The carefully organised space looked like a bomb had hit it, which when Anastasia had gotten in, wasn’t far off. She was knelt on a stool in front of the dressing table, little hands rifling through a draw as she searched for a lipstick - a vital addition to any look, even for Antonin. 

She’d forced him onto a pouffe in the middle of the room, draped in various scarves and bits of jewellery like a Christmas tree. 

“Red or... purple?” She asked, twisting to look at him, holding up the first two lipstick she’d found. Without waiting for a response, she headed back to him, grabbing the hair accessories she’d already hunted out on her way. “And have you picked a pair of shoes yet?” She all but demanded, nodding to the pairs she’d laid out at his feet. 

For the last eighteen years, she’d never touched one of the sizable cash gifts she’d receive for her birthdays, not to mention her paychecks - even before her promotion. It meant that, with the addition of her Christmas bonus, she’d saved up a surprising amount of money in her own name - more than enough to do what she’d wanted since leaving Hogwarts: buy a place of her own. 

“Ok, but what about this one? It’s third floor, one bedroom with... high ceilings and a walk in closet, even if it looks more like a cupboard.”  

Anastasia had told him to meet her in a quiet side street. She’d checked out the area earlier in the day, picking a suitable meeting point and sizing up the target's’ house as she’d strolled past. She wasn’t too worried about anyone pinning her to this, even if she’d been spotted hanging around. It wouldn’t be difficult to sort an alibi for New Year’s Eve. 

Cloaked and stood in the shadows, she had her mask tucked under her arm, pausing in tying her hair back at the sound of footsteps. She glanced over her shoulder, relaxing at the sight of Sebastian approaching. “You know it’s rude to keep a lady waiting, right?”