This is a very poignant exchange when considered in light of Bran’s future state.

His injury will soon leave him easily as weak and dependent as the pups are here; that he defends them while he is still hale speaks to his inherent kindness and feeling for nature. There will be those who suggest it would be better for Bran to have died; but, much as these direwolves, he will come to prove them wrong.

The mainstream religion of Westeros pays homage to Seven gods, and this is reflected throughout its theology and established church; hence Septons, Septas, “seven hells,” etc.

Sept- is the Latinate (originally Indo-European) root for “Seven” (Septem).

Jory Cassel is an “Old Retainer” (literally) of the Starks, ever thoughtful (even over-anxious) as to the safety of his charges. Robb is a mere lad by our standards, but in quasi-mediæval Westeros he should be fully capable of looking out for himself.

Robb is very much a product of the warrior’s culture he inhabits; hence, he believes “saving face” to be paramount among the virtues. As a legitimate eldest son, heir to one of the greatest fiefdoms in Westeros, it’s difficult for him to understand the subtleties his more sensitive half brother perceives.

So for the Pope, as for the King
All drink without limit!

In the mediæval world, there was no “separation of Church and State” (an Enlightenment concept, dating from the 18th century). Doctrines such as symphonia in the East and Pope Gelasius’s “Two Swords” theory in the West suggested that both King and Pope are instruments of God’s authority on earth. Hence, it is only fitting to toast them in the same breath. There’s some irony here in the fact that they are, respectively, the sources of ecclesiastical and civil law (which is a more literal translation of “lege”), and yet law is cast aside in honouring them.

Pope Benedict and King Juan Carlos of Spain – two spiritual swords of Christ come together

Narcissa would be a feminine form of “Narcissus,” a pretty white flower that seems an excellent basis for a girl’s name.

The flower’s name, however, was originally that of a handsome youth who, in Greek legend, is said to have stared so long at his reflection that he died (the flower having sprung up on the spot).

This derivation hints at Mrs. Malfoy’s arrogance, vanity and selfishness; her good looks and patrician air conceal a rather flawed character, much as the innocent flower-name conceals a dark tale.

I’ll let Ms. Rowling answer this in her own words:

Because Harry is one of my favorite boy’s names. But he had several different surnames before I chose Potter. Potter was the name of a brother and sister who I played with when I was very young. We were part of the same gang and I always liked that surname.

James was, of course, his father’s name.

It seems odd at first that his full first name is Harry, since that’s usually a nickname for Henry; but this is less surprising when one knows Rowling just chose it because she liked the sound.

In Norse Mythology, Fenrir is an absolutely horrifying wolf, a misbegotten son of Loki and the giantess Angrboða. In Ragnarök, the last battle that will destroy the world, he will eat Odin.

Rowling is not the first modern children’s author to borrow the name, as C.S. Lewis' “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” uses the moniker (in some early American editions) for a lupine Captain of the Secret Police.

Greyback comes from the fact that… wolves are grey?

In case it wasn’t clear, the character is a werewolf.

Regulus could be named after Marcus Atilius Regulus, a Roman hero celebrated in Horace’s Odes. Like Mr. Black, he died in an act of noble self-sacrifice. Apparently, the name could also refer to a basilisk (a suitable symbol of black magic) or the star [system] Alpha Leonis (star names run in the family).

Arcturus is a bright “orange giant” star.