[HPforGrownups] Mirror of Erised

[Jason Bailey]

No: HPFGUIDX 29089

Hello Megan,

Sunday, November 11, 2001, 11:12:24 AM, you wrote:

M> If Ron's mirror showed him alone as Head Boy (his deepest desire), why
M> didn't Harry's image show himself WITH his family?  Wouldn't Harry's
M> deepest wish to have a family, ie. be WITH them?  Why was his family
M> shown alone without Harry? (To me, a more accurate depiction of
M> Harry's mirror-vision would be his parents hugging him, surrounded by
M> other miscellaneous family members).  We know the Mirror can show the
M> person that is looking as it showed Ron & later, Harry with the Stone.
M>  (This also assumes a person's deepest desires change...for an instant
M> Harry's deepest desire was capturing the Stone before Quirrel, all
M> thoughts of family pushed aside)

Part of the reason Harry was shocked by the mirror was that he saw
himself in it (we was wearing the clock at the time). His first
thought was that it showed invisible people. So he tried to touch the
people who were next to him in the mirror and found that they weren't
invisible. So he did see himself in the mirror, surrounded by his
family.