Horse Feathers

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 93812

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:

> Carol:
> I agree completely with Joanna. One more small point. Flamel's 
picture
> is in the chocolate frog cards. If he's looked exactly like
> Ollivander, Harry would have noticed it.

Geoff:
I would suggest that Nicholas Flamel has /not/ been on a Frog card:

When Ron and Harry first meet on the Hogwarts Express, Harry asks Ron 
what the cards are and Ron, in his reply, says:

" – Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect 
Famous Witches and Wizards. I've got about five hundred but I haven't 
got Agrippa or Ptolemy."

(PS "The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters" p. 77 UK 
edition)

Ron obviously has a pretty fair knowledge of these cards. But:

"'Oh, we're not working,' Harry told him (Hagrid) brightly. `Ever 
since you mentioned Nicholas Flamel we've been trying to find out who 
he is.'
`You what?' Hagrid looked shocked. `Listen here – I've told yeh – 
drop it

'



.`We just want to know who Nicholas Flamel is, that's all,' said 
Hermione.
`Unless you'd like to tell us and save us the trouble?' Harry 
added,'

.. I know I've read his name somewhere.'
'I'm sayin' nothin'' said Hagrid flatly.
`Just have to find out for ourselves, then' said Ron

."

(PS "The Mirror of Erised" p.145 UK edition)

So, Ron doesn't know. 

But then Harry, having forgotten where he had seen the name before, 
gives a Frog to Neville and Neville gives Harry the card:

"`As Neville walked away Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card.
`Dumbledore again,' he said. `He was the first one I ever – `
He gasped. He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at 
Ron and Hermione.
`I've found him!' he whispered. `I've found Flamel! I told you I'd 
read the name somewhere before. I read it on the train coming here – 
listen to this: "Professor 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 Nicholas Flamel/"!'"

(PS "Nicholas Flamel" p.160 UK edition)

Another point. I looked up Flamel on the web and it is suggested that 
he was born in 1330. If so, then extrapolating forward with the entry 
in the "enormous old book" would give us 1996. (1330 + 665 +1). But 
since the action is taking place in 1992, there is a slight 
discrepancy.

Even so, it lends credence to the idea that the library books are 
self-updating (or that JKR found a different date).