Baz uses a spell to open the dining hall doors even though it’s “unnecessarily grandiose” (153) because he wants to make a grand entrance. Simon stands up so quickly that he topples his chair, and Baz notes how thin Simon looks. He also sees Penny, Simon’s “meddling sidekick” (153), attempting to tug Simon back down. Baz gives Agatha a mysterious look, knowing she’ll interpret it however she wants to. Baz feels ravenous, so he makes up a plate and then casually sits with his friends and asks them what he’s missed.

Baz was kidnapped by troll-like creatures called numpties and kept in a coffin for six weeks. His abductors gave him blood to drink, but they didn’t seem to know that vampires also require food. His aunt Fiona rescued him and took him home, where he spent two weeks in bed recuperating. Baz’s family suspects that the Mage ordered his kidnapping, but Baz insisted on returning to Watford—it’s the last place he saw his mother.

This year is Baz’s last chance “to torment Snow” before their rivalry becomes “something more permanent and less entertaining” (160). Simon glares at Baz in Greek class, so agitated that magic is pouring off of him in dizzying waves.