A few thoughts

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 137078

Geoff:
While rereading HBP, some thoughts occurred to me which some of you 
might also have had.

We are aware of JKR's habit of dropping little sentences into the 
books which suddenly take on significance at a later date and a 
couple of these crossed my mind - mark you, they may turn into latter 
day "Mark Evans".

'"Oh, hi, Luna."
"I went to the hospital wing to find you," said Luna, rummaging in 
her bag. "But they said you'd left..."
She thrust what appeared to be a green onion, a large spotted 
toadstool and a considerable amount of what looked like cat litter 
into Ron's hands, finally pulling out a rather grubby roll of 
parchment that she handed to Harry......

..."What is this, by the way?" he (Ron) added, holding the onionlike 
object up to eye-level.
"Oh, it's a Gurdyroot," she asaid, stuffing the cat litter and the 
toadstool back into her bag. "You can keep it if you like, I've got a 
few of them. They're really excellent for warding off Gulping 
Plimpies."'

(HBP "Lord Voldemort's Request" pp.397-398 UK edition)

Is this going to be significant or is it just another example of 
Luna's dottiness?

A second little addition to the mix....

'"Anyone we know - ?" asked Ron, as Hermione scanned the headlines.
"Yes!" said Hermione, causing both Harry and Ron to gag on their 
breakfast, "but it's all right, he's not dead - it's Mundungus, he's 
been arrested and sent to Azkaban! Something to do with impersonating 
an Inferius during an attmepted burglary... and someone called 
Octavius Pepper has vanished... oh and how horrible, a nine-year-old 
boy has been arrested for trying to kill his grandparents, they think 
he was under the Imperius Curse..."'

(HBP "The Unknowable Room" p.428 UK edition)

Should we be speculating on who Octavius Pepper is? Just a name out 
of the blue maybe? Not even a student at Hogwarts, like Sally-Ann 
Perks or even another local kid such as Mark Evans...

OK, over to PACT (Paranoid Association of Conspiracy Theorists).

Finally:

'"Kill me then," panted Harry who felt no fear at all but only rage 
and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward - "
"DON'T -" screamed Snape and his face was suddenly demented, inhuman, 
as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in 
the burning house behind them, "- CALL ME COWARD!"
And he slashed at the air; Harry felt a white-hot, whiplike something 
hit him across the face and was slammed backwards into the ground. 
Spots of light burst infromt of his eyes and for a moment all the 
breath seemd to have gone from his body..'

(HBP "Flight of the Prince" p.564 UK edition)

Anyone got any ideas on this spell? I'm convinced it's 
not "Sectumsempra" and I don't think it's the spell which Dolohov 
threw at Hermione in OOTP.