Chapter Fifteen – The Curse

(A/N: Again, fourteen years ago. Yep! We're back with Frank and Genevieve!)

SLAP!

"Where is he?" Shawn spat at Frank, who was tied to a chair, and wandless.

Frank glared at Shawn. "You...you traitor!"

SLAP!

Shawn's hand pulled away from Frank's face. "Where is he, you bastard?!"

"How would I know, Shawn? I'm not your kind. I'm not like you."

SLAP!

"Shawn, leave him alone!" cried Genevieve, who was also tied up, just across the room. "We don't know!"

Shawn crossed the empty, cold room over to Genevieve. "You don't know? But you see, Jen, I think you do. I think you do know. And you'll TELL ME, DAMNIT!" His backhand whipped across Jen's face. She slowly began to cry, but he just frowned more. "Stop the crying, Jen! It will only get me angrier!"

"How could you, Shawn? And how could I have missed it?" Frank whispered, not believing his best friend could possibly be on the side of the Dark Lord.

Madelyn walked up to Frank. "It's so simple, Frank. Just tell us where Voldemort is, and we'll let you go. You don't have to be hurt, Frank."

"I'm telling you, Maddie! I don't know where he is!" Frank spat, his face bright red with anger.

"Oh," Madelyn whispered, walking out of the room.

Shawn sat down in his own chair, right in front of Frank. "Listen, Frank, we're pals, aren't we? We're good friends. Tight. Remember that one night, at Hogwarts, you said that you'd tell me anything? That we were best friends, right Frank? Remember? Well, it's time for you to live up to that night, Frank. I don't ask much from you, Frank. Just tell me where he is. Or, I may have to use this." Shawn pulled out his wand. "We wouldn't want that, now would we, Frank?"

Frank spat into Shawn's face.

An evil grin spread across Shawn's face. He lifted his wand, pointed it at Frank's nose, which was bleeding from the slaps, and screamed, "CRUCIO!"

Frank's whole body suddenly began shaking uncontrollably. His legs tried to jerk up towards his head, but because they were tied down, they couldn't.

Shawn's eyes glowed, almost like fire, and the spasms became faster and faster, and more painful for Frank. Frank howled, suddenly, in pain, and Shawn laughed. Genevieve was crying, almost hysterically, from seeing her husband hit by the Cruciatus Curse.

After what seemed like hours to Frank, Shawn lifted the curse off of him.

"Had enough?" Shawn hissed, the evil smile returning. "Do you need more?"

Frank glared at him. "I don't care, Shawn."

Out of nowhere, Madelyn walked into the room, holding a tiny bundle of blankets.

"NEVILLE!" screamed Jen, who began crying again. "What are you doing with my son?!"

Madelyn's lips curled. "Frank told us that Neville was his weakness, Jen. And obviously he's yours as well."

"Put him down, Maddie! He's only a baby!" screamed Frank. "He's not a part of this!"

Shawn stood from his chair, and pointed his wand at the bundle in Maddie's arms. "Tell me, Frank! Tell me now! I've killed before, I'm not afraid to kill again!"

"YOU WOULDN'T!" Jen shrieked.

"Wouldn't I?" Shawn said calmly. "Tell me, Frank...or your son...your son..."

Frank looked at Genevieve. "Put Neville down, Shawn," he said, quietly.

Shawn and Maddie nodded at each other, and Maddie walked out of the room with Neville.

Genevieve and Frank both let out a sigh of relief, tears still streaming down Jen's face.

"Okay, Frank. Now tell me."

Frank shook his head. "I don't know, Shawn."

"FINE, Frank! You asked for it! Crucio!"

Frank once again went under the Cruciatus Curse, and again, Genevieve screamed for mercy.

"Tell me Frank!" Shawn shouted over his cries of pain. "Tell me and it will all go away!"

Fighting through the pain, Frank screamed, "I DON'T KNOW!"

"Okay, Frank!" The tip of Shawn's wand glowed red, and Frank's body shook harder and harder.

Finally, the ropes holding Frank down snapped, and he fell onto the floor, shaking violently. Despite Jen's screams, Shawn refused to lighten up, and in fact, his curse became stronger and stronger.

Then, suddenly, Shawn lifted his wand. But Frank was still shaking, though less aggressively. His eyes were rolled back in his head, and sputters of pain came like coughs out of his mouth. Shawn stared at him. "Insane," his whispered. "He's gone insane!"

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" screamed Genevieve, who was beyond tears. "I can't believe you...look what you have done to Frank!"

Madelyn suddenly appeared in the room, her eyes wide with shock from seeing Frank's body.

"Shawn, what did you do?"

"Get him out of here, Maddie."

"What?" she asked, her mouth gaping at him. "But how Shawn?"

"I don't know! Just get him out!" he screamed back, causing Maddie to jump. She pulled out her wand, and whispered a curse, so he stopped shaking, and she dragged him out.

Shawn turned to the woman who was breathing heavily in the chair behind him. "You're it, Jen. You have to tell me, or you'll end up the same way—or worse."

"Shawn...please, how would we know? We never worked for him..."

"Frank's job was to end his rein! He was an Auror against the Dark Lord, trying to put an end to his cause. He and James Potter...they were friends in the fight, weren't they?"

Jen, who had calmed, nodded. "We were good friends with the Potters, Shawn. You know that. But how—"

"And it was James," Shawn continued, cutting Jen off, "who stopped the Dark Lord on Hollow's Eve. Correct, Jen?"

She shook her head. "No, Shawn! He killed James! Lily too. It was Harry, Shawn. The baby who put the Dark Lord in his place..."

"YOU'RE LYING! He could never have been beaten by a...a child!"

"You are in denial," Jen whispered. "You are blind to see the facts! Blind to see that we won, Shawn. And you may as well give up. Because we won. The game is over."

"NO!" shouted Shawn, his face glowing with fury. "He was not defeated by a baby! Crucio!"

Jen began to shake, just like Frank had. Her binds also failed to keep her in the wooden chair, and she fell from her seat. Faster and faster she shook, more and more brutally. But Shawn refused to stop. The anger was welling inside, filling every fiber of his body. He had to release the anger.

"Shawn, stop!" Madelyn cried, as she ran into the room. "Look at her!"

Shawn ended the cruel curse, and stared at Jen. She was twitching softly, and saliva escaped from her open mouth. It looked as if she were having a seizer of some sort.

"Get her out," whispered Shawn, as he backed away from Jen's contorted body. When Maddie didn't move, he yelled. "GET HER OUT, I SAID!"

Maddie nodded, and hurried to do the same spell she had for Frank. Before pulling Genevieve out, she looked up at Shawn. "At least they're together in insanity," she said coldly, and left with Jen dragging behind her.

Shawn collapsed on the floor. He stared at his wand, and suddenly threw it to the other side of the room. He then looked at his right hand, his wand hand. Then, he began to cry. Loud sobs escaped from his body, and he had to lie down. Shawn curled into a fetus position, and moaned.

Another man entered the room, and jumped when he saw Shawn. "Excuse me, sir?"

Shawn ignored the voice, and continued to cry.

"Sir...erm..."

"Go away, Barty," Shawn forced through his wails.

Barty Crouch didn't know what to do. "Well, sir, I mean...that is..."

"I said," Shawn whimpered, "go away!"

"Mad-Eye Moody is here!" Barty screamed, and ran from the room.

Shawn sat up immediately. "Mad-Eye..." he whispered to himself, and then he started to panic. How could anyone have known? They were in the middle of nowhere....

He jumped up and ran to the corner where his wand lay. He picked it up, and waved it around. Sparks of gold and silver trailed the wand—it was still in working order.

Running to the opposite end of the abandoned house where he had brought the Longbottoms, he whispered, "Accio cloak!", and a large cloak flew to him. He caught it in his hand, and he put it on. He wrapped it around his head, and placed his wand in the interior pocket. He then headed towards the back door, where he escaped, leaving the rest of his "team" behind.

It was the fastest and farthest he had ever run. He knew what the penalty was...Azkaban. But he knew he couldn't be caught. No one else, except perhaps Madelyn, was more loyal to Voldemort than he, and he had to go find his master. No matter what the cost. He had to save his master from the humiliation of being nothing...he was going to restore his master to life! He wasn't going to let anyone, not even Mad-Eye Moody stop him.

Shawn slowed his pace down to a light jog. The house he was running from was miles away, by that time. His legs ached and throbbed with pain; He was no marathon runner. He took time to look around. The woods were not a strange place for Shawn. He had been an avid hiker before going to the Dark Side.

A single hoot told Shawn that there was a bard owl near by, meaning there must be rodents near by as well. He looked around for a comfortable place to rest—his pace now at a slow walk. He found a pile of dried needles under an evergreen, which is where he collapsed. His breathing was quick, but rhythmic, and for the first time he became aware of the pounding in his head.

A screech from the owl, and the muffled sound of something being caught in its talons. A mouse, no doubt. Shawn realized how hungry he was, and wished he had gotten the time back at the house to get something to eat.

The owl suddenly shrieked, and Shawn heard something hit the ground. A rustle, then a muttering sound. A person! Shawn suddenly stood, and was prepared to flee, when he recognized the voice. It was familiar...he had heard it many times before...unmistakably....

"Peter?"

The man turned quickly, his stubby body unable to find its balance, and crashed to the ground.

"Peter, it's me! Shawn!" Shawn hurried over to where Peter had fallen, and kneeled down. "What are you doing here? The last we heard...well, everyone thinks your—"

"Dead?" interjected Peter, who laughed slightly. "Then my plan worked! Is Black in prison?"

Shawn gaped at the man. "Yes! Peter...how did you...who helped you..."

Insulted, Peter pouted. "No one helped me, Shawn! I did it alone. Quite brilliant, wouldn't you say so? I knew it would work...Muggles are so easy to fool..."

"But your finger!" Shawn exclaimed. "They found your finger at the scene! How did you...I mean, I wouldn't have..."

"You wouldn't have cut off your finger if it meant helping our Lord? Oh, Shawn," Peter said, with a hit of phony disappointment, "maybe Master has underestimated you."

"No! No, that's not what I meant...if it meant helping our Lord, then of course! But..." Shawn paused. "How did you know you could get Black?"

"Black was always protective of the Potters," explained Peter. "Too bad he was too protective. Thought no one would ever suspect me of being the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Wasn't very bright, was he? Always trying to do what was best...never looking at the obvious. I mean, if he had followed me on any day, he would have realized that I was a Death Eater! I wasn't careful with my tracks."

Shawn couldn't help but smile. "Peter, I'm so glad to see you. We'll go search for our Lord together! It will be much easier with two people..."

"Shawn, I can turn into a rat and hide from the public eye." Peter paused. "Are you running? Why are you out here?"

"I caught the Longbottoms and tried to force information. I ended up introducing them to the world of insanity."

"That was juvenile, Shawn. Longbottoms didn't know anything."

"Thanks, now you tell me."

Peter smiled. "So, you are on the run then? From the Aurors?"

Shawn nodded. "Yes."

"Then, as I was saying, I can turn into a rat and hide from the public eye. What can you do to hide yourself? You are not an amagi. You could not hide."

Shawn nodded, sadly. It was true: there was no way for him to hide from the Aurors. They would find him eventually, and put him into Azkaban.

"Shawn, go into Azkaban. You'll survive there: your tough, something I know I'm not. Go there, and, eventually, we'll get the dementors on our side. Hopefully sooner, rather then later. But go, and I promise that you will come out. Alive."

Thinking, Shawn laid down on the soft, earthy ground. If he were to go into Azkaban, he wouldn't be able to help his master. If he didn't, he would have to spend his life in hiding. And that wouldn't do anyone any good. If he were to go into Azkaban, he had a chance of getting out...

"Okay, Peter. I'll go. But this is for my Lord. No one else."

Peter nodded. "I understand, Shawn. You'd better get going, then. Don't lead them to me. Please, I intend to go find our Master."

"Of course, Peter. I will not let them find you out here." Shawn stood, and wiped the dirt off of his cloak. He smiled at Peter, and extended a hand. "I hope our paths shall cross soon, Peter. And preferably, outside of the Azkaban walls."

Peter took Shawn's hand and lightly shook it. "Ditto, Shawn. And I guarantee that you will be out of Azkaban, with the dementors on our side, and the world bowing at our feet."

Shawn released a bright smile, let go of Peter's hand, and ran off into the woods, back to the house.