the witch next door [zarry] ✔️

viii

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Safaa calls, shaking Zain's shoulders and rushing back out again.

"The hell?" Zain calls after her, turning onto his back.

"We're visiting Harry today, you promised!" Safaa calls back.

"It's way too early to show up at other people's places unannounced," Zain calls back. He blinks at the ceiling, trying to remember if Safaa has ever been this enthusiastic about getting up unless it involved presents.

"He said he's always up early," Safaa says, poking her head back into Zain's room. "I'm making breakfast, get up!"

"You're so bossy," Zain complains, scratching his nose.

"You'd better listen! I'm learning magic now," Safaa giggles, rushing down the stairs without waiting for his reply. 

"Ridiculous," Zain complains and forces himself to sit up. 

He catches himself contemplating his wardrobe choices way more than he usually does, when usually he only spent time on it if they went into the city. There was no reason to even put on clean clothes when he spent most days walking down muddy lanes or working in the garden or around the house. He doesn't want to ruin his good clothes either, not even to impress the witch. And Safaa should not pick up on it either or he'd never hear the end of it. Shaking his head at himself he grabs the same clothes he wore yesterday, just to make sure he won't put more thought into it, running a hand through his hair and deliberately keeping himself from trying to make it look less like a mess. He should probably get a haircut soon, the way it has started curling around his ears.

"Zain!" Safaa calls from downstairs, pulling Zain from his thoughts very effectively. 

"All right!" Zain calls back, shaking his head.

🌿

The door to the cottage is ajar when they arrive. Zain keeps Safaa from simply rushing in like it was left open for them and not the cat, knocking on the wood sharply.

"Coming!" the witch yells from inside, then curses as something clangs loudly.

"We could just go in," Safaa whispers, not quite brave enough to do simply that.

It takes a moment and then the witch's bare foot appears in the gap by the door, pulling it open.

"Oh, it's you, hello," the witch smiles at them, pushing his hair from his forehead with his forearm, his hands covered in flour and dough. He looks a right mess and very endearing. Zain shakes his head, he really needs to get a grip. 

"Let me just finish with my bread and we can get started, Safaa," Harry continues, scrunching up his nose slightly and rubbing it against his upper arm awkwardly.

"You're making bread?" Safaa asks, following him curiously into the cottage. "Really?"

Zain hovers on the porch awkwardly for a moment before deciding to follow them inside, half listening to the witch explain how he bakes and what step of the overly complicated process he was currently at as he watches him gesture widely.

"Zain," the witch says, pulling him out of his thoughts. "The soil in the beds behind the house need to be turned. There's a shovel in the shed."

"Okay," Zain says, nodding.