A/N: Hello all, here is chapter four.

Lucy Kay: I was confused when I read your review because I read the first Harry Potter book and thought it was dumb. I asked my sister, and she explained. I laughed. So, as you can see, no, naming her Lavander Brown was not on purpose.

Chapter Four

Over the next weeks, Pippin and Isengrim met at the Green Dragon quite often. Many times, Isengrim would bring his sister along, and she would do nothing but sit and stare at her hands in her lap the whole time. On occasion, Pippin would try to get her to speak, but he rarely succeeded in getting more than three words at a time out of her.

One day, when Diamond had elected to stay home and play with her new nephew, Pippin asked,

"Is your sister always so quiet?"

"No, not always. She has always been quiet, but around others she is painfully shy. It makes mother angry. She doesn't think Di will ever get married because she's too afraid to speak to any lad."

Pippin motioned to the barmaid to bring him another ale. "Well, she's very nice to look at, if you don't mind my saying so. Surely there have been some lads who have come to call on her?"

"Oh, yes, there have been a few. Most of them only wanted to court her for the same reason you mentioned though; because she's pretty. Diamond is timid, and when those lads were ready to kiss her goodnight, she was only ready to begin speaking freely around them."

"Does she even want to be married?" He thanked the barmaid and winked at her before turning back to his relation.

"Yes, she does, but I don't think she wants it just yet, or at least… she hasn't met any lad she wants to marry just yet. But even if she has, she'd never tell me for fear of being teased, and she'd be too shy to approach him herself."

Pippin took a sip of his ale. "A shame, really, she's so pretty. Too bad her shyness makes her annoying."

"But she isn't like that all the time, Pippin. Surely you've noticed her talking to Rosie Cotton? And she even talks to Rosie's beau!"

"She talks to Sam?" Pippin asked, surprised.

"Yes."

"Well, why won't she talk to me?"

"She's only like that around people she doesn't know well. You must make her nervous or something. I'm just going to tell you though, she's overly emotional, an annoying trait, and she's always trying to please someone with the jobs she does. If you tell her she did something wrong or didn't do it well enough, she'll start crying. She loves music too. Father thinks that's why she doesn't talk. She just expresses herself through her music. Father has gotten her some kind of instrument every year since I can remember for his birthday, and she knows how to play all of them, even though she has never been taught. You give her something that makes music and in half and hour, she's got it figured out."

Pippin gave his distant cousin a skeptical look. "Half an hour?"

"She's a prodigy, I swear. If she wasn't so scared of being in front of people, she would probably be quite the performer. I'm sorry I've brought her along so much when you don't like her. I just assumed… with all the flirting…"

"I really just want her to look at me, that's all. Most girls can't get enough of me and she wouldn't even give me the time of day if I asked."

Isengrim nodded slowly. "You know, Pippin, I am tempted to say that I'd give anything to have the lasses fawn over me like they do over you, but remember that none of those girls are going to stick by you when times get tough. They'll be gone in an instant. You should probably try to find someone who will love you for you, instead of your fame or position."

Pippin nodded, and seemed to be contemplating the words, but on the inside, he merely laughed. Now both Isengrim and Merry were lecturing him. They were both just jealous, that was it. He did not need to pay them any attention. Merry was upset about Rosamond, and Isengrim wanted the attention Pippin always got. It was that simple. There was no need for Pippin to stop enjoying the benefits of being famous, was there?

Yay. Now I need to finish chapter six. Heidi, I think Frodo is going to show up, just so ya know. ;)