As soon as I heard Lysandra's agreement I smiled gently and stood up, walking around the table to sit down on a chair right next to her. Which caused her to fidget a little and blush again. I was finding this soft and insecure side of her quite endearing.
I took one of her hands and retrieved the company stamp holding it up and looking questioningly at Lysandra, who just looked back confused.
"The artifact only becomes visible to you once it touches your skin. I need to maintain 3 seconds of contact for the effect to take hold."
I briefly explained before continuing solemnly.
"I promise to treat you with respect and never use this contract to take advantage of you. I will consider you my wife, provide for you and do my best to fulfill all your needs. Once the mark is in place there will be no going back."
This was essentially a marriage, even if it was not entirely out of love. I was already very fond of her however, so it might just be a matter of time.
"I believe you Darick, I'm sure of this, please mark me." She said, blushing at how ambiguous it sounded.
I nodded and gently pressed the stamp against the back of her hand. She slightly flinched when the previously invisible stamp suddenly touched her but didn't draw her hand back, only tightening her hold on my hand slightly, likely expecting pain but relaxing when nothing happened.
After 3 seconds were up and the mark was formed I didn't let go of her hand yet and took out the ring I made for her yesterday, looking at her questioningly once again while she looked at the new mark adorning the back of her hand.
It was a moon with geometric patterns on its surface, similar to the one on the cover of the book I received together with the Philosopher's Stone. I assumed that it was my personal symbol.
When Lysandra saw me hold up the ring she smiled bashfully and nodded.
I slowly slid the ring on her ring finger, never having expected that it would end up becoming an engagement ring for us.
Lysandra let out a gasp as the ring was in place and the healing effect activated, placing her other hand on her belly where the curse was hopefully being contained until the 72 hours are up.
"Does it hurt ? I was not sure how the ring would act against the curse, if it is causing you more pain while it's in effect you can take it off again." I told her in concern but she just shook her head with watery eyes.
"No, it doesn't hurt. It finally does not hurt anymore…" She managed to say before she lunged at me with a hug and started sobbing.
I hugged her back and held her gently while she let out all of her pent up sorrow from all the years of living in pain. She no longer gave off the same confident and combative feeling that I noticed when we first met and none of the depressed and tired feeling I got from her earlier. She seemed hopeful for the future again and apparently felt safe enough around me to finally let go of her emotions. I took it as a good sign, hopefully we
I'm not sure how long we spent like that but Lysandra gradually calmed down but still continued hugging me.
Eventually she tightened the hug again before slowly pulling away a little, looking at me with puffy red eyes but a sincere smile.
"Thank you so much. I was so stupid refusing the ring today, nothing I ever tried stopped the pain completely like this… I already gave up when the last potion I had started losing effectiveness and the curse started spreading again."
I was gently wiping away her tears while she continued talking.
"Yet you did not give up on me, going so far as to swear on your magic just to reassure me." She gave me a disapproving look at that, likely because magic oaths were known for sometimes backfiring when one used the wrong wording to do them.
It was slightly reckless, but I was confident that nothing would go wrong. Despite being vague, I was still truthful during my explanation and I was not sure whether I even could lose my magic because I purchased it from The Company. Worst case I could just buy it back.
"You were kind and sincere the entire time, not only promising me a cure but also family and love, despite hardly knowing me."
I was starting to get embarrassed at her words, I wasn't doing it just because it felt right and because I was starting to like her. She was an interesting woman and truthfully I was taking advantage of her situation, so I was certainly not the saint Lysandra made me out to be.
"Just as you promised me to never force me to do anything against my will, I promise you to do my best being a good wife and partner and support you with love and care."
She leaned in shyly and placed a soft kiss on my lips, and I was sure that I was blushing now too, not expecting her to be so emotional. But I kissed her back too, feeling happy with my choice to help her.
When we eventually both pulled back from the kiss we noticed the mark on Lysandra's hand shine brightly and her body suddenly changed.
When we started hugging I placed Lysandra on my lap so we could sit comfortably, but during that time I became aware of how frail and malnourished her body was.
Now her butt and thighs suddenly felt healthy and supple rather than bony and frail as she sifted her weight on top of me.
She was looking in wide eyed astonishment at the mark on her hand. It now sported a much more intricate design, with swirls coming from the moon, circling her wrist like a bracelet of clouds. The hand now looked perfectly healthy, with smooth skin and without any blemishes.
Lysandra leaned back and quickly undid her robe, throwing it aside and lifting her blouse to check her belly without paying me any mind. No scars or curse marks remained, only perfect smooth skin on a sexy set of light muscles that reminded me of female fitness coaches.
Her face looked even more stunning now, her slightly sunken cheeks fleshed out, her eye rings disappeared, her skin gained a healthy and smooth texture and even her hair looked fuller and smoother, falling on her shoulders like a black silky waterfall. Even her lips that I noticed to be very dry as we kissed were smooth and glistening now.
"It's gone, completely gone, even with the ring I could still feel the curse as it was trying to adapt to it and continue spreading, but now it's entirely gone as if it never existed. And I feel so strong and healthy…how is this possible? Didn't you say it would take 72 hours?" Lysandra was in a state of astonished but happy disbelief and continued checking herself over and marveling at the changes.
"I'm not sure either, hold on let me check…"
I told her as I opened the company phone and scanned through the rules. After a quick search I thought I found the reason.
"Ah, there was some small print, a sincere love confession would immediately bind you, skipping the 72 hour period for the mark to establish itself." I said with a slight blush, realising that she had to really mean every word she said for it to count for that condition.
"Oh Darick! This is wonderful, thank you so much." She said while hugging me with watery but happy eyes and leaned in for a deep kiss. This time there was real passion behind it and whatever Lysandra lacked in experience she made up for in enthusiasm.
She had a mild taste of herbs that reminded me of herbal tea and I lost myself in the feeling of our tongues intertwining as we kissed.
Both our faces were slightly flushed when we separated eventually but we were both smiling happily at each other. I was happy that I found myself a companion and that she was so open with sharing affection right away. I was afraid that we would spend a while trying to break the ice between us but Lysandra was not as cold and reserved of a woman as I initially assumed.
Now that her body was restored to perfect health she was no longer just pretty but absolutely stunning and I couldn't resist leaning in for another kiss, which she reciprocated eagerly.
I didn't know how long we spent just making out like that but it must have been quite some time because I was starting to feel hungry and I could hear Lysandra's belly rumbling in hunger too, so we reluctantly stopped our makeout session and decided to have dinner.
Lysandra wanted to try cooking for me and I was eager for something other than regular orphanage food too, especially when it was cooked by my beautiful new wife.
I was groaning internally about how cheesy my own thoughts were, making me suspect I drank a love potion somehow, but I guessed I just had it bad for Lysandra. I must have been lonelier than I thought.
Even though I had no skills at cooking I still offered some help with preparing ingredients, but she didn't let me help, wanting to prepare the meal on her own, so I just spent the time chatting with her about various topics to get to know her better.
Apparently cooking was one of her few hobbies, which explained the various spices and herbs. Making potions was just business for her and a matter of survival, because she needed to take them to hold the curse back. Her body also consumed a lot of energy while fighting off the curse so she had to eat a lot regularly and making it taste good turned a chore into entertainment for her.
I also learned that she was in the same school year as the marauders and Snape and that she was a Slytherin just like the rest of her family. Her former last name was Parkinson and she was the aunt of Pansy Parkinson who would be starting her first year at Hogwarts in a couple of days. She had no contact with her brother or niece since she had been disowned by her parents however.
Now that I knew, I saw the resemblance, she did look a little like the mature version of Scarlett Byrne, the actress who played Pansy Parkinson in the later years of Harry Potter, but her hair was black and straight and she looked more like Nora Hildegard from the Vampire Diaries, which was another role from the same actress.
While we were chatting I told Lysandra about how I would have to leave for Hogwarts in a couple of days too. She actually looked sad when I mentioned that, but I reassured her that I had a way of taking her with me if she wanted. She agreed almost instantly and looked curious about how I was planning to accomplish that but trusted me enough to take my word for it without asking, which made me quite happy to be honest.
Trust and honesty was very important to me in a relationship and despite feeling a pang of guilt about placing the company seal and its accompanying mind control effects on Lysandra I was secretly glad it was there, because I could let go of any and all reservations I had about being with a person I barely knew this way.
Taking her with me to Hogwarts would be a project for the next couple of days, but today I still needed to inform Lysandra about some matters related to the company.
She knew about the downsides which were the mind control parts and agreed to them already because she grew up expecting almost identical terms for her marriage due to being born in a pure blood family, but among the benefits Body-Tune-Up was not the only thing she received and she was not aware of the full scope of that one either, something I wanted to rectify as soon as possible.
Lysandra finished making us dinner and we continued chatting over a really delicious stew. She was anxious about the taste because it was the first time she cooked for someone else but any worry was misplaced, she was an amazing cook, even better than Hogwarts house elves who spent their entire lives cooking almost daily and I told her truthfully.
"This is the stew I have had in my life so far, thank you Lys."
"Glad you liked it, I never expected to cook for someone else one day, food has been one of my few guilty pleasures since leaving Hogwarts."
I smiled gently in response before sitting up a little straighter and looking at her seriously.
"Sorry for switching to serious topics suddenly, but I need to tell you about the rest of the benefits of the mark, a complete healing was just the tip of the iceberg and I think you should learn about the full scope as soon as possible. Though, I have only just started to unlock the true potential of the mark." I said as the dirty dishes floated off to the sink and washed themselves with a quick gesture from me once we both finished eating.
"The stamp or the mark are only partially the source of these effects and strictly speaking, this is not magic either though the effects are just as I had described before swearing on it so it was all true."
I began explaining about the company, the multiverse and the various possibilities we had for improving ourselves through the company shop.
"So you are from another world! That's why you looked so young earlier, because you were reborn? But how do you know alchemy so well? You said you learned from Nicholas Flamel?"
"Yeah the earlier form you saw was so young because I was reborn rather recently. As for the matter about alchemy…The Company offers various options to enhance their employees and their family. I took one option that would grant me a copy of the entire skill set and knowledge of Nicolas Flamel."
I told her simply while she was looking at me in wide eyed wonder. Nicholas Flamel was a legendary figure similar to Merlin, Morgana or the Hogwarts founders even if he wasn't quite as powerful as them.
"So you know how to make the Philosopher's Stone? Can we be immortal too?" Lysandra asked excitedly. It seems the prospect of immortality is very tempting, especially to a former Slytherin.
"I actually do have one, yes. And I know how to make them, so we won't need to worry about money. As for immortality, the company offers a much better option than the Elixir of Life. So yes, we will not grow old or die from old age." I told Lysandra who was practically vibrating in excitement as she read through the description of the talent called "Everlasting" that I called up on my company phone.
Everlasting Talent (Cost: 10)
You live. You have weak immortality and eternal youth. If you are older than the peak age for your species (25 years for humans), your body is reset to that point; otherwise you'll continue to physically mature to that point but not experience any aging afterwards. This will not interfere with deliberate age-manipulation effects from within your retinue, whether from the company's transformation suite or third-parties. If your maturation process had been halted by any means, it will now continue until your peak age. The "Fog of Ages," including atrophy of unused skills, will never affect you.
This perk will not make you unkillable or grant any form of auto-resurrection. It just means you won't grow feeble and die of "natural causes," so don't try anything foolish. The benefits of this perk will always apply to your purchased and captured subjects, but you can disable it for specific individuals if you wish.
"Today was the best decision I have ever made…" she said while standing up and walking over slowly to sit down on my lap and give me another deep kiss.
I enjoyed the moment but didn't let myself get too distracted, we were not done with our discussion unfortunately.
When we separated again I continued explaining while Lysandra was still straddling my lap, looking forward to seeing her reactions to a couple of the benefits in particular.
"We don't actually have the Everlasting Talent yet. I just wanted to show you why the Philosopher's Stone won't be necessary, but I promise we'll get it before the end of the year. We are receiving 2 credits every 3 days so it would only take 15 days to save up for it."
I explained before any misunderstandings could form but added my promise for getting that talent when I saw her pout slightly.
"The talent that enabled your recovery has a few other effects too, you will never get sick from minor illnesses again and you will always heal without scars for starters." Lysandra was listening attentively with her hands resting on my shoulders and I continued.
"You will also always stay in perfect shape…"
I let my hands that were on her back roam downwards slightly and gave her ass a light squeeze. She sat up a little straighter in surprise but didn't protest, leaning in for a kiss again with a proud smile. I was happy to see the confident side of her again too, even if shy Lysandra was quite cute.
"You won't grow any more body hair at places you don't want to either."
I said with a suggestive smile, finally making her blush a little and shift on my lap but she seemed quite happy with that too even if she didn't verbally comment on it.
"And there is one last thing…" I said, having saved the best for last, I called up the description of "Sexual Calibration" for her to read and handed her my company phone.
Sexual Calibration (Cost: 2)
The little inconveniences that can make sex less fun no longer apply to you. Your partners will always be as clean as needed and smell just as you like. If you have a refractory period, it is removed. Any unintentional or incidental damage that your sexual sessions might cause simply doesn't take place. This includes unwanted pregnancy and any complications of pregnancy; note that this perk cannot guarantee a desired pregnancy. Exhaustion will not be an issue for any participant in your sexual sessions until at least you are satisfied. You can extend all of this to your partners as well.
"You actually bought such a frivolous thing!" She exclaimed while her blush deepened and she continued embarrassedly.
"Could you give me some time please ? I don't think I'm ready yet, everything is happening so fast…"
"Don't worry, I just wanted to make sure you know every active effect, this wasn't meant as a suggestion, we can wait as long as you wish." I said reassuringly and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"Despite my earlier appearance I'm actually not a horny teenager." I added jokingly, causing her to raise an eyebrow and shift some more on my lap. By now she has definitely noticed my pants straining a little from her constant squirming on my lap.
"So that's just your wand in your pants huh, what's it made of, 7 inches of morning wood?" She joked back with a smirk but was still blushing. I just snorted in amusement. Having a pretty lady straddling my lap brought forth certain biological reactions.
I replied with a kiss instead, which Lysandra eagerly reciprocated. This time there were no more urgent matters to discuss and I lost myself in the moment again, enjoying the physical intimacy with the woman who became my wife just a couple of hours ago.
It was said that time passes quickly when one enjoys something and by the time our dinner and subsequent chat ended and we finally separated from our position at the dinner table it was past midnight already. Most of the time was spent simply making out or chatting about our lives, occasionally just cuddling quietly and enjoying each other's company.
"I know I said I wanted some time before we do anything, but could you spend the night with me? Just sleeping please? I don't want to be alone…" Lysandra said with a vulnerable and nervous expression.
"Of course Lys, if you like I can make the orphanage caretakers think I already left and spend the rest of the time with you until we head to Hogwarts. I would just have to make a quick trip back and get my stuff and edit a few memories."
She beamed happily at me, agreeing readily to let me move in and keying me into her wards at this place without hesitation so I could directly apparate back into the house.
It was astonishing how quickly she accepted me as her husband and how attached she had become in just half a day, making a part of me wonder how much of that acceptance was because of the subtle but undeniable mind control effects of the stamp.
I wasn't self-conscious about the effects of the stamp, even if a part of her behaviour and emotions was influenced by it, but I still promised myself to make her happy and do my best to return her feelings for me.
I wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be a one sided relationship where only I reaped all the benefits without giving anything in return. And even if one could argue that with the benefits The Company gives to my companions she would already receive more than enough compensation for the mind control part, I still wanted to put in some personal effort. She was my wife after all, not The Company's.
Lysandra started getting everything ready for the night and checking in on some of the potions that were still brewing in her workshop. She would be closing the shop for the duration of Hogwarts but we would be taking the potions and ingredients with us, so it would be a waste to stop the brewing.
Even if the potions would take quite some time before they were ready, inside the Pocket Space time was halted. So there would be no issue with putting half finished potions in there as the brewing can just be resumed after taking them out again. Though maybe I could try and speed up the brewing through alchemy, I'll have to check out the workshop and see for myself when it's time.
After a quick kiss in goodbye I directly apparated to a street adjacent to my orphanage and walked the rest of the way after putting on my Locket and transfiguring my clothes back to child size. It was already past midnight and there was nobody on the streets with just a few sparse street lamps to illuminate the night.
After a short walk I reached the orphanage and noticed that all the lights were out and everyone was most likely already asleep. I cast a silencing charm anyway and opened the locked door with a wave of my wand.
With the help of a disillusionment charm and my covert talent, sneaking up to my room was fairly easy and I quickly started packing up my stuff which was basically just my suitcase and some clothes from my dresser.
I tidied up the room and bed and dispelled all the wards in my room just to make sure. The wards would have expired on their own but it's best not to fall into a sloppy mindset and leave traces where they could be found.
I walked back down under a Disillusionment charm again and snuck into Clara's room, casting a memory charm that made her think I left for my boarding school right after lunch today repeating the same with Agatha. They would just tell the kids that I had left if they asked, I didn't want to mess with the minds of kids.
Unfortunately I would have to return next year during summer, but maybe I could stage my own adoption with the help of Lysandra and some illusions. I nearly laughed out loud when I realised I'd be my own father and Lysandra my mother and wife then. With a convoluted family tree like that I might even be able to claim to be a "pure blood" wizard.
With everything done I locked every previously opened door and simply walked out, apparating back into Lysandra's shop as soon as I made enough distance that the popping noise wouldn't wake anyone up.
Lysandra peeked from around a corner in the hallway and put away her wand when she noticed it's just me.
"Welcome back, I guess everything went smoothly?"
"Yeah everyone was asleep and I made the caretakers believe I left shortly after lunch."
I said while canceling the transfiguration on my clothes and taking off the Locket.
She walked up to me for a hug and smiled happily. I used that opportunity to give her a quick peck on the lips that turned into a slightly longer kiss as Lysandra was reluctant to let go.
I didn't really need to unpack anything for now and all the clothes I had besides the one set I was wearing now were child sized, so there was no need to prepare any new clothes for tomorrow, I could just cast a quick cleaning charm on the ones I was wearing.
Realising there was nothing left to do I bent down a bit and picked Lysandra up in a princess carry, walking us to the bedroom. She didn't protest and was just smiling happily while hugging my head as I walked.
The bedroom was illuminated by an old fashioned chandelier with enchanted candles that burned smokelessly and without much heat, but compared to modern lighting the room was rather dim.
Other than an old but comfortable looking bed the room only had a desk with a cozy chair and two bookshelves fully stacked with old books. There was an old but clean looking oriental rug at the edge of the bed, covering the upper half of the room where the bed and desk were. Lysandra lightly tapped my arms to let her down and took off her shoes before stepping on the rug and I followed suit.
Once we reached the bed Lysandra started blushing again as she realised that we can't really sleep in our everyday clothes. She bit her lip lightly but in the end decided to turn the lights off with a flick of her wand before starting to undress.
I only heard some rustling as she removed some of her clothes before my vision adjusted to the darkness and I could faintly make out Lysandra's silhouette. Her blouse was already gone and she dropped her skirt and took off her socks. She briefly hesitated before reaching behind her back and unclasping her bra too.
Her figure was certainly not voluptuous but it was still well proportioned with a generous b cup, a slim athletic waist and curvy hips. It was a petite and athletic sort of beauty that I enjoyed more than oversized chests and Lysandra fit my aesthetic preferences perfectly.
She noticed me staring at her despite the dark and shyly moved one hand to cover her chest before quickly slipping under the covers. Apparently she wasn't a fan of wearing nightgowns and preferred to sleep naked.
I followed suit and threw off my clothes, only slowing down a little as I noticed Lysandra watching me as I started taking off my shirt, making sure she gets a nice view as I unbuttoned it slowly. I wasn't shy about undressing in front of ladies or sleeping in the same bed. While I avoided long term relationships in my last life because of some trust issues, I still had needs and spent a night in a stranger's bed occasionally without any emotional attachments.
With Lysandra I could completely let go of any worries and even my mostly unreasonable intrusive thoughts whispering about possible betrayals were quiet about her. She quite literally could not betray me in any way, which was one of the main reasons for why I accepted her so readily into my life.
If she noticed that I was giving her a show, she did not comment on it, just watched quietly while peeking from under the covers. After finally stripping down to my boxers I also slipped under the covers.
Lysandra hadn't said a word since we entered the bedroom and just kept staring at me. I wasn't sure what was going through her head but she was rather tense so I reached out to her below the covers and slipped a hand under her waist, pulling her closer for a gentle kiss. She tensed up slightly as she felt my hand on her skin but relaxed gradually as we continued kissing slowly.
I pulled her even closer until our bodies were touching but didn't let my hands wander over her naked body, letting her be the one to decide when to take the next step in our relationship. Time passed as we continued making out in bed until Lysandra completely relaxed and slowly fell asleep with her head on my shoulder and a happy smile on her face.
After carefully pulling up the covers that slightly slipped from us I decided to get some sleep too.
I woke up to some faint sniffles and realised Lysandra must be crying again for some reason. Opening my eyes I found her looking at me with teary eyes but a relieved smile.
Noticing my confused look she explained softly.
"Yesterday I had a wonderful dream. I found a man who finally removed the sword that was hanging over my neck for half my life and conquered my heart in a storm, promising me to fulfill my every desire, treating me with kindness, honesty and respect. When I went to sleep I was afraid of waking up alone again and finding out everything was really just a dream. But you are still here, it wasn't a dream."
She snuggled even closer with teary eyes and practically laid herself out on top of me while giving me a tight hug, not minding our state of undress anymore. I soothingly ran my hand over her back until she eventually fell back asleep again after letting out a content sigh with the knowledge that everything that happened yesterday was real.
Her words really hit a cord in my heart, making me promise myself to do my best to make her happy once again.
I didn't want to wake her up again so I decided to just stay in bed despite having had enough sleep already thanks to my "Time Savers" perk. I probably should extend it to Lysandra soon too, it was really just too useful to ignore.
That thought made me think about my plans for the future, or rather our future, as I was no longer alone.
I smiled and decided to use the time while Lysandra was still asleep to check the missions and make a concrete plan on how to spend my credits effectively. As convenient as the perk Time Savers was, there were many other, more important things to buy before it.
With another person in my life I had to slightly change some priorities but I was happy about the turn of events despite it overthrowing most of the plans I had made while in the orphanage.