Why Harry with the Philosopher's Stone?

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 47514

I think I must be completely missing something here.  Why would 
Dumbledore want to prepare Harry to follow Quirrell past all the 
obstacles and into the mirror room?  Or was he actually thinking that 
Harry would wind up there anyway and was just preparing him to cope if 
he did?  These are the two scenarios and my questions:

1)  Dumbledore intentionally had Harry learn enough to reach the PS 
for whatever reason (MD or just because he thought Harry had a right 
to face Voldemort or whatever).  He gives Harry the cloak and leaves 
the mirror out, and Harry, Ron & Hermione figure out the rest on their 
own.  My question is, isn't the stone actually safer in the mirror 
than in Harry's pocket?  Wasn't there a good chance that Quirrell 
could have killed Harry with his wand or dug it out of his pocket 
while he was sitting on him?  If Quirrell had used his wand on Harry 
straight off instead of attacking with his hands, Dumbledore would not 
have been there in time.

2) Dumbledore does not actually intend for Harry to try to reach the 
stone.  He merely suspects that Harry might, indeed, go after it and 
so makes sure Harry understands the mirror of erised so that he will 
be prepared when it sends the stone into his pocket.  This is how I 
originally read the story.  This leads me back to the question of 
whether the stone isn't safer in the mirror without Harry around (not 
to mention Harry's safety).  The mirror may have been enough to keep 
Quirrell from getting the stone without Harry there, but the other 
obstacles were clearly not enough to keep Harry from the mirror room. 
 Was this a surprise to Dumbledore?  If so, why prepare Harry to deal 
with the mirror?

I guess where all this is leading for me is why exactly Dumbledore 
would want to set up a situation where Harry end up with the stone in 
his pocket and alone with Quirrell!mort?

Anne