A Suite and Magical Life

Chapter 30: Face the sunshine, your shadows will slowly fall behind you

March 29, 2013

Transylvania, Romania

Alex and Zack sat in the front row of the centuries-old church where Juliet van Heusen's funeral was held, next to the rest of the Russo and Martin families and Harper, all of them wearing fully black outfits. Sidney and Alucard van Heusen, her parents, looked devastated, as if the Dementors has sucked out all the happiness in their lives. And indeed, their daughter, their only child, the light of their lives, whom they had raised so well over centuries, had left them forever. No parent deserved to bury their child, all of them would think, upon seeing the sheer devastation and grief displayed by Mr. and Mrs. van Heusen.

The service proceeded according to traditional Orthodox Christian rituals, with the two families seeing someone older than Christianity buried according to its oldest rituals for the second time in three days. Her parents cried inconsolably throughout the entire service, as did the rest of the family. The two families, already in a fragile emotional state after the events of the past two days, clung to each other and cried uncontrollably when they saw the pictures of their close friend, Juliet, along with the Russos, Harper and the twins displayed during her parents' eulogy to her. Alex and Zack, in particular, who had been closest to her after Justin, wept the hardest.

Clearly, Alex and Zack had meant a lot to Juliet van Heusen. The first instance of this was when they were asked to give the third of the three eulogies (the first was given by her parents and the second by Justin). Despite the two of them being extremely emotional and failing to control their emotions, their eulogy was still powerful and brought everyone at the service to a fresh round of tears, including the priest, the choir and themselves. The two were also pallbearers along with Justin, and carried Juliet's coffin out into the church graveyard, where they slowly watched as one of their closest friends was buried. They prayed and thanked her for everything.

After the burial, as mourners drifted off under the grey skies amid pouring rain, the Van Heusens invited the Russos and Martins for tea at their family residence. They accepted and drifted into the dining room of the large castle, where they were served traditional Transylvanian cuisine with strong tea. They sipped and ate slowly, not having much of an appetite due to recent events.

"Thank you all for attending. Juliet considered you family, as do we, so it means a lot to us that all of you attended, despite the difficulties you've faced in recently." Alucard Van Heusen spoke.

"Thank you for inviting us." Zack spoke. "Juliet meant a lot to all of us too." The Russos and Martins nodded, as they wiped away tears looking at the many pictures of Juliet on the wall.

"Because of recent events in the United States and Britain, we no longer feel safe living there. We shall be permanently moving back to Transylvania due to the power grab." Alucard told them.

Everyone was stunned. No one spoke as a heavy silence descended on the room. Eventually, Justin found his voice and asked, "What power grab are you talking about, Sir?" cautiously.

Alucard scowled. "The President of MACUSA, Samuel Quahog, is a close friend of Chancellor Rootie Toottootie, who helped him get elected. That's why the warrants were issued so quickly, the show trial conducted so hastily, the punishment doled out so immediately, and a valid appointment annulled.  Plus, Rootie Toottootie is Wiztech's new headmaster. The Auror Dawlish had also intimidated members of MACUSA to get Quahog elected, and he's the same Auror who used the Killing Curse on my Juliet." Alucard monologued, his voice cracking from emotion as he said the last few words.

Alucard collected himself and spoke in an angry tone. "Dawlish has been let off the hook for killing an innocent being. So much for "Cool Britannia". They still have all the discrimination against non-wizards just like the old one. It's the same in America. So, me and my wife are returning home to Transylvania. This is where you come in." he said, gesturing towards them.