Looking back at Erised

[Athena Appleton]

This is kind of weird, but it does in a way fit in with way back in P/SS.

When Harry was eleven and looking into the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore finds him and, when asked what he finds in the mirror, says that he sees himself holding socks, because everyone insists on giving him books.

I think Dumbledore's power and wisdom have made him a slave to himself. As the books have gone on, he showed more and more signs of the pressure and stress of that slavery. Because socks are a sort of symbol for freedom in the books (think Dobby), I think he sees himself being free to live without the feeling of having to care for everyone.

The biggest difference between Dumbledore's death and Sirius's death was that Sirius died suddenly, somewhat suprised. It was a total shock, not just to us, but to him (remember that Rowling describes the look on his face as shocked). Dumbledore knew he was about to die, and I think he almost saw it as a sweet release from the pressure he was under.

I've got to say, while I believe Dumbledore saw something alluding to freedom in the Mirror of Erised, I don't think he actually saw himself holding socks. Is it possible he could have seen something as morbid as his death as his greatest desire? It's almost as if he knew Harry had the information and resources he'd need to do the job he needed to do, and he probably knew that the only way for him to be without the slavery and pressure of respect bordering on reverence was for him to die....

Or maybe I'm just morbid.

[Dacre]

I think DD was just joking with Harry, his way of saying, what I see is my business.

[Lelie]

that was deep athena. i guess you could be right. alot of people from wizarding world press would be inclined to agree with you i imagine. they seem to be obsessed with tiny clues like socks.

[Ginny Potter]

Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...and while we're on the topic of the Mirror of Erised, what does Harry seeing only the dead members of his family potentially reveal? It may be as simple as a longing for family who really loved him...but it'll be real creepy if book 1 was alluding to Harry's future death in book 7...

[b.scheller]

Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...

that sounds, something awfully close to what Gandalf the White said in Return of the King...

[annachie]

and while we're on the topic of the Mirror of Erised, what does Harry seeing only the dead members of his family potentially reveal? It may be as simple as a longing for family who really loved him...but it'll be real creepy if book 1 was alluding to Harry's future death in book 7...

Kind of ironically, when I first read that was when I first thought that Harry and Ginny would get together, thus giving Harry the loving family he is obviously longing for.

[Athena Appleton]

Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...and while we're on the topic of the Mirror of Erised, what does Harry seeing only the dead members of his family potentially reveal? It may be as simple as a longing for family who really loved him...but it'll be real creepy if book 1 was alluding to Harry's future death in book 7...

Well, think about it. The only living relatives of Harry's are the Dursleys (Rowling actually says it in interviews). They are hardly the loving family Harry longs for. Therefore, if he's wishing for loving members of his family, the only options are dead ones.

Ginny Potter wrote:
Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...


that sounds, something awfully close to what Gandalf the White said in Return of the King...

I've never read the actual book, just seen the movie I do know that "To die would be an awfully big adventure" is a line from Peter Pan.

[Ginny Potter]

Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...and while we're on the topic of the Mirror of Erised, what does Harry seeing only the dead members of his family potentially reveal? It may be as simple as a longing for family who really loved him...but it'll be real creepy if book 1 was alluding to Harry's future death in book 7...

Well, think about it. The only living relatives of Harry's are the Dursleys (Rowling actually says it in interviews). They are hardly the loving family Harry longs for. Therefore, if he's wishing for loving members of his family, the only options are dead ones.

Ginny Potter wrote:
Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...


that sounds, something awfully close to what Gandalf the White said in Return of the King...

I've never read the actual book, just seen the movie I do know that "To die would be an awfully big adventure" is a line from Peter Pan.

I'm well aware that the only family members Harry would care about are dead. I meant to make the point that when Voldemort possessed Harry in book 5 to try and get Dumbledore to kill him, Harry, at one point while in excruiating pain, wished to be dead to be with Sirius...it's just all these little hints about death...

Not that I WANT Harry to die by any means , and I find it interesting that Dumbledore's line is similar to that in LOTR and Peter Pan...good catch!

[Athena Appleton]

Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...and while we're on the topic of the Mirror of Erised, what does Harry seeing only the dead members of his family potentially reveal? It may be as simple as a longing for family who really loved him...but it'll be real creepy if book 1 was alluding to Harry's future death in book 7...

Well, think about it. The only living relatives of Harry's are the Dursleys (Rowling actually says it in interviews). They are hardly the loving family Harry longs for. Therefore, if he's wishing for loving members of his family, the only options are dead ones.

Ginny Potter wrote:
Dumbledore did say death was but the next great adventure...


that sounds, something awfully close to what Gandalf the White said in Return of the King...

I've never read the actual book, just seen the movie I do know that "To die would be an awfully big adventure" is a line from Peter Pan.

I'm well aware that the only family members Harry would care about are dead. I meant to make the point that when Voldemort possessed Harry in book 5 to try and get Dumbledore to kill him, Harry, at one point while in excruiating pain, wished to be dead to be with Sirius...it's just all these little hints about death...

Not that I WANT Harry to die by any means , and I find it interesting that Dumbledore's line is similar to that in LOTR and Peter Pan...good catch!

Oh, I definately think death is a major part of the series, and a major part of Harry really, there's no denying that. I just didn't think the significance of the dead relatives in Erisad had a morbid meaning.

[Salazar Slytherin]

i was so sad to see dumbledore go, the order is in even more peril now that their strongest wizard and the only one voldemort feared is gone.

[Mistress Siana]

Hm, I've been thinking about that theory for quite a while now, because it definitely left me wondering...it might be far-fetched, but could it be that book one actually shows all of the characters in exactly the situation they will be in at the end of the series? As a kind of foreshadowing, not of exact situations, but of the general role the characters will assume?

*Dumbledore, see above.
*Harry. Can't rely on DD's help anymore, but is accompanied by his friends on the final journal. The last, all-deciding task, however, is for him alone.
*Ginny. The one who is left behind. (remember her crying at the station because she couldn't go to Hogwarts?)
*Snape. There is some evidence pointing towards him being good and having acted on DD's order. If that's the case, he's now in the same situation as in book 1: Hated and hunted because his intentions could only be misunderstood.
*Ron. Will he have to sacrifice himself, like in the chess game?

[crystallised_pineapple]

wow that's amazingly deep and something i'm seriously going to think about!! how did you get that lol... it's great!!