disclaimer: I do not own HP

warnings: none for this chapter, but a hint of lemon.

My dear, loyal readers...I am so sorry that I have basically fallen off the face of the Earth for the better part of this whole year. I had some major life changes and am finally gaining balance in my life. So hopefully, more chapters will keep coming to me and I can gain back my drive to finish my stories. Currently, I am also working on a new chapter for My Little Jewel. So I have not abandoned any of my stories. I just need a little time to regroup myself and ideas. But please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think- Echo.

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"So?" Harry began as a question when things become stilted. When Remus had shown up for dinner, he had beckoned Severus and Harry to follow to the veranda that had been set-up for a dinner of three, courtesy of Dobby no doubt. Harry was shocked when Severus pulled out a chair and motioned for him to sit down; mostly it proved to make Harry blush when he remembered seeing the gesture in his aunt's romantic movies she enjoyed so much. As Harry had settled into his seat, he looked up to see Remus doing the same for Severus. When everyone had been seated, nothing really happened. No one even touched their food. Severus looked out over the grounds, Remus had a hopeful look on his face, but didn't say anything. Harry stared at his plate, but took quick glances at the older two men.

"I'm sorry," Remus said finally breaking the silence. He pulled his shoulders back in confidence when Harry and Severus gave their attention to Remus. He wanted to curse himself for not realizing sooner how far this simple apology would go to rectifying his mistake. He never took Sirius' advice seriously because of the fact Sirius wasn't of creature blood nor mated to one. Remus made a mental note to apologize to Sirius as well. "I wronged both of you." Remus paused before turning to face Severus fully. "But I was the worse towards you, Severus, my first mate. For that you may carry out a punishment against me."

"Harry," Severus said turning to mentioned teenager. "Answer a question for me, to make a point to Remus please?" He waited to continue once Harry agreed. "Would you be able to do what Remus has offered me?"

"No!" Harry cried. He was shocked by the idea when Remus said it, but thinking of it by his own hands made Harry uncomfortable. He wasn't sure what Severus would have chosen because of the many years Severus and Remus had shared, but it wasn't something Harry would want. He had seen enough punishments and pain to last a lifetime. He turned to Remus to explain himself. "I'm tired of this, this need to have punishments. It's all I've known most of my life thanks to the Dursley's. Honestly if you had not come forward by tomorrow, I was going to talk to you and just say you needed to apologize. I don't like this idea of using punishments to prove that someone has more strength or power over another. Especially in intimate relationships. I don't want that for us. Yes, you are the dominant, but we look to you to keep us safe. You may think that was the right thing, but is it right for us? Severus and I are both your submissive mates, we're not meant to take on the dominating, protective role on you."

"I don't know what to say," Remus muttered, shamefully covering his face with his hands. What Harry had said was true. He cared about his mates and wanted them safe above anything else. But had he failed by not keeping them safe from himself?

When he had been turned, Dumbledore had found another werewolf he trusted to teach Remus. It had been during a brief time before his Hogwarts years where Remus learned about creatures, their mates, and the pack dynamics. That wolf had told Remus, although everyone was different, the basics were all the same. Which had included disciplining mates that may jeopardize their safety.

Remus brought his head up at that thought, face pulled tight in concentration. The only time he had ever become angry with Severus was when he had joined the Death Eaters and pledged himself to Dumbledore as a spy, risking his life every day. Harry had been partially right that he had been wrong to punish Severus when it was Remus' fault for neglecting his older mater. But he was worse than that. He had twisted his learnings into believing that Severus had somehow caused harm to Harry and requiring punishment. What had he been thinking at the time that made him blind to his own actions? "I am so sorry. No matter how many times I say, it will never be enough."

"It's enough for me," Harry declared. Remus looked to Harry, still doubtful after a;; he had done. He couldn't think of a response, a way to express to Harry that he was thankful for the forgiveness. Instead Remus reached a hand across the table to shift his fingers through Harry's hair, before cupping his cheek. He swiped his thumb along the scales that had brightened from Harry's blush at the gesture.

"I shall forgive your idiocy of these past few days as well," Severus voiced with his usual brusque tone. Remus smiled as he looked to his veela mate. Though Severus was trying to keep the emotion off his face, Remus could tell the more relaxed Severus becoming. He reached out to take hold of Severus' hand, before addressing Harry.

"Harry, here is a first lesson in mates," Remus began. He left his seat to kneel next to Severus, while still holding the man's hand. "Each man has a unique, intimate action for the other. It is meant to show a special kind of affection, or be used to calm your mate, or perhaps excite them. And it's different for everyone. What I use for Severus is different to what he uses for me. As we continue courting, or after we mate, we'll learn what we each use for you and vice versa." After he finished explaining, Remus pushed back the sleeve of Severus' right arm and then bringing the exposed wrist to his mouth. From there, Remus lightly bit the soft skin as he looked up to Severus.

Harry watched with intrigue as Severus released a sharp breath. The man became boneless in his chair, laying back heavily with a blissful smile on his face. Remus pressed a small kiss to the place he had bitten, then returned to his chair. "If it can help you calm down, why didn't you use it sooner instead of letting Severus get so mad that he yelled at you?" Harry asked. He was confused that he had never saw it before. If it was supposed to be a special kind of affection, why didn't they do it all the time?

"We don't use it often because of how strong of a reaction it can give," Remus pointed out, looking at Severus. The man still had his eyes closed and that small smile on his lips, looking relaxed and relieved. "Two things can happen if this is used too much. One, the mate on the receiving end can be in a constant state of euphoria, much like being on drugs. This could leave the mate weak and vulnerable. Or two, the mate can become immune to what they are meant to be experiencing. There are other reasons, smaller reasons not to use it often, but those are the main reasons."

"Oh." Harry looked to Severus as he began to 'waken', alert to everything around him again. "How will we know what works for me?"

"It's complete instinct," offered Severus. "You can touch your mate in a new way or spot and it garners the specific reaction. Or with Remus, he said he felt compelled to bite the inside of my arm, but he had no idea why he felt he should. Another way could be you want to be touched in a certain way and when your mate does, the reaction comes out."

"What is it called?" Harry asked.

"No one really knows," answered Remus. "With it being such an intimate act between mates, no one talks about it. And it's only specific to creatures and their mates." Remus contemplated that statement for a moment before continuing. "Although, I've heard animagi can experience something similar, but it's not as intense."

"Animagi think they can feel it, but it's only the ones who think too much like the animals they become," Severus interjected.

"No matter," Remus dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Why don't we eat finally?"

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Sirius left his vigil of the veranda and headed towards the stairs. He had watched the whole interaction, hoping that everything could be fixed. When those three began to eat after talking for so long, Sirius felt confident it would be safe enough to walk away. Hopefully now their relationship could progress and they all can focus on the upcoming school year and the Dumbledore threat.

"Sirius, dear, you're smiling," Dorea interrupted Sirius from her painting in the center of the stairs. "Is everything well now with Harry?"

"Yeah, Remus fixed it. They're going to be fine," Sirius responded. He gave the late Lord and Lady Potter a smile and a wave before ascending the steps.