The Three Keys

A/N: I do not own any Harry Potter Characters, just my Laurel and her family.

A/N: Well, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Laurel…I think she deserves to make an appearance…YEA! OK, I hope you stopped off at the last chapter and left me a little review and that you’ll leave one here too before toodling on over to Ch 18….YOUR BONUS CHAPTER…


CH 17 - A NIGHT OUT WITH T-N-T

Laurel was antsy and grumpy. Here it was the middle of July already and it was so beautiful outside. She wanted to go exploring, shopping, anything! It was almost her birthday for Pete’s sake and she needed to get out, meet some other kids, new kids her own age – maybe do some dancing! She missed dancing with her friends so much. …She missed everything about her friends so much. ….

Fresh tears of frustration welled up in Laurel’s eyes, as she looked unfocused and uncaring out at the gardens beyond the wide veranda doors from the den she was sitting in.

She had an idea! Laurel sat up in the cushy sofa and looked at her mom who was busy folding some linens and occasionally eyeing her silent daughter through her lashes.

“Mom?” Laurel spoke softly, an innocent smile across her face.

“Mmmm” Maggie answered. She arched her brow looking at her eldest daughter sitting bored out of her mind on the couch.

“Mom….I’m soooo bored.” Laurel said pleadingly.

“Yeah…” she knew that, “What’d you have in mind?”

“I want to go OUT! I NEED to go out! I need to meet some new kids! I want to go dancing, it’s my birthday in a couple of days and I have to get out and stretch! I am suffocating in here!” she huffed, her face pink with exasperation.

Maggie sighed. Teenagers were tough she thought. She had to keep reminding herself that Laurel had been through a great deal in the last few months and to give her a break...Maggie opened her mouth to comment but was stopped by the den doors opening wide as John, her husband entered the room.

“Hey there!” he boomed cheerfully. “How are two of my most favorite girls in the world doing today?!” He grinned grabbing his wife around the waist from behind and kissing her neck.

John was in a good mood; he had a surprise for Laurel that he knew was going to make her very happy. He understood that Laurel felt like she had been caged in here for too long and he agreed that she needed a little time out with kids her own age so she could have some fun…

Now John smiled broadly as he swept his daughter up off the couch in his arms, as she squealed and screeched, “DAD! Put me down!” Laurel was giggling and squirming happily…John complied, set her down, tickling her sides as she flopped back on the couch grinning at him.

“Laurel, I have a surprise for you.” he said, grinning mischievously.

Laurel looked instantly alert, “What surprise?”

“Yes,” Maggie said slowly, “What surprise?” John did this to her all the time! He would spring things on her in front of the kids before running it past her, knowing full well she would probably VETO it and she was getting that feeling right now…She narrowed her eyes and fumed silently for a moment before tuning back into what he was saying...

“So…since they’re in town on holiday for a couple of days and your mom and I have yet another boring dinner to host tonight and as Willow is going for a few days to stay with your Nana, I thought you might like to go out with them.” John raised expectant eyebrows at his daughter and smiled, looking very pleased.

Laurel beamed, “OH DADDY!” she shouted and flung herself back into his arms. “That’s EXACTLY what I need!...How did you know??” she screeched with glee. “I don’t even mind going out with Tad & Teeny…Who, incidentally, I think are the most pretentious kids I have EVER met. But, even they’re better than another night here alone!”

Maggie looked dubious, but remained silent.

“Mom…it’s ok?” Laurel looked desperate and hopeful.

“Yes Laurel. I think it would be fine, the Tamblyn’s are a very nice family…I’m sure you’ll have a good time with the kids.” Maggie sighed and gave John a dark glare.

“YEA!” she cheered and began singing and dancing her way out of the room.

“They’ll be here by 7!” John shouted after her.

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Laurel took her time getting ready for the evening. She chose her favorite ‘little black dress.’…The one that took MONTHS to convince her mom to buy… Vera Wang, silky and clingy in all the right places, tiny split up the right side, showing just a hint of garter belt…sexy, but in a sophisticated way, ridiculously expensive, only worn on super-special occasions…Perfect…

She was so excited about going out she could barely stand it! ‘And imagine with Tad & Teeny of all people!’, Laurel thought as a wicked little chuckle escaped her lips. Her parents had NO idea, she knew, that ‘T-N-T’ as they were known on the East Coast party circuit were thee most notorious party mongers of South Hampton…or of any other lavish, exotic, trendy, obscenely priced, in-spot on any continent!

“OHHH!” she gave an excited little squeal, they’ll know all the BEST London hot spots!...’Finally something’s going right for a change!’

As she dressed Laurel began fidgeting, fighting an urge at the back of her neck, making her hair tingle…something was bothering her. Usually when she went out with her ‘non-magic’ friends, (she rarely used the word MUGGLE, it just seemed like such a prejudicial label.) she never took her wand. Laurel didn’t worry too much about that, since she could do wandless magic if she had too, but decided to wear her favorite garter belt with a wand holster built in, and take her wand…just in case.

She felt a thrill of excitement and anticipation well up inside her, beyond going out with the terrible twosome, she was happy about that, but her soul was telling her there was more, something big…Something important was going to happen tonight…

Laurel plopped down at her vanity giving her curls a final fluff and scrunch and began putting on her make-up, desperately trying to push away the worries that were creeping into her head. She’d almost succeeded; when her stomach gave an uneasy flip-flop. Laurel blanched and set her brush down as a cold chill began to settle over her. It felt like an icy wet blanket being placed over her body, it was suffocating and at that moment her stomach lurched and she gagged. Laurel shuddered and the room around her began to get blurry and distant looking…Laurel grabbed the edges of her vanity to keep from passing out as a pair of silver-blue eyes appeared before her and came into focus, clear and bright against a murky background…A tall figure with light hair in a dark suite merged from the shadows, he had a strong, set jaw and those eyes again…fierce and protective looking…for her?? Yes, she knew….

Laurel was captivated…she could not bear to be torn away from those eyes…OH GOD they took her breath away!...Then a sea of white, ghostly faces began swirling around and around her, a flash of light dotted her vision and a sharp, intense pain burst in her belly. Laurel gasped and cried out from the pain, it was so severe…. Almost immediately she was overwhelmed with fear. It gripped her body and sent it trembling…Laurel knew that feeling all too well. It was a fear of death…No, no, not so much of death as of dying, alone…of being unloved…then blackness…

“NOOO!” Laurel breathed, she was shaking as she looked around stunned…her arms were outstretched, as if trying to grasp hold of the man in her vision…She had fallen off of the little bench seat in front of her vanity and was sitting on her rump, feet out in front of her.

“OK” she said nervously, trying to regain her composure. “Now that’s something new…” With shaky hands she pulled herself up and sat back on the bench, she was wobbly all over. ‘That was not me…’ she realized. ‘That was someone else...I’ve never seen into anyone’s thoughts before…anyone’s feelings…not like this!’ She had looked into someone else’s heart, someone else’s emotions…They were his thoughts…the man with the silver eyes….

“Laurel!...Laurel are you ready? Tad and Teeny are here.” It was her mother’s voice over the intercom.

She looked at it blankly, blinked and then got up automatically. “I’m ready.” she answered, trying to force calm into her voice.

‘Don’t think about it now Laurel….Don’t freak OUT!...Not tonight Laurel!’ she was doing battle with her thoughts as she shook her head, gave one more glance at herself and decided that NO WAY was she not going to go out tonight! She NEEDED it, she deserved a fun night out after all the SHIT she had been through these past months. So with her resolve in place she set her wand in its holster, sitting securely against her right thigh and left.

As she went to greet her companions for the evening, the feelings from the vision filtered away, like scales falling off of her body, revealing new skin, tender, almost raw but otherwise, she felt fine.

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Laurel greeted Tad & Teeny (nickname for Tina) with her usual grace and began, despite what she had just seen to look forward to the evening….Her teenage optimism kicking in when caution should have….

Tad & Teeny Tamblyn, (‘Who names their kids that anyway?’) were gracious and well mannered as always. Bred to be politely aloof to all, friendly to few and true friends to none. They were the epitome of old, old money; the very definition of trust fund kids – the kind who’s net worth was in the hundreds of millions. They wore their wealth and social status as if it were part of their very skin.

Laurel groaned, hanging with them, she now remembered was a tad challenging – pun intended.

She had forgotten how beautiful they both were too and the kind of attention they caused. Tad & Teeny (she was indeed tiny) – were twins. Tad, tall, well built with very blue eyes, tanned skin (From many hours on his 45’ sailboat, he’d brag to anyone who would listen), had a broad smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, dark sandy-blond hair and played football for his college (of course).

They had both just entered Yale – sniff – naturally. He, Yale Law and she, Teeny (as only her closest friends called her – so she told everyone she met…) was studying the hospitality industry, as she fancied opening a boutique inn somewhere in the Hamptons. Teeny was petite, tiny in fact, small boned, small chest, non-existent waist, white-blonde hair and the same color eyes as her brother. She, though had no tan – “It’s soo bad for porcelain skinned people such as myself.” she would coo. And they were both, though Laurel hated to admit it, really smart.

Tad was surprisingly funny and Teeny could get anyone to do anything for her…and they caused a complete FRENZY wherever they went. Paparazzi adored them, they called the duo ‘T-N-T’, because wherever they went, things were sure to be explosive…(Only quoting the gossip columns people…)

Following true to suit, ‘T-N-T’ raised quite a fuss at the uber sheik London eatery they chose…

Flash bulbs popping, people craning to see whom they were, men ogling, girls blushing and a few room keys tossed just for good measure. All the while the duo seemed unruffled, as if they were strolling along a deserted park, unfazed and unconcerned about the surrounding chaos.

No need for reservations with T-N-T! They walked in and simply commanded attention and always got it. Even though they were only 18, a year older than Laurel, the drinks flowed freely at the restaurant. The conversation was good and they were having fun, although occasionally Laurel caught herself scanning the crowd for a blond with silver eyes…

After dinner and feeling very good, the tipsy trio decided to grace the new, ultra trendy IT club called ‘SPELLS’, in London’s party-clubbing, haute district. Laurel thought the name very appropriate as anyone who got in the cross hairs of Tad & Teeny simply fell under their spell.

Laurel, who had been subjected to too many outings from summers past with these two however, was immune. She, no stranger to paparazzi, since her father was in the government and her mother a socialite butterfly was always around cameras flashing for some socialite or starlet or government event, simply looked on with casual indifference and maintained staying in the background. You don’t have to get your picture taken if you don’t want to; you just had to know how to stay under the radar. And Laurel was a master at that. She stayed slightly behind the twins and let them catch the first wave of attention and then cruised up as the crest died down, as she did now, at the door of the club.

SPELLS, like so many other clubs, simply let the beautiful people in without question, and if they looked to be somebody, (which these two were) the doors opened wide….

So with Tad & Teeny leading the way in Laurel went…to meet her destiny…

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A/N: OK, so this was a fun little chapter, we need it to lighten the upcoming mood… Tad and Teeny are my version of the ultra rich, ultra snobby, ultra popular East coast elite…We all know of them, pretend to hate them and secretly wish we were them…or at least had access to their black American Express cards and trust funds…I know I sure do, wish for the latter part that is.

Anyway, onto bigger and better things…I just LU-UH-UVEEE the next chapter…It is without a doubt in the top 3 favorite I’ve written thus far…So, you don’t have to wait, head on over and take a peek-see…If you’d be so inclined, drop me a little note to say hello here before you go!…I’ll race ya over there…READY, SET, GO!

Lorett