Married by Contract

Married by Contract

All canon characters belong to JK Rowling and those with whom she has agreed contra


Looking to the Future

After the consummation Severus escorted his wife to his bed. He had never found himself in the position of having to converse with a woman after sex and was at a loss to know what to say. She didn’t seem to be in any kind of visible distress but after having caught a glimpse of her mind earlier he was aware that this was not necessarily an indication of what she was thinking.

“I shall leave you alone for a time,” he said stiffly. “Would you like some food sent up?”

“May I take a bath?”

“Of course. I should have anticipated you would need to cleanse yourself after…”

“It’s not that. I didn’t manage to bathe last night or this morning and I got soaked earlier in that rain and then I got muddy.”

“The nearest bathroom is through there. You’ll find soap and towels…”

He broke off as he realised she was beginning to undress in front of him. He watched in fascination as she unbuttoned her blouse and discarded it along with the robe. She proceeded to unhook her bodice allowing him a breathtaking view of her breasts. He had already removed her knickers downstairs so he knew that her skirt and stockings were all she wore. She sat on the bed and used a ‘finite incantatum’ to enable her to peel off the charmed stockings before removing the skirt to sit naked before him. If she had been beautiful in the new-fangled Muggle-style uniform she had worn it was nothing to how beautiful she was without it. Looking him in the eye she began to undo the heavy blonde plait.

“Is there a hairbrush I could use?” she asked.

“My grandmother’s is on her dressing table. I’ll fetch it for you. I won’t be a moment.”

He fairly ran out of the room. He couldn’t believe the effect that his proximity to this child, his wife, was having. He had seen beautiful women before. He had acquitted himself when necessary but this was different. He arrived in his grandmother’s boudoir. It struck him that perhaps it would be more appropriate to give this room over to Olivia and move himself into the adjoining master bedroom. That might be a reward for her good conduct in the future. He picked up the ornate silver and amethyst backed hairbrush and was struck by a memory of playing on the floor as a baby watching his grandfather and grandmother in the room together. He shook his head in order to clear it and carried his grandmother’s brush and hand mirror back to his wife.

He stood in the doorway and watched her. Her hair was out of the plait and reached her hips. Its heaviness pulled out most of the curl into waves. He must have made a sound because she turned to face him. He advanced towards her and handed her the mirror. He then sat himself down behind her on the bed and began to stroke her hair with the brush. He was able to enjoy the silkiness of it and before he knew what he was doing he bent to kiss it. He laid down the brush and wrapped his arms around her. She reached back with her own hand to stroke his face as best she could.

They remained in that embrace for at least five minutes until Severus discovered the silkiness of the skin beneath the hair and began to explore it with his lips. Olivia pulled one of his hands up to her lips and began to pepper the palm with kisses. He took his other hand and placed it on her breast. He felt her nipple harden in his palm and she twisted her head to meet his lips with her own. As she moved he saw the bruise he had given her earlier when standing outside the school gates and felt a pang of guilt. Instead of kissing her he straightened up out of reach. He gave her breast a gentle squeeze before releasing her and moving away.

He reached the door and looked back at her sitting naked and rosy on his bed in the fading light.

“Take your bath. I will rejoin you in an hour and we can have supper. I have something to attend to.”

He bowed formally and swept away.


He returned an hour later to find Olivia naked in the bed after her bath. She sat up as he entered the room.

“I made this for you,” he said almost bashfully. “It’s for your face where I hit you. May I?”

“Yes,” she answered.

He sat down on the bed beside her and tilted her head to apply the ointment. He smoothed it on gently with his fingers.

“It should take the pain away in about half an hour,” he said. “The discolouration will hopefully go by the morning.”

“Thank-you.”

“I got the elves to lay the table in the dining room. It’s just bread with cooked meats and cheeses. Will you join me?”

“Your elf took my clothes away while I was bathing. I’ll need something to wear.”

Severus pulled off his outer robe.

“Wrap yourself in this,” he instructed. “We’ll go into my grandmother’s closets to find something.”

She climbed out of bed and pulled the robe around herself. Severus led the way and she followed him, taking care not to trip over the fabric that trailed on the floor.

“This was my grandmother’s boudoir. That door leads to her bathroom and the other leads into the master bedroom. My grandfather’s dressing room and bathroom go off from the other side. I suppose we might clear all this for our own use at some point. My grandmother was taller than you but some of her loose robes should manage you until we can have some made. If you want to wear something fitted tomorrow an elf might be able to adjust it.”

“Loose robes will be fine. I’ll be glad to throw out that uniform. I was so disgusted when they changed it. Muggle clothes don’t suit me at all.”

“The chemises will probably be in a drawer. Have a look over there and I’ll find something to go over it.”

Olivia went to check the contents of the nearest chest of drawers while Severus opened the largest closet. It proved to be full of formal evening dresses. Severus’ eye was immediately drawn to a gold satin dress with seed pearls sown into the embroidery. His mouth went dry at the thought of how beautiful his wife would look in it.

“Here,” he said, attempting to sound casual. “Would you like to try this one?”

He turned to find Olivia in the act of donning a clingy low cut silk chemise. As the silk fell down to conceal her nudity she turned to face him. She picked up his robe and walked across the room towards him.“It’“It’s beautiful,” she said in awe. “Even Narcissa never wears anything like this.”

“It should be a reasonable fit. This belonged to my great grandmother. She was more of your proportion. I think this was the dress she wore for her hundredth wedding anniversary dinner. It’s appropriate that my own wife should wear it on her wedding day.”

“Could you help me put it on? I don’t want to smear it with the ointment.”

He opened up the gown as widely as he could and helped her to get it on over her head whilst keeping the satin from touching her face. When it was in position he fastened the lacings at the back. Olivia fiddled with the chemise to ensure that none of it peeked above the square cut neckline. The dress was not especially low, having been made for an elderly witch but it did show some of her soft white cleavage.

“Let me look at you.”

“It fits well doesn’t it?”

“It fits very well. It could have been made for you.”

“I’m a married woman now. I should have my hair up.”

“Leave it for now. I’m the only man here and I’m allowed to see it. There’s a necklace somewhere that goes with the dress. I’ll look for it. See if you can find any shoes. I think the jewellery is all in the main room.”

When Severus returned to the boudoir he found his wife sitting on the floor lacing some silk slippers in the same shade as the dress.

“I think these were made to wear with this,” she said. “I think you’re meant to have an elf tie them but I’ve done it now. They are the right size.”

“I’ve found the necklace. She wore this on her wedding day and that robe was designed to match it. The pattern on the dress is the same including the pearls. See?”

“It’s lovely. May I wear it?”

“That is why I found it. Hold your hair up.”

She obliged and he fastened it around her neck. He turned her around to face him and touched the pendant resting on her throat. He allowed his fingertips to stray across the soft skin of her throat and breast.

“Why do I want to touch you so much? I only fucked you an hour ago and it was nothing special. Are you doing something to me?”

“Nothing unnatural. I’m not doing anything really. It’s your response to me that throws you.”

“Explain.”

“You mate with a woman as a dog does with a bitch. I imagine you even do it as part of a pack when the opportunity arises simply because you’re supposed to. Witches and Wizards are more complicated than that and there is more to our joinings than simple coupling. Your instinct is to seek intimacy with me which is why you are reacting like this but your brain is confused by it.”

“How do you know all this? You were a virgin an hour ago.”

“I’ve seen more of Lucius and Narcissa than anyone would care to. My father and mother had no urge to ensure privacy either. I’ve read books in the library at the Manor and all Ravenclaws pool their knowledge.”

“I have books here. I never read them. I didn’t see the point.”

“There’s a point. Do you want to keep touching me?”

“We should eat. I skipped lunch. Would you like me to touch you?”

“I would like you to kiss me and then we can eat, and then later we can touch each other.”

Severus stooped and kissed his wife. When he released her she smiled.

“How many women have you kissed?” she asked.

“None,” he answered. “Am I doing it incorrectly?”

“No not at all. I’m just satisfying a theory.”

“And your theory is?”

“You haven’t loved a woman before.”

“What of it?”

“I think we could be happy together.”

“In these circumstances? I have not treated you very well up to this point. You may not now be feeling the damage I did you earlier but I can still see it when I look at you.”

“Did you derive pleasure from hitting me?”

“No. I had to make a stand with you. I had to exert my authority over you. I was stirred and confused seeing you with Lucius. I needed to see you obey as you did him. I truly don’t want to have to abuse you. I thought I could control you with the legilimency but that’s not going to work.”

“Since you came back to me after my bath you have been asking me to do things instead of ordering me to. You are more like the man I remember. I do belong to you. You took advantage of a gap in our law and purchased me from my brother. It is not in my nature to fight you. I could resist you but I really want to share happiness with you.”

“Don’t think, woman, that you can make me soft. I can’t afford to be soft. I have a job to do.”

“You can’t be soft in the world outside. I have met the one you serve. I would offer you the chance to have it in your home, with me.”

“I told Lucius I would keep you away from that society. I do not entertain and I shall not take you out into company.”

“I don’t want to go. If you allow me to work I shall be happy to stay confined here. You may present things how you like to outsiders. It would be better if Lucius believes me your prisoner.”

“Lucius is my only friend. He will expect to call on us but I am not anxious for him to perceive my attitude towards you as a weakness. I believe we might deceive him. As to work we will find you some suitable clothing tomorrow and I’ll introduce you to the lab.”

“I would like that very much. I’ve had one or two ideas…”

“Food woman. If we start talking about your theories before we get to the dinner table we’ll die of starvation. Let me put a class of wine in your hand and you may talk to your heart’s content.”

He put his arms around her as if to drag her by force

“What are you working on?” she asked.

He froze.

“There are going to be things about my work which I cannot talk to you about,” he said firmly. “I hold a position of trust in our organisation and it would be wrong of me to divulge some things to you.”

She reached up to him and stroked his face.

“I’ll never ask again. You may choose to tell me but I’ll never push.”

“I think with that arrangement we will get on very well.”

He led her down for dinner.


The End


I have chosen to end this story here rather than give a blow by blow account of the whole marriage. In ‘Marriage Vows’ Severus credits Olivia with causing him to turn against Voldemort and those of you who have read that story know what happened to her. I wanted to have the story so she could be seen rather than just reminisced about and also so we had an idea about how she managed to get under his skin.

The sequel to ‘Marriage Vows’ is being written at the moment and will be published when it’s finished.

Spaz141- Good luck with the baby. The sequel is called Love and Parenthood so I think it might catch your eye.
mouse- The original story in my series was a Marriage Law Challenge response hence creating the concept of forced marriage in wizarding society. If you read that story it might give you a clearer idea of this story as it alludes to the idea of Severus coming from an abusive background and there are parallels with Severus\' second marriage.