"Ominous... whispers?" Harry looked at Ron and Neville in some surprise.
He was not the only one. Hermione also looked rather surprised and confused.
"Harry, Hermione, neither of you grew up in a wizarding family, so you haven't had any elders tell you about this," Ron told them very seriously.
"But in the Wizarding World, this really is something every young wizard gets warned about countless times as they grow up. In the Wizarding World, hearing voices no one else can hear-whispers, in other words-is a very bad thing. It's a sign of terrible danger. It means danger, misfortune, and ill omens. Never answer them, much less investigate them. Ignore them as much as possible. Pay them no attention.
"Because these whispers are often temptations from terrifying demons or other, even more dangerous evil beings. With many wizards in the Wizarding World who went mad, it was discovered afterward that they'd heard whispers during their lifetimes-or, to be precise, in the period before they died."
Neville nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Ron's right. My gran has warned me more than once, too. She also told me that I once had a great-uncle who heard whispers. For a while afterward, he suddenly became incredibly powerful. He even seemed as powerful as Dumbledore.
"But before long, he went mad, and then he died. When my grandad and another of my great-uncles were sorting through his belongings, they found in his notes that he'd heard whispers and then started investigating and researching them..."
Their words left Harry rather frightened, but Hermione frowned in confusion. "Then why haven't any of the books I've read mentioned this?"
"Because you haven't read enough, and the ones you've read aren't advanced enough." It was rare for Ron to say something like that with such confidence, but when Hermione