A few questions...

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 170327

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Alan Smithee...oh ok Rich Smith" 
<richardgomito at ...> wrote:
>
> Hello everyone, sorry if this is an oft-discussed topic.  I've gone back
> a little way and couldn't find any mention of it so I thought I would
> post.  I was wondering if anyone knew how old Dumbledore is/was?  The reason I ask is 
that the answer would seem to be very old indeed!  He invents the Philosopher's Stone 
sometime before the start of the 20th
> Century and he is already an experienced teacher when Voldemort starts
> school, although one of the witches that examines Harry mentions that
> she also examined Dumbledore who could do things with a wand she had
> never seen before.  The reason I think this has me confused is that Flamel is hundreds 
of years old so it stands to reason that Dumbledore is too as he invented the stone with 
him, so unless Flamel had another way of keeping himself alive an unnatural length of 
time I can not see Dumbledore being any younger than a few hundred years old! Any 
answers?

<snipped>

Geoff:
I think there is a measure of confusion here. Dumbledore did NOT 
invent the Philosopher's Stone and neither did Nicolas Flamel.

What does canon say about this?

First, information on the Frog Cards tells us that:
"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, 
Nicolas Flamel."
(PS "The Journey from Platfrom Nine and Three-Quarters" p.77 
UK edition)

Second, Hermione's quote from the book which she had out from 
the library for a 'bit of light reading':

"The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the 
Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers.....

...There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the 
centuries but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. 
Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover....."
(PS "Nicolas Flamel" p.161 UK edition)

I think this makes it quite clear that our two friends were not involved 
with invention but with research and study of the Stone, of which a 
number appeared to have been in circulation over a long period.

Also, the connection with Flamel does not make Dumbledore incredibly
old. You yourself have reminded us about Professor Marchbanks:

'"I doubt it," shouted tiny Professor Marchbanks, "not if Dumbledore 
doesn't want to be found! I should know... examined him personally in 
Transfiguration and Charms when he did NEWTs... did things with a 
wand I'd never seen before."'
OOTP "OWLs" p.627 UK edition)

...while Hickengruendler has pointed us to JKR's remarks on the subject.

I believe that Dumbledore made the acquaintance of Flamel as a young 
man and they became friends and research colleagues over the years 
which followed.