Heart on Fire(Seamus Finnigan and Watty Awards 2013 Finalist!)

Chapter 19

Ailsa sat in the cold room nervously playing with her fingers. Other wizards and witches sat beside her anxiously waiting for their names to be called.  Hermione offered to come with her today but Ailsa felt like she needed to do it alone.

"DINFRY!" A wizard called across the PA system. An old man got up as quickly as he could to go and collect whoever he was there for. Though he had many teeth missing, the old man had a huge smile spread across his face that Ailsa couldn't help but smile with him. He opened the mysterious black door and disappeared.

Ailsa tensed with more anxiety as she prayed that she would be called next. Her leg was bouncing up and down when the person sitting next to her put their hand on it. Ailsa looked up and saw a witch who looked to be in her 30's with a big round belly protruding from her robes.

"It's okay love. Is this your first time?" She asked kindly.

Ailsa smiled and nodded.

"I was about your age when I first came here too. This place always scared me, but I got used to it. Who are you here for?" 

"My husband." Ailsa smiled. She still had not gotten over saying that even though it had almost a year.

"Mine too, hopefully for us both this well be the last time we have to come here but knowing Gregg and my sons it probably won't be." The witch sighed. "Oh! I haven't told you my name is Eloise Lacy."

"Ailsa Finnigan. If you don't mind me asking how many times has your husband been sentenced to Azkaban?"

"About five times, but they have been on relatively small charges. What did your husband do?" Eloise asked politely.

Ailsa blushed. "Long story short, he set muggle homes on fire. It's not really as bad as it sounds though, I've just told the story so many times that it's just exhausting now."

"It's okay, I felt the same way once, but now that it has happened so much, it just doesn't feel like a big deal anymore. I sincerely hope that never happens to you dear." The woman smiled.

Ailsa smiled back and they sat in awkward silence until Eloise's name was called. The witch got up as quickly as she could, gave Ailsa a hug along with her adresse and wished her luck and then she too went through the door.

One by one families or friends of the former prisoners were getting called back while Ailsa sat waiting, twirling her wand around or taking a brief nap or just thinking. Thinking about the life she would have once Seamus was back home safely in her arms.

It was past 6 when her name was finally called. She picked up her few things and then ran to the door. The door was quite heavy but someone on the other side gave a little push on it to help her. 

"Thank you!" Ailsa said when she walked in. 

"You're welcome Mrs. Finnigan." A tall dark man said. "My name is Albert Rodge and if you would just follow me this way we have just a few mandatory questions to ask before your husband is released." He showed her into a small room that had a table in the middle with two small chairs on one side and a large chair on the other. Albert took a seat in the larger one while Ailsa took to one of the smaller chairs. "Just to start off, what is your name and your relationship to the prisoner?"

"I'm Ailsa Finnigan, and I am Seamus' wife."

"Good, that one was just standard procedure. We often see in reoccurring prisoners that when they left Azkaban they had no job and no place to live so they resorted back to the criminal life. Do you have a job and where at?" Albert explained.

"Yes," Ailsa said brightly. "I work at Hogwarts as an assistant to Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing."

"Do you have a place for the both of you to live in?"

"Yes, I recently came across a small cottage that resides near the Black Lake, so even though it is not on Hogwarts ground, it is still close enough for me to walk to work." Ailsa excitingly said. She had kept this part a secret to Seamus, wanting to surprise him. An elderly couple previously lived in the house but when the wife died, the husband could not bare to live in it anymore and decided to sell the house for a very reasonable price.

Albert grinned. "Excellent, final question, does Seamus have a place to work after his release?"

And that is where her smile fell. "Uh, no, not yet, but I'm sure we will find somewhere for him to work at soon."

"Very well. I'll just have you sign a couple of these papers, and then I will be back shortly with Seamus." Albert said. Ailsa signed the papers as quickly as she could, then shook Albert's hand before he left.

Ailsa barely had time to contain her excitement before a short and quick knock came from the door. Ailsa looked over and there he was. She ran into his arms which were not as strong as they once were, still managed to hold her. She didn't know how long the were like this but when they finally let go of each other, Albert was no longer there.

For the first time in a year Ailsa got a good look at her husband. Seamus was still tall, but the muscles that he had built up over time were no longer there. The clothes that he had on before he was sent to Azkaban were too large and did not hang right. His face became more hollow and the circles underneath his eyes that were just beginning to clear when he married Ailsa had returned and turned darker. 

But his eyes were the same. Troubled but starting to forget that past.

"Hi." Ailsa whispered.

"I've missed you." Seamus replied. "Want to go home?"