Albus Dumbledore and the Socks in the Mirror (of Erised)

[Tim Johnson Family]

No: HPFGUIDX 79994


Sandy, aka "msbeadsely" wrote:
>  A world in which Dumbledore could expect to receive something as
warm, fuzzy, and prosaic as socks for Christmas would be one which
did not hang in the balance.  It would be a world in which he would
not have to be wary of having his caring for others turned back on
him.  It would be a world in which he would not have to sacrifice the
happiness (or the very life) of "the boy who lived." <<<


It's sounds a little altruistic, though. I doubt anyone, looking in the
Mirror, would see world peace, or the end of poverty--and at this point
Dumbledore hasn't developed his "crush" on Harry. If I had to guess, I'd say
Dumbledore would see family in the Mirror (assuming, of course, that he
doesn't have family).  But I'd imagine Dumbledore surrounded by hypothetical
family members (wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren), not,
say, holding a tax form in which his dependents are clearly indicated. The
Mirror doesn't show someone a symbol of what they want, it shows them the
real thing--down to the difference between wanting gold and immortality and
wanting the Stone.
And while we're on the Mirror, has anyone noticed that the Mirror does show
"truth and knowledge," which Dumbledore said it couldn't? It shows what you
really want, which is a kind of truth, and it shows Harry his parent's
faces, which he had never seen before or could never remember.
--RTJ