Mirror of Erised

"The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly how he is."

- Albus Dumbledore explaining to Harry Potter what the mirror does.

The Mirror of Erised is a mirror, which, according to Albus Dumbledore, shows the "deepest and most desperate desire of one's heart." The happiest person in the world would look in the mirror and see a reflection of exactly the way he or she is. Inscribed across the top of the frame is the following text: Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. Reversing the inscription and rearranging the spaces produces: I show not your face but your heart's desire.

Powers
The Mirror shows the greatest desire of the one peering upon its surface, often him or her having achieved it. However, since each person is unique, only they can see it from their point of view. According to Dumbledore, the Mirror shows neither truth nor knowledge, and that some people have in fact gone mad from staring at it. Dumbledore later bewitched the Mirror to hold the Philosopher's Stone, where the only one who could retrieve it from the Mirror was one who wanted to find the Stone but not use it or have it used.

History
"Men have wasted away before it, not knowing if what they have seen is real, or even possible."

- Albus Dumbledore explaining the danger of the mirror to Harry Potter.

The Mirror of Erised was made before the end of the nineteenth century. It is unknown who created it or how it came to be at Hogwarts. A succession of teachers have brought back interesting artefacts from their travels, so it might have arrived at the castle in this casual manner, either because the teacher knew how it worked and was intrigued by it, or because they did not understand it and wished to ask their colleagues' opinions.

The Mirror had been kept in the Room of Requirement since around 1891. It was only about a century later, in 1991, that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore brought it out and, tucking it out of sight in a disused classroom, led some key modifications to the mirror, so that it could hide the Philosopher's Stone.

The Mirror was discovered by Harry Potter on the night that he used his father's Invisibility Cloak for the first time to search the restricted section of the library for information about Nicolas Flamel. In his attempt to stay hidden from Argus Filch, the school caretaker, he stumbled upon the classroom where the mirror was being stored. Upon looking into it, Harry saw himself surrounded by his dead parents and relatives. He saw several smiling family members. Some had the same green eyes, one had the same knees, one of his grandmothers was nodding and smiling at the same time. On his next midnight visit to the mirror, he brought Ronald Weasley, hoping to show him his family. However, Ron saw himself as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain and Head Boy, holding up the Quidditch Cup as he has always been overshadowed by his brothers and is always striving to be noticed by others.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."

- Albus Dumbledore, when he discovers that Harry has been using the Mirror.

Over the next few days, Harry proceeded to visit it as often as he could to see his parents' faces. Dumbledore found Harry visiting the mirror one night, and after explaining to Harry what the mirror was all about, told him that the mirror was to be moved and requested that Harry not go looking for it. Before heading back to bed, Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw when he looked into the mirror. Dumbledore claimed to see himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks, telling Harry that "one can never have enough socks." If this had been true, it would suggest that Dumbledore was so content with life that the only things he wished for were small things. However, Dumbledore was joking - the matter being a very personal one. As revealed to Harry in 1998 Dumbledore always, since the incident in his youth, saw his family whole and intact, free of any pain or suffering.

In 1992, the Mirror was the final guardian of the Philosopher's Stone in its Chambers. Dumbledore placed an enchantment on the mirror, hiding the stone inside of it and allowing the mirror to transfer the stone to anyone who wanted to find the stone but not to use it. Anybody wishing more than simply finding it would see themselves making gold or the Elixir of Life, or in Professor Quirrell's case presenting the stone to his master.

When Professor Quirrell ordered Harry to look into the mirror, Harry focused on finding the stone, and, uninterested in actually using the stone for his own purposes, saw his reflection pocketing the stone, at which time it magically appeared in his real pocket.

Albus Dumbledore

 * A pair of thick, white woollen socks (1991)
 * His family alive, whole and happy – Ariana, Percival and Kendra all returned to him, and Aberforth reconciled to him. (~1899-1997)

Harry Potter

 * His parents and extended family (1991)
 * Himself, winning the House Cup (claimed) (1991)
 * Himself, holding the Philosopher's Stone (1991)
 * Lord Voldemort defeated and dead (1997)

Ron Weasley

 * Himself as Quidditch Captain, Head Boy and standing apart from his brothers, better than all of them. (1991)

Hermione Granger

 * Herself and her friends alive and unscathed, Voldemort defeated, and herself in a romantic embrace with a "certain person".  (1997)

Quirinus Quirrell

 * Himself presenting the Philosopher's Stone to his master, Lord Voldemort (1991)

Lord Voldemort

 * Himself, all powerful and now immortal

Etymology
The word "Erised" (pronounced eer-eh-said) is "desire" spelled backwards, meaning the name could also be known as the "Mirror of Desire." The backwards spelling symbolises how mirror reflections flip images around (for example, "erised" when reflected in a mirror spells "desire"). However, because this is no ordinary mirror, the text also shows how the mirror is very different from regular mirrors in the way that it shows the inner desires and not the outside appearance of a person.

Behind the scenes

 * In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the mirror is shown with the ability to reflect spells.
 * In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Ron sees himself in a Quidditch uniform while receiving a kiss on the cheek from Hermione Granger.
 * In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, when Harry touches Voldemort's face his parents applaud in the mirror. When Harry is knocked unconscious and Voldemort fails to grab the stone, his parents laugh at Voldemort.
 * In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, when Harry finds the lost diadem in the Room of Requirement, Draco (along with Goyle and Blaise) stands in the way of Harry's progress. Behind them the mirror can be seen among a pile of other hidden objects. Thus, it is quite obvious it was destroyed with everything else in the room by Goyle's spell, unless the prop was being reused as an easter egg for the fans. Neither is yet to have been confirmed.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * Pottermore

Notes and references
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