Caroling in the Leaky Cauldron ((Kat))

[VanessaLink]

Vanessa Link made her way down to the pub floor of the Leaky Cauldrom from her room. The warmth and smell of pumpkin juice fillled her nostrils, she stepped into the main room where the carolers were gathering, took a cup of steaming hot juice and started to drink it. Once she had drank the juice and burned her throat she lined up in the line she was supposed to be in. The head caroler handed out the caroling books and instructed them to turn to page 5.

Vanessa's cold fingers flipped to page 5 and she smiled at the song. "Carol of the Bells" was printed neatly at the top. It was her favorite song of all time, it had that beautiful tune. Not to mention, she had a solo at the end. As the magical music began she started to sing. Her mouth opening wide in tune and her diction perfect.She sang the T's and S's and C's with ease and even manage to hold a note for her record. The song started to end, everyone looked at her. She could feel her cheeks get red and she looked at the words.

"On, on they send, on without end
Their joyful tone to every home.
Ding dong ding dong." And she was finished. She cut off and everyone applauded for her. Smiling, she took a low bow and sighed with relief, that part was over.

[kat]

Kat walked around the Diagon Alley – her brother had to take care of some business, so he had promised to pick her up in front of the pub, which hid the entrance to Diagon Alley later in the evening. She heard singing and as it sounded real good she wandered closer to hear it better.

Kat smiled listening to the Christmas carol - "Carol of the Bells" – as she recognized the song, as it was one of her brother’s favorite. Kat loved listening to music and it didn’t matter to her what style it was – it just calmed her. She could handle a guitar and a piano to some extent as her mother had put her into music lessons when she was small, but she never really had a voice for singing.

Kat listened as a girl sung a solo in the end and clapped with everybody else, as it had sounded fantastic. Kat was charmed and walked closer to the girl.
“Hi, I just wanted to say you sounded amazing! I mean, it’s just – WOW!” Kat said with a smile stepping to the girls’ side when most people had turned their attention away, “It was great!”<br>

[VanessaLink]

Vanessa was changing song books when a smaller girl appeared out of nowhere and complimented her. Vanessa smiled and put the song book down before trying to think of something to say. She had been getting compliments lately, and she knew she should say thanks, but she was too modest to accept such things. She always thoguht she sounded horrible, like her voice was too high or too scratchy. But, she had to grin and bear it and accept that people thought she sounded good.

"Thanks, that piece is hard...it's so...fast I guess. I'm Vanessa." She said as she stuck out her hand for the girl to shake. She then noticed her stuttering wasn't there. That was different, Vanessa always stuttered, maybe it was going away. Or maybe it was because she felt so comfortable around the singers that she had been working with since she was 5 years old. Yes, that must be it.

[kat]

Kat was surprised as the singer she complimented seemed to be somewhat nervous. A bit shy perhaps was Kat’s guess.

Kat smiled friendlily and shook Vanessa’s hand: ”It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kat. First year in Hogwarts.” Kat added as an afterthought, as Vanessa seemed the age to go to Hogwarts as well.

“So – are there going to be any more carols today or is that it?” Kat asked watching as Vanessa put the song-book away, “Actually – isn’t it hard to sing at such cold weather? It is freezing sometimes when a harsher gust of wind comes out of nowhere!”<br>
Kat pushed her hand in leather loves through her free hair, pushing them back away from her face and smiled at Vanessa openly: “If that was it for today, then would you mind terribly, if I invited you to get a mug of butterbeer of some hot chocolate? I still have at least three hours before my brother picks me up and as I have been here for 3 hours already, it’s getting a bit lonely as no one I know seems to be around.”<br>
Not wanting to sound too pushy Kat added: “You don’t have to of course. I won’t mind if you say no.”<br>

[VanessaLink]

Vanessa smiled at the first year and looked around at the other carolers. They didn't really need her so she accepted Kat's offer of getting a butter beer. The head caroler nodded and told her to shoo, Vanessa opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron and let Kat in first before closing it behind her.

"Well, yes it does get cold. But, I'm used to it by now. Just a week ago I was singing in Hogsmeade." Vanessa answered Kat's question about singing outside in the snow. They sat down at a table near the fire and ordered the drinks. Vanessa ordered a warm butter beer and she waited paitently for Kat to order. When the other girl had finished Vanessa took off her jacket and put it behind her on the back of the chair before laying her hands on the table, and putting her chin in her hands.

"So, why are you here? Other then waiting for your brother?" She asked trying to spark a flame in this conversation that was beginning to drag off by only a little. Vanessa wasn't very good at keeping conversations alive unless it was about music, if it wasn't about music she tended to get a bit bored really fast and that was never good. Maybe that was because, that's all that matters in her life at the moment, or maybe because that'sa ll she thinks about...who knows? Vanessa doesn't.

[kat]

Kat was pleasantly surprised when Vanessa accepted her offer and they went into the Leaky Caldron and ordered their drinks, then sat at a table.

“Waiting for my brother. He had to leave for a day because of his business and I asked him to drop me off here. I hoped I would bump into some friend here,” Kat shrugged and pulled her long red scarf from around her neck.

“Actually my brother owns a computer company and his company just wrote a new program about editing music – it let’s you add different background music and drums and things like that to a song,” Kat explained, trying not to go too much into details so not to bore Vanessa, “But would you mind how long have you sang? It sounded great. Wish I could do something like that, but I think I’ll have to be satisfied with just listening.”<br>
Kat looked up as their drinks arrived and took a sip from her drink: “DO you know how to play any musical instrument also? Or do you write songs yourselves? Sorry, if I’m too nosy, but I’m just curious.”<br>

[VanessaLink]

Vanessa smiled as Kat mentioned her brother owning a computer store. She remembered helping her uncle with his computer store. She was never really good at it. Excpet, singing the jingle for the commercial that was. Her uncle would always try and explan things about the motherboard and megabites and all that. She never really understood, so she would nod and smile, pretending she did.

"I've been singing since I was 4. My aunt owned a sort of talent theatre and she would force me to sing. I also play piano, that's what most my music is written by. I can play guitar, but not so well. Sometimes. But, not a lot. Kat. Anyone can sing. It's just a thought of the heart. Don't think that you are singing horrible, or OH! you hit that high note all wrong. Sing from your heart. If you want, I can help you...I'm not a very good teacher, but, I know some techniques...you don't have to of course. It was just a suggestion." Vanessa rambled, putting all her answers into one big speech. She smiled as she gasped lightly for breath and tried not to laugh. She had just offered to give voice lessons. She was coming out of her shell.

[kat]

“Singing lessons?” Kat laughed happily, “Well, I am grateful.”<br>Kat put her mug down and gestured while speaking – also a habit of hers, to get carried away in some subject, so she just HAD to gesture to accent more important points.

“I’m not saying I can’t sing – I mean I don’t sound as if an elephant stepped on me and I loved to sing, until I had a inflammation of vocal chords when I was 6 – I run around with ice-cream in a T-shirt in mid-December!” Kat smiled and picked up her cup, “I guess the musical talent in our family went to my brother actually, although he doesn’t sing outside the house.

I can play piano and guitar though – I prefer the piano actually, as I can play that better. Chopin is my favorite,” Kat stretched her fingers around the cup, “But what about that talent theatre? Do you still sing there when you are outside of Hogwarts? And do you sing in Hogwarts as well?”<br>

[VanessaLink]

Vanessa smiled and brightened at the mention of Chopin. Her favorite piece of his was Concerto in E minor. She loved playing that, maybe even more then she loved singing. As Kat asked her about the talent theatre, her smiled faded.

"No, actually. I don't sing there anymore. It would be singing in front of my peers at home who think me, a stupid idiot who can't talk correctly. Which I very much can! And no, I don't sing at Hogwarts, well I do...just not like a concert or for the choir or anything." She answered with a small smile, stage fright was always something Vanessa had to deal with once and awhile, and she never really liked it. No, it bugged her to death.

[kat]

Kat saw Vanessa’s smile fade when she mentioned the talent theater and listened to Vanessa’s quite inspired small speech with a smile.

“Why don’t you sing at the Hogwarts choir though? Might be fun,” Kat offered loosely leaning back in her chair throwing her legs over the armrest, as she loved to sit everywhere.

“What about muggle music? The latest hits and songs I mean – do you listen to them? And if you do what do you think? I find it surprisingly difficult to find something I like from there,” Kat continued almost lazily sipping to her drink.

[VanessaLink]

"Oh, I know the Hogwarts choir would be fun...but, I have this overwhelming thing of stage fright. I can sing in front of total strangers, but singing in front of people I know...that's a different stroy. And if I sang in the choir, I would be singing in front of everyone I know. And the Slytherins aren't that nice either." Vanessa smiled and rolled her eyes at the insults she was imagining could come from that nasty house of Hogwarts students.

"Muggle music? Well, let's see, I like Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Larena McKennit, Enya...I like a lot of the classical/new age singers like those, but if you mean bands I like; Hoobastank, Evanesence, and Breaking Benjamin. I don't listen to the latter ones as much as the before." She answered as she bit her lip in deep thought, it was hard thinking of the bands and musicisians she liked from the Muggle world. Although, she did live with her Aunt and Uncle, who were strictly muggle, she rarely listened to music instead of playing it.

[kat]

“Stage fright so you can sing to strangers but not friends? That’s new,” Kat smiled thinking about it for a moment.

“I have never really suffered from stage fright – I was spoiled as child and the years I spent traveling with my brother made me loosen up as well. Shyness isn’t a problem for me either really. It is quite useful really,” Kat smiled once again as she thought of Vanessa’s favorite musicians and bands. She liked most of them as well.

“But what if you could sing so no one would know it was you? We are witches after all – how about a glamour spell, that makes you look completely different while you perform. I’m sure Dumbeldore would let you perform at some party then – you probably just have to sing to him first,” Kat ordered an orange from and after receiving it started to peel it.

“That way you wouldn’t be judged by your singing – although I’m sure everyone would love it – and you could perform. Let the rest of the world know about your talent,” Kat suggested before smirking, “Sorry, if I got too carried away. I tend to do it sometimes. Organize things – I’m mostly always on the go.”<br>
“DO you sometimes write music yourself as well? Tunes and/or words as well?” Kat curiously asked more.