Chapter Text
CC and CJ had been inspirable since, well birth. Born the 25th of May 1960 in Montrose Pennsylvania, two fierce, confident and independent babies were brought into the world. Their parents quickly realizing they’ve got their hands quite full with the two troublemakers. Cecily Christine was born first at 5:30 PM, shortly thereafter Clara Jo entered the world at 5:36 PM much to her exhausted mother’s delight.
The girl’s parents were Aria Smith and Benjamin “Ben” Wulf two hippie parents, madly in love with one another, taking a risk and moving to Pennsylvania from the comfort of their home in Chicago, Illinois. Two twenty years old’s starting over in the small town of Montrose. Aria came from a very social respectable family; Ben came from blue-collar household but was well respected in the community, nonetheless. Coming from these families they were forced to marry if they were to have the twins. It wasn’t just Aria’s parents who saw this as the only option, Ben’s parents did too. See the 1960’s in Chicago Illinois weren’t suited for these two as they didn’t want to marry but they did want these girls. Aria and Ben were living with Aria’s parents, they weren’t allowed to live on their own as an unmarried couple. They also grew up in Post WWII United States. Aria and Ben’s parents were both very conservative. Their parents didn’t tolerate veering away from the catholic church. Aria and Ben certainly weren’t allowed to have sex before marriage. Yet they did, and boy did they have a lot of it. They couldn’t keep their hands off one another. They had been dating for three years, since the age of 17, meeting at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ben immediately moved to Chicago to be with Aria when they both graduated from Ilvermorny abandoning his family in South Carolina.
Aria a Horned Serpent and Ben a Thunderbird. They met as they crossed paths as prefects. Both of them quickly falling for each other’s charms. Both attractive, only disappointed it took over 6 years to officially meet each other. They, of course, had heard of the other but peculiarly they hadn’t had many classes together.
Aria had long shiny black hair that reached the mid length of her back, effortlessly curly. Her eyes were quite striking, she always said they were her favorite part about her, milk chocolatey brown but see-through with green flakes peppered throughout. One couldn’t help but to stop and stare if she caught your eye. She had nearly translucent white skin, something that never bothered her. In fact, she was quite confident in it. She nearly reached 5’7 at 5’6.5 (169 cm) taller than most of the women around her. She was from Chicago her parents both well respected healers, purebloods.
Ben had the most beautiful smile in a man Aria had ever seen, it made her weak in the knees every time he flashed her that toothy shit-eating grin. Ben would agree with Aria, his favorite thing about himself was that smile. He sure did use it in his favor. Ben was the “opposite” of Aria in looks. He had short light brown hair that went red as he spent time in the sunlight. He picked up the nickname Rusty from his old man, giving him a hard time that he was a redhead in the summertime. He had naturally tanned skin that only turned more golden the more time he spent in the sun. He claimed it was from the long days he spent on the fishing boat in the South Carolina sun. His eyes, to put it simply, would make you melt. Light turquoise blue that shifted between green and blue depending on the light. They popped against his always tanned skin. He towered over Aria, a cool 6’4 (192 cm). He was from a small fishing town near Charleston. His mom, a no-maj, ran the fishing business. His dad, a wizard, found his passion in fishing after Ilvermorny.
Aria is a talented Herbologist while Ben found success as a quidditch referee, the youngest in America when he started. Ben was quite the chaser for Thunderbird but was forced to medically retire after a few too many bludgers to the head.
Neither had a clue what they were doing when they brought CC and CJ home. While they were no longer welcome by their families, they honored them though their names. Cecily Christine took the names of both of their mothers. Aria’s mother’s name Cecily and Ben’s mother’s name Christine. Clara Jo’s name was a bit more unique. Clara came from Ben’s grandmother, those two were closer than Ben and his mother. Jo came from Aria’s grandfather’s name Joseph who she too was incredibly close to.
Cecily despised her name. Cecily also despised the grandmother that it came from. Her grandmother was incredibly strict and forced her to dress in unfathomably ugly dresses and meet disgusting boys at church. She couldn’t think of anything more unsufferable than doing that every single Sunday. The girls were, unfortunately, shipped off to live with their grandparents (Aria’s parents) during the summertime. CC and CJ’s grandparents wanted nothing to do with their parents but wanted everything to do with the twins. The day Cecily turned five years old her only birthday wish was that everyone called her CC instead of Cecily. She also decided that if she was going by CC then Clara Jo had to go by CJ as well. Never wishing to upset her sister, Clara started by going CJ.
Clara didn’t hate her name like Cecily. She actually quite liked her name. It was quite unique, and she hadn’t met any Clara’s before. But she really never met any CJ’s before either. So, she went with the flow. CJ was definitely the more relaxed twin. However, things came very easily to CJ. She developed her magical abilities first. She was wickedly good at sports. When she went to no-maj school she excelled at volleyball and basketball. Once they started Ilvermorny she was the best in her class at quidditch. Making it her second year as a chaser just like her father. Education also came quite easily to CJ. She worked hard but always understood everything both no-maj and magically wise.
Both of them were immersed in the musical world from a young age. CJ played the piano much to her mother’s dismay. Her mother willed her to play the violin, but CJ didn’t have an affinity for the strings like she did the keys. CC didn’t so much like playing an instrument but sang instead. Her voice was something special. CJ loved playing for CC as she could listen to her twin sing all day.
Things came naturally to CC as well. She was ridiculously smart. She was the kind of person that didn’t even need to study and still managed to ace exams. It drove CJ up the wall as she had to spend quite some time to do as well as CC. Unlike CJ, CC didn’t like playing sports. She wasn’t competitive like her sister. She stuck with singing instead.
They were identical and they were quite beautiful. They took mostly after their father. Something Aria would always bring up when either of the twins was being disrespectful to her. She would always yell, “I carried you for nine damned months and yet you sit her being as ass looking like your father.” It always made the twins giggle. It always brought a smile to their mothers’ eyes. They were close to their family. They had a younger brother, six years younger than them named Scott. He went by Scottie. Yes, they had their issues as a family. The twins ganged up on Scottie and they sure had their screaming matches with their mom and dad, but they all loved one another. Aria and Ben supported their children in whatever endeavors they wanted to do. They trusted their children too. The girls had their fathers’ icy blue eyes. However, it didn’t shift to green like his. They stayed blue no matter the time of day. They also had his hair. Slightly darker, a more chocolate brown than sandy brown but shifted red in the sunlight just like his. The girls had their mothers naturally pale skin and curly hair, but they luckily could tan pretty easily and rarely burnt. They also picked up some of their fathers’ height both measuring in at 5’9 (175 cm).
They were very well-liked girls. They got along with nearly everyone they met and had a great group of friends at Ilvermorny. They girls had hearts of gold and wanted everyone around them to succeed like they were. They really blossomed there.
They had just completed their fifth year at Ilvermorny, just turning sixteen before summer break. They were both sorted into their mother’s house, Horned Serpent. They should be elated however things had turned rapidly dark in America, particularly in New England, right where the girls went to school and lived at home during the summer. Voldemort wasn’t a threat in America, but his cruel ideology started to take root in the years prior. Things started to get dodgy for non-purebloods mid-way through their fifth year. CC and CJ never felt threatened until CC was hit with a nasty hex that sent her to the hospital wing for a few days. Their parents were worried but not enough to pull them.
It went from bad to downright horrific within a few weeks. No-maj born witches and wizards started vanishing with some being found tortured and mutilated, none ever found alive. A few of CC and CJ’s friends had vanished into thin air, never to be seen again. The twins and Scottie weren’t allowed to leave the house after the shocking news of Charlotte Wingham’s death, she was only a third year. Her family lived a mere 50 miles away from the Wulf residence. Her poor family found the girl tortured to death as she went on a walk and didn’t return home. The girls didn’t quite grasp how bad things had gotten until July 9th, 1976 when they received a letter from Ilvermorny instructing them they were not to come back the following term. The girls were devastated but their parents assured them that it was just a year off and they would be able to go back the following year.
After seven straight weeks of being cooped up in the house CC tried to convince CJ to go swimming at the pond outside of their house.
“Come on CJ! We’ll be fine. I’m losing my mind in here.” She pleaded to her sister.
CJ shook her head, “You know what mom told us! Charlotte was out on a walk CC and she’s dead now.”
“Yes, that’s true. But that’s not going to happen to us!” She jumped up from the couch startling CJ, “We’ll make sure to take our wands and we’ll be quiet.”
“It’s not a good idea CC.” CJ frowned at her sister who looked determined.
“When have you ever listened to mom and dad like this anyway?” CC asked.
“Don’t go there,” CJ snapped at her sister, “I listen to them when our fucking lives are on the line okay CC?”
Deadpanned she shook her at CJ, “Whatever then. I’m going.” CC said as she raced for the back door.
“Cecily stop it!”
CC stopped and glared at her sister, “Do not call me by that evil woman’s name.” She snapped. But it did stop her, if only for a second. She rolled her eyes at CJ and unlocked the door before she slipped out.
Panicked CJ didn’t know what to do. She ran over to door and stood there for what felt like ages as she watched CC get smaller walking towards the pond. CJ took a breath and slipped out of the house, not shutting the door behind her. Her heart was racing as the anxiety quickly spread from her heart to the rest of her body. She felt like she was trying to run in quicksand as she pressed on towards CC. She didn’t dare yell her name as she was petrified of what was out there.
CJ finally caught up to CC, looping her arm with her sisters. CC smiled at CJ and whispered into her ear, “See? Nothing to worry about.”
CJ shook her hand and placed her right index finger over her mouth to signal CC to be quiet. CC nodded and looked forward. It was about a half a mile walk to the pond. It took them 10 minutes time before they stood on the bank. CJ looked over at CC unsure of what to do. CC shrugged her shoulders before taking her tank top off and sliding her shorts down. She walked into the water with such confidence that CJ decided to give it a go as well.
They floated there for a while before CJ decided to call it quits. She signaled to her sister that she was getting out, CC nodded. Once she made it back to land, she grabbed her wand and quickly tried herself off before throwing on her t-shirt and shorts. As she was tying her hair up, she heard a snap in the distance.
She turned herself around and froze as she saw three men staring right at her. CJ couldn’t breathe as it felt the wind has gotten knocked out of her, one of the men smirked at her and raised his wand.
“Cecily!” CJ screamed as she heard the man yell, “Crucio”