The Christmas holidays flew by, and after the intense midterm exams, the Little Wizards once again immersed themselves in their busy academic lives.
Neville worked even harder on his Patronus Charm, coming to Sebastian's office almost every evening after dinner to practice with Scabbers.
Sebastian naturally adored such a diligent student and, therefore, guided him with exceptional seriousness.
With one willing to teach and the other willing to learn, though both were tired, they were quite satisfied and happy.
However, human joys and sorrows are not interconnected; in the office, one person, or rather, one rat, was not having such a good time.
Facing Sebastian's combination of Crucio and Memory Charm, Scabbers, though he couldn't remember what had happened, couldn't fake the pain in his soul.
Over time, even with the Memory Charm cast, Scabbers would involuntarily tremble every time he saw Sebastian.
Fortunately, Neville was quite promising and did not waste Sebastian's painstaking cultivation, nor did he waste Scabbers's "sacrifice."
His progress was remarkable, from being completely helpless against soul fissures initially to gradually beginning to repair them, making new breakthroughs every day.
By the end of February, Neville was already able to stably repair the fissures in Scabbers's soul.
Seeing such progress, Sebastian decided to take Neville to St. Mungo's every Saturday and Sunday for clinical treatment of his parents.
At first, the Healers at St. Mungo's did not believe that Neville, a third-year student, could accomplish what they could not.
And Neville's grandmother was also worried that he might worsen his parents' injuries by being clumsy.
So Sebastian personally invited Dean Burton to intervene and explained his treatment philosophy in front of everyone.
After witnessing Neville's powerful Patronus Charm, Dean Burton and the Healer responsible for Neville's parents agreed to let Neville personally treat his parents, provided that Sebastian was present to ensure safety.
Thus, days passed, and time unknowingly arrived at Saturday, April 2nd.
After breakfast, Sebastian once again took Neville to St. Mungo's; by the time they arrived, Madam Longbottom was already waiting early at the ward door.
"Professor Swan, I'm troubling you again," Madam Longbottom said gratefully with a smile, "I see Alice and Frank both look much better, which shows that your treatment is effective."
"To be honest, I always thought Alice and they would be like this for the rest of their lives, after all, there has never been a successful precedent in the Wizarding World for healing in cases of extremely fragmented souls."
"You have given this old woman hope. Just thinking about Alice and them being cured fills me with purpose."
"Madam," Sebastian said gently, "If it were just me, I wouldn't be able to cure them."
"This is all Neville's credit; you should praise him more."
While Sebastian and Madam Longbottom were exchanging pleasantries at the ward door, Neville had already skillfully tidied up the ward.
"Mom and Dad, the sun is nice today. I'll open the window for a while to air out the room; Professor said fresh air is good for the body."
The ward was quiet, with only Neville softly speaking to his parents.
Neville's parents sat on the hospital bed; although their gaze was still vacant, after hearing Neville's words, they could instinctively look at Neville, unlike before when they were unresponsive to the outside world.
Looking at his quiet parents, Neville took a bouquet of flowers from his bag.
"These are the flowers I bought for you in Hogsmeade; Professor said the scent of flowers can keep one's mood cheerful."
Neville placed the flowers in a vase on the small table between the two hospital beds, then sat beside his mother, holding her hand, and told her interesting stories from school.
"I didn't spend money recklessly; all this money was earned as a Herbology Class assistant. The day you're discharged, I'll personally buy you a big cake."
"My good friend Ron participated in the International Wizard Chess Tournament and won a bronze medal."
"His parents were overjoyed and immediately took Ron and them out for a meal in Hogsmeade. Ron has been so proud lately that his tail is practically touching the sky."
"As his friend, I was also invited," a look of longing appeared in Neville's eyes, "Watching their whole family enjoying themselves, I truly envied them greatly."
"Of course, I believe you will get better soon. Once you're well, I'll treat you to a big meal in Hogsmeade New Town."
"I've saved quite a bit of money now."
Neville patiently recounted daily trivia to his parents.
He had heard from Professor that although his parents couldn't react, they could hear everything, which also provided positive stimulation to their souls.
After finishing the recent interesting stories, Neville took out his wand and began today's treatment.
Seeing this, Sebastian, who was standing outside the ward door, walked in and stood beside Neville, carefully sensing Neville's treatment progress.
He found that after such a long period of treatment, the healing speed of Neville's parents was steadily increasing.
After most of the soul fragments combined, the remaining tiny fragments would involuntarily adhere to the larger soul fragments.
Now, both of their souls looked much more complete.
Of course, because Frank suffered the most torment, his injuries were also the most severe, so his healing speed was much slower than Neville's mother, Alice.
According to Sebastian's judgment, Alice would soon regain her conscious awareness and escape her confused state.
Suddenly, Sebastian's gaze narrowed, and he noticed Alice's fingers twitch slightly.
This twitch was like someone who had slept for a long time, stimulated by the outside world, showing signs of waking.
So fast?!
Sebastian immediately increased his probing intensity and found that Alice's soul, apart from the dense network of soul fissures, had become completely whole.
It seems Neville will be able to talk to his mother today.
Sebastian smiled, ready to witness the moment a miracle descended.
Alice felt like she had a very long dream; she felt her soul enveloped by a warm sensation, which also contained a boy's loving call.
This feeling... is it my child?
She struggled to wake up to respond to this call.
Gradually, her empty gaze focused, and a boy with a round face appeared in her line of sight.
In an instant, intense emotions surged through her heart. Alice used all her strength to weakly open her mouth and called Neville's pet name.
"Nal, is that my Nal?"
...