The spider is still hissing and dying as Veriben nears the wand. The spider tumbles down the stairs, and looks to be blocking the base of the stairs.

Gracepick is quite dead, and now stiff as a board as the poison freezes him even more.

Veriben has seen the staff wands in use. They were a minor form of Wild Magic, and were designed to enhance your spell. Somehow you focused your spell through them, mostly to good effects. There was usually an mental command, but the staff-wizards never shared them with students.