A Personal Concert.

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene was wandering around the second floor corridor and staring around at the pretty banners hanging about. Such an inspiration for a song. She began to sing a song in Korean, a song that she would've used to audition two months ago if she hadn't found out about Hogwarts. She hoped she might still have a chance at being a singer. Her voice echoed around the hall; it was empty except for a few students scattered here and there. It was great being able to speak Korean again. English made her head hurt a bit sometimes.

 

[Demelza Rogers]

For the first time Demelza got to where she aimed to be. The staircases usually put her somewhere else, and she was starting to get annoyed with them muttering some very harsh words under her breath when she went to the wrong floor. The staircases probably heard and thought that they didn't want to mess with her. Demelza laughed at her silly thought and walked down the second floor corridor but she came to an abrupt halt halfway down. She heard singing, no song that she had ever heard before. It seemed to be in a different language, but nevertheless it still sounded great. Demelza looked round for the source of the singing and her eyes fell upon a girl who looked round her own age. Demelza walked up to the girl "oh my merlin, that song, whatever it was sounded great!" she said complimenting the girl.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene's song ended abruptly as she heard a voice behind her. She half jumped, half turned to see another girl standing there. She grinned widely. "Thanks! I've been practicing a lot. I was actually planning to audition and become a singer back in Korea, but then I found out about Hogwarts and so here I am! My dad wasn't too happy with that, but it's all good I suppose. But I still wonder sometimes what it's like to be famous."

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza grinned "Well that practising must be doing your voice well because you sound amazing" she said to the girl. Demelza was pretty amazed when the girl said that she wanted to be a famous singer, well she had the talent for it. "My mum wasn't too happy with me coming to Hogwarts she wanted me to continue on with my model..." Demelza stopped quickly she didn't like talking about her career. Then Demelza shifted her feet uncomfortably "trust me fame's not all its cracked up to be" she said in a barely auidible whisper.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Luckily or perhaps, unluckily, Charlene caught on quickly. "You're a model? Wow...I think singers get to model too." She raised a curious eyebrow. "But life must be pretty awesome being famous! I mean, you get all the stuff you want. And you can eat all day and...yeah. Sorry." Yet she was intent on knowing why fame wasn't that great. "I mean, I'm mainly doing it cause as far as I see, the friends you make are awesome and stuff. But then, I have to say, it's kinda cool if you're like...walking down the street and some person just stops to say hi or ask for an autograph just cause they saw you on TV. You don't like that?"

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza smiled awkwardly, "Yeah..I..am" she said sighing. She listened to the girl's explanation of how fame was great, but unfortunately the girl didn't see the downside of it. It wasn't as glamorous and great as the girl was making out. She wouldn't know unless she actually went through it. Demelza took a deep breath and started to explain fame from her point of view. "Fame isn't all that great you know. I mean sure, its great getting recognised when your outside for your talent. But is it really that great when you've got mobs of people following you? or Paparazzi following your every move? Im eleven and I've already had that! And what about the friends, how do you know that they are actually your friends or are they just there to be pictured with you? to get a little bit of fame for themselves?" she said with an air of desperation in her voice. That's why she was so happy to be coming to Hogwarts, there was nothing of that. At Hogwarts she was a nobody, people would like her for herself.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene couldn't believe it at first. She had spent all her life with the bands that her father worked with, and all of them seemed perfectly happy. Of course, being the optimistic person she was, she never tried to look into the downsides; all she really knew at the time was that she wanted to sing, and she wanted to have friends like all of the celebrities in Korea did. But she really did hate nosy people. That's what paparazzi sounded like to her. She frowned. "How do you put up with that? Stupid nosy people." She shook her head. Eleven-year olds should not have to put up with that sorta stuff. "Oh yeah," she started, remembering all of a sudden. "I'm Charlene." She stuck her hand out to shake and dipped her head a bit as her customary bow.

 

[Demelza Rogers]

"Well even though my mum gets on my nerves sometimes, she does help out a lot. Sometimes the paparazzi go for her instead! Sometimes I cant go out, sometimes I go out disguised" Demelza said to the girl. The girl seemed very naive, nice but naive. Demelza forced a smile "Nice to meet you, Im Demelza Rogers" she said. Wondering if the girl had ever seen any of her photo's in a magazine, most of the people she emt out of Hogwarts had but that was because they were from New Zealand/ australia. Demelza didn't know where this girl was from.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene grinned. "When I talk to the celebrities at my dad's company, they all talk about how people stop them on the street and ask for autographs too!" She thought for a second. If she were to be famous, her mother would probably get pelted with questions at the library where she worked. Her dad, well, he was already manager so it didn't affect him much. She sighed. She already missed her family and her friends at the company. "Well...I suppose it is rather hard for the families. So what are you gonna do while you're here? Isn't it sorta hard to get pictures taken here?"

 

[Demelza Rogers]

"What does your dad do?" asked Demelza interested, Charlene's dad must be in the industry one way or another, maybe a photographer?. "Yeah it is a bit. thats why my dad left. My mum was like really famous years ago and my dad couldn't handle it" Demelza said sighing. "Thats the beauty of coming here" she said to Charlene. "Here, I dont have to have my pictures taken like every day. I dont have my mum bugging me here either. I'm going to get a break and its going to be great!" she said grinning.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene looked down, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Well, my dad's a manager for one of the bands in JYP Entertainment. That's the company I would've auditioned for if I hadn't come here. I suppose I still plan to." She scratched her forehead, and then grinned as she remembered. "My mom actually saved my dad from a dementor after one of his concerts. That's according to her anyway." She nodded. "Must be real nice having a break. Although I'm sure people recognize you here too."

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza waved away Charlene's apology "It doesn't matter". She was very interested in what Charlene's dad did, it would be very cool for her own dad to be a manager of a band. "That sounds really great! Do you talk to the band which your dad manages? and you totally should! you sing great!" she said smiling. "Yeah, it's great and some people still do, but there's not as many as you would think" Demelza said shrugging.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene laughed. "Yeah, we talk. I'm friends with all the bands in that company. They're great people and they've taught me a lot about singing and dancing actually." In fact, they had probably taught her more than her vocal teacher ever had and ever would. But now she was on her own, to teach herself or practice lots. "I'm might audition next summer or something. Get my song and dance just perfect. So do you get paid to model? I imagine you would."

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza smiled "That's awesome, it would be so cool" she said to Charlene, Demelza would love to be taught how to sing and dance from a professional band or singer. "Yeah that's probably a good idea. You could practise with some other people too. I know another dancer that misses dancing so much here" she said. Demelza nodded "Yeah I get payed but it gets put away until im like 18 or something I get less than half of it as allowance" she sighed.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene beamed. “Sweet! I should go find her then.” The thought of practicing dance with someone else was exciting. In fact, just the thought of being able to dance again was exciting. “So do you get paid a lot?” She rolled her eyes. “Parents these days,” she said, laughing. “They don’t think we can manage anything ourselves. Although sometimes I’m glad for them. I don’t get any allowance. I dun’ even know what I’d do with it.”

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza nodded and smiled "yeah I do get paid a lot" she said shrugging she didn't want to make a big deal of it, she definately didn't want to come across as an air head with lots of money, she wasn't like that at all she was the total opposite. Demelza laughed "I know! my mum insits on going every where with me like i cant be trusted! I buy clothes and lots of them with my allowance" Demelza added smiling.

 

[Charlene Jung]

“Ah, that gets to be a bit embarrassing at times, eh?” As much as Charlene loved her mom, she didn’t quite like it when she insisted on following her around, especially when she was going out with friends. “I try explaining to my mom that I need some ‘alone time’ with friends and stuff but she always takes it wrong and tells me I’m too young. I just hope she breaks the habit by the time I turn like thirteen. That would be really bad.”

 

[Demelza Rogers]

"Yes! all the time. Like before I came here to Hogwarts she insisted to come with me to buy all my books and everything! I appreciate her taking an interest in me because she has never done so before, but its not her character it was like she was trying to hard" Demelza said quickly without taking a breath. "My mom lets me go out by myself if its just like a trip to the park and stuff though" she said with a sympathetic smile to Charlene. Demelza could not stand it if her mom would not let her go out with her friends alone, that would be a bit much. Demelza nodded "Lets hope so! You could show your mom that you can be trusted, which might help" she suggested.

 

[Charlene Jung]

Charlene laughed. “The funny thing is, she refused to come to New Zealand with me, so I pretty much had to figure my own way ‘round here. It was some pretty intense shopping.” She grimaced, remembering the pain in her legs and the soreness after a full day of shopping. “I do miss home though…It’s different here.” She looked out the windows behind her, as if trying to see Korea. “So do you live really near here? The school I mean.”

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza smiled "i wish my mom didn't come to New Zealand with me" she said laughing. "I know! there was so much stuff to get for Hogwarts, like the books and the potion ingredients! Did you buy a pet?" Demelza asked Charlene. Then she nodded sympathetically "I know it's really different here, but a good different. Not really I live in Canberra in Australia, but we have a sort of second home now in Wellington New Zealand. So we can be closer to Hogwarts" she added smiling.

 

[Charlene Jung]

"Oh, no I haven't bought a pet yet," Charlene replied sadly. "I was going to; saw all the owls and stuff, and I was about to buy an owl, ‘cept I remembered my mom telling me not to spend too much, and I’d already spent a bunch on school supplies, so I couldn’t. She told me there was owls at school, and I ought to just use those. It’s too bad, since owls are so pretty. And it’d be cool to have an owl; none o’ my friends back home have got any.” She grinned.

“It’s a lot less crowded, I’ll say that. South Korea; well, Seoul anyways, is pretty much jam-packed. At least I’ll be able to get the exercise I need here. Did you buy your own house here? Like another one?” Charlene rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

 

[Demelza Rogers]

"I know what you mean. After i bought my school stuff I didn't have much money left to buy a pet. My mom wouldn't give me any more money anyway. I would of loved an owl too! You dont really see many Owls around Australia so it would be a pleasant change" she said smiling at Charlene and then she nodded. "Yeah, my mom told me to use the school owls. Have you used them yet?" Demelza asked.

She nodded to what Charlene was saying, she had heard that South Korea was crowded. "Yeah I did! But I didn't get a say in what house we got. Lucky for me my mom knows what I like so she took that into account" she grinned.

 

[Charlene Jung]

“Naw, I’ve been too busy looking ‘round the school and all to write to my parents. I was planning to write them after classes really started so I could actually say lots.” Charlene tapped her chin guiltily for a second. “But I really ought to though. I guess I’ll do that later, maybe tonight or something. I wonder if the owls fly during the day though. That might be weird; the Muggles seeing them and all.” She grinned at the thought. It would probably be in the papers and all over the Internet in Korea. “So is your house big? I’ve never had a large house before. Actually, I’ve never technically had a house before. In Seoul, all there pretty much is are apartments. Only the crazy rich and important people get separate houses. Yeah, we’re getting overcrowded.”

 

[Demelza Rogers]

Demelza smiled "I know, this place is huge! I wrote to my mom last week, she wants 'regular updates'. She also uses the letters to tell me about all the great 'opportunities' that she's got for me when we go back home for a bit" Demelza said sighing and shaking her head. "I think the owls fly during the day" she said "Well I sent my letter off in the morning and the owl flew off straight away. So they must do. I dont think the muggle's pay that much attention if im honest" she said shrugging her shoulders.

"Meh, I guess its pretty big. Not as big as the one in Australia mind you" she replied in answer to Charlene's question. "Oh, I have a picture I thi-" she said breaking off, her voice going muffled while she rummaged in her bag. Soon she resurfaced from the bag, Demelza sighed and flicked her hair out of her eyes. She handed the picture to Charlene with a smile. "I've never been in an apartment, always houses for me".