The Mirror of Erised (Post #2): Nicholas Tyndall, Emilia Soeltz and Julia Sheehan

The Mirror of Erised as seen in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The Mirror of Erised dates back to the nineteenth century, however, it is unknown who created the mirror or how it arrived at Hogwarts. On the night that he first used his father’s Invisibility Cloak, Harry Potter discovered the mirror in an abandoned classroom. In 1992, when it became necessary to hide the Sorcerer's Stone, Dumbledore chose the Mirror of Erised as a safe place. “[He] placed an enchantment on the mirror, hiding the stone inside of it, and allowing the mirror to transfer the stone only to one who wanted to find the stone but not to use it” (Harry Potter Wiki). Harry was able to obtain the stone because he envisioned himself with the stone, but was uninterested in using it.

After the events surrounding Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, the mirror’s whereabouts are unknown. After researching the Mirror of Erised and it’s past, our thinking has changed slightly. The feasibility of the mirror in real life remains impossible. However, knowing that the technology could be used to hide and/or protect valuables, the mirror does seem more useful than we initially thought. Before we did our research, we assumed that the mirror was only useful at showing people their truest desires. Now, we understand it has another important function, and that’s made it seem like a more versatile and valuable technology.