Dumbledore's wand silvery bird

[maryblue67]

No: HPFGUIDX 37778

Hello everybody! I make a quick search about this in the lexicon, and 
didn't find the answer, so i come to request the help of your 
wonderful minds... sorry if this has been discussed in depth and i 
didn't see it.

In page 486 of GoF, Bloomsbury hardcover edition, (the chapter 
is "The madness of Mr Crouch"), when Dumbledore and Harry reach the 
Forest and see Krum unconscious, i'll copy what it says;

" 'Should i go and get someone' said Harry. Madam Pomfrey?'
  'No,' said Dumbledore swiftly. 'Stay here.'
  He raised his wand into the air and pointed it in the direction of  
Hagrid's cabin. Harry saw something silvery dart out of it and streak 
away through the trees like a ghostly bird. Then Dumbledore bent over 
Krum again, pointed his wand at him, and muttered, 'Enervate'. "

I can't believe i hadn't noticed that ghostly bird before!! I had 
missed it completely the previous three times i had read the book! 
Anyway, do you have any ideas about this bird? It is obviously not a 
patronus, since there are no Dementors around (or are there? well,if 
there were, Harry would have felt it, and also Dumbledore wouldn't 
have pointed towards Hagrid's cabin, but the Forest instead), but it 
has a similar appearance, silvery, ghostly, the shape of an animal... 
it could be simply some messenger spell to call people, that clearly 
identifies Dumbledore - so i guess it's a phoenix.

 Will it have anything to do with book 5? I had the same feeling one 
gets when the patronus is first shown. When Lupin uses it in the 
train, or when Dumbledore conjures one in the Quidditch pitch, since 
our main characters don't know what it is, it's refered to as 
something silvery white, some shape, etc. Only later we get to know 
what it is. Could this be some foreshadowing, something to be 
revealed in the next books? The way JKR refers to it, i have that 
impression, we'll learn about it later.

Well, if this has been discussed, i would appreciate some pointed 
towards what the discussion subject was so i can find it in the 
archives. 

Thanks!!

Maria