Dumbledore, Flamel, and Fawkes

[dorbandb]

No: HPFGUIDX 37934

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "zoehooch" <zoehooch at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., "dorbandb" <dorbandb at y...> wrote:
 
> I thought it was pretty clear Nicholas Flamel was not a wizard. He's 
> an alchemist. 
> 
> Zoe Hooch


Hi Zoe,

I admire your ability to see through JKR's attempts to misdirect us 
regarding Flamel's status - wizard or muggle.  I venture to guess that 
you, Zoe, are in the minority of readers who saw this "clearly."  


It was not so clear to me; in that he is presented to us within the 
context of the wizarding world (on the wizard collecting card - 
although not *his own* card - and we don't know that he even has his 
own card, but I think we are supposed to assume he does), with 
impeccable personal ties to the WW (his partner, Dumbledore), and that 
he is universally known to the WW, I think it was/is JKR's intention 
for us to *assume* that Flamel was *obviously* a wizard. 


Flamel is described as an alchemist -  "...the noted alchemist and 
opera lover." I'm not sure that being an alchemist tells us 
whether Flamel is a muggle or a wizard.  recent discussions have 
touched upon whether a muggle *could* do potions, after all, it's not 
much different than chemistry(sorry, don't know the exact posts.) But, 
being a muggle myself, *I* didn't know whether alchemist were 
*exclusively* wizard or muggle.  An alchemist *may* be a wizard 
*or* a muggle, I think.  The key for me was the whole episode where 
Hermione retrieves "...an enormous old book" that she has on hand for 
"a bit of light reading."  She "never thought to look in here!"  
Flamel was not found in Great Wizards of the Twentieth Century, nor 
Notable Magical Names of Our Time, nor Important Modern Magical 
Discoveries, nor A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry.  Flamel 
*is* found in a suspiciously unnamed tome.  After they read about 
Flamel, Ron completes our distraction by rationalizing "And no wonder 
we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in 
Wizardry...he's not exactly recent if he's six-hundred and sixty five, 
is he?"  At this point (tenth reading or so), I guessed that Ron's 
reason wasn't the *real* reason that he wasn't in *any* of the books 
they searched.  The *real* reason they found Flamel was that the 
unnamed book retrieved by Hermione was something like Who's Who of the 
British Isles, Ancient Times to Present - Abridged(It *is* only *one* 
volume) - a regular muggle reference book.  Oh, I thought. I'm slow 
that way.  

Even now that I see it, I don't know what it means.  Most assume that 
Flamel is, in fact, dead *now*. Just as we (I know I did) assumed that 
Flamel was a wizard.  I now think this is a (maybe *THE*) giant 
misdirection on JKR's part, and that Flamel will make an in-person 
appearance at some point.  I have no clue as to the plot. I feel 
fortunate to catch even *some* of these hints/red herrings - they are 
hardly clear to me. 

Just my thoughts,

Brian