Harry tells Ron and Hermione about Dumbledore and the Mirror of Erised

PAGES: 215-215

After his late-night encounter with the Mirror of Erised, Harry speaks with Dumbledore, who gently advises him to avoid seeking out the mirror again, warning of the dangers of obsession. Dumbledore’s words resonate with Harry, prompting him to leave the Invisibility Cloak in his trunk, though he struggles to forget what he saw.

[PAGE 215]

Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the Invisibility Cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk. Harry wished he could forget what he’d seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn’t. He started having nightmares. Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter.

“You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad,” said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams.

Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row (“If Filch had caught you!”), and disappointment that he hadn’t at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.