Ever since Barnaby had been allowed to resume Potions, he had to catch up on the classes he had missed. Ben happened to be taking Potions as well, so they returned to their "old spot" to study together.
"Is this black toad a symbol, or an ingredient?" Barnaby asked Ben after reading Advanced Potion-Making for a while.
"It means the deadly poison becomes a medicine," Ben said, looking at where Barnaby was pointing. "And you can't use purification."
"What?" Barnaby asked, confused.
"I didn't actually understand what he was saying, but he said not to waste time on antidote potions," Ben replied.
"But doesn't the book say there's a stone in a toad's brain that can detoxify poison?" Barnaby said.
"He'll give you a knife and make you dissect every toad in the Potions classroom until you find that stone," Ben said with a look of horror.
"Ordinary toads won't do, of course. You have to feed them borax..."
"You can throw that book into the fire and burn it," a voice suddenly said.
"Oh, sorry, I misread it. This was a method used by wizards in 1569." Barnaby scratched his hair. "They thought it could produce an antidote like a Bezoar."
"Who are you talking to?" Ben asked.
Barnaby looked at Ben. "Who else is in this room besides the two of us?"
"Me," said a voice.
Barnaby stood up and swept his gaze around the room.
"Look up," the voice said.
"Human Presence Revealed." Barnaby waved his wand.
There was still no one around. The strange voice chuckled. "I'm not on the ground. Look up."
"What are you doing, Lee?" Ben asked.
Barnaby raised his head.
"Higher," the voice said.
Barnaby shifted his gaze from the fourth shelf of the display rack to the fifth.
"Higher," the voice