Mirror of Erised

"*It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts.*"
— The purpose of the mirror[src]

The **Mirror of Erised** is an ancient mirror which shows the viewer their heart's desire. It has driven those who view it into madness, wondering if what they have seen is real or even possible. The inscription read: "*Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi*, a reflection of "*I show not your face but your heart’s desire*".

## About

The mirror is as high as a classroom ceiling. It has an ornate gold frame with an inscription around the edge reading "*Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi*", a reflection of "*I show not your face but your heart's desire*".

### Power

"*Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible.*"
— Albus Dumbledore explaining the power of the mirror[src]

The mirror shows the viewer the "deepest, most desperate desire" of their heart. If two people look in the mirror at the same time, they do not see the same thing. If their desire should change, it will be reflected in the mirror. A person who is very happy and content will see themselves they way they are. This is a very rare occurence because it is human nature to desire more than what they already have.

The mirror has a powerful effect on whoever looks into it, with people known to get obsessed with what they have seen. They often delude themselves into thinking it is real or possible, wasting away in front of it. However, Albus Dumbledore explained it showed neither truth or knowledge and that it does "*not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live*". The mirror is interesting rather than useful because it serves no real purpose.

### History

"*It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone - find it, but not use it - would be able to get it*"
— Professor Dumbledore's plan for the Philosopher's Stone[src]

It's unknown who invented the mirror and when but it was known to be "ancient". It was probably invented in the spirit of fun, as while it was interesting, it was not useful, At an unknown date, it was brought to Hogwarts Castle.

The mirror was kept in the Room of Requirement at the start of Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. By December, Dumbledore moved the mirror into a fourth-floor classroom to try and put an enchantment on it. He found a way to put the Philosopher's Stone inside the mirror, so it could only give it to a viewer who wanted to find it but not use it. He knew that Voldemort wanted to use the Stone.

In December, Harry Potter found the mirror when he went to the Library late at night and had to hide in a nearby room. When he looked into the mirror, he was shocked to see the family he never knew smiling at him in the mirror. At the front were James and Lily Potter. He was confused before working out that what he saw was not true, they were not standing behind him and they existed only in the mirror.

He eventually went to bed and promised that he would be back. He told Ronald Weasley about the mirror, and that evening they snuck out together. However, Ron saw a very different thing in the mirror. It showed Ron winning the Quidditch Cup, and he and Dumbledore were shaking hands. He was Head Boy and Captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team.

The third night that Harry went back, he found Dumbledore in the room. Dumbledore told Harry about the mirror, and told him he needed to let the mirror go. He planned to take the mirror to another room and gave Harry a warning that he should not try and find it. Harry then asked Dumbledore what he saw in the mirror, and he claimed that he was holding a pair of socks. He was lying, and later admitted that he actually saw the Dumbledore family together again, living and well.

Dumbledore soon completed the enchantment to put the Stone in the mirror, and put it in the seventh of the underground chambers. In June 1992, Professor Quirrell and Voldemort attempted to get the Stone out of the mirror, but they couldn't get it because they wanted to use it. However, when Harry looked into it, he simply wanted to possess it, and it gave him the Stone.

## Behind the scenes

* J.K. Rowling once thought if Hermione Granger looked into the mirror, she'd see Voldemort defeated, her friends surviving and she and Ron in a romantic embrace.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 12
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 *Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone*, Chapter 17
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 35
4. ↑ The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two