Undercover

Prologue

Two months ago:

"Y/N I really need you to take this case. It's a pretty serious one and I need my best agent on it." I looked at my boss sitting in his cushy office behind his desk. I was usually excited to get a new case but this one seemed different. My boss, Hiram Baxter, was practically begging me so I knew it was serious. "Okay, what are the details?" I asked. "We have got some intel that someone in the Ministry has been paying rouge and still active Death Eaters to kidnap, torture, and kill muggle-borns." Mr. Baxter sighed. "Oh my god how long has this been going on?" I asked. "According to our intel it's been happening for a little over five months. They've been controlling the numbers they're taking to avoid suspicion but one of them finally got reckless and took four people in one night". My stomach sank. It was like we were reverting back to the dark times again. "So, what do you want me to do" I asked. "Am I gathering more information or am I-" but before I could finish, Mr. Baxter interrupted me. "What I am going to ask of you is incredibly dangerous but I'm afraid we don't have a choice". There was a few beats of uncomfortable silence as I watched my hard as nails boss gain the courage to say his next sentence. "We need you to go undercover and be one of them. We need you to infiltrate and get as many names and information as possible and find out who in the Ministry has been paying them so that we can nail all these guys for good. They skipped out on punishments too easily last time. We can't let that happen again."

I sat back in my chair. When I had joined a special task force for hunting down active Death Eaters and bringing them to justice,I knew it would be dangerous, but this, this was a whole new level. "We won't be able to provide you any back up or any help at all" Mr. Baxter continued. He had stood up from behind his desk and walked to the front of it, facing me. I looked up at him. "You do know what they'll make me do to prove my loyalty. They will probably force me to get the Dark Mark and force me to kill. I won't do those things" I said, shaking my head. "I know. We have one of those things figured out. We've been developing a charm that will imprint the mark into your skin but will be removable, only at the bearers will." He replied. "So, it's not permanent?" "No it's not. Unfortunately, any actions you will be forced to take will be permanent. This is the sacrifice you must make, assist in this treachery to hopefully save countless more lives." We sat in silence for a long time. "Ok." I said. "I'll do it."

After a full appearance change, I was almost ready. I sat in on many demos of the 'removable' Dark Mark charm before I allowed the charm to be used on my skin. I needed to be sure that it wouldn't be permanent. I had always made a point to be against the Dark Lord, and I intended to keep it that way. I lifted my wand and pointed it at my left forearm. "Obscure Appareat Vestigium" I whispered. To my horror, a skull and a snake appeared and began to writhe on my arm. The pain was excruciating."Tenebris Signum Evanescet" I said immediately. The mark vanished as quickly as it had appeared. I rubbed my arm, the pain was gone and any trace of the evil the mark represents went with it. And with that, my journey began as I sought out every possible contact I could think of until I found them. In no time at all, I had been inducted to their ranks and gained their trust.

After two long months, I had enough. I didn't have all the information I needed but I could no longer stand by and watch innocent people, some of who I had known well, die. The day before I was going to leave, my identity was compromised. I didn't know who had exposed me but I wasn't going to stick around to find out. I managed to slip out of the Death Eater head quarters but not before a Death Eater named Everett Harlow plunged a knife into my side after I disarmed him. I don't remember how I ended up in the hospital. After I had been stabbed, I disapparated to an alley somewhere in London. Another Wizard must have found me and taken me to St. Mungo's.

I flashed in and out of consciousness, only catching snippets of conversations and questions. I remember being asked what my name was and I remember thinking that I couldn't say my real name but passed out before I could think about which name to say. Would the Death Eaters find me soon? I had no idea what would happen next.