Married by Contract

Married by Contract

Olivia

Severus sat sipping coffee on his terrace when Lucius apparated on the lawn in front of him.

“What did he say?” asked Severus with an air of indifference.

“The contract has been signed. As of 4.00pm this afternoon GMT you became a married man.”

“So soon?”

“He didn’t take much convincing. I think he was so keen to see a chance of getting you married to a suitable woman he didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I took the basic draft contract to show him and he signed it straight away and we logged it at the Ministry within the hour.”

“When will we break the news to the bride?”

“Today’s as good a time as any don’t you think? If we leave now we can make it in and out of Hogwarts before dinner and you could have bedded the brat before night fall.”

“I need to pop into the lab for a moment. Help yourself to coffee and I’ll be with you shortly.”

When Severus rejoined Lucius fifteen minutes later he had changed out of his work clothes and into some formal robes. The two men made a striking pair as they apparated at the edge of Hogwarts’ grounds and began the walk up to the castle.

The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, met them at the main door. Severus and Lucius both relished the frail appearance of the aged wizard, pretending to themselves that it heralded a decline in his abilities.

“Mr Malfoy, Mr Snape,” he acknowledged. “To what do I owe this honour?”

“We’ve come to collect my sister old man. Just bring her out to us and we’ll be on our way.”

The old man regarded them shrewdly. “I’m afraid it might take a little while to find her now that classes are not in session. In any case I feel we may need to discuss this matter in private. Please follow me.”

He walked off into the building and Severus and Lucius had no choice but to follow him. On the way to his office they encountered Professor McGonagall. Dumbledore had a mumbled conversation with her and she regarded tho yoo younger men with distaste and suspicion.

It was the first time Severus had been back to the school since he had left and he was not enjoying the experience. On his estate in Italy it was easy for him to be confident in his status. When supported by the good opinion of the man he had chosen as his Lord and Master he knew himself to be a great wizard. In the presence of Dumbledore in the place where he had suffered so many childish indignities he was no longer quite so sure of himself. Of course nothing ever ruffled a Malfoy. Lucius was surveying the interior of the office with the air of a man killing time in a jumble sale.

“Mr Malfoy. I trust all is well in your family. Narcissa and your father?”

“They are both in excellent health as far as I am aware. I have not seen my father for some time but I have heard nothing to suggest he is unwell. Why do you ask?”

“I was worried that we might be summoning Olivia here to break bad news to her.”

“Oh no, quite the contrary. I’ve come as the bearer of good news.”

“I aad tad to hear it. May I be privy to the nature of the news before she arrives?”

“I suppose it will do no harm,” said Lucius dismissively. “I’ve come to inform my sister of her marriage.”

“Marriage? I was not aware that Olivia had immediate plans in that direction. She is very young to be considering it.”

“She hasn’t considered it. I did that for her. I arranged the contract this afternoon with Severus’ father. The marriage came into effect just over an hour and a half ago.”

“So young Olivia is married to…?”

“Olivia is my wife,” stated Severus firmly.

“I’m relieved to hear that my boy,” said the old man. “For a moment there I was concerned your father had decided to take himself another wife. I don’t think he would have been quite such a good match for the child.”

Severus risked a glance at his newly-acquired brother-in-law. The old fool had taken the news very calmly and Lucius was showing small but definite signs of irritation. The silence was becoming uncomfortable so he decided to fill it.

“I am glad you approve,” he said, whilst making it abundantly clear that Dumbledore’s opinion was of no importance.

The headmaster chose to respond to the words rather than the tone.

“My dear boy how could I not? I don’t think the child’s had a friend on her own intellectual level since you left us.”

“Indeed I was not aware you two were so closely associated,” observed Lucius icily.

“I was given the task of supervising her on independent projects during my final year. It was a convenient way of securing more time in the lab for useful pursuits of my own,” said Severus quickly, sensing the need to disassociate himself from the child he had just married.

A knock came at the door and the headmaster went over to open it. Severus heard McGonagall mutter something indistinguishable before the door closed again and Dumbledore led Olivia into view. Severus rose to his feet in a perfunctory display of courtesy. Lucius made no such pretence. Dumbledore allowed the child his own chair and as she sat in it Severus received his first impression of his wife as an adult.

Predictably the Malfoy genes had won out regarding her hair, which had retained the childhood fairness she shared with her brother. Her hair however showed a tendency to curl despite the plait it was bound into. Idly Severus wondered if one of the siblings used a charm to account for the difference. Her eyes regarded him seriously. They were the same unlikely shade of blue he remembered. Her skin was clear and her cheeks rosy. She had grown substantially during the last two and a half years but as far as he could judge she would be barely five feet tall without shoes. Her robe mostly hid her shape but Severus could see the curve of her left breast where it fell open slightly.

“At last!” said Lucius irritably. “It’s time we were on our way. Look lively girl you’ve seen the last of this place for good.”

“Where are you taking me sir?” enquired the girl with pardonable confusion.

“I’m taking you down to the gates myself. After that I imagine Severus will be taking you to Italy.”

“Why am I going there?”

“Severus lives in Italy and as his wife you will live there with him.”

“We’re going to be married?” she asked. Her tone was polite despite the shock she must have felt. Severus wondered how her brother had instilled that lesson into her.

“The contract was signed earlier today. He bought you for ten galleons. You’re already his wife so you’d better try hard to please him. He’s a dangerous man to cross. Give him your wand.”

“My wand?”

“And people try to tell me you’re intelligent! You’re his servant now. You use your wand in his service and with his permission. Give it over to him now before one of us summons up the energy to thrash some respect into you.”

The girl’s rosiness had completely faded by this point and she obediently fished out her wand and rose to present it to Severus. He took it from her, accidentally making contact with her hand as he did so. She flinched away as if his touch had burned her and resumed her seat.

Severus kept his eyes on her as he gently examined her wand, running his fingertips over the polished wood. She watched her wand in his hands and he felt a thrill as he sensed her discomfort and vulnerability.

Albus Dumbledore watched the scene sadly as it played out in front of him. “Perhaps children you would allow me to perform a blessing rite for you before you leave,” he suggested gently. “Adjusting to married life can be difficult especially when you have been contracted by your elders instead of bound of your own volition.”

Olivia looked into her husband’s eyes and he could see the gentle pleading in them although she did not make a sound. It was on the tip of his tongue to consent to the rite when Lucius stood noisily.

“I think we’ve been detained here long enough,” he said with a sneer. “I’ve got better things to be doing with my evenings than watching you waft a wand. The sooner Severus gets his wife home the sooner she can ‘adjust’ to married life.”

“What about her belongings?” enquired the headmaster.

“Donate them to a deserving Mudblood, if there is such a thing. She will have no need of them in her future life,” said Lucius.

The headmaster took Olivia’s hand and kissed the back of it.

“Farewell Mrs Snape,” he said. “Always remember that you and those you love will be welcomed here… whatever the future may hold.”

“Thank-you Professor. You’ve always been kind to me. Perhaps one day you might have the care of my children.”

“I hope that may be the case. I really do.”

Severus and Olivia left the room first leaving Lucius to cast one final disparaging glance at the interior before following them out.


Rain had started to fall when they began the walk down to the gates and Olivia was struggling to keep up with the longer strides of the men. Her brother was a full foot taller than she and her husband more than that. She was not wearing outdoor shoes or clothing and could not cast a charm to keep herself dry. By the time they reached the gate she was uncomfortably damp and shivering.

Lucius turned to his sister with a predatory smile, which Severus was used to seeing on his face when he was about to torture a victim.

“Severus won’t have a very good impression of you if you don’t show some affection me me after I’ve been to all this trouble on your behalf. I think at the very least I deserve a kiss.”

Olivia shifted from foot to foot and her reluctance was painfully obvious. She made no move toward her brother but held her ground as he advanced on her slowly. He stooped to kiss her as a lover might. Severus was fascinated to watch the display. Olivia submitted completely to the dominant kiss right up until the point when he roughly grasped her breast. This action seemed to cross the line she had drawn in her dealings with her brother and she stumbled back away from him into her husband’s chest. Severus grabbed her arms to steady her. Meanwhile Lucius advanced towards her again and Severus thought for a moment that he was about to resume the kiss. Instead he pushed a finger roughly into her mouth, then another and another. The men locked eyes and exchanged a heated glance. Lucius leaned forward and the men kissed above the girlead.ead. It lasted for some time before Severus was distracted by a loud ripping sound. He looked down to discover that he had inadvertently held his wife’s arms while her brother had ripped her blouse open and was now roughly freeing her breasts from the bodice she wore beneath.

Severus stepped back hurriedly taking his wife with him. He roughly turned her to face him and held her close so Lucius could not see her disarray.

“That’s enough!” he said firmly. “I do not molest your wife and you do not molest mine.”

“You were helping.”

“That was not my intention. You’ve taken a goodbye kiss from both of us and I think it’s now time you took your leave. We will have chances to share other women in the future but I intend to have sole use of this one.”

“Very well then. We’ll leave it at that for now. I’ll see you at the next gathering. Have fun but don’t forget you need to get the upper hand with the bitch to start with or you’ll undo all the training I’ve given her.”

“I’ll use my own methods. Goodbye brother.”

Lucius apparated away with a pop and Severus remained where he was, absently holding the small shaking figure of his child wife. It took him a few moments to realise that the shaking was not merely due to the cold and that she was crying into his robe. Peeling away her arms he held her at a distance and stared her down.

“Cease your tears this instant,” he commanded sternly.

It was difficult to see if she was making an effort to comply or not. If she was it wasn’t having much of an effect. He repeated his command again and still there was no discernable effect. He let go of her and backhanded her across the face with as much force as he could muster. She fell backwards like a skittle on to the grass verge and struggled between checking her face for damage and sitting up. Severus stood over her watching intently.

“I suggest,” he said coldly, “that you make some kind of effort to cover your breasts again. Unless, of course, you’d like me to fuck you unconscious on the Public Highway.”

Olivia managed to huddle herself into a sitting position and pull her robe tight across her front. She had stopped crying but was still not able to look her husband in the eye.

“You won’t get very far like that,” he said brusquely. “Surely you recall the charm to mend the damage.”

“I have no wand sir,” she said quietly. “What do you wish me to do?”

Severus hesitated for a moment watching the girl at his feet. She waited patiently for a response to her query, sitting perfectly still with her head bowed until it pleased him to answer. He decided there and then to look into just what kind of treatment the young woman had grown accustomed to at her brother’s hands. Eventually he plucked her wand out of his pocket and tossed it to her.

“If I wanted a female who couldn’t use a wand I could have acquiredquibquib or a Muggle,” he said. “The wand is yours. Only an act of direct disobedience or disloyalty will cause me to take it from you again. I do not expect to find it necessary to discipline you with my fist either. If you obey me and please me in all things I will not hurt you again. Mend your blouse and then we can apparate to our home.”

“Please sir,” she said, “I’m too young to apparate.”

Severus sat down beside her on the verge.

“In that case I will manufacture a key.key. My name is Severus, as you well know. Use it. Not all men play those games. Give me your shoe and I’ll use it to make the portkey.”

She took off her shoe and handed it to him. There was even a flicker of a smile as he thanked her for it.


Thank-you to my single reviewer Kjsparkles.