This story is a collaboration between UnderneathXtheXUnderneath and NightsBlackRose13. It is told in two parts. Waking Dragons: Moon is predominantly Ciel Elderson's PoV while Waking Dragons: Sun is predominantly Nevaeh Elderson's PoV. Each story can stand alone or be read together. This prologue has been written by UnderneathXtheXUnderneath.
*We do not own anything of the HP Franchise or "Twitches" for that matter (cover)
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Nobody had ever accused Minerva McGonagall's stride of being slow or soft and yet, all that she could think of as she ran down the austere white halls of St. Mungo's Hospital's fourth floor at 3:42am was that had she been a bit faster, pushed a bit harder, she wouldn't have needed to come here to pick up the newborn child of two of her dear and now dead friends.
The nurse walking in front was frequently throwing back nervous glances at the imposing woman and an observer might have thought that they were being chased rather than leading her to her destination- a room at the end of the hallway, with doors open and the sound of crying newborns piercing the air.
Minerva McGonagall, Professor at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Head of House Gryffindor, Deputy Headmistress and in possession of a keen sense of appreciation for appropriate rules and regulations, pushed the nurse away, ran the last few meters and stepped inside.
A woman in St. Mungo's standard lime green uniform, glasses on her nose and a harried look on her face stood bent over a rather large crib. She straightened up when McGonagall entered and peered at her over the rim of her glasses.
"Minerva McGonagall, I assume?"
McGonagall had to strain her ears to hear the doctor over the crying that came from multiple sources. "Correct," she replied.
"Good. These are the children. They've been affected by the curse that killed Mrs. Elderson, too, but other than a few modifications in their appearance, we cannot determine what else, yet. They should be monitored, for at least the first couple years, until we can say with certainty that they're going to be completely alright."
The doctor gave McGonagall a scrutinizing look, waiting for acknowledgment and inevitable further questions, and found the other woman staring at the newborns with an incredulous expression.
"There. Are two children," McGonagall finally said.
"Identical twins, yes. Girls."
As if they understood, both suddenly quieted down.
McGonagall exhaled slowly. "I didn't know. Tai-Yang said she was pregnant, but I didn't know there would be twins. I'm just surprised is all."
The doctor nodded. "Understandable. Would you like to have a moment alone with them before we continue with the formalities?"
"I would appreciate that, yes," McGonagall replied.
She waited until the doctor had closed the door behind her before turning to look at the twins.
There was no denying that they had been affected by the curse.
Tai-Yang had been of Chinese descent, with black hair and skin that was tinted with a soft golden glow and Adrian had been dark-haired as well.
The wisps of hair on the heads of the twins were snow white.
Even more jarring than the coloring, however, was the simple fact that none of the parents were here.
Tai-Yang would have hid her worry behind a wall of sheer determination to find the solution to the very root of the curse, probably interrogating the doctor from her bed and looking no less daunting than usual clothed in a hospital gown and with a baby on each arm.
And Adrian, gentle and kind Adrian- he wouldn't be able to hide his worry half as well. He would be hold his wife's hand, reminding her that she would need rest after giving birth before accompanying the doctor out to continue the questioning in a quieter way that did not yield any less on results.
They'd always worked well together and remembering it only amplified the lack of presence in this very moment, when the girls were all alone.
Without meaning to, her hands moved towards their tiny heads until her fingertips touched the soft fuzz on one of the them. The girl watched her with an unwavering gaze, uncanny resemblance to her mother's eyes included.
They needed names. Adrian had had ideas already, most of them with some celestial connection much to Tai-Yang's amusement, and McGonagall saw no reason not to adhere to those wishes. Names that had the meaning of nothing less than the sun and the moon might have seemed overly dramatic to anybody else, but to her, it seems appropriate. Anything that came directly from their parents would become precious to them the older they got, especially things as personal and intimate as names.
As for the rest-
Nobody had ever accused Minerva McGonagall of doing things half-heartedly, and all she could think of as she listened to the doctor's explanations on how to take care of the twins, was that she certainly was not about to destroy that reputation now by disregarding her best friend's wishes.
Doing well for Nevaeh Taiyang and Ciel Yueliang Elderson was paramount, even if it was the last thing she would ever do.