Progress was being made - that much was certain. Apollo only hoped that working together would finally put an end to these aggressive vines.

The Fire-Making Spell had worked perfectly in protecting himself from the vines' attack, and that seemed to be the real key in all of this. Other spells had been helpful, but fire destroyed the vines completely and stopped them from regrowing. So that seemed like the correct plan to follow.

"And use Incendio," he added to Professor Burbage's instructions. Just to be clear. They needed to hone in on its weakness now more than ever.

And so he did just that, casting his own "Incendio!" once more, aiming for the roots.

Fire at the roots of the plants served two purposes: firstly, it was a sure way to distract the vines and secondly, it certainly weakened the will to cause destruction and most obviously, it weakened physically. The flailing vines saw a reduction in violent movements, instead merely dancing about harmlessly; they withdrew from any student they had a grip on.

The roots? Those erupted in a small fireball no time thanks to those meddling students. They curled and quivered, much like the legs of spiders when one cast the Cruciatus Curse upon them. As the tiny inferno continued, the vines continued to retract, pulling themselves back into the plants. It was quite the spectacle, something once so threatening being reduced to nothing.

Because that was exactly what was happening. The flames quickly ate away the roots, spreading upwards to the rest of the offending plants, consuming leaves and vines until there was nothing but a smouldering pile of ash remaining.

Threat neutralised. Congratulations, Hufflepuffs.

Paul wiped his forehead after the aftermath, plus the heat from all the fire burning. He did what he could, and was glad to see it finished off. The Garden was is need of a recoat... "I guess... we can let everyone else know that everything's okay. Maybe Professor Cole can figure out what went wrong?" It was so strange.

But right now, he could use a drink. A nice cup of pumpkin juice or fresh water. So with that, after giving a curt nod in appreciation to Apollo, Xerxes, and Professor Burbage, he went back to the main room.

Xerxes had just finished casting off one last "Incendio!" when the plant shriveled and died. He stood completely still for a few moments, just to make absolutely sure the threat was entirely gone. He then straightened up and ran his fingers through his hair; letting out a deep sigh of relief.

Xerxes turned to his nearest housemate and raised his hand for a congratulatory high-five. They had done it; he and his fellow Hufflepuff's had neutralized a great threat and managed to do it without suffering any serious injuries.

"That was a close one." he said to no one in particular. He let out a little laugh, just to cut the tension. "Good job everybody. A real team effort, I must say."

Xerxes turned to his Head of House. "So, what should we do now, Professor Burbage? I'm guessing we need to tell someone, like maybe the Headmaster, what happened? And someone should probably find Nyle. I don't want to accuse anyone of anything vexatious, but you're definitely gonna wanna talk to him."