Zach had spent a good chunk of the evening pacing about the cottage. When that didn't banish his thoughts, he collapsed into an armchair and tried to bury his worries with a book. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, he had clearly only succeeded in depriving himself of sleep.

Instead of his leisurely morning routine that consisted of tea, the Prophet, and a brisk walk with Ivan, Zachariah had painstakingly ensured that his appearance wasn't met with rumpled hair and ink stained sweaters. He even tamed his beard somewhat, which received a few eyebrow raises from the shop staff. Mercifully, the only soul who commented had been his manager who merely stated that he 'looked more like himself' today.

The morning dragged, and even a lively search for a specific book on kelpies couldn't distract him. When it was finally time to set out, he stepped through the floo without so much as a 'good afternoon' to those around him. His sense of direction wasn't as good as Jo's, so he was glad he had built in extra time to ask a muggle whether or not he had taken a wrong turn.

Zach shouldered open the pub door slowly, his eagerness becoming nibbled away by nerves. Part of him feared that Jo wouldn't be inside, having taken off to whichever corner of the Earth called to her this time. However, the woman who greeted him from a far corner was unmistakably her.

"Jo." It took all he had not to reach out and take her hands. To pull her close to him. Instead, he came to a halt a respectable distance away, a polite smile on his face. It was only the creases next to his eyes that gave away his relief. He quickly took her in, his breath hitching as it so often did. She looked, different, somehow, more filled out. Zach smiled again, "Thank you for seeing me." He tried to keep his tone even, but his question held hints of concern. "Are you well?"