prevoiusly in chapter 18
Gray moved silently, his enhanced agility making him a shadow. In the main chamber, he saw them—Lara, her father, Vogel, and his men. The tomb of Himiko had been opened, and there she sat, upright and decayed. One of Vogel's men screamed in agony as his body rapidly decomposed, his skin sloughing off his bones. "It's not magic," Lara said, her voice tense, "she was a carrier of a disease, and she was immune." The decomposing man convulsed, his finger squeezing the trigger of his rifle. The bullet hit another of Vogel's men, killing him instantly. Vogel, unphased, raised his gun and shot the man dead, ending his suffering.
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Chapter 19
"This is what Trinity wants," Vogel said, his eyes gleaming with ambition. "This gets me home." "If you take this out into the world, it's genocide," Lara's father replied, his voice filled with dread. Even one of Vogel's men looked horrified, his hands trembling. "I just need a very small piece of you," Vogel sneered, reaching toward Himiko's corpse.
Lara's father eyed a pistol lying near one of the dead men. Just as Vogel's man stepped closer, Gray, moving faster than the eye could follow, struck him from behind, knocking him out cold. Vogel spun around, gun in hand, only for Lara to kick him square in the chest. As he staggered back, her father picked up the gun and shot Vogel in the head, ending him instantly. Before Lara's father could react to the sudden arrival of Gray, Lara intervened. "Wait, stop! He's with me," she called out. Her father lowered the gun, confused.
Gray's eyes shifted to Himiko's corpse, then back to the crumbling tomb. "I suggest you burn her corpse," he said flatly. "In fact, destroy the whole tomb." Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel, disappointed. "Wait, you're leaving? Just like that?" Lara called after him, disbelief in her voice. "Yeah," Gray said without looking back. "I thought she was magic. She isn't." But in his mind, he smiled. "Thankfully, the plants on this island are."With that, Gray walked out of the tomb, meeting Lu Ren and the other captives outside as they prepared to enter the tomb, before lu ren could ask him, "she is inside, safe, she is just destroying the corpses of himiko" before going past him.
-scene change-
Sitting on the deck of a small boat off the coast of Japan, Grey leaned back in his chair, a fresh change of clothes replacing the battle-worn attire from the island. His hat shielded his eyes from the sun, and his cane rested at his side, while a worn suitcase sat beside him. He gazed out at the serene expanse of the sea, his thoughts far from the chaos he'd just left behind. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke the silence behind him. "You're not even going to say goodbye?"
Grey sensed Lara's approach even before she spoke, her steps light but deliberate. He sighed inwardly,He turned to face her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I thought I already did," he said, his voice calm. "You didn't," Lara replied, sitting down in the chair opposite him. Her expression softened, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Grey leaned forward, hands clasped over his cane. "Well then, let me say goodbye." Lara chuckled softly, her laugh warm but tired from everything they'd been through. "Look, I want to thank you for what you've done. For helping me."
Grey shrugged nonchalantly. "You don't have to thank me. I didn't come for you. I came for the plants." He smiled faintly, his mind drifting back to the rare flora he'd collected from the tomb. "In fact, I should be thanking you for opening the tomb. Got what I was looking for." Lara shook her head slightly, though she smiled at his bluntness. "Either way, it would've been a lot harder without you." Grey watched as she rose from her chair, her silhouette framed by the morning sun. "Then you're welcome," he said simply, tipping his hat slightly in her direction.
Lara paused as she moved past him, hesitating. "Will I see you again?" she asked, the question carrying a weight she hadn't intended. "Not likely," Grey replied, his tone honest but distant. There was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes, though she didn't press him further. She nodded once, before walking away, the sound of her footsteps fading into the distance.
Grey sighed, leaning back in his chair once more, the peace of the ocean returning. "I wonder how she'd react if she found out this body belonged to a 12-year-old," he mused with a quiet chuckle. His mind wandered back to Hogwarts, where another year awaited him. "Looks like I'll need to prepare for another year at Hogwarts. Hopefully, nothing crazy happens this time" he chuckled to himself, The boat glided steadily across the sea, its path set for England. Grey closed his eyes, allowing himself a rare moment of relaxation.
-scene change-
It was late August in Diagon Alley, and a copy of Gilderoy Lockhart's autobiography, Magical Me,was on display. Harry and Hermione entered the store, joining the Weasleys, who were waiting in line. Mrs. Weasley, relieved to see Harry, dusted him off and exclaimed, "Oh, Harry, thank goodness! We'd hoped you'd only gone one grate too far!" Suddenly, a man announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart!" Mrs. Weasley looked excited as the mostly female crowd applauded, and Lockhart, dressed flamboyantly, stepped into view.
Ron leaned over to Harry and muttered, "Mum fancies him," earning a playful shove from Mrs. Weasley. As Lockhart posed for pictures, a photographer pushed through the crowd, snapping photos for The Daily Prophet. When Lockhart noticed Harry's scar, his eyes lit up. "It can't be Harry Potter!" he exclaimed, pulling Harry to his side. The photographer quickly snapped more pictures, and Lockhart announced with a grand gesture, "Together you and I rate the front page!" Though Harry remained stoic, the crowd cheered, especially Hermione, while Ron looked bewildered.
Lockhart, ever the showman, continued, "When young Harry stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, Magical Me, he had no idea he would be leaving with my entire collected works, free of charge!" He presented Harry with a stack of books before sitting down to sign autographs. Mrs. Weasley, taking the books from Harry, said, "I'll get them signed, you all wait outside." Harry, Ron, and Hermione moved to the front of the store as Draco Malfoy descended the stairs, tearing a page from a book and sneering at Harry.
"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco spat. "Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page." Ginny bravely stepped forward, "Leave him alone." Draco smirked, "Harry Potter... you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Just then, Draco was bumped by someone taller and quite built. "What were you doing, you troll?" he cursed, only for the person, wielding a cane and holding a suitcase, to turn around and look at him. Immediately, Harry, Hermione, and Ron recognized him by the extremely dark circles under his eyes as Hermione said, "Gray!" which shocked Ron and Harry. Ron then said, "Blimey, how hard did puberty hit you?" as Harry added, "It's nice to see you again, Gray Knight."
"Gray Knight... you mean this thing is Deadboy?" Draco yelled in surprise as they all looked Gray up and down. "What's with your exaggerated reaction? I just grew a couple of inches." Ron laughed and said, "Try a couple of feet! What did you do, bench press a mountain?" Draco backed away and muttered, "What are they feeding you, troll food?" Just then, Lucius Malfoy appeared, pushing Draco aside with his walking stick. "Now, now, Draco, play nicely," Lucius said smoothly before turning to Harry. "Mr. Potter... we meet at last." He shook Harry's hand, leaning in to examine his scar. "Your scar is legend, as, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."
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A/N: Well, he is finally back in the wizarding world, and I have to admit, the trip didn't turn out exactly as I envisioned, but this is what came of it. I'm trying to improve, so cut me some slack. Speaking of slack, I'm still working on the plot for this fanfic (although I have the main villain figured out; he might even make an appearance in the next chapter—you won't guess who, so don't even try!). This story is five times harder than my previous fanfic, maybe even ten, mainly due to the world I decided to merge into the HP universe. Trust me, Tomb Raider was the first crossover, but it won't be the last (I even wanted to include a wizard vs. Tyranid battle with wizards fighting hordes!). It's made this fanfic way more complicated, but I'm determined to pull it through.