The first time they had visited Diagon Alley together - just last weekend - her father had told her where to wait if she ever got separated from him. Thing is, Melody couldn't remember. She had gotten bored of the book store they were in, so he said she could go to the Magical Menagerie right across the street if she promised to stay there (and only there) until he came to get her. Of course she agreed to this.

As soon as she left the book shop, though, Melody was distracted by the sight of a rainbow-like lizard and a vendor down the Main Street. She had never seen anything like that creature, not even at her father's zoo. She made her way through the crowd of people and ended up at the woman's table. She was soon shooed away, and planned on going to the Menagerie. However, an ice cream parlor captured her attention next. She just had to see if they had mint chocolate chip this time - last time they had run out.

Her wandering is how she ended up overwhelmed by the large crowd of witches and wizards a number of minutes later. It was Spring Break, so most of the kids were back from school, and there were a lot of parents, too. She'd never seen Diagon Alley so full of life, but the increase in numbers was making Melody feel worse. She couldn't see which way certain shops were, and she was never very comfortable around strangers unless she had someone familiar by her side. Her dad was probably still in the book store, though.

Melody was getting more and more upset as she tried not to be swept away by the crowd.

A sign pointing towards "Knockturn Alley" avoided her attention as she moved towards the less-crowded walkway. She was too small to be wandering around in the mainstream crowd - she feared she would get even more lost. Melody stood by the brick wall there, feeling overwhelmed and lost and just hoping her dad would come find her. He had to know that she was lost and scared, right? Melody became more and more doubtful as the seconds and minutes passed. What if he never found her? What if she was too lost-

She spotted a familiar face in the crowd, but it wasn't her father. She recalled a nice guy who would always wave to her from a Hogsmeade shop window, and she opened her mouth to call out to the man. But she had no clue what his name was. She frowned, feeling like she was about to cry. She wanted needed someone to help her find her way back...

It felt like every time that Jack took out the rubbish, he found someone in need. Several months back, it was the mutt Beowulf digging for food in the bins behind the Sword and Chant. Last month it had been his new mate Arrow, hiding from some blokes with murder in their eyes. So as he lugged two heaping bags towards the only rubbish bin he knew of, he wondered if he'd find anyone else hiding amongst its stinky and colorful foliage.

Needless to say, he was sorely disappointed when a cursory glance around the bins revealed nothing alive. Well... it was wizard trash, so the term was subjective. There was likely something in one of the bags that could be classified as alive. Rather, there was no living creature that needed Jack's immediate help, save with a scruffy, one-eyed cat that hissed and bolted the moment the smell of werewolf entered the alley. He wasn't too bothered by this. Despite how the human in him felt, the wolf was not particularly fond of cats and therefore they were not fond of Jack.

With his hopes dashed, Jack tossed his bags into the bin with a heavy sigh. In the last week or so, life had become unbearably dull. Though he wouldn't trade his new job at Puddifoots for the world, he had to admit that he missed the rush of breaking up bar brawls and chasing off belligerent drunks who didn't want to pay their tab. He'd be lying if there wasn't some part of him that hoped some patron would spill their tea and become enraged at how hot it was, if for no other reason than to give Jack the joy of tossing them out. Especially if it meant protecting Lou. He liked that thought more than he should.

No sooner had he left the confines of the alley did Jack pause, his nostrils perking up. Though his senses weren't as heightened as they were near the full moon, he still possessed an uncanny sense of smell that meant he could pinpoint strong emotions and as he left the odiferous aura of the bins, he was hit full in the face with a wave of fear. Sniffing, he looked around for the source of the fear, which was proving difficult thanks to the muddled smell of desperation and suspicion that generally permeated Knockturn Alley. After a couple of moments, he found her. A little girl, probably about 5 or 6, blond and tearstained. It took a moment for him to realize he recognized her. He had taken to waving at the kids too young for Hogwarts that passed Puddifoots with their parents and she was one of the few that reciprocated. Dora had told him that her father was some big name but he couldn't remember for what. That didn't matter, because at the moment the only thing that he was concerned about when it came to the father was his absense.

He also didn't like the fact that there were a couple filthy ne'erdowells eying her with an intent he was sure wasn't a kind one. Granted, not all denizens of Knockturn were bad (He was proud to be one of the less criminal ones) but he highly doubted they were the type to escort a lost child to the nearest Auror station. So he made quick work of jogging across the street and falling into a crouch in front of the lass, giving her a friendly smile "Oi there, love, don't ah recognize ya? From Puddifoots in 'ogsmeade?" He said with as unthreatening and unpatronizing of a tone as he could manage. Kids generally disliked being talked down to. Behind her back, he gave the two men a rather rude gesture with his first two fingers and a glare that clearly told them to sod off. They must have been Sword and Chant customers, because the moment they recognized him, they went the other direction while mumbling darkly under their breaths. Turning back to her, he added "Where's yer da, love? 'e's usually with ya, right?"