Author's Note: So, these are the remaining Ships and Songs from the Shipping Shuffle Competition I completed. Through that competition, I discovered my secret sibling, Red (TheNextFolchart), and we decided to take all the orphan pairs and songs and make a fic. There's one catch: In this Melabeth Shipathon (they gave us our own ship name heehee), each chapter will be a companion to one that comes sometime before it. As soon as Red has her first fic up, I'll link her collection, Of the Found, to my profile so you can find it. Her old collection, Silly Love Songs, is linked there now.

So, without further ado, the insanity shall begin!

This chapter links to "Golden Slumbers" from Silly Love Songs

Build Me Up Buttercup

James was nervously straightening his tie and fixing his hair. Today, April 10th, 1973, was not a monumental day in history, but it would become one. You see, today was special.

Today was the day he was going to ask out Lily Evans. And she would say yes.

He had it all planned out. He had transfigured a beautiful bouquet of daisy's (she didn't like lilies, because she thought it was too narcissistic), and he had even tried to tame his hair. He was going to be completely serious for once, and ask her out properly. Maybe it would be the hundredth time charm?

"C'mon, Prongs! Merlin, how long does it take you to get ready? If you don't go now, she'll be done with breakfast!" Sirius called from the dorm room. With one last wink in the mirror, James Potter turned and sauntered out of the bathroom.

"Let's go, boys," he said, as if he hadn't been the one they had all been waiting on. Remus grumbled something about how lovesickness was a worse disease than spattergroit, but James ignored him. It was a couple days after the full moon, so no one could blame Moony for his grumpiness.

Lily was enjoying a nice, peaceful breakfast when it was disrupted by the loud entrance of her best friend, Marlene.

"LILY! LILY EVANS!" She yelled, racing down the aisle to where Lily sat, now blushing with embarrassment for her friend.

"Yes, Marlene?" She blinked as her friend jumped into the seat next to her, leaning in close.

"Lily, I just saw the four Marauders coming down for breakfast. And James has a bouquet of daisies, your favorite flower. On top of that, he's wearing that goofy, nervous grin he only gets when he's going to ask you out. So, you better be ready with what you're going to say."

Lily sat in shock for a moment.

"He knows my favorite flower?" She looked thoughtful, like she had just realized that James Potter could possibly be slightly less of an arse than she thought.

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Of course he does, he knows everything when it comes to you. He's been trying to figure out how to please you since first year! Obviously he's had to do some research. Anyways, what are you going to say?"

Lily looked startled. "No, of course! I'd never date James Potter!" She stabbed her toast with a knife, buttering it far more thoroughly than it needed to be buttered.

"Would it kill you to say yes? Give the guy a chance. He must really like you. He's asked you out, what, a hundred times? At least?"

"Actually, this would make a hundred exactly, Marly-poo." Sirius Black swung into the seat opposite the two girls. "Now, darling Lily flower, I agree with Marlene. James has been completely infatuated with you since he first laid eyes on you, and it really wouldn't kill you to go to Hogsmeade with him. Would you at least think about it?" His eyes seemed to be begging her to say yes.

"I'll only say yes when he can show me he's grown up a bit. Until then, he's out in the cold." Sirius looked up, watching as James sauntered down the aisle towards where the three third years sat.

"I'm holding you to that, Lily Evans."

James stopped nervously beside the redheaded love of his life. "Hey, Lily." She sighed and turned to face him.

"What, Potter?" Ok, not how I was hoping she would answer.

"A 'Hi' would suffice, you know." Dammit, mouth, don't be so rude!

She smirked. "Hi, Potter. Can I help you?"

He pulled the bouquet out from behind his back. "I know daises are your favorite flower, but lilies are mine. So will you do the honor of going to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" He thrust the flowers at her, and she looked down at them in shock.

"Umm..." He stood tensely as she glanced at Marlene and Sirius. "How about I make a deal with you?"

Well, this was going much different than he had planned.

"To be honest, it's better than what I usually hope for," he said drily, sitting down next to her. "What are your terms?"

"I'll only date you if you show me you've grown up a bit." She looked him squarely in the eye.

"How am I supposed to do that?! And if you say by not pulling pranks, that's not happening, Evans. Pranking is a part of my nature. I'm not going to grow out of it."

Lily laughed. "Actually, it's not the pranks I mind, Potter. It's the arrogance and the bullying. If you can get through the entire day without saying anything bad about Severus, I'll go to Hogsmeade with you. And that includes when I'm out of earshot. You can't lie to me, James, so I'll know if you did."

James took a deep breath. "What if the boys are saying something mean and I just don't say anything?" He looked nervously at Lily.

"Well, you can't agree with what they say, but I can't stop them from saying anything, can I? So, have we a deal?" She stuck her hand out to shake.

He took it solemnly. "We have a deal."

He was doing a really good job until Potions class. Lily was working with Marlene, and he was working with Sirius, but Severus was right behind them.

"How oddly quiet you are, Potter. Normally you've come up with at least ten idiotic statements by now," the boy sneered at him. He had obviously heard from one of Lily's friends about how James wasn't allowed to say anything bad about him, and he was trying to be as annoying as possible to take advantage of it.

James gritted his teeth and said nothing.

"Come on now, Potter, too afraid to play?" Snape taunted, poking the boy in the back.

"Sirius." James whispered, begging his friend to do something.

"Wow, mate, you must really like her if you're going to put up with all of this. Alright, lemme think of something..."

Sirius whipped around as Snape poked James again. He waved his wand and Snape's pants fell down.

"Like that now, Snivellus? Enjoying the air?" He snickered, and James wished he could laugh, but he stood stoic and refused to give in. To laugh would be to lose Lily Evans.

"Potter, did you have a hand in that?" The girl herself was standing in front of his desk, eyes glinting furiously.

"No, Evans, he did not. That brilliance came from my mind only. Besides, he was bothering James, but James was too much of a gentleman to break his promise to you and do anything about it." Sirius said, giving Lily a look. She blushed, said nothing, and continued on towards the potions cabinet.

"Don't do anything to mess it up, James, because you have got it in the bag right now," Sirius mumbled.

He spoke to soon.

A firework exploded in their cauldron, showering them all with potion. Snape sat there laughing as James and Sirius jumped back to avoid the spray.

"SNAPE!" James yelled, turning on the greasy haired boy. He would not let this boy bully him any longer.

Quickly, he waved his wand with a silent Levicorpus!, pulling Snape into the air.

"How do you like that, Snivellus?" The boy struggled angrily, demanding to be put down.

Professor Slughorn was sitting in shock just watching the goings on, and James, realizing he wasn't going to be stopped by the Professor anytime soon, didn't listen.

"I know you threw that firework, Snivellus! Now apologize, or I won't let you down!" He bounced the boy higher.

"STOP IT, POTTER! PUT HIM DOWN NOW!" Lily Evans yelled. The entire class, in various stages of uproar from the events, calmed quickly and stared at the petite redhead. James slowly lowered Snape to the ground.

"He didn't throw that firework, Potter. You have no right to blame him." She helped her friend to his feet, glaring at the other boy fiercely.

"Well, if Snape didn't throw it, who did?" James asked incredulously.

"I did. I threw the firework, because I wanted to see if you were actually growing up or not. And it's obvious you aren't." She glared at him disapprovingly, then waved her wand and cleared the entire mess. "So that's a 'no' to Hogsmeade." With a last 'hmph', Lily Evans left the classroom.

James slumped into his seat. "Sometimes I really hate myself. Why did I have to fall for her?"