Hogsmeade was a peaceful village of cottages and shops. Usually, by November, ice and snow had become inseparable from its rooftops, but this year was an exception. The cold weather had arrived later than usual, leaving the Halloween decorations looking slightly out of place in the shop windows.
But Jack considered that a good thing. It greatly improved his chances of carrying out his plan to "retire after one last job." After all, unicorns would be far harder to spot once the Forbidden Forest was covered in snow.
He only hoped those brazen poachers would bring him good news today, so he could give his hard-won financial backer a satisfactory answer. The man did strike him as rather odd, with an unfamiliar accent and clothes that covered him from head to toe, but the Galleons in his purse were real enough. That was all that mattered.
Full of hope, Jack breathed out a cloud of white mist, put on his coarse cloth mask, and pushed open the door of the Hog's Head. The owner had thrown him out once before for brawling. Unless he concealed his identity properly, the owner would recognize him and immediately throw him out again. If this deal went smoothly, he would never have to return to this sweat-reeking pub or face that sour old man again.
Luckily, the grumpy old bastard was absent today. Lowering his voice, Jack ordered two craft beers from the bartender and found the wizard he was supposed to meet waiting at their agreed spot. He could not make out the man's expression, since he was wearing a mask too. Apparently, he was a wanted criminal of some notoriety and could not show his face without disguising himself.
"How did it go?" Jack sat down, pushed a beer across the table,