Hey ya'll! Just a note, on 12 August 2008, I revised the first three chapters of this story. I didn't do much to the first chapter. In the second chapter I gave a physical description of Emily and her coffee shop and I wrote more about Scorpius's flat. In the third chapter I added some more details about the conversation at the Weasley's, and also wrote a bit more about Rose's place. I got a couple reviews that pointed out that I don't get all that descriptive, and so I went back to jazz it up a bit. I think it gives a little more to the story. It might be worth the reread.

By the by, I'm sorry that I was MIA for a while there. I just… got sick of typing. I sit at a computer all day long at work and when I get home, that's the last thing that I want to do. But I don't want to give up on this story! I just took a much-needed break. (I seriously think that I might be developing carpal tunnel syndrome. Not to mention my back hurts from sitting all day. I'm a 20 year-old with the aches and pains of a 72 year-old.)

Don't Tell Dad I'm Dating A Malfoy

Chapter Four: A Quick Fix

I watch Lily pace back and forth in my kitchen. Every time that she turns and whips her head around her ginger hair flares out for a second before bouncing right back into place. She does it again. Again. Again. She stops in front of the window and looks at me. I straighten up in my chair, awaiting her words. She turns to start pacing again and I slouch back down, sighing.

She stops again and looks at me.

"I don't even believe you anymore," I pick up a book from my table and start flipping through it.

She starts tapping her nails against the counter in a staccato rhythm.

Slamming the book back onto the table, I lose my patience. "Lily! Say something!"

A small smile forms on her lips. "I'm so happy for you."

I roll my eyes. "Thanks. What else?"

"What?"

"I know that you didn't just pace back and forth for ten minutes and the only thing you thought of was that you're happy for me." I'd invited her over this morning to tell her about my date with Scorpius last night.

Her smile broadens. "I'm so proud of you too!" She squeals and raises her voice. "You kissed him. You kissed him, Rose!"

"I know!" I match her volume as her enthusiasm fuels my own excitement.

"And you talked to him about the two of you!"

"And he agreed that, yes, we are officially dating!" I repeated the words I'd spoken earlier.

The next five minutes or so are filled with a noise that, to the untrained ear, might only sound like girly giggles and screeches. We both know exactly what the other is saying, though.

We return to a normal pitch and real English as Lily sits down across from me. "This is so great! Scorpius seems like a quality guy," her eyes get that distant, dreamy look.

"I think so too," I fold my hands and lay them on the table. "And that's what I wanted to talk to you about," I take a deep breath. "I'm worried. I really think that Scorpius and I could be happy together."

"That's awesome!" A look of concern suddenly wipes away her smile. "Why are you worried?"

"I have two words for you. Hugo. James," I hold up two fingers. "Dad. Albus. Uncle Harry. Uncle George. Fred," I hold up more fingers as I keep adding the names of my male relatives.

"Well, that's more than two words Rose," she states matter-of-factly. "And here I thought you were the smart one in the family."

"Fine. Those were names and didn't count. I have two real words. Our family."

"Much better," she approves with a nod. "And I couldn't agree with you more. Our family is a problem."

"What if, for some odd and unapparent reason, Scorpius wants to meet our family?"

"Tell him they're all dead?" She suggests.

"Lily."

"Or they're all on holiday for an undetermined amount of time. We're the only two that didn't go."

"You're so helpful," I begin rubbing my temples. I feel a headache coming on.

"I do my best," she replies brightly.

"Seriously, Lily. I need to figure this out. What should I do? You know that neither Hugo nor my dad is going to be happy about me dating, never mind the fact that it's Scorpius Malfoy. And, by the way, what was with them trying to fix me up with people yesterday?"

"I was just thinking about that. How strange? I would never expect our brothers to set you up with someone on purpose. Do you think," she begins. "No. They wouldn't," her features darken.

"What?"

"Well, it's weird, isn't it? A few days after you mention that Scorpius asked you out they all of a sudden want you to start dating someone," she says slowly, letting each word sink in. "I, for one, don't think that that was a coincidence. I'm willing to bet they would have you date someone they've chosen rather than a Malfoy."

I could see them doing that.

"Well, obviously I'm not going to date Eric Schmidt or Chris Allen."

"Obviously," she agrees fervently.

For a moment, I thought that I might try to appease my brother by going on a date with one or the other, and perhaps that would keep him from getting suspicious, but the idea of going out with someone other than Scorpius (whether for show or otherwise) did not appeal to me in the least. No. There would be no pretending.

"So then what should I do? If Scorpius does want to meet our family, what should I say? 'I'm sorry. You probably shouldn't ever see them. They hate you.' That's not a good thing for a girlfriend to do, Lily. At least not this early in our relationship," it's my turn to stand and pace the room. "This isn't fair. Scorpius is so nice and he does not deserve that," I can hear my voice gaining volume as it becomes more and more indignant. "And Scorpius is so nice that there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that, if we keep dating, he will at least want to talk to my parents. I'd hate to be responsible for turning any of my relatives into murderers."

"Calm down Rose, we'll think of something."

"How can you be so sure?"

She stands and walks to my side. Placing her hands on either side of my face she forces me to look into her eyes. "Because we always do," she leans forward and our foreheads touch. "Listen to me. Are you listening?"

My eyes are crossed as I try to keep eye contact and I let out a small giggle. When we were younger, we were a rowdy couple of girls who couldn't stay focused for more than a minute at a time. We used to do this if we had something important to say. "You have my full attention."

"Scorpius. Is. Wonderful," she emphasizes each word. "We are going to make this work for you. I've got a plan. Granted, it's not going to fix all of our problems, but it should buy us some time. We'll figure this out," she assures me.

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have Lily.

XXXX

By Monday, Lily's plan is in motion. She comes into Nathaniel's promptly at eleven o'clock and sits at Scorpius's usual table. I bring her some soda as she pulls out a magazine. She's still looking for ideas for her dad's party.

"I told you that he doesn't normally come until around noon."

Lily arches an eyebrow as she looks up at me. "I don't know, Rose. I get the feeling that I won't have to wait long. I'm actually surprised that he didn't beat me here."

"What do you mean?"

"I bet he's dying to see you," her eyes begin to glaze over wistfully. "You'll see."

So, I think that Lily really missed her calling as far as Divination goes. Not ten minutes after she says that to me Scorpius arrives. We smile at each other and then I look at his table. Lily gives me that smug look that I've come to know and hate before she turns her head toward the door.

"What a coincidence, Scorpius Malfoy!" She beams as she greets him. "It's been a while. Why don't you sit down and we'll have lunch together." Apparently she wasn't going for any sort of subtlety.

"Lily," he nods in her direction. "It's good to see you. You're sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all, have a seat," she encourages.

"Hi Scorpius," I give him a glass of water and a menu. "I see Lily has commandeered you."

"Hey," Lily pouts, pretending to be offended by my choice of words.

Scorpius glances from Lily to me. "So what's going on here?" he inquires, the hint of a smile on the corner of his lips.

"What do you mean?" Lily and I say at the same time. That wasn't suspicious at all.

"In all the time I've been coming to Nathaniel's for lunch, not once have I seen Lily here. Not that I'm not glad to see you," he assures her quickly. "But is it already time for the interrogation? I was expecting something like this but not this soon."

"You saw right through me," Lily sounds slightly disappointed.

"Trust me. This isn't my doing," I raise my hands. "She's rather insistent. But I'll be right back. I have to go take care of something."

I hear Lily begin asking questions right away. I almost feel bad for Scorpius. Almost.

I return moments later, just in time to hear Scorpius say, "You should really meet my friend Emily."

I bite my bottom lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"How are we doing over here?" I make my presence known.

"Great!" Lily exclaims.

"Does that mean that he passes the first round?" I ask jokingly.

"Yep!" Lily answers as Scorpius says, "First round? There's more?"

"You're lucky that I got to you first," Lily tells him with the hint of a warning in her voice. "Trust me, you don't want to deal with anybody else in our family quite yet."

"Is that right?"

"Definitely."

"Lily is the only one who knows about us as of right now," I admit.

"I honestly can't blame you for not telling anyone else yet," she says to me before turning back to Scorpius. "Our family is completely mental. You should be glad that Rose is shielding you from their wrath right now. Hell, I'd gotten dumped by at least three guys before I realized that the real reason that they didn't want to date me anymore was that they got scared and ran away. It's what happens when a girl in the Weasley clan introduces a boy too soon."

"I wouldn't run away," Scorpius smiles at me and I can't help but blush.

"Darling," Lily places a hand lightly on his shoulder. "That's what they all say. Trust me. You don't want the family hassling you before you even get to know each other properly."

"Right," I interject. "It'll be easier for me to convince you to stick around if we've had some time together first. Come to think of it, though, I really wish I had introduced my last boyfriend much sooner. That would have saved me a lot of trouble if he'd gotten scared away."

We share a laugh. Lily adds more to that comment. "Truthfully, I have, in the past, purposely introduced a few guys too soon. I didn't have to feel guilty about dumping them, and they just left on their own. I was glad to be rid of them."

"So, let me get this straight," Scorpius furrows his brows. "The longer it takes for me to meet the family the better?"

"Not necessarily," I say cautiously.

"Remember Jacob?" Lily chimes.

"He was one to be embarrassed about," I state matter-of-factly. "He was quite the buffoon, as it were."

Lily giggles, "Buffoon does not even begin to describe him. In my defense," she turns to me and I notice that her cheeks are slightly pink. "I was young and I was just so excited to have a boy interested in me, I didn't care how he acted around me. I would never have told my family about him."

"Young? It was last year," I remind her.

"Well, then, I was young-er, wasn't I?"

"So, if it doesn't take very long to meet your family it's a bad thing, but if it takes too long to meet your family, that's also a bad thing. How do I know how long is just long enough then?"

"You don't," Lily gets way too excited when she answers.

I roll my eyes. "Trust me, Scorpius. You don't have to worry about it. You'll know when it's the proper time," I say, leaving the two of them there so that I might return to work.

That comment seems to please Scorpius.

Lily is a genius. She's right that this wouldn't be a permanent solution, but it would definitely delay the inevitable. Hopefully, by then, I'll have found a way to show my family the good side of Scorpius Malfoy. Hopefully.

Scorpius orders a sandwich and Lily orders a salad. I try to spend as much time as I can manage at their table but it's getting more and more difficult as the lunch rush arrives. I suppose that's okay, though. Lily is definitely keeping Scorpius entertained.

I feel so happy right now. I can't remember the last time that I felt this way. From the kitchen, I peek around the corner to catch a glimpse of Scorpius and Lily. Lily, as per usual, is sharing an anecdote that apparently requires extremely animated gesticulations. Scorpius watches and listens, reacting to her story at all the proper times, smiling all the while.

I'm excited all of a sudden. I'm excited to get to know him better, to learn more about him, to spend more time with him, and even to meet his family. I can see this being something very good.

I return to their table with the check. Scorpius already has his wallet out. "I have to get going," he explains. "I'm running a bit late. I didn't realize how long we'd been talking, I was really enjoying myself," he tells Lily. His face is sincere when he says this. "Thanks for having lunch with me, and it was really good to see you again."

"Good to see you too," she perks up in her chair.

"Rose, if you aren't busy after work tonight, I was wondering if you'd like to get coffee with me."

I sigh. "I don't know if I can tonight. Lily and I are supposed to go with James to," I don't even get the chance to finish telling him my plans for the night.

"I'll cover for you," Lily waves her hand dismissively.

"Lily, I-"

"Rose," she says sternly, glaring at me. I shift uncomfortably. Her demeanor changes quickly as she smiles brightly. "I said that I would cover for you. I'm sorry. I think I may have monopolized the conversation today. Very important matters, though, you understand?" She asks Scorpius.

"Oh, of course," he plays along.

"So you two should go and spend a few hours together after work. We'll just meet later, okay?"

"You're the best Lily." And I mean it.

"I never get sick of hearing that."

"It's settled then. I'll meet you here after work tonight, Rose."

"Okay," my smile widens and I can feel my heart beat slightly faster.

"Hey, Lily, you should come get coffee with us one of these days," he says standing up. "I'm completely serious that I think you should meet my friend Emily."

"I'd love to! Let me know when will be a good time. Bye Frank!" She waves at him and winks at me.

"Lily," I scold playfully. "Remind me later to explain to you the purpose of a code name, okay?" I whisper so that Scorpius can't hear.

She grins impishly.

I walk Scorpius to the door. "Did she just call me Frank?"

"Yeah. I'll explain it to you later. Or maybe I won't."

He can only laugh. "She's quite the character."

"That's a nice way of putting it. I'll see you tonight," I touch his shoulder and let my hand slide slowly down his arm. He holds my hand in his and leans in quickly to kiss my cheek.

"See you then."

XXXX

That's it for the fourth chapter. Again, I apologize for letting this go for so long without an update. I'm seriously typing with one hand right now. Ugh. The prospect of sitting in this uncomfortable chair while my hand and fingers weren't feeling too spectacular was not at all appealing to me. I was very unmotivated to write anything, but I'll get over that. Hope you enjoyed this!

P.S. I promise that I will not leave this story unfinished forever. I just might be a bit slower for a while. Please bear with me.

Thanks for reviewing! thewandofdestiny, (Aw, I'm glad that you got so excited about all that! As for my other story, I'm still trying to work out the kinks. The whole thing with them being wizards is kind of making it difficult. Certain things just don't make sense. I'll figure it out, though!) HarmonyFan, (Thanks a bunch!) doing 25 life in Azkaban, (Oh yes, let us all tease our guy friends about their man purses.) Dramione-Fan 17, (Thank you, thank you.) SaraKlumHalpertBanks, (Yeah, I'm going to marry Jim Halpert. Woohoo, Season 5 starts soon!) Strawberry xx, (Yay for awkwardness!) Kat.1600, (Glad you liked it!) Lupin4Tonks, (Glad you liked the kiss! I think that the girls will meet in the next chapter. Maybe. It's coming, anyway.) FollowingTheInkTrail, (Yeah, the awkwardness wasn't too difficult to convey. I've had plenty of that type of run-ins. Yeah, Gregory is pretty awesome, and I'm totally jealous that you know someone like Lily. I took qualities from my closest friends to create her, but to have her in one person in real life… whoa. Haha. Aw, olive juice too!) chewing-gum-addicted, (Teehee, I was worried they wouldn't kiss either. Gosh, Scorpius needs to be more outgoing.) Beauty Eclipsed, (Sorry that this update took forever.) PadfootPatronus, (Hey dude, sorry about the ridiculously long time it took for the update. Anyway, yeah… it's okay by me if you keep saying that you love Scorpius. I won't lie, anytime that I make him do something cute/sweet/endearing in a story, I'm all about getting happy and professing my own love for our fictional boy, lol. Um, it probably made me a little too happy when you said that the plot line with the boys setting her up with someone is a 'keeper'. I felt super clever. I guess I'm sounding pretty conceited too, lol. And that is totally awesome if Lily reminds you of yourself. I took qualities from my closest friends to make her, and that is definitely how I wish I could be. Anyway… sorry again!) deliriousdobby, (Haha, no, definitely not second date topic. And Lily is awesome!) BeanOwnsEnder, (I sent you a private message, and I hope that my lack of updates hasn't deterred you from reading my story!) Shiva'sGirl, (Why, thank you darling! Sorry I didn't get this up here sooner.) –Argentinita-, (Glad that story about my little sister amused you, lol. Yeah… I have three younger sisters and I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you about the getting better with years things. One did, one didn't, and the baby is still undecided, lol. Anyway, yeah, the shy boy thing gets on my nerves too.) hondagirl, (Hey there, I know you hate these things… Well, we've already sent a few PMs back and forth… Looking forward to reading more of your story! Thanks again for all the awesome advice! Take care.) brokenstitches, (Why, thank you!) and RedWingNut, (Yeah, I'm still not completely sold one way or the other about Harry's birthday party. The princess thing is still an option. We'll see! Thanks for the review!)