We all know that Harry Potter was ‘the chosen one’ and that it was prophesied that he would be the one to stop Voldemort when the time is right. However, one fan has theorized that Dumbledore wanted to test the boy to see if he has the capability to stop the dark wizard.
Reddit user u/Zealousideal-Self-12 asked on r/HarryPotter if Dumbledore subtly tested Harry using the Mirror of Erised back in the first book. They theorized that Dumbledore wanted to see what type of person Harry was. And using the mirror would easily provide those answers as it would have shown what Harry desired the most.
Fans were intrigued with this theory as it may have added more layers to how this young boy eventually became the hero of the wizarding world. One even theorized that maybe it was used to see if Voldemort’s Horcrux would overwhelm the boy. Except that information wasn’t known yet at the time.
However, other fans don’t think that was the case and it was more likely that Harry found the mirror by chance. Others also believed that Dumbledore knew about Harry’s character before he encountered the mirror. Also, Dumbledore is unable to see Harry’s desires as all he will see is his, making it harder to assess Harry using the magical artifact.
Regardless if the mirror was used to test Harry or not, he was able to beat Voldemort the first time when he was fused with Professor Quirrell. Harry was able to prove that he has a kind heart. In the end, he became the hero that the wizarding world hoped he would be.