What did Dumbledore really see in the Mirror of Erised?

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Subject: socks and the mirror of erised Thu Apr 05 2007, 20:56

when harry goes to the mirror for the 2nd or 3rd time he runs into dumbledor and after dumbleodr told him how to use the mirror harry asks him what does dumbleor see when he looks into the mirror. Dumbledor says that he sees himself holding a pair of socks. Do you think this is actually what he sees or is he really covering it up so that harry wont know what troubles him or do you have your own thoery

i think it was either a cover up or something deeper like a double meaning

thats what i was thinking at first but maybe theres something behind that i doubt it though

Now we know it was a cover up but I wonder why he used socks. It seems really random and quirky. I guess thats Dumbledore for you.

Dumbldore was always a bit odd. Socks fit him just right. XD

I agree. Whenever i hear socks though it reminds me of Dobby.. so sadd.

j.k. used socks a lot didn't she?! I too think of dobby though everytime I re-read that part...I think it's soooo sad that Dumbldore sees his whole family when he looks into the mirror...just like Harry too! That's proably why he's able to understand him so well

Well I think that part of the reason Dumbledore didn't tell harry was because he knew they were seeing the same thing and he didn't want to get too close to Harry because he knew that he would have to die eventually.

I think he saw his first love,wishing he could be with him because the saying really mean 'I show,not your face,but your heart desire'so he was probley thinking of Grindalwald.

We know that when Harry asked what Dumbledore saw in the Mirror of Erised, Dumbledore replied that he saw himself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks:

"What do you see when you look in the Mirror?"
"I? I see myself holding a pair of thick woollen socks."

So this topic is for those who want to discuss what Dumbledore really sees.

I think it said in the 7th book that Harry knew what Dumbledore saw in the mirror of erised after hearing him speak about his sister and parents. So, I think that Dumbledore probably saw his father with them, his mother and sister alive, and his sister as she was before she was "attacked" by the muggle boys.

I think they have a topic for this.Im not sure.

Its pretty much what ginny said, it was mentioned in a interview.

I think there is so much secrecy behind Dumbledore and that he of course did not see socks but maybe power. In the Deathly Hallows, Harry learns about Dumbledore and that he loved power. I think that Dumbledore saw himself as a powerfull Wizard.

I think he was covering something up. Obviously he knows that Harry had a very troubling past. I mean both his parents had been killed by Voldemort. I think I agree with stephy, when she said that he (Dumbledore) didn't want to tell Harry the truth because it might make him upset. He had enough stuff to worry about. I think Dumbledore did the right thing though. By and by Harry would know the truth about him, and know why he said that.

Yea I think it's a topic somewhere.. but I'll still answer it!!

I went to Harry Potter wiki for the answer but I orginally thought that it was like harry, seeing his relatives. However I didn't expect it to be this.

Quote :: As revealed to Harry in 1998 Dumbledore would have seen his dead relatives (his sister, Ariana Dumbledore; his mother, Kendra Dumbledore; and his father, Percival Dumbledore); as well as his brother Aberforth reconciled to him when he looked in the Mirror of Erised. Dumbledore felt extremely guilty about the deaths of his parents and sister and his estrangement from his brother

I knew he would have seen them all but I didn't expect him to still feel guilty about their deaths. Surely all of those years later he would have come to terms with it but I guessed he didn't. That's very sad sad

Well I wiki searched it and found that it was his family he sees and how he feels guilty for their deaths.

Wow really? That makes sense. I can buy into that.

Though I was happy thinking that he really did want socks. What did Dumbledore really see in the Mirror of Erised? 410894