found a hilted sabina, the likes of which Dennis only ever read about. He had no idea a Scottish museum would house one. The younger Wood brother also followed the example set by the older one and took a mace. Rose became interested in a short-handled battle axe, and Dennis approved of her selection. They also found a short sword that she could more or less brandish. By the time the completed that task, the sun dipped below the horizon and cast the storeroom into a deep twilight.

"Luminos," Dennis said, and the tip of his wand glowed.

"Sure that's a smart move, mate?" Ronin queried.

"It might attract them, but… looks like this is where we spend the night," Dennis replied. "There's some other stuff I'd like to examine when the sun comes up. We each should find a quillon or poignard. Those come in handy for stabbing up through the chin into the brain."

"How do you know all this?" Rose queried as she narrowed his eyes.

"You did go to Hogwarts, right?"

"Piss off," she quipped.

"Ever talk to the ghosts or the portraits?"

Dennis did not need to say anything further. Students sometimes got trapped in conversations from which they could not extricate themselves. Unlike most, Dennis stayed and listened since it alleviated his sense of personal misery. His situation did not get any better when his sexuality became exposed at the end of his fifth year due to a gross miscalculation. The ghosts and pictures never seemed to care about that. They loved the interaction with a living person. Many became his closest friends, and he visited them whenever he returned to Hogwarts. Often it served as the only reason why he went back. He planned on making a visit at some point to let them know the endless hours they spent talking with and tutoring him routinely saved his life.

"See here, I've got some crackers left and a bit of granola, anyone got any jam?" He said as the next order of business presented itself when his stomach began to rumble.