Full Circle(Tomarry)

Chapter 20.

"Traditionally, silencing curses are cast on the tongue," Harry commented as he and Tom poked and prodded an amused Viktor. He flicked his wand and casted a wordless spell, pursing his lips when Viktor's neck glowed red. "The tongue is easier to cast on for such a personal curse, due to the concentration of saliva and blood, plus the soft tissue makes it easy to carve runes for some variations of the curse. Nowadays though, people prefer the Silencio for temporary and minor use or the Unbreakable Vows for a more severe and long-term spell. There's also been some speculation over the years about whether the Fidelus can be applied to a non-physical idea or concept, but as that is a complicated piece of magic no one has actually been successful in trying."

Viktor hummed, looking thoughtfully at the rambling teenager. "Kuznetsov?" He recognized, and Harry looked up in surprise before brightening. "Ah, you've read his works?"

Tom snorted, "read them, he asks." Harry's lips twitched in a grin.

"I'm… a big fan," Harry idly said. "I've got most of his books practically absorbed in my brain."

"Aren't his books restricted in Britain?" Viktor dryly asked, rolling his eyes when the other two just looked at each other and shrugged unrepentantly. He supposed that's where Durmstrang's only copy of Secrets of the Ten Darkest Arts went. "I enjoy his books as well. Very informative. I read them a lot when I was younger and when this curse was put on me, they were the first I went to for ideas."

Harry couldn't help but be a little bit flattered. And smug.

Harry hummed. "Unfortunately, Marvolo's suspicion of this being made by its caster is true. Someone who knows very well what they're doing and very, very well versed in the dark arts. Because in addition to choking you for those particular secrets you've got, you're right in that it can definitely snap your neck. Or slit your throat, it's not exactly clear which. We've got to be careful that we don't trigger that particular bit of spellwork."

"Partly a potion, wouldn't you say?" Tom said, gesturing Viktor to open his mouth and dutifully observing the inside. Viktor kind of felt like he was in the hospital. "Concentrated, likely brewed and bottled on a full moon, in a diamond vial."

"Runic ritual or wand crafted curse?"

"Runic ritual. Amber as the central stone. Luckily not on Samhain or Beltane, else we're looking at spring before we can get this reversed."

"Damn, I'm not as good with rituals as you are." Harry pouted.

Tom sniffed. "Very few people are."

"You two are terrifying, you know that?" Viktor said. "To figure all of that out, some very dark magic, within ten minutes of diagnostics. Not that I'm scared, I find this all amusing despite the unnecessary wand poking you two do on the curse that can kill me."

"Aw, don't worry Viktor," Harry patted the older teen's cheek. "We'll make sure you'll live to do a hundred more Wronski Feints without your pretty little tattoo. There's still a better chance that your neck will snap during Quidditch than it will from this."

.

There were currently three Slytherin's lockets.

The first one was the original horcrux. Previously in Kreacher's possession, he and Tom had swapped it out with Regulus Black's fake, the second locket, after the debacle with Lockhart in second year to make sure that yes, it actually was Tom's original horcrux. Lockhart had opened the chamber while being possessed by the third locket, which had an unidentified soul piece belonging to what felt like to be one of Slytherin's other descendants clinging on to it.