Nikolai is Margarita’s officious neighbor (where she lives with her husband, not the master). When Natasha becomes a witch by using Azazello’s cream (as Margarita has already done), Nikolai is astonished by her youthful beauty and tries to come on to her, calling her “Venus” despite having a wife already. She mischievously rubs him with the cream, turning him into a hog which she rides instead of a broomstick. At his request, he is turned back into his normal form, but later regrets not trying to stay with Natasha.