To a Better End

Chapter 42

December 31st 1976

The shop for the most part was empty all day. A few people came in to pick up pre-orders, but no one lingered. Which was not great for Hermione and her sudden case of nerves.

Hermione was not one for dancing, despite the amount of dances she had attended. And dancing in the 70s? What the hell was she supposed to wear? Ultimately, she opted for denim bell bottoms and a lime green floral button-up. Rather than tucking it into the high waist of her trousers, she tied the bottom. Only a hint of her belly showed. She wore her brown boots because, despite the numerous comforting charms she placed on all her shoes, these were the most comfortable.

It was closing time, and Hermione had resorted to pacing in the shop, focusing on the clicking of the shoes against the wood floors. She fiddled with her fingers, picking at her nails and cuticles.

When the door opened, it was almost nine at night. Antonin was holding a paper bag filled to the brim and levitating a box. Hermione looked at him, with his bright smile, and arched a brow.

"Lock up and set the wards while I set up?"

"Sure." She smiled but was still unsure of what was in his Pandora's box.

A few waves of her wand and she was already heading upstairs. The moment she opened the door, she was met with a sound that was purely shocking.

"There was something in the air that night. The stars were bright! FERNANDO!"

Antonin was singing at the top of his lungs while a record player that she had never seen before played ABBA. He was standing at the kitchen counter, sleeves cuffed once, rolling out dough. There was a small movement in hips like his body needed to move to the music.

Hermione snickered. She couldn't help it. She was watching a ruthless Death Eater cook, sing, and dance in the kitchen. As ridiculous as it was, he looked quite sharp in this setting. His dark hair hung loosely around his forehead. He wore a pair of black trousers with a black shirt, not fully buttoned. She expected a Russian man to have much more hair. Perhaps he does beauty charms to keep the hairs at bay. His matching jacket was discarded on the couch, which meant she had a very good view of the way his pants outlined his assets.

"Enjoying the show, kotenok ?" He quirked his brow.

"You brought a record player?"

Shrugging, he replied, "It hardly seemed appropriate to ring in the new year without music."

Hermione walked over to him, and he immediately pulled his sleeves down. He still gave her a smile, but it seemed a bit more nervous than when there was more space between them. With a glance at the cutting board, she saw that Anontin charmed a knife to work on cutting mushrooms. With a quick wave of his wand, the dough was spread out into a large circle.

"Pizza?" she questioned.

He grinned cheerfully. "Who doesn't like pizza? You... You like pizza, right?"

"Yes, Tony." She patted his back encouragingly. "I like pizza. Do you need help?"

"You can pour the vodka." He winked at her as she shivered.

Nevertheless, she reached for the teacups they had first drank out of together and grabbed the bottle of vodka that he brought. It seemed Antonin had resorted to making this dinner with mostly magic rather than his hands.

"Not cutting by hand?" She prodded playfully.

A grim expression took over for a moment. He shook his head. "Not today, kotenok . Hands are a bit shaky."