Mirror of the Erised theories

[Lauren Strohfeldt]

ok in the 6th book harrys probably gonna be relli depressed and he will want sirius back and stuff and i think he will go and try and find the mirror of erised, and.... if he cant find it he will go to the room of requirement and it will be there and he will keep going back and blah blah blah
what do u guys think?

[iloveron77]

He may very well SEE Sirius in The Mirror of Erised, but he cant talk to him, so i dont see much point in him doing that. Its about the same as a picture. Also I don't think Dumbledore would let him find The Mirror of Erised again because he doesn't want him to dwell on it......... so i dont think the mirror will be the form of communication that JKR will have Harry use to talk to Sirius again, IF she uses one at all.... ~iloveron77

[Arissya_00]

In the first book, DUmbledore moved the Mirror of Erised elsewhere. I don't think it is in the Room of REquirement. Sure the Room of Requirement shows whatever you need, but I think there are limits to it.

[Rosie B.]

I don't think Harry would even look for the mirror after what Dumbledore told him in the first book. However, he might come across it acidently. I also agree that the Room of Requirement might come into play.

[otto lupin]

Dumbledore move the Mirror of Erised to protect the Sorcerors Stone, arissya

[Arissya_00]

Yeah, but we haven't seen it in a while, and I seriously doubt that it will appear in the Room of Requirement though...

[DWeasley]

Nah, I don't think he will see it in the mirror of Erised, but I think he will pick up the broken mirror in his possesion a few times. Sure, he knows he can't use it but he will probably try again anyway, just to make sure.

[Doggy]

It does feel a bit useless to go around the whole castle looking for a Mirror that might not be there, though it's a thing that Harry perfectly well might do ;)

Besides, couldn't Harry just look at some pictures? It seems to me that both wizarding pictures and the Mirror of Erised have the same level of "camera action", so why go looking for a "big version" of the same thing? He could ask Lupin for pictures if he's that desperate.

When he looked at his family in the Mirror, he didn't have any pictures of them, he got them at the end of the school year.

[Phoenix_Fawkes]

I cant see Harry looking for it,,,mabye finding it on accident. And yea theres limits on the room of retirement...im sure...I have the feeling thought the mirror will play another role in the upcomming books.

[animagus1369]

Originally posted by Arissya_00 (original post (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?postid=422169#post422169))
In the first book, DUmbledore moved the Mirror of Erised elsewhere. I don't think it is in the Room of REquirement. Sure the Room of Requirement shows whatever you need, but I think there are limits to it.


You're right--the room of requirements will give you what you really *need*. Don't know that Harry needs the Mirror of Erised to see Sirius like he needed the room for DA meetings/practices. I don't doubt he might want it, but need it? Don't think so.

[haycheng]

The Mirror of Erised:
Some mention Ron start to fullfill his desire in the mirror of erised(PS/SS). Harry see his parent in the mirror. Would that be a hint that he will dead and meet his parents?
Big V do not have to die. Harry may die in order to make big v feel loved and become a good guy(that would be funny).

[seerius]

No, i don't think so, haycheng - Dumbledore tells harry that the mirror does not show any truth - only the "deepest and most desperate desire" of one's heart. I think Ron being made a prefect and him seeing that in the mirror is just pure coincidence - nothing more.

As for seeing Sirius in the mirror - i don't think harry would go looking for it after what DD said - but i think he may stumble across it.

[haycheng]

i know what you mean but Ron is taking step to fullfill his dream. Would this be a foreshadow of harry's death?

[Hawk 92]

What's really interesting to wonder about is what Harry would see in the mirror now.

In PS/SS he saw his parents but would he see Sirius now or his parents or perhaps all three of them standing there togeather.

Sirius was like a father to Harry so would Harry long to see Sirius again or his parents whom he can barely remember?

Cheers!

[SiriusandHarry]

I think the Mirror of Erised will help defeat Harry in book 7 or might help back everyone Voldemort killed.

[RavenclawsFinest]

Searched didn't find it.........


I was reading a thread about harry's relative's on his father's side when someone (the name elludes me), mentions on a side note "where were all of those people anyway?" The person was refering to Harry's relatives who were standing behind James and Lilly, in book one.

That got me wondering, I think I've read in one of J.K.'s interviews that the Mirror of Erised would be important in later books( and if she didn't it seems to me that it probably will be mentioned anyway), and we all know that the Veil in the DoM will be examined later in the series. So I was thinking of a connection between the two, the Mirror shows what someone wants to see most, the veil has something to do with death(possibly, another dimension)

Harry saw his parents and past relatives.........now what if the place they were all conjugated was actually a place..... the place behind the veil?

I think that all the Potters are dead because there is no mention of them, any of them, unless it's in the past tense....If Harry had relatives on his father side they would know he was definately not dead, and would have known he was attending Hogwarts over the past five years because that is common knowledge to all wizards and witches. :shrug:


P.S. Maybe the mirror can be a way he can see Sirius again? Who knows?

What do you think? :shrug:

[turbotriple_power]

Hmmm i also thought about this and i think that there is something really weird about this.
Why didn't Dumbledore or Sirius tell Harry what had happened to his family???
And why didn't Harry ever ask??
It all seems odd to me, and the mirror of Erised shows all what your hearts desire but can you get what you most desire???
In the SoS Harry got the stone because he wanted it but didn't want to use it, but can he do the same thing with anything else??
I mean when Ron saw himself, he was quiditch captain and he was holding the cup, but till now he is in the team and he won the cup!
This thing is really complicated!
I got pretty much lost in what i was saying but anyways sorry if this doesn't make any sense..

________________


http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/lagazette/images/4-picture2.jpg"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of-scarlet woman!"
Hermione stopped looking atonished and snorted with laughter. "Scarlet woman?" she repeated, shaking with surpressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.
"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.:lol:

[Larna]

Ah, mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. JKR likes those darn mirrors. I don't think we've seen the last of the Mirror of Erised, and you know the fact that he kept those broken mirror pieces will be significant. I wouldn't be surprised if some more mirrors showed up, and I think there's a lot more to them then we think... maybe they won't be extremely significant, but they have voices... Mirrors have hassled Harry about his appearance several times if my memory serves me. While I think there are more effective ways to 'find Sirius' than looking in a mirror (you are correct, he might as well just look at old photographs rather than search for the mirror), I am sure mirrors will be important or at least mentioned more. I just know it.

[GryffindorSeeker]

That would be cool ( and rather sad) to see the mirror again. I'm kind of leaning that we won't see it again, but if we do, it will be interesting, if not anything else!

[Houler_7S]

anyway were sirius left the mirror and what Harry will do if he finds it another misterie

[noddwyd]

the thing where harry got the stone was a one time thing set up by dumbledore, so no one with greedy or evil intentions could get there hands on it. It won't give you anything you don't put in there yourself. What I want to know is what other characters would see in the mirror. Like Hermione for example. Any ideas on what other characters would see, or if Harry and Ron's visions would have changed by now? They have matured and your desires tend to change when that happens. Although Harry's might just simply be Sirius and/or his parents. He's an exception. But eventually Harry is going to have to stop thinking about the love he's lost, and finally see what's right in front of him, if you know what I mean.

[Sirius83]

I don't think the mirror foreshadows anything. All it has shown really is that Ron got some of his deepest desires. This does not mean that everything that was seen in the mirror will happen. For that matter, none of it can happen, really. Ron cannot win the house cup all on his own. Harry cannot meet his parents until he dies. The fact that some of what we saw happened is nothing but coincidence if you ask me.

[Hpmons]

Dang...I wanted to start a MoE thread...

I dont know what Harry would see in the Mirror of Erised, but I do think we will see it again. I have a reason for it, but Ive forgotten my reason...

But I think we have a lot mor eto find out about the mirror of erised, and I think in the 7th book we may meet many things from the first book that we havent seen since (Norbert, Mirror, Snake, possibly Fluffy), as it would make the series have a nice round to it, so that everything is explained (but Im sure there will still be a few loose threads).

The Mirror of Erised seems to be an important object - it can show whatever we truly want. It reminds me a bit of a boggart, showing us what we most hate, or a dementor showing us our worst memories; and both of those have come back late rin the series already.

[OneSiriusNiffler]

This is totally off-track, but what would a boggart see in the MoE?
You've got a good point there, Hpmons. Boggarts and Dementors seem to be the opposite of the MoE, in a way. I wonder what the connection is?


EDIT: Ah! Just thought of something... what would LV see in the MoE? That could be significant as well.

[noddwyd]

himself as a god, maybe? I honestly don't understand his quest for immortality at all. What would a boggart turn into for him?

[FawkesBox]

Maybe the all feed off of different ends of the same power?

[Houler_7S]

What voldemort would see in the mirror?

[Baron]

What voldemort would see in the mirror?

Himself in a Playboy mansion filled with girls and twinkies. :lol:

On a serious note, I think it will be himself and his Death Eater army marching in back of him taking over the world. :evil:

[MSLupin]

What would Voldemort see... Interesting question. Probably himself murdering Harry, I would think.

[irunwthscissors5]

I think it was Dumbledore that said something along the lines of "the order has more effective ways of communicating with each other than Dolores Umbridge's fire." Perhaps this could be a way of Harry communicating with Sirius even though he's gone? Though I don't know if I want to see Harry able to talk to Sirius without limits.

Something this thread got me thinking about was maybe because Harry really knew Sirius it will only be Sirius in the mirror. Harry will begin to feel guilty because he thinks he replaced his parents for a while. That's a pretty unlikely theory, but like I said this thread got me thinking about it.

As for LV's boggart I think it would be the opposite of Mrs. Weasley's. *Crack* alive Lily, *crack* alive Bertha, *crack* alive James, *crack* alive Cedric, etc.

[Houler_7S]

I think that voldemort would se himself at the lead of the wizard world afterhe destroyed harry and dumbledore

[FawkesBox]

Or maybe he would see himself making Elixer of Life as was suggested in Book 1?

[Catgirl]

I think that if Harry looked in the mirror now he would see a slightly younger version of himself. Although he wants Sirius back, I believe his longing for his own innocence and nieveity will be greater. He may have lost a godfather, but he has also lost a greater part of himself. He will long for the Harry that we met in the first book.

There was a picture in the CoS film of Harry, Ron and Hermione looking happy and childlike. No pictures of the three of them were ever mentioned in the book. I think that that picture (I'm not saying it's been put in the film for that purpous, just that it is a good idea of wht I'm thinking of) could also be what Harry would see if he looked in the mirror now. It reflects both his own innocence and his closeness with Ron and Hermione, both of which I believe he will have lost in the sixth book.

Whatever, I think Harry will be more mature in book six and see things that are to do with his own personality as opposed to other people or things.

I think the mirror has yet to forfill it's potential. It could still be of imporance to the story.

BTW I think Lord Voldermort's boggart would be Dumbledore.

[Discordia]

(NOTE: isn't it a little odd how Mr. Dursley and Voldemorte's father both have one thing in common? An intense dislike for the magical world and how they hate anything that's not normal?) I think that the one thing finally led to his downward spiral was the Mirror of Erised. This is just a theory i have. From what we know i can only guess that the Mirror had been at Hogwarts for a while and that Dumbledpre had witnessed the effect it had on some people maybe Voldemorte? Dumbledore said that people have wasted away in front of it and had been driven mad by it. Maybe Voldemorte spent alot of time in front of the mirror and became conusumed with the thought of having more power that he practically went to the gates of hell to get it. I'm almost convinced that the mirror had soething to do with Voldemorte's transition to the darkside. Even though harry and Voldemorte seem to have come from similar backrounds Harry has been able to escape going over to the dark side so far. Unlike Voldemorte Harry has always had a better understandinfg of love and has people who really cared about him which makes him so different from Voldemorte who's surrounded by people who are either want his power or are too scared to defy him. I don't think that people are born evil but turn out either good or bad depending on influence. But I'm sure that the Mirror of Erised was the key to turning Tom Riddle into Lord Voldemorte.

[FawkesBox]

That a very fascinating point. We know that Dumbledore was closely involved with Tom Riddle's education. We also know that Dumbledore know a lot about the influence of the Mirror of Erised. Put two and two together... The only hole in this (and it is minor) is that in PS/SS when Voldemort sees the Mirror he does not remark that he has seen it before... Hmm...

I also would like to reiterare that I think that we will see the Mirror again. It is too powerful and important (and well-loved by JKR) not to crop up again. and I hope that it won't just be Harry, at the end, seing himself just as himself- although this would not disappoint me, I'd like to see the Mirror used as in the first book or maybe even broken...

[Hedwig's owl]

Searched didn't find it.........


I was reading a thread about harry's relative's on his father's side when someone (the name elludes me), mentions on a side note "where were all of those people anyway?" The person was refering to Harry's relatives who were standing behind James and Lilly, in book one.

That got me wondering, I think I've read in one of J.K.'s interviews that the Mirror of Erised would be important in later books( and if she didn't it seems to me that it probably will be mentioned anyway), and we all know that the Veil in the DoM will be examined later in the series. So I was thinking of a connection between the two, the Mirror shows what someone wants to see most, the veil has something to do with death(possibly, another dimension)

Harry saw his parents and past relatives.........now what if the place they were all conjugated was actually a place..... the place behind the veil?

I think that all the Potters are dead because there is no mention of them, any of them, unless it's in the past tense....If Harry had relatives on his father side they would know he was definately not dead, and would have known he was attending Hogwarts over the past five years because that is common knowledge to all wizards and witches. :shrug:


P.S. Maybe the mirror can be a way he can see Sirius again? Who knows?

What do you think? :shrug:

Something I found interesting is at least three times it was said that Harry did not know the people in the mirror...

"He couldn't remember his parents at all." SS Ch 2 pg 37

"Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life." SS Ch 12 pg. 259

DD says..."You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you." SS Ch 12 pg 265

If the mirror gives neither truth or knowledge... SS Ch 12 pg 265 How does Harry know what his family looks like on order to see them in the mirror? He does not see the photo album until after he finds the mirror. In SS Ch 2 pg. 37 states that "There were no photographs of them in the house." so he could not have see pictures of them...He might have a buried memory of his parents but 10 other people as well? If he did they would have had to be alive during the 15 months he lived with his parents and died during that time as well. Ideas?

[Field]

Something I found interesting is at least three times it was said that Harry did not know the people in the mirror...

"He couldn't remember his parents at all." SS Ch 2 pg 37

"Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life." SS Ch 12 pg. 259

DD says..."You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you." SS Ch 12 pg 265

If the mirror gives neither truth or knowledge... SS Ch 12 pg 265 How does Harry know what his family looks like on order to see them in the mirror? He does not see the photo album until after he finds the mirror. In SS Ch 2 pg. 37 states that "There were no photographs of them in the house." so he could not have see pictures of them...He might have a buried memory of his parents but 10 other people as well? If he did they would have had to be alive during the 15 months he lived with his parents and died during that time as well. Ideas?
I don't think we will see the mirror again but we might see the irony of it. Ron has already become a perfect and is on the Quidditch team now, could he become what he saw in the mirror? If so could Harry see his parents again.
Didn't see this posted, if it was im truely sorry.

[Discordia]

what I don't get is why would Rowling make the mirror show neither truth or knowledge and than make it ironic that exactly what Ron and Harry saw come true?

[MSLupin]

If the mirror gives neither truth or knowledge... SS Ch 12 pg 265 How does Harry know what his family looks like on order to see them in the mirror? He does not see the photo album until after he finds the mirror. In SS Ch 2 pg. 37 states that "There were no photographs of them in the house." so he could not have see pictures of them...He might have a buried memory of his parents but 10 other people as well? If he did they would have had to be alive during the 15 months he lived with his parents and died during that time as well. Ideas?

I think that "truth" implies things in the present and future that are unknown. A past fact is unchangable, evident knowledge.

[Hedwig's owl]

I think that "truth" implies things in the present and future that are unknown. A past fact is unchangable, evident knowledge.

Wonder if Harry is carrying one or more of his parents... Their memory or essence....

If Snape knows that James is a part of Harry. It would explain why Snape goes after Harry.

[Rowena Ravenclaw]

He might have a buried memory of his parents but 10 other people as well?

His parents might have had photographs of them. But consider the rest of Dumbledore's quote:

p. 213, US hardcover

"Men have wasted away before it, entranced by what they have seen, or been driven mad, not knowing if what it shows is real or even possible.

Yes, the Mirror's vision of Harry's family coincided with reality, but did it have to? It could have shown James with green eyes and Lily with black, untidy hair, and Harry might well have accepted that.

[Hedwig's owl]

His parents might have had photographs of them. But consider the rest of Dumbledore's quote:



Yes, the Mirror's vision of Harry's family coincided with reality, but did it have to? It could have shown James with green eyes and Lily with black, untidy hair, and Harry might well have accepted that.

Harry has been told repeatedly that he looks like his father but has his mother's eyes. Would not have Harry made a comment upon seeing the photo album that the pictures were not the same as the mirror if they were different?

[shadyish]

not positive, but in the interview that JK said we would be seeing aragog and the weasleys car again, i thought she said we would be seeing the mirror again as well. cant remember which interview that was though. also , she has said that her fav chapter from the books is chapter 12, book 1, the mirror of erised. so i agree that it still does have a part to play.

[Discordia]

I think that the real question is that if the mirror tells neither truth nor knowledge than how can Rowling say that it says so much about the future bc than by her own logic the mirror can't give the future if it tells neither truth not knowledge.

[Liselle]

I was re-reading "Christmas on the Closed ward" and something stuck me. On page 439 of the European Edition

"He reached the black door, but could not open it.....he stood gazing at it depserate for entry.....something he wanted with all his heart lay beyond....a prize beyond his dreams...."

This reminded me strongly of the Mirror of erised when Dumbledore tells Harry about what the mirror is and does

"It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts"

I thought that these two passages seemed a bit alike and I was wondering if there was a connection between the two.

L

[Liselle]

*bump*

[GryffindorGr]

Something I found interesting is at least three times it was said that Harry did not know the people in the mirror...

"He couldn't remember his parents at all." SS Ch 2 pg 37

"Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life." SS Ch 12 pg. 259

DD says..."You, who have never known your family, see them standing around you." SS Ch 12 pg 265

If the mirror gives neither truth or knowledge... SS Ch 12 pg 265 How does Harry know what his family looks like on order to see them in the mirror? He does not see the photo album until after he finds the mirror. In SS Ch 2 pg. 37 states that "There were no photographs of them in the house." so he could not have see pictures of them...He might have a buried memory of his parents but 10 other people as well? If he did they would have had to be alive during the 15 months he lived with his parents and died during that time as well. Ideas?

This is very interesting. If we can see the possible future in terms of our deepest desire (futures can be altered depending on how you want it to go--thus why the Centaurs are there to give us insight of why or why not we should interfere) then perhaps what Harry has looked into was something he desired for the future. It also is paralell to his deepest desire at that current time, which is wanting a family. So wouldn't it be correct to assume that the reflection he sees is something he will achieve or would achieve in the future. I'd have to read the passages where he may have looked into the mirror and then recognized it as his parents, then later seen the albums and perhaps connected them to that couple. Since Ron's had come true for him, maybe there's something there we can trace with Ron's reflection to compare to Harrys.

Liselle, I read yours and the only thing I can connect to that quote is the "nothing more" and "black door", other than that, nothing seems to click right now. Besides I think somewhere, Hermione tells Harry that DD doesn't want him to focus too much on that door. Yet sagely, Ron accuses Snape to opening up Harrys mind. Is Ron making a suggestion that if Harry tries to open the door then it's easier access for Voldie? Because Voldie would know what lies inside Harry's heart? What he wishes? There's just too much contradiction here and I can't place it. Contradictory because DD doesnt want him to know what's behind his most desired heart and too why Ron goes against this? Yet DD wants Snape to keep going with the lessons?

Edit: Okay I just read the passage on p.153, PS, british edition.
And the lightbulb snapped. lol.

Do you recall that every one's eyes had the color green?
Now, since "eyes" are really very very important in this book, remember that Harry's father and himself wears "glasses"....this could pertain to the reflection given off of the mirror, reflecting to Harry's own eyes.

The reason I'm thinking this, is because I recall somewhere that JKR was not pleased that a certain foreign country had published one of the books with the cover of Harry Potter without his glasses. Now This is very very important because throughout the series, Hermione and Hagrid fix his glasses.

So would this not be plausible that the glasses are so important to reflect the eyes of the bearer. That in actuality he's looking into the faces of his future?
The hair colors, etc can not be altered yet the eyes can be altered because eyes are the "mirrors of our souls".

[Liselle]

both occassions required Harry/user/dreamer to want something desperately, something that was wanted with all his heart was on the otherside or would be the result of using the mirror or opening the door. Thats what I meant.

[GryffindorGr]

both occassions required Harry/user/dreamer to want something desperately, something that was wanted with all his heart was on the otherside or would be the result of using the mirror or opening the door. Thats what I meant.

Well, nothing in life is easy to get, so I think maybe Harry has to suffer a little to get what he wanted. Who said life was easy? :)
Hm, it'd certainly be easier if we knew magic like they did. lol.

But that's a nice little clue, maybe using the mirror would somehow be connected to that door or to the other side? If rumours around here are correct, that the series sort of parallel eachother, like book 1 will be book 7, then I'm assuming that 7 will be a small repeat of 1. Using the mirror of Erise as the key. Maybe.

[Drker2000]

I think Ron will Get what he saw in the mirror he well on his way to head boy and maybe quidditch captian, and they've been winning the house cup lately.

[SnorkackCatcher]

If the mirror gives neither truth or knowledge... SS Ch 12 pg 265 How does Harry know what his family looks like on order to see them in the mirror?

He doesn't. Presumably one of the magical qualities of the Mirror is to reflect what he would see if he could - it "fills in" the details.

I'm not sure why we would see it again - I can't see a good plot reason for it that couldn't be done in some other way, and no-one's actually mentioned it since the first book. Doesn't mean it won't appear though - after all, Firenze pops up in OotP after only a brief mention in PS/SS previously.

[Ultraviolet]

The mirror might be used again not to see Harry's desires but Voldemorts. I found it strange that Voldemort left an imprint of Harry and yet nothing was seen in the mirror to suggest that. They are both linked by the scar but the mirror suggests that there destinies are not. This does puzzle me a bit. Maybe Harry is going to die but not everything is what it seems in the mirror. If Harry can see Voldemorts future through the mirror then I think he might be able to prevent his own death, if that is what was seen in the mirror the first time he looked into it. Now that would be handy to know.

[Liselle]

you know thats a very interesting perspective on the mirror and harry/voldie connections....maybe (we don't know!) its possible that it was Voldemorts family Harry saw or that there is a connection between them...I'd say what Voldemort wants is for Harry to join the rest of his family DEAD!

Liselle

[saffron]

I would love to know what other characters see in the mirror, especially voldermort. I could imagine him seeing himself as a young boy with both his parents caring for him because after all his dad abandonoming him is really why tom riddle became lord voldermort in the first place.

[LumosSoleil]

I don't know why, but reading this thread makes me want to cry :sad:
I really feel bad for Harry. After learning too much about his own self, he just seems to hate himself more and more:

"Harry could not stand this, he could not stand being Harry anymore....He had never felt more trapped inside his own head and body, never wished so intensely that he could be somebody--anybody--else..."

Maybe what Harry really wished to see in the mirror was himself at peace.
He has went through so much, he doesn't even care for living anymore.
I don't even think he hates Voldemort; he may dislike him. I can only recall Harry ever really hating anyone was Bellatrix Lestrange and even wanted more than anything to hurt and kill her.

[GryffindorGr]

Just realized something after listening to Jefferson starships Go Ask Alice , and Alice in wonderland.
The mirror is the entrance to the underworld. What if....(and the theories around here that Harry is Voldie is so startlingly cool) What if....Voldie wants to get out to reach Harry and he's trapped in the mirror and that mirror of Erise is the key to the desires and the opposite of what Voldie wants for Harry. To destroy everything he wants.
If anyone has read Alice in wonderland or The lion, the witch and the wardrobe. Fantastic reads. It is common knowledge that the mirror represents the other side of the world. Everything is opposite and warped, and the doorway to the underworld.

[LumosSoleil]

Except on Ron's case, everything these mirrors show do represent everything opposite of what these characters are. Harry sees his family in the mirror with him, but in reality he's an orphan. Voldemort would probably want to see himself with power and dominating the world, or he sees himself as an immortal; of course, this has to be the opposite of his real present state.

[GryffindorGr]

thats why its erised, desire spelled backwards. At the time, Ron's desire was to be Quidditch captain and his desires are coming true yet at the time, he has to achieve those desires first.
Harry's is an unusual case. It's that scar and the glasses he's probably got on. Something to do with green eyes and reflections.
by saffron
I would love to know what other characters see in the mirror, especially voldermort. I could imagine him seeing himself as a young boy with both his parents caring for him because after all his dad abandonoming him is really why tom riddle became lord voldermort in the first place.
Me too. the whole thing is quite odd really. Voldemorts similarities with Harry, having both muggle parent and witch/wizard parent are startling interesting and if opposite from the mirror, one could see the backwards of it.

[Skylark]

Maybe it's the exhaustion of the week gaining on me, but this thread has given me a really, really, really insane idea. And of course, I feel like posting it.

I feel as though mirrors, not necessarily the mirror of erised, but prolly more like the shards of the one Sirius gave Harry, might be the key to contacting those Beyond the Veil. If Harry went back to that room, and if he slipped a mirror under the veil, so that half of it was on the other side, could he in some way see what was beyond the veil???? I know, I know! It's crazy...but...expanding on it, could he throw one of the shards through the arch and somehow get it to Sirius?? or even one of his parents??? There was that point in OotP that the mirror didn't work because Sirius probably didn't have his.

I don't know...I think like everybody else I'm just dying to know more about the veil.

As for the Mirror of Erised, oh you better believe it's coming back, and I wonder...I wonder...if after Book 6, let's imagine Harry tries to take on Voldemort and fails, but survives, Harry comes across the Mirror again...and it would reveal Harry's most deepest desire at that time, which, frightingly enough would be how to defeat Voldemort and protect the people he loves. It would show how much Harry has changed since Book one, and might actually, work???

[Zachary1993]

ok in the 6th book harrys probably gonna be relli depressed and he will want sirius back and stuff and i think he will go and try and find the mirror of erised, and.... if he cant find it he will go to the room of requirement and it will be there and he will keep going back and blah blah blah
what do u guys think?
Yeah that could be trie because when Sirius died he did not care about anything else. When he was eleven and he found the mirror of Erised he was happy because it showed his parents and also I heard that they would have the Mirror of Erised in future books. So this could be the reason. He will eventually be caught and Dumbldor will talk to him.

[OneSiriusNiffler]

Maybe it's the exhaustion of the week gaining on me, but this thread has given me a really, really, really insane idea. And of course, I feel like posting it.

I feel as though mirrors, not necessarily the mirror of erised, but prolly more like the shards of the one Sirius gave Harry, might be the key to contacting those Beyond the Veil. If Harry went back to that room, and if he slipped a mirror under the veil, so that half of it was on the other side, could he in some way see what was beyond the veil???? I know, I know! It's crazy...but...expanding on it, could he throw one of the shards through the arch and somehow get it to Sirius?? or even one of his parents??? There was that point in OotP that the mirror didn't work because Sirius probably didn't have his.

Believe it or not, that's exactly what I thought when I brainstormed about the broken mirror. I'm not sure it's right though-- it seems like it doesn't fit, somehow. It really is a longshot. I'm just missing Sirius a lot. *sigh* :upset:

[ErickGama]

In the first book, SS/PS, Harry finds the Mirror Of Erised. He sees himself with his family and parents reflected.
When Ron sees himself in the mirror, he is reflected holding the Quidditch Cup in his hands. And he also finds himself as a Head Boy.
In the fifth book, OotP, he is not the captain but a player, and he is not the head boy, he is a prefect.
Now, with Harry, will he at least be able to see his family for at least a short moment? Because JKRowling said that Magic couldn't bring them back.
Any ideas?

(Did a search but found nohting about thi. Feel freee to close or move.)

[I <3 Ron]

He did "see" them in GoF, or rather, shadowy memories of them.

[Puffskein]

The mirror shows people what they desire. For Ron, it was a possible achievement, and the mirror might have spurred him on towards it. For Harry, it was an impossible vision because no magic can bring back the dead. So the mirror can show the future, but you have to make it happen yourself, and some people can't make it happen at all.

[Barbara Kennedy]

In the first book, SS/PS, Harry finds the Mirror Of Erised. He sees himself with his family and parents reflected.
When Ron sees himself in the mirror, he is reflected holding the Quidditch Cup in his hands. And he also finds himself as a Head Boy.
In the fifth book, OotP, he is not the captain but a player, and he is not the head boy, he is a prefect.
Now, with Harry, will he at least be able to see his family for at least a short moment? Because JKRowling said that Magic couldn't bring them back.
Any ideas?

(Did a search but found nohting about thi. Feel freee to close or move.)
If you recall, he did see his parents in GoF when the two wands (Harry' and Voldemort's) locked in the graveyard.

This thread was found by searching 'mirror' in titles only. (Advanced Search)
Mirror of the Erised theories (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=12732)

[forgetfulgenius]

The only way that I can see Harry being surrounded by his family (not just his parents) is if he were to die himself...

[ErickGama]

If you recall, he did see his parents in GoF when the two wands (Harry' and Voldemort's) locked in the graveyard.

I was afraid someone would say this! I knew it already but I was just thinking if he will see them again. Because in the mirror, in the book, it said that he saw his whole family reflected. So, would he see them?

[LouisaB]

Are there any theories as to what other people would see in the mirror. Obviously we know about Harry and Ron and there is a bit of speculation about Voldemort. But what about, say, Dumbledore, Hermione, Lupin and Snape.

My guess on Lupin is he would see himself human whilst there is a full moon behind him. But no clue on the others.

[linzee4life]

My guess on Lupin is he would see himself human whilst there is a full moon behind him. But no clue on the others.

That one is probably right. As for Hermione, maybe she would see herself being successful with S.P.E.W. Does anyone remember what Hermione saw the Boggart as?

[idlescribbler]

McGonagall telling her she had a bad grade, if I remember correctly.

[linzee4life]

McGonagall telling her she had a bad grade, if I remember correctly.


Thanks! If she is afraid of failure, maybe her greatest desire is to succeed?

[HPGoddess101]

I think Dumbledore will use the mirror of Ersised again in some way. If it's against Voldemort why shouldn't he? I mean it worked once...

[HPGoddess101]

No, what hermione's boggart was McGonagall telling her that she failed everything.

[theloveablestra]

i think that snape would see him self as a child...but with people who cared about him all around him if that had been the case i'm sure he would have turned out differently and it seems that he doesnt like the way his is now

[linzee4life]

I think Dumbledore will use the mirror of Ersised again in some way. If it's against Voldemort why shouldn't he? I mean it worked once...

I agree, but the question is when will he use it? And what will he use it for? I just refuse to believe that the mirror is gone forever.

[Elixir09]

voldermorts boggart duh himself dead remember he fears death.
mirror of erised will show voldermort as the ruler of the world.
i wonder what hermione will see in the mirror.
Oh remember dumbledore saw himself holding a pair of socks in the mirror of erised hmm remember what set dobby free?...a sock
sock=freedom and fairness for all creatures (equality )

[idlescribbler]

No, what hermione's boggart was McGonagall telling her that she failed everything.

That's right. Ron Joked that it would be making a single bad grade. I need to reread the books again. It's been too long.

[jen15poms]

I think it is interesting that Dumbledore sees himself holding a pair of wool socks. That may have some significance (maybe he was a house elf in a former life...lol) I also think that Harry will use the mirror in some way...I'm just not sure why...he probably will see Sirius in the mirror, though I don't see how that would help. Possibly he will see a way to defeat Voldemort?

[Grærium]

That is an amazing theory, something that I can even build on, although I'm known by some to tear theories apart. I think that Harry will find the Mirror somewhere, and see his parents AND Sirius in it, and he'll begin to get curious and such like he did with his dreams in OotP, and rather than stop going to the Mirror, continue. This has already happened in PS/SS, but it could happen again, you never know. :p

[LouisaB]

I think it is interesting that Dumbledore sees himself holding a pair of wool socks. That may have some significance (maybe he was a house elf in a former life...lol)

I really have to get around to re-reading the first book. I don't recall that at all.

I agree that the socks must have some significance. I imagine they would symbolise freedom so for some reason Dumbledore sees himself as enslaved or trapped in some way. But why?

[HarryPotter]

That mirror is dangerous... if Voldemort finds it again, he might see reflected the way how he could defeat Harry... and do it

[Serenity Wynd]

Actually I think it's as simple as this. Dumbledores hearts desire is nothing, he seems happy and content with himself, as he said, "A man whose truly happy would see himself" or something to that effect. Feel free to correct me if I got it wrong. He saw himself holdong only socks, to me this means that he might've just had cold feet and wished he had something to keep them warm. lol It was the middle of the night afterall.

This is just my theory. Feel free to disect.

[HarryPotter]

Actually I think it's as simple as this. Dumbledores hearts desire is nothing, he seems happy and content with himself, as he said, "A man whose truly happy would see himself" or something to that effect. Feel free to correct me if I got it wrong. He saw himself holdong only socks, to me this means that he might've just had cold feet and wished he had something to keep them warm. lol It was the middle of the night afterall.

This is just my theory. Feel free to disect.I think that socks are a symbol of freedom in the HP world...

"The happiest man in the world would see himself reflected"

But Dumbledore sees himself with the socks, so I understand the deepest desire of his heart is being free...

Maybe once Voldemort is vanquished, he will find that freedom...

People keep on sending him books... many theories and ideas... but noone sends him socks, nobody does anything practical to "set him free"

That's my theory...

[glugunkwen]

If Harry were to find the mirror again, would he still see his parents? Or would he see Sirius? Or maybe, just maybe, he would see himself defeating Voldemort! That would be quite interesting.

Every book I have waited to hear more of Erised, maybe the next one . . .

[Tane]

Yes I think Dumbledore would love to be free of the things that bind him to this world. It does make you wonder whether Dumbledore has been cursed to live until the Dark Lord is finally killed or at least taken care of. It would explain why Dumbledore states that he is honored to have Harry on his hands, that Harry is the boy to set Dumbledore free from his eternal life. What is worse than death, I guess to Dumbledore it would be to never die and watch those you love die around you.

I think the socks symbolize Dumbledore’s death and that he can finally rest in peace after the Dark Lord has gone.

[harripottrfreek]

I don't really think that the Mirror of Erised will come back into play much...I think the mirror to look out for is the broken one that Sirius gave to Harry. If you check JKR's site there is stuff about that mirror and I am wondering how it will come into play. I think that's the mirror everyone should be on the look out for not the Mirror of Erised...I don't see the reason for it coming into play...besides DD's hidden it or something...I don't know how important it could be.

[Grærium]

There are many Sirius theories, I agree most with the BTV (Beyond the Veil theory). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Sirius fell beyond the Veil by that arch in the Dept. of Mysteries, and died. It could be possible that Lupin didn't know what that veil did, and Harry heard whispers from the beyond the veil when he first entered that room when they were still finding the prophesy. There's a possibility Harry could still talk to a whispering Sirius, from beyond the veil, is there not? Anyways, just a thought...:D

[CentaurFirenze]

Lets say that the veil is a portal into an evil dimension and the Mirror of Erised takes people into a good dimension without killing them. Maybe kind of like a heaven and hell. Unless Harry touched the Mirror. Then this theory sucks.

[I <3 Ron]

About Dumbledore seeing the socks in the miror-- I'd always thought of it as him wishing his life was more simple, or as simple as socks? I remember reading/hearing him say that people always give him books and things as gifts, when all he really would want was a pair of socks. So I'd assumed that his true happiness would be being able to live simply, and not have people see him as some strict wizard, and more the type of person that you'd give socks to.

I guess that could be the same as the freedom theory, he'd be set free from the complexities of life.

[whizbang121]

Maybe this mirror has something to do with how Members of the Order communicate.

[Quillmagus]

So what does Dumbledore really see? I know he said that he saw himself holding socks, but do you all believe that? While it may be true...

Hehe - Albus Dumbledore, with all his titles and importance, holding a pair of wool socks...

[nazloveshp]

I've also always wondered what DD really sees when he looks in the mirror. I don't think it's socks. I would think it would be something relating to bigger things than socks.

[Mopsus]

But his perspective might have changed over the course of the years- even for Dumbledore, I think Voldemort's ultimate defeat is worth more than a pair of socks, however superb their quality is.

But, in Harry's first year... I think it may well have been possible that he saw himself with a pair of socks. He's insane, after all :)

[Tane]

I know someone mentioned earlier on in this thread or another one that the socks represent freedom from slavery for house elves and that perhaps it is a metaphor showing that Dumbledore wants freedom for the wizarding world from the Dark Lords clutches.

[Anamaya]

That's a good theory about Dumbledore, it could be possible. Anywho, I think that the Mirror is going to come up again. It was really important in SS, then it disappeared...same with loads of things in the books, but sometimes they come up again. I think this will, and whatever Harry sees will be important, and I don't think it'll be his parents

[Gwenog Jones]

JKR did mention somewhere that it would come up again in the future books. I think it will have some purpose. Maybe what Harry sees will help him defeat LV?

[Puchula]

I've also always wondered what DD really sees when he looks in the mirror. I don't think it's socks. I would think it would be something relating to bigger things than socks.

I agree with you I don´t think it was socks what he saw.
I think it was something related to Harry, like for example Harry having a normal life or beeing with Lily and James or something like that.
In all the books and specially in the last one JK shows us that Dumbeldore really cares about Harry and to me he sees Harry as a son, so when looking into the Mirror and after having talked to Harry about his family and everything it would make sense that he would see Harry with his family or something alike

[PatrickvD]

I think everyone who was killed by Voldemort is locked inside the mirror. So once Voldemort is defeated, they will be freed and everyone will be re united with their loved ones. A happy ending for everyone... :angel:

I know it's not gonna happen, but one can dream of happy ending :eyebrows:

[CaseyAlthea]

What would happen if Harry was holding the "speaking mirror" Sirius gave him and stood in front of the Mirror of Erised, wishing to see Sirius (who may still have his "speaking mirror" on him)? Could they talk?

[IceKat55]

What would happen if Harry was holding the "speaking mirror" Sirius gave him and stood in front of the Mirror of Erised, wishing to see Sirius (who may still have his "speaking mirror" on him)? Could they talk?

Oh WOW. Now THAT is an interesting thought!!!

His deepest desire would, of course, be to contact Sirius...he'd see Sirius standing beside him, holding his own mirror...

WOW!!!! I like it!

[Padfoot_001]

It could be possible. But I don't think Sirius will talk to him. It will just be a reflection of Sirius holding the mirror and that is all.
I think Harry may yet see the mirro of Erised again, but what good will it do being able to see Sirius. I mean he can see him, maybe he'll be standing with his parents, but it will just make him depressed all over again.

[ornjbreezy]

I for one agree that this mysterious mirror is certainly not gone from the Harry Potter books so soon. In fact, where is that mirror now? Perhaps Dumbledore is trying to bewitch it for something else...?
That mirror could be used against Harry. Like in the second task, knowing the thing he would miss the most. Voldemort could easily see who Harry cares about most, and then CRUCIO and BAM Harry's there to try to save the day again. Well that got a bit off the point, but it still could be used against Harry. Remember- don't trust anything if you can't see where it keeps its brains!
I hope we see more of that mirror- there are some very intriguing ideas about it.

[ramones]

I think everyone who was killed by Voldemort is locked inside the mirror. So once Voldemort is defeated, they will be freed and everyone will be re united with their loved ones. A happy ending for everyone... :angel:

I know it's not gonna happen, but one can dream of happy ending :eyebrows:

It seems like you don't really believe this could be true, but I still wanted to point out that that would mean Harry's grandparents were killed by Voldemort too.

I think that the Mirror was really interesting and it would be a shame if JK didn't bring it back in the next books.

Did Dumbledore really see himself holding socks?
1) He was lying. It wasn't Harry's business and DD is a funny guy. :p
2) He was telling the truth. I think that DD is a wise person and he is probably safisfied with himself and his life. I think that this proves his greatness and his spiritual maturity. I don't know if I've made myself clear. :huh:

I have an imporant question: Is the Mirror of Erised connected or at least similar to the Room of Requirement?

[Kimmetje]

I don't think the mirror of Erised is connected to the Room of Requirement because we don't know where the mirror is now. I think that the mirror might be used later on to hide something, like something as importanat as a prophecy (ofcourse they can't get prophecies).

In the Room of Requirement we could find the mirror if we want to though, as if we ask anything appears... :eyebrows:

[angel spirit]

I for one agree that this mysterious mirror is certainly not gone from the Harry Potter books so soon. In fact, where is that mirror now? Perhaps Dumbledore is trying to bewitch it for something else...?
That mirror could be used against Harry. Like in the second task, knowing the thing he would miss the most. Voldemort could easily see who Harry cares about most, and then CRUCIO and BAM Harry's there to try to save the day again. Well that got a bit off the point, but it still could be used against Harry. Remember- don't trust anything if you can't see where it keeps its brains!
I hope we see more of that mirror- there are some very intriguing ideas about it.

Oh yes, it will defintely make another performance, but I don't think Dumbledore is bewitching it. Dumbledore has enough sense to leave certain magical objects alone. That's why it was in that empty room to start with.

Also, I don't think that Harry would ever tell Voldemort what his greatest desire was. He'd have to manipulate Ron or Hermione to make Harry tell him.

[whizbang121]

... Harry's grandparents were killed by Voldemort too.



Isn't that a possibility?

And I agree about Dumbledore's self realization or spiritual maturity. Nevertheless, socks are one of the recurring themes in the books. And it was with a sock that Harry freed Dobby.

[hermioneclone9]

Also, I don't think that Harry would ever tell Voldemort what his greatest desire was. He'd have to manipulate Ron or Hermione to make Harry tell him.

Not really. Harry wouldn't tell Voldemort, but Voldemort could find out by using the Mirror. He would wish he could find out what Harry's greatest desire was, or who means the most to Harry. But first, Voldemort would have to find out where the Mirror was.

[angel spirit]

Not really. Harry wouldn't tell Voldemort, but Voldemort could find out by using the Mirror. He would wish he could find out what Harry's greatest desire was, or who means the most to Harry. But first, Voldemort would have to find out where the Mirror was.

But I don't think Voldemort knows how to manipulate his wishes. Harry wanted to find the stone to use it for good, and that's what happened. That was his greatest desire. Voldemort would truly have to wish to find out what Harry's greatest desire was. But I don't think that would come before purging the world of muggles.

[jillian1702]

But! Voldemort knew that Harry had seen himself in the mirror getting the stone, very peculiar. Is it true that in an interview JK said we would see the mirror again?
Oh and I think DD was lying, I am very curious to know what he really saw in that mirror.

[michaela]

Of course Dumbledore was lying, it was part sarcasm, but it is a very personal thing to say.

[filius]

I think that what Harry saw in the mirror last time will be different from what he sees this time. In addition to his family, he will see Sirius. That will really drive him mad! If he thinks about Sirius so much, he might just get so mad he would want to kill Voldemort sooo badly. That would be good though. But he will definetely see sirius in the mirror from now on.

[Remus Black]

I don't think he'll go looking for the Mirror of Erised, as Dumbledore told him he should not go looking for it.(Did DD ever get his woolen socks?:p)

[Tane]

I looked at the chapter with the Mirror of Erised and well what Ron saw has almost come true, the thing is that Ron saw himself in quidditch cloths so it was not his reflection in the mirror, not exactly anyway. Harry also saw himself in the mirror with his dead family, one of them touched his shoulder too and if we go by what Ron saw in the mirror then Harry was not seeing his current reflection, perhaps this was a reflected future scene, his hearts desire is to be with his family. So this could be foreshadowing his sacrifice of life to save wizard world. This train of thought has probably been mentioned over and over again and in a way I hope it is not foreshadowing Harry's death but then again the boy in the mirror looked incredibly happy did he, probably more than he has ever been in his life time.

[Lord Nicholai]

Its just showing what he wants the most. Its not showing the future. JKR said this herself when Ron asks "do you think this mirror shows the future?" The answer is no.

[no1 potter fan]

I think Dumbledore will have hidden it or mayme moved it from Hogwarts since it isn't needed anymore Dumbledore only needed it in PS/SS so that Quirrle couldn't get the stone. But know the stone has gone I don't think it will at Hogwarts. The room of requirements won't show Harry the Mirror of Erised it might just show him a normal mirror.

[OneSiriusNiffler]

On DD's MoE: Remember when he said, "The happiest man alive would see himself, exactly as he is"? Perhaps he would see himself, exactly as he is.

[michaela]

I really doubt there is such a thing as a totally happy person.

[OneSiriusNiffler]

Oh fine, burst my bubble why don't ya. :P
I was just testing the water... wasn't meant to be completely serious or anything. You're probably right though.

It would be weird if that actually happened, though.

[michaela]

Well there is a lot about Dumbledore which we do not know, and even Harry thought that Dumbledore didn't want to tell him the truth there, as it was a very personal question.

[Percival]

Hehe - Albus Dumbledore, with all his titles and importance, holding a pair of wool socks...

Which is what's so amazing! I love this scene! Here is the most powerful wizard in the world during a time of relative peace (compared to the First War). He could have pretty much anything in the world (except of course the death of Voldemort). And yet, all he wants is a pair of socks.

I don't think Dumbledore lied when he said he saw himself holding a pair of woolen socks. It's not in his nature to lie. Atleast not to Harry. He could have just said, "Sorry, Harry, that's a bit private." Harry would have understood. Indeed, Harry knew right away that it was a very private question to ask.

Anyway, the socks fit in nicely with the Ron=Dumbledore theory. All of his life, Ron has been getting socks from his mother as gifts but he doesn't truly appreciate the gift until he is the much older and wiser Dumbledore. Perhaps his deepest desire is to return to the innocent days of his youth where he didn't have to worry about the fate of the world.

I don't subscribe to the Ron=Dumbledore theory but this scene is still very powerful for me.

[michaela]

Dumbledore was saying it in a jokey way though, even Harry knew that he was being honest there. He wasn't lying in that way, he was just making a joke, as he found it a rather personal thing to tell a student.

[atherella]

I sure hope before the series ends that Harry will give DD a pair of socks. If DD is thrilled beyond reason, than we know that DD was telling the truth. :lol:

I don't think DD would lie about something huge to Harry, but, it seems that with all the feelings that DD has for Harry that he wouldn't see something like Harry alive at age 18 or so, standing at the grave of LV. I would venture a guess that DD cares more for Harry's life, than anything that could be bestowed upon him. He's already over 150 years old and has obviously lived a very full life, so I can't see him wanting something for himself. :)

[OneSiriusNiffler]

Okay, I find the R=DD theory very interesting, so let's work off of that and say that the MoE scene supports it. I don't think DD would joke about what he sees in the MoE, even though it does seem silly to want a pair of socks :)

[Huge Tangent]
If this theory were to be true, then what would it mean for the "Why didn't DD kill LV" question? Or does it not relate?
[End Huge Tangent]

[jennymac]

Ha anyone thought of the possibility that the mirror will have something to do with voldemort's defeat? i've always wondered what voldemort would see when he looked into the mirror: would it be what we think or would he surprise us all?

[michaela]

That'sa good point, I don't have a clue about what he would see. I mean he wants power, and Harry dead.

[Tane]

I just had a thought about the mirror in another thread and wondered whether where looking at it from the wrong angle. I mean the mirror is capable of holding objects such as the stone in PS so can it trap a witch or wizard in the mirror just like the stone.

How did Dumbledore place the stone within the Mirror of Erised, does not suggest that the mirror can do more than just show you your hearts greatest desire and could there be a connection to the mirror and the veil in the way they work as both appeared to lure witches or wizards, one with voices and the other with sight.

[Snidget66]

Hey, I kind of lke the theory by Tane. Yeah, they both might be interesting but deceiving...

[slavetopadfoot]

i think what the mirror of erised showed ron and harry in PS is what is to come at the end, even though it doesn't necessarily predict the future. ron will be head boy and will be quidditch captain only after harry become incapacitated in some way so he can't play quidditch. ron's family will die. harry on the otherhand, will die in the final battle and finally be with his family. dundadadaaaaaa!!!!

[The Leprechaun]

If i am saying the same thing as someone else I apologize, I just don't want to read 5 pages of theories yet. Now that has been said, on with the idea.

I think that the Mirror, at least in the case of Ron and Harry, shows the future.
Rons Image:
- Ron is a prefect and is probably going to fight it out with Malfoy who will start acting rashly towards Harry. This will probably land him the Head Boy position.
- Ron is the better tactician and strategist. Harry knows this and will probably just step aside and let Ron take the Captain position (despite others claim that it will be Harry).
- Ron is also only going to get ashamed when Malfoy insults him, therefore opening up a lot of Ron/Malfoy battles (which I believe Malfoy to be Ron's Nemisis and not Harry's).
- Harry in his current state will probably not want the position.
- Ron will probably win the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, becoming the most successful brother.
- This will also bring him some fame, which in my opinion will help with hermione (who if you hadn't noticed has a thing for fame with Lockhart, Krum, and maybe a little of Harry).

Harry's Image:
- I think only two results will arrive from this vision. One will be Harry dies and meets his family in the Underworld, Heaven, Avalon, or where ever your religion brings you.
- The second is Harry's remaining family actually shows him love, most of all Petunia. She finally realizes why she has always been a little less strict than Vernon and that all this time she has let herself be guided by jealousy. Plus there are a great number of people who love Harry as if he were almost family, the Weasleys and maybe Sirius if he returns from whence he went. I really hope it is the one with Petunia redeeming herself.

Do I have proof well Ron is certainly on the road to becoming what he saw in the Mirror.
Petunia has definately shown some willingness to protect Harry despite the threat of Dementors searching for Harry and the prophecy does shed light on the possibility that Harry might die in the final confrontation.
Is this proof? No, but it is supportive evidence to my opinions.

[Marcy]

What if Harry's deepest desire is to learn how to conquer Voldemort...then if he looked in the mirror, he would learn it.

[HedwigOwl]

I just had a thought about the mirror in another thread and wondered whether where looking at it from the wrong angle. I mean the mirror is capable of holding objects such as the stone in PS so can it trap a witch or wizard in the mirror just like the stone.

How did Dumbledore place the stone within the Mirror of Erised, does not suggest that the mirror can do more than just show you your hearts greatest desire and could there be a connection to the mirror and the veil in the way they work as both appeared to lure witches or wizards, one with voices and the other with sight.

I don't think the mirror was holding the stone, it just showed Harry where the stone was (in his pocket), because that's what Harry wanted most at the moment. You'll recall Dumbledore placed a charm on the stone, that it could only be possessed by someone who WANTED the stone, but had no intention of USING the stone. So when Harry seriously wanted the stone (to keep it from VM), it came to him because of DD's charm. The mirror just showed him where it was.

[lewis8604]

I was reading in a fic about there theory that the mirror is a legilmencer, meaning iy ories into ones mind and takes what it needs to be one's purest desire. So i think DD was right that he actually made the mirror show him socks although it is not his purest desire. I think t will be big next year asd a tiool to teach him occlumens. Also it doesn't show the future, if it would happen then by coincedence. I also thnk that Harry will have wither Head Boy or Quidditch Captain. Remebr james wasn't a prefect and was Head Boy. Also harry couldn't just give his captaincy awayhe could not accept forcing to choose another, and ron has the least experience so it couldn't be him. If people could just give away captainship then galleons would be doing talking. Atleast at slytherin.

Back to the mirror, i believe Harry's deepest desire can change and maybe he can see how to defeat DD. Actually it did and probably changes more often. The desire went from seeing his family to knowing where the SS was and saving the school. Rons may have changed now too. It has been some years

[LumosSoleil]

I don't think the mirrow was holding the stone, it just showed Harry where the stone was (in his pocket), because that's what Harry wanted most at the moment. You'll recall Dumbledore placed a charm on the stone, that it could only be possessed by someone who WANTED the stone, but had no intention of USING the stone. So when Harry seriously wanted the stone (to keep it from VM), it came to him because of DD's charm. The mirror just showed him where it was.
Thanks for clarifying that! I was confused about that charm and never understood it whenever I reread it. I tend to overlook the obvious though.

Jennymac, I'm curious about that too. I really want to know what LV will see when he looks in the mirror. We know he wants immortality, but how can that be conveyed in the mirror?

And what's with this theory about Ron being DD's future self? I find that theory far-fetched to be quite honest. DD's can't be 2 beings at once, and if he can be, it would be like the time-turner situation Hermione described. DD would see his exact self as he is, which is his aged appearance. Ron is born in a whole different family who are generations younger than DD. Just because Ron gets a pair of socks from his mother doesn't mean the same thing about DD's wish for one pair. Don't mean to offend anyone, just an opinion. Carry on and Cheers!

[atherella]

And what's with this theory about Ron being DD's future self? I find that theory far-fetched to be quite honest. DD's can't be 2 beings at once, and if he can be, it would be like the time-turner situation Hermione described. DD would see his exact self as he is, which is his aged appearance. Ron is born in a whole different family who are generations younger than DD. Just because Ron gets a pair of socks from his mother doesn't mean the same thing about DD's wish for one pair. Don't mean to offend anyone, just an opinion. Carry on and Cheers!

Did you read any of the first version of the thread where the theory is fully explained? It sounds far fetched at first, but really, there is an awful lot of evidence that supports this theory.

Here's a link if you'd like to check it out since you asked what it is all about. It sounds like you are doubting the theory before ever reading it.
Ron is Dumbledore and Flamel--due to time travel... (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22449)

The further you go in the thread, the more compelling the evidence gets, as this theory originated before OotP came out, and new evidence comes to light as the books go on.

Edit - oops, thought we were in the Ron is DD thread.

Onto the mirror, I wonder like many others if Harry were to look into the mirror once he has fully accepted and understands the implications of the prophecy if he will be able to learn a way to defeat Voldemort.

[Marcy]

I wonder what Hermione would see in the mirror! Any ideas?

[lewis8604]

I wonder what Hermione would see in the mirror! Any ideas?
I am a H/Hr shipper. But i think she will see harry. Maybe she will see herself as Headmistress or Ministr of Magic setting free all of the house=elves

[Marcy]

Her greatest fear seems to be failure, so her greatest desire should then be success. I don't think we have gotten that mirror into Hermione's psyche...hopefully soon

[Hedwig50]

Above, The Leprechaun listed interpretations of what Ron and Harry saw in the Mirror.
I don't believe that we are to believe each thing they saw was to be interpreted as something of a future event. In PS/SS,pg 213, Dumbledore said "However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth".

JKR does have Harry seeing his true family in the mirror, at least his mother and father. I thought it odd that on page 212, is says that Harry sees his mother and father smiling at him and one of his grandfathers nodding happily. How did Harry know it was his grandfather???? Harry seeing family members leads one to believe that maybe under certain circumstances the mirror does tell the truth. Maybe Harry's desire was at a different level than Ron's.

I do feel that the mirror will play an important role in the future. I also believe that Dumbledore may have moved it to the MOM. Maybe behind that mysterious locked door. (That wasn't my idea, I read it somewhere and agree with it.)

Someone else above made the point that maybe all Harry needs to do is ask the mirror how to defeat VD, and it will show him. Wouldn't it be great if it was that easy.

[atherella]

Someone else above made the point that maybe all Harry needs to do is ask the mirror how to defeat VD, and it will show him. Wouldn't it be great if it was that easy.

Simply knowing how to do something does not mean it will be an easy task.

Take swimming for example. You can know all the movements necessary to do a certain stroke. You can perform the movements flawlessly out of water. Once you are in the water however, it may be a totally different story. You know the movements, you know what needs to be done, but that doesn't mean that it will be easy or that you will be successful. Having said that, I don't necessarily believe that this is how Harry will come to the knowledge of how to defeat LV, but it shouldn't be ruled out as a possibility.

[LumosSoleil]

Did you read any of the first version of the thread where the theory is fully explained? It sounds far fetched at first, but really, there is an awful lot of evidence that supports this theory.

Here's a link if you'd like to check it out since you asked what it is all about. It sounds like you are doubting the theory before ever reading it.
Ron is Dumbledore and Flamel--due to time travel... (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=22449)

The further you go in the thread, the more compelling the evidence gets, as this theory originated before OotP came out, and new evidence comes to light as the books go on.

Edit - oops, thought we were in the Ron is DD thread.
Of course I read it. I was one of the posters in it. I did not just "doubt" and assume without doing the research myself. I'm just stating, as an opinion of mine, that I find the theory far-fetched. Just as I found the one on Mark Evans far-fetched, which it was. JK would not pull something off like that to further confuse young readers of the series. The storyline was never that complicated. They were detailed, yes, but not complicating.

[jaconner]

I was just rereading SS and I got to the part about the mirror of Erised. I was thinking that mabye JK is foreshadowing the ending here. It is in chapter 13 I know there is some discussion on that subject as well. But the idea I had was that in the end I think Harry walks through the veil. At the DoM harry was drawn to the veil...almost curious(He isn't afriad of it).... I also think Ron gets alot better at quiditch over the next 2 yrs. He is already a prefect so why not head boy and quiditch star. I know dumbeldore said it shows the greatest desire but he did NOT say it didn't show the future (CHOICES!!!!).

Just a thought.............

[aggiefan1206]

I dont think so i think he will mourn for sirius for a while. Harry will ahve to move on its important because in losing his godfather Dumbldore told him some very disturbing information. He will put his efforts towards that. He will defaintly miss Sirius and others killed and he may get depressed but he will ahve his fight with voldemort on his mind for a while as well. I think we may see Harry calm down a bit i think he will begin to relize that this is war and he wil know that times are not going to get better till voldemort is gone. The mirror of Erised may be seen again but harry has more to worry about then trying to find a mirror.

I dont think ron will become head boy i dont think he has the responisbility. But i do think that gryffindor will win a few other quidditch cups.

[HedwigOwl]

Back to the mirror, i believe Harry's deepest desire can change and maybe he can see how to defeat DD. Actually it did and probably changes more often. The desire went from seeing his family to knowing where the SS was and saving the school. Rons may have changed now too. It has been some years

I agree with you, I think what is seen in the mirror changes as the person does. As DD said, it shows you your deepest desire, which of course can change. You'll remember that what Harry sees/hears when the dementors get close changed from his mother screaming and being killed by VM (in PofA), to LV laughing and saying "Bow to death, Harry...It might even be painless...I would not know....I have never died.." (in OofP). I bet his boggart has changed, too.

[HpAngel123]

I think that Harry will go to find the mirror too:)

[LeeJordanfan]

Exactly. The mirror shows you your deepest desire. That's still valuable for us humans, as sometimes we don't really know what we want. Has that ever happened to you? It's happened to me. "I just don't know what would make me happy", type of feeling. Does that make sense.

So while it can't exactly predict the future, it can help you make your choices. JK Rowling is always emphasizing characters choices.

If you realize, like Ron that you "want to be Quiddiitch captain" by looking in the Mirror, that's valuable. You can then go off and practice Quidditch really hard, to help achieve that goal. If the goal is "to win the House Cup", then you help your house to that end as much as possible.

I'm positive that Dumbledore is right and that people can spend endless time just sitting in front of it, like Harry was doing. But I can also see how it might be a type of tool for a mature wizard. It can help them understand themselves.

So in that sense the Mirror doesn't exactly predict the future, but it can make a picture more likely to occur. Ron is well on his way to fulfilling his Mirror of Erised desires. And it's quite possible that in Book 7 Harry will get his wish too, (he's awfully interested in that veil), but I kind of hope he changes his heart's desire by book 7.

[HedwigOwl]

So in that sense the Mirror doesn't exactly predict the future, but it can make a picture more likely to occur. Ron is well on his way to fulfilling his Mirror of Erised desires. And it's quite possible that in Book 7 Harry will get his wish too, (he's awfully interested in that veil), but I kind of hope he changes his heart's desire by book 7.

Yeah, I hope so too. Maybe he'll be able to realize he can be with his family in his heart, he doesn't have to die to accomplish that.

[ydnam96]

Exactly. The mirror shows you your deepest desire. That's still valuable for us humans, as sometimes we don't really know what we want. Has that ever happened to you? It's happened to me. "I just don't know what would make me happy", type of feeling. Does that make sense.

Yes, it makes perfect sense. I've often wondered since reading SS what I would see in the mirror.

I wonder if Ron was suprised with what he saw? I was not really suprised with what Harry saw, as he never knew his family. But I was with Ron, not super suprised, but still...

[LeeJordanfan]

HedwigOwl: I really, really want you to be right about Harry, because the alternative destiny is almost too much to think about. Is it really true, or is it just a rumor, that the ending might have a Christian influence? Not that I'm against Christianity, but, ummm, Jesus' ending was really scary.

Ydnam96: Your question about Ron is really good. I think he was. I don't think it ever occurred to him that he'd ever be on a Quidditch team. He never tried out for one before 5th year. Also, he seemed really surprised to be picked Prefect. So I don't think he really thought that it could come true. Except, once he was picked Prefect maybe he thought that there was a chance he could fulfill his heart's desires after all.

Also, about Dumbledore, I think he was telling the truth about seeing socks. He told Harry in Book 1 "I will not of course, lie". I think that's still true. But I wonder what else he saw besides the socks. Ron saw a bunch of stuff. So what else did Dumbledore see in his mirror besides the socks?

[ydnam96]

LeeJordanFan,
Thanks! I'm glad Ron's finally got something going for him. I wish it were something he could just have for himself (since his brothers have been prefects and on the house teams...) but at least he is building a little confidence. Maybe seeing it in the mirror did clue him in to the fact that that was really what he wanted and gave him the confidence to try for it. (in other words, I agree with you!)


I too have wondered about Dumbeldore's deepest desire. I wonder if the socks are really just a representation for peace of mind, comfort, safety? So Dumbeldore seeing himself with socks could represent, to him, peace in the world???

[Selene Sedai]

Perhaps Harry, in a moment of depression, will go to the Room of Requirement and pass it three times thinking that he needs a way to see siruis again. Then the Room would "produce" the mirror of Erised, because that is what Harry desires most at that time? Unless the thing he most desires is still to see his parents. And it wouldn't necesarily "produce" the mirror of Erised. Also, i think Dumbledore might've destroyed the Mirror at some point. He destroyed the stone after all, and the only reason he kept the Mirror was to protect the stone... I doubt the Room of Requirement can bring back the dead/something thats been destroyed, if it could, that would be too easy.

But maybe the Room of Requirement could help Harry in finding a way to kill Voldemort.. i'm not so sure though because that would be very easy and the answer, most likely, already resides in Dumbledore...

Another thing, i think that when Dumbledore said he saw socks in the Mirror of Erised, that he was telling a "half-truth" meaning he saw other things as well. He probably sees peace and a Voldemort free world. But if he did, then wouldn't he have told Harry this? It would not have mattered....

What is Dumbledore's secret desire? Maybe its Mcgonnagall :eyebrows:

I definately think that both the Mirror and the Room of Requirement will be brought up again.. if only in dialoge... and as for the Room of Requirement, probably more.

[LeeJordanfan]

Ydnam96: That's an interesting point. Let's carry that a little bit furthur.

If the wizarding world was absolutely perfect, and there was no Voldemort, no violence, and only peace and harmony in the magical world, what might Dumbledore want for Christmas?

Socks.

I mean, imagine if your life was completely perfect, and you had everything else you wanted, it's concievable that that would be your only desire.

Selene Sedai I never thought about Dumbledore destroying the Mirror. I just assumed he put it in some area off limits to students. I agree with you about the Room of Requirement bringing back the dead, it wouldn't happen. Much to easy. Also, JK Rowling said that once someone has died and "gone on", that they can't come back. (Ghosts don't "go on", they stay behind).

Maybe Dumbledore wants a specific pair of socks? Socks for all the House-Elves? Or maybe the socks of someone special. :wow:

[BeNice2Aragog]

Ydnam96: Your question about Ron is really good. I think he was. I don't think it ever occurred to him that he'd ever be on a Quidditch team. He never tried out for one before 5th year. Also, he seemed really surprised to be picked Prefect. So I don't think he really thought that it could come true. Except, once he was picked Prefect maybe he thought that there was a chance he could fulfill his heart's desires after all.


I think Ron having five brothers (of which three were Head Boys) had a lot to do with what he saw in the mirror. Bill and Charlie were Quidditch stars and Bill and Percy got twelve OWLS. F&G are not academically elite, but their Quidditch skills are super. If I'm Ron, it's no surprise that I desire to be like my older, talented siblings. I do like the idea that the mirror gave him the guts to try out for the team. But, it certainly doesn't seem like it was the first and only thing to trigger his desire.

[ydnam96]

Ydnam96: That's an interesting point. Let's carry that a little bit furthur.

If the wizarding world was absolutely perfect, and there was no Voldemort, no violence, and only peace and harmony in the magical world, what might Dumbledore want for Christmas?

Socks.

I mean, imagine if your life was completely perfect, and you had everything else you wanted, it's concievable that that would be your only desire.



Haha, Yes. My point exactly. Well said.

I would like to get a look in the mirror while Dumbeldore was looking, I would be most interested to see what kind of socks they are and who gave them to him.

On to the future...
I'm thinking that the mirror will play some sort of role, perhaps as has been suggested by others, in the room of requirement. If Harry can see Sirius, like he saw his parents, would he be able to talk to him? Would it be like a portrait or just a vision, not being able to speak?

[LeeJordanfan]

To BeNice: Oh! I wasn't implying that he saw the mirror and that the mirror triggered Ron's desire. Sorry if I did. No, I think Ron saw what he did because of his brothers too. Like what Dumbledore said "Ronald Weasley, who has always been overshadowed....see himself standing alone, the best of all of them". But I still think that vision gave Ron a good opportunity to see and accept his feelings and his desires and then help him act on them.

I don't think it was destroyed because Dumbledore only tells Harry that "it will be moved to a new home tomorrow". I think Dumbledore and the mature wizards keep it around for its insight into deep desires.

To Ydnam96: Dumbledore said he wanted a pair of thick, woolen socks. Does that mean he wants to live where its cold? Like Albania, where Voldemort was hiding? And yeah, who would his gift giver have been? Aberforth or someone else?

[GodricHollow]

Or maybe he wants to live in Bulgaria, (presumably where Durmstrang is...(?))

[ydnam96]

It is possible that he just has cold feet :p

I'm still thinking that socks are symbols for something...and we just have to figure it out. I mean, Dobby's socks, Harry's socks from the Dursleys...and all the other socks...

but I'm sure that discussion is better fitted to another thread...

[LeeJordanfan]

To Godric Hollow: Now, that's an intriguing idea. Why might he want that? Maybe he really, really wants to go to Durmstrang because Karakoff was there and Karakoff is the key to something important?

To Ydnam96: Is there a thread for socks? :rotfl:

[ydnam96]

To Ydnam96: Is there a thread for socks? :rotfl:


well I looked it up and it seems there is... :) I'm gonna post over there...
socks (http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=8221&highlight=socks)

[LilCubanita67]

DD probably has a desire for socks because it might have something to do with Voldemort...I don't see DD ever having a need for socks because he can probably get them anytime and anywhere that he wants to.

[MiaHalliwell]

ok in the 6th book harrys probably gonna be relli depressed and he will want sirius back and stuff and i think he will go and try and find the mirror of erised, and.... if he cant find it he will go to the room of requirement and it will be there and he will keep going back and blah blah blah
what do u guys think?
I was thinking this as well after reading that chapter in PS/SS last night with my kids. He might find it and Dunbledore will be forced to move it again, but I really think that the little mirror that Sirius gave Harry will come into play in some way.

[mitcheldor]

ya but i thought he threw the mirror into the trunk and it smashed? well i guess repairo would work right. but if its not completely busted i definitly think it will come back in 6 or 7. i mean to say, the mirror was never used, JK wouldnt have put it there for nothing right? everything serves a purpose in JKs world.

[Minas Tirith]

mm...mitcheldor, different mirror. i think we will see the Mirror of Erised again...when,and why, i dont know, but perhaps it will help harry talk or find sirius again. Perhaps the mirror was just for PS/SS to be the last step between Voldemort and the stone, but i dont think that will be the last time that we see it.