Flamel was a wizard

[mike_wiltse]

No: HPFGUIDX 38451

> 666 years!  Either he has contributed to the WW and we have not 
been 
> told, or he has done nothing of any benefit for anyone but 
himself.  
> If that's the case, why would he be held in such high regard by 
> Dumbledore?  The level of his power is at serious odds with the 
level 
> of his committment.   IMO it would have made a better story if 
Flamel 
> was a muggle operating within the WW. At any rate, I rest my rant.
> 
> Brian

"Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is
particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in
1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his
work on alchemy with his PARTNER, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore
enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling."

It says here that he is his Partner. Alchamy is a Magic art.  The 
fact that Muggles have tried to use is meaningless. 

"And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that Study of Recent
Developments in Wizardry," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's
six hundred and sixty-five, is he?"

Implies he would be in it if he wasn't so old.

"There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the 
centuries,
but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas 
Flamel,
the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his 
six
hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in 
Devon
with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight)."

He is 665 years old 650ish when Voldemort was in power.  He probably 
wasnt really up to fighting a Wizard in the prime of his power.

And your question of what has he done for the WW! He is a Famous 
Alchemist!  You can think of him as the WW's version of a nerd or 
even as an extremly old RICH geezer.  Do you think every wizard was 
ready to go out and attack Voldemort?  Think about it when the DE 
played with the Muggles after the World Cup.  Most people didn't run to 
help them.  Oh the Weasleys all did and probably most of the MoM but 
if 100,000 Wizards, of which at least 25% would at least be marginally 
sympathetic towards muggles, had all helped then a dozen DE's wouldn't have stood a chance against them all.  Most Wizards/Witches probably stay out of 
the way and let the MoM take care of all the Dark Wizards/Witches 
that show up.

"Mike W"