The trip was smooth (albeit rather tough on his bare feet), given that Tim had already snuck through the Forbidden Forest once before, and this time, he was travelling with someone trained in stealth, meaning Tim didn't have to keep shushing him and reminding him to stay in the shadows.
Unfortunately, Tim knew he couldn't just walk back up to the castle like he had last time, seeing as he was currently accompanied by an international crime lord. That meant that the fastest way in would be—
"—those bushes," he said, pointing to the large juniper bushes just south of the vegetable patch. "It's approximately—(Tim eyed the bushes)—a hundred yards away. Move on my signal."
Ra's nodded silently, no trace of teasing or malice on his face, only a calm, confident determination in his eyes. It was times like this when Tim couldn't help but enjoy Ra's company, loathe as he was to admit it. Working in tandem with someone possessing so much knowledge and skill made his heart race, even if that person was Ra's al Ghul, the man who occasionally kidnapped and maybe flirted with him.
Crouching down, Tim held up his fist beside him and approached the edge of the wood, scanning the premises for any possible witnesses. He was less worried about people roaming about the grounds than he was of someone looking out of their window and seeing two figures disappear into the bushes.
This was when Tim remembered that he literally learned a Disillusionment Charm last week in Charms class. Feeling a little bit like an idiot, Tim lowered his fist and cupped his hand, signaling for Ra's to come closer. Tim used his other hand to grab his wand from its current holster, directly atop his staff.
Ra's raised an eyebrow when he saw Tim pull out his wand, but he stayed silent, electing to watch Tim with his calculating gaze.
"Errori ademisti," he whispered, tapping Ra's head. The charm trickled down Ra's like water, slowly covering him with the surrounding light waves. It was a camouflage charm, after all, not an Invisibility Spell. Tim then turned his wand on himself, twirling it in a circle in front of his face and letting the charm do its work on him.
"Impressive," Ra's whispered, and it took a moment for Tim to realize that he'd said it in Latin. Tim's Latin was passable at best, like many languages he knew, but the exclamation was one Tim recognized. He wasn't sure if Ra's was trying to subtly jab at the fact that all wizard spells were just butchered Latin or if this was another one of Ra's weird tests. Either way, Tim brushed it off and lifted his fist up again, which was about to disappear under his spell, counting to three in his head before opening his hand and swinging it down.
The two of them sprinted towards the bush, both having mapped out their own paths while standing in the wood, and in only a couple seconds, they were both crouched in the juniper bushes.
Neither of them could see each other, but Tim whispered, "Grab my bag. I'll lead the way." Tim obviously couldn't see Ra's to wait for a confirmation, but he felt the strap of his bookbag press itself against his chest, which was all the confirmation Tim needed. He slowly led Ra's up the slope to the castle walls and started following its contour, one hand always on the wall as they walked. The doors to the Entrance Hall were wide-open, as it was an unusually pleasant day, and Tim and Ra's slipped inside without any issue. Tim immediately took a detour to one of the braziers behind which he'd hidden before.
"Finite." Tim pointed his wand on himself and let the illusion wash off. He whipped around, Ra's letting go of his bag, and he mouthed, 'follow, watch, silent,' while simultaneously making the tactical signs with his hand. There weren't a lot of students around, most having taken the day trip to Hogsmeade, meaning Ra's wouldn't have to weave his way through a crowd to keep up with Tim, but that also meant that Tim couldn't wander around the castle unnoticed. He had to be purposeful in his movements; if he hesitated, someone like Umbridge could find him out.
He headed towards the Great Hall first, as it was lunchtime and there was a chance Dumbledore would be eating there, though there was a chance the headmaster had taken his lunch to his office.
If Tim was going to be purposeful with his actions, he decided to walk up to the high table and talk to whatever teacher was there, regardless of whether or not Dumbledore was actually seated there.
Tim signaled for Ra's to wait, as he was a little worried at how well the camouflage would work when walking amongst the students who were ever-shifting and restless.
For once, luck seemed to be on Tim's side, for Dumbledore was indeed sitting in the middle of the high table, chowing down on a sizeable slice of lemon-meringue pie. Half a dozen teachers, including Umbridge, were seated as well, so Tim started to prepare what he would say as he approached. A couple teachers gave him confused glances when he walked up the steps to their elevated table, but because Tim looked like he knew what he was doing, nobody called him out, not even Umbridge.
Tim tapped Dumbledore on the shoulder twice, and the man jumped out of his seat a little. "Timothy," he chuckled, looking over his shoulder, "it is not easy to sneak up on me, but you seem particularly adept at it."
"I'm, uh, here to sign those papers?" he said, as though he himself was unclear. "For the O.W.L.s?" He made sure to speak at a completely normal volume, not too quiet, like he was trying to keep a secret, nor too loud, like he was trying to draw attention to himself.
For a few seconds, Dumbledore stared at Tim, and Tim internally panicked, wondering if Dumbledore was actually going to play along. But then the man nodded, and Tim mentally let out a sigh.
"Yes, thank you, Mr. Drake-Wayne," he smiled. "They're just up in my office, if you'll come with me."
"Okay, thanks." As they exited the hall, he saw Umbridge cast them a nasty look, so Tim waved back at her with a pseudo-respectful expression on his face, and he watched as she visibly relaxed at his gesture. Tim walked behind Dumbledore and waved Ra's over again. It was a little nerve-wracking, as Ra's was deathly quiet when he wanted to be, so Tim had to check about every couple of minutes to make sure he was still following them, glancing over his shoulder and trying to make out some sort of shifting in what he could see.
"Fudge Flies," Dumbledore spoke, and Tim mentally filed away the new password for future use. He followed the man up to his office, again hoping that Ra's was still actually behind him and had not wandered off to enact his maniacal plan or something.
"Now then, Timothy," Dumbledore said, sitting down at his desk, "you wanted to speak with me?" Tim let out a nervous chuckle, unable to help it. It wasn't every day that you introduced your archnemesis to your principal.
"Ah, actually, someone else needed to speak with you," he said, and he felt something tap his shoulder. Thank God he's actually here. "I kind of snuck him into the castle. Sorry." He turned to his right and muttered, "Finite," and watched alongside Dumbledore as Ra's al Ghul was revealed in all his emerald-caped glory.
Tim had never seen Dumbledore as surprised as he was at this moment. The man's grey eyebrows shot up impossibly high on his forehead, and he stood up from his desk, picking up his wand.
Ra's merely clasped his hands in front of himself. "I assure you, Professor, I am not your enemy."
"Not today, at least," Tim mumbled, rolling his eyes, and Ra's sent him a truly withering glare that Tim deliberately ignored. "Dumbledore," he started, trying to appear as calm and controlled as possible, if only to assure Dumbledore that there was nothing to worry about (yet), "this is the Head of the Demon, more commonly referred to as Ra's al Ghul."
"So it seems," Dumbledore said when Ra's bobbed his head at him in greeting. The old wizard still had not released his hold on his wand.
"Albus Dumbledore," Ra's said. "Your reputation proceeds you."
"As does yours, I'm afraid."
Tim glared at Ra's and tilted his head in Dumbledore's direction, as if to say, "Get to the point." Ra's smirked at Tim, obviously taking pleasure in his discomfort.
"If this was not a matter of grave importance, I would not have come here," Ra's assured him.
"And what is this matter?"
Ra's looked uncomfortable for the first time that day, which would usually amuse Tim, but it only worried him now.
"Tom Riddle's followers are en route to an active Lazarus Pit," said Ra's, schooling his expression, "and I require assistance in order to keep him from taking control of it."
Tim regretted not asking Ra's about the nature of his visit before, for he couldn't help but be just as surprised as Dumbledore at this news. It should have been obvious that the Death Eaters would continue their quest for Lazarus Pits now that their ranks had increased, but Tim hadn't expected something like this to happen so soon.
"My forces are great," Ra's continued to explain, "but as Tom's followers will have enhanced magical capabilities by virtue of their proximity to the Lazarus waters, I am in need of similar power to combat their forces."
"How do you know they're headed for an active Pit?" Tim asked him. "And which Pit?"
"Over the past couple of days, Tom's followers have made appearances at no less than three decommissioned Lazarus Pits. Given the order of appearances, I believe they are following a ley line, meaning that their next target will be an active Pit."
"What do you know of their forces?" Dumbledore said, finally voicing whatever was going on in that head of his.
"Several sites agreed that there were exactly thirteen wizards present," Ra's said. "My assassins were careful to keep their distance so that they could report back to the Head."
"Do you know approximately when the Death Eaters will arrive at this Lazarus Pit?" Dumbledore asked.
"Given their current pace, I would suspect in about three hours."
If Tim had a drink, he would have spat it out. Since he didn't, he opted to press his hands to his temples. "Three hours?" he choked out. "Ra's, why didn't you show up sooner?"
Ra's cape shifted as he turned to face Tim. "I came as quickly as I could, Timothy," he growled through his teeth. "You should be grateful I showed up at all, lest that pesky Lord of Darkness get his hands on the immortal waters of the Lazarus Pit."
"What, now you want a 'thank you?'" said Tim dryly.
"Perhaps," Ra's sneered back.
"I can offer six wizards," Dumbledore told him, cutting off their little squabble. "Beyond that, I am afraid I cannot help without jeopardizing the safety of other sectors."
"That is not nearly enough," Ra's hissed, eyebrows furrowing.
For once, Tim agreed with Ra's. But if Dumbledore was not willing to spare any more soldiers, where else could they turn? Constantine was currently living out of Grimmauld Place and working alongside Mundungus with the shadier aspects of the Order's business, but Constantine had never been one for fast-paced combat. He was more of a negotiator.
Wait. Duh.
"Shazam," Tim said. "I can get us Shazam. He's worth four or five wizards at the least."
Ra's raised an eyebrow. "Would Mamaragan's Champion be willing to assist us?"
"He will if I ask him," Tim assured him. "And I'll be there, too, so that's another wizard on your side."
"I cannot allow that, Timothy—" Dumbledore started to protest, but Tim cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Luckily, I'm an adult, and I don't have to listen to you," Tim shot back, crossing his arms with a smirk. Ha! He loved being an adult.
Dumbledore gave Tim one long, hard stare, as though he was seeing into his soul, and it actually made Tim hesitate for a moment. Dumbledore had a presence that was so intense, it made Tim want to hear what he had to say.
"You are not all that you claim to be," the man finally said slowly, "and, for that, I will allow you to fight amongst the Order."
"You're right," Tim said instead of denying the fact. He would probably be suiting up for this mission anyways. "I'm not. Now then, you have some wizards to assemble, and I have a superhero to call."
Ra's al Ghul's flight out to Hogwarts had taken around five hours, time which they could not waste now. Fortunately, Dumbledore had no qualms with setting up an illegal Portkey to the Alps for Tim, Ra's, and the Order members, and, from there, Tim and Ra's went Side-Along Apparating with the Order, Ra's directing them towards the entrance of the League of Assassins' base. The whole journey, including all the logistics being worked out, came out to about two hours, time which Tim hated to have lost, even though it was relatively good time, considering they had had to summon six different Order members to Apparate into Hogsmeade, create a Portkey, and Apparate blindly through the Alps.
Now, Ra's was giving the wizards a rundown of the facility, and the wizards were giving Ra's a good idea of what they were about to go up against. Tim, meanwhile, sat in the control room, ringing up his secret weapon for what was now the third time in a row.
"…Hi, this is Billy."
Tim sighed in relief. It was about time. "Hey, Billy. It's Tim."
"Tim? Oh my gosh, hey, how are you doing? How's the amulet working? What's wizard school like?" The boy started babbling like he always did when he got excited, much like Tim did when he was younger. Not that Billy wasn't only a couple years younger than Tim, but Billy still acted a lot like that twelve-year-old boy that Tim had met back when he had visited the Watchtower for the first time as Robin.
"Doing great, amulet's great, school's cool," Tim rattled off quickly. "Uh, are you busy right now?"
"Kind of. I'm at Darla's soccer game right now. How important is this?"
"Like, 'suit-up-and-fly-over-here-as-quickly-as-possible' kind of important."
"Shoot. Okay. Where are you? Wait, never mind, I'll just track your aura. Just a sec. I'll be there in forty-five."
"Forty-five minutes?" Tim repeated back, wincing. That was cutting it a bit too close for Tim's comfort.
"I was thinking more along the lines of forty-five seconds," Billy laughed, and then, with a crack of thunder that almost made Tim drop his phone, the call ended. Just for the heck of it, Tim started a silent countdown in his head as he got up and started changing into his bat-gear.
Forty-five…forty-four…forty-three…
Tim slipped into his bodysuit and zipped up the front, trying to imagine how Mad-Eye was going to react seeing him in full vigilante gear. The man had already basically had a heart attack when he'd gotten ahold of Tim's Batarangs and smoke pellets back at Grimmauld Place.
Thirty-seven…thirty-six…thirty-five…
He secured his utility belt, sliding his wand into its holster, though he still wasn't sure if he would need to use it. After all, Neville and Aruna had been doing wandless magic when they escaped Nanda Parbat—could Tim, a fake wizard, do the same?
Twenty-six…twenty-five…twenty-four…
Cape, mask, gloves, boots. Everything just felt so right.
Eight…seven…six…five—
"Oh, fuck!" came the echoed shout of Tonks as the entire mountainside shook.
That's my cue. Tim dashed down the halls until he reached the training room where everyone was gathered, just in time for him to see Shazam appear in a flash of light. He gently floated down to the ground and stared blankly at the six wands and various weapons pointed at him.
"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully, waving like a dork at everyone. "I'm Shazam."
"What the fuck?" Mad-Eye spat out, and Shazam winced, though Tim was almost certain it was due to the use of such coarse language and not the weaponry.
"Uh, Red Robin invited me," Shazam explained.
"Who the fuck is Red—"
"Hey, Shazam!" Tim called from the back of the room, and dozens of heads swiveled to face him. Shazam's whole face lit up, and he flew over everyone's heads so that he could reach Tim and pull him into an enormous hug.
"Hi, Rob! Thanks for inviting me." He set Tim down with a gentleness that completely betrayed his giant, muscley body.
"No way I'd leave you out of this," said Tim. "And 'Tim' is fine when we're in the company of wizards."
"Oh, right! So, uh, what's the sitch, Tim?" He gave the room a once-over. "I didn't realize we were teaming up with the League of Assassins."
"It's a temporary arrangement," Tim assured him, shooting Ra's a glare. "Yeah, so Voldemort's followers are gonna come attack this place in, like, less than an hour. He wants the Lazarus Pit."
Shazam whistled, running a hand through his perfectly-quaffed hair. "Holey moley. Okay. Cool. I mean, not cool. Bad. How many?"
"Thirteen."
"Aw geez." Shazam looked around the room again. "And we've got six experienced wizards, Ra's al Ghul, you, me, and a handful of non-magical assassins, not to mention the few that have magical blood but can't channel magic." Tim wondered if the boy was 'sensing their auras' like he had Tim's.
"And everyone's magic will be enhanced by virtue of our proximity to the Lazarus Pit."
"Yep, it's a little hard to miss," Shazam laughed, but then he immediately looked apologetic. "For me, that is. It's hard for me to miss. It's okay if you missed it."
"Kid," Mad-Eye growled from across the room, "I'm gonna forget your crazy get-up for the time being so I can ask you who the hell you're talking to?"
Tim grinned, taking an odd satisfaction in specifically Mad-Eye's confusion. "This is Shazam. He's a member of the JLA. He's also the most powerful mortal being on this plane of existence." Shazam blushed and waved again bashfully.
"Bullshit," Mad-Eye immediately spat, but his eye was scanning Shazam up and down rapidly.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Ignore him. I'm Tonks, an Auror." She held out her hand.
Shazam zipped over and grabbed her hand, shaking it enthusiastically. "That's so cool! I'm Shazam, but I told you that already."
"I'm Remus Lupin," Remus said, nodding in Shazam's direction.
Shazam covered his mouth. "Oh my gosh," he whispered loudly in-between his fingers, "you're a werewolf, that's so cool!" Remus looked a little taken aback. Tim certainly was. Remus is a werewolf? A wizard-werewolf? Yo, that should be my next Serpents & Spells character…
"I, uh—" Remus gave Shazam a once-over. "How old did you say you were?"
"I didn't," Shazam immediately replied, grinning, and he jogged over to one of the witches Tim had met a couple hours ago. "Hi, great to work with you!"
"Emmeline Vance," the woman said curtly, smiling faintly like she found Shazam endearing, which Tim took as a sign that he could trust her. "You sure have spunk."
"Thanks!"
"Hestia Jones," the other witch added. "You good in a fight, Shazam?"
Shazam grinned and held two thumbs up. "Yes, ma'am!"
Bill pushed his way through some of the assassins and held out his hand as well. "Bill Weasley. Happy to have you."
"Happy to be here." There was a moment of silence when Shazam looked at Mad-Eye hopefully and the man decidedly turned to stare in the other direction.
Tonks rolled her eyes and nudged Mad-Eye with her elbow. "This is Moody," she told Shazam.
"Appropriate name," Shazam muttered, just loud enough that Tim could hear it.
"What exactly can he do?" Mad-Eye asked Tim, like Shazam wasn't standing right next to him.
"Oh, it's all in my name," Shazam immediately said. "All the letters indicate different mythological heroes whose—"
Tim cleared his throat. "How about you just list what those powers are. The whole pantheon might take a while."
Billy blinked at Tim, but he nodded and seemed to quickly recover. "Um, I can fly," he said, hovering a couple inches off the ground. He started counting off his fingers. "I'm a really quick-thinker, and I know a lot about magic. I could lift a train pretty easily with my bare hands. I don't really get winded in fights. I can control lightning. I know a handful of spells. And lots of spells just bounce off of me. I'm well-protected against—"
"Stupefy!"
With battle-honed reflexes, Mad-Eye drew his wand and shot the Stunner at Shazam, who watched the oversized red light streak towards him before hitting his chest and disappearing in a poof.
"Mad-Eye!" Emmeline gaped. "What was that?"
"Hn." Said wizard raised his one good eyebrow. "Maybe you'll be of some use after all."
Shazam frowned at Mad-Eye. "I don't like him," he whispered to himself, brushing off his cape.
That was when the side of the mountain exploded.
I'll be the first to admit that I have no clue what happened to all those League of Assassins folks who travelled to Hogsmeade with Ra's. Did they just walk back home? Did they go back to their ship and fly back to the base hours after everyone else arrived? Are they still wandering the Forbidden Forest to this day? Who's to say? Certainly not I, the author. I give that freedom to you, dear readers. Let your imaginations run wild.