Could Pernelle and Nicolas Flamel Still Be Alive?
In the last chapter of PS,
Dumbledore says,
“They
have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they
will die.”
The book Hermione consults in
chapter 13 says,
“The
Stone will transform any metal into pure gold.
It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker
immortal.”
What does ‘immortality’ mean
in the Wizarding world? Merely long life, or something more encompassing, like a frozen age or
protection from, say, the Killing curse?
Compare the Stone’s
‘immortality’ to
“The
blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but
at a terrible price. You have slain
something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a
half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”
How much time does someone as
wealthy and learned as Flamel require in the Wizarding world to set their
affairs in order? If we are referring to
only to financial assets, it could be as short as a few days. However, as evidenced by his renown for his
further work on alchemy with Dumbledore, (Chocolate Frog card, chapter 13) Flamel has not been spending the last few
centuries loafing about. Surely someone
with as much time on their hands as he would be involved in many things. We know he loves opera, and has been actively
researching sometime during Dumbledore’s (own considerably long) lifetime.
He doesn’t seem to have made
any enemies powerful enough to get him killed.
This gives one cause to wonder how active he has been in the military
conflicts surrounding him, or if he has spoken out against something, earning
an assassin’s attention in his six hundred and sixty-five years. I know you are saying, “But the Elixir makes
him immortal!” Allow me to suggest that we don’t know what
‘immortal’ means in this context and remind you that Flamel gave the Stone to
Dumbledore for safekeeping. Has he been
involved in the recent war against Voldemort?
Could ‘affairs’ include seeing the war through? Or does he see the war as part of a
continuing human cycle? Has the majority
of the Wizarding world forgotten he exists?
Depending on how visable he has made himself
to society during the last century or so, one would imagine he
death would cause a media storm.
Granted, Harry was very
isolated for the first part of the summer following PS and may not have heard
or been told, but then in turn neither have we, the reader. We have been given no evidence that Flamel
has actually died and his body disposed of.
Neither have we of Sirius’ body and I still maintain that he isn’t really gone – but that’s O.T. and
another thread.
The Elixir’s properties as
given in Hermione’s book (chapter 13) are rather vague. It does prevent one from dying of old age –
Flamel is six hundred and sixty-five at the time her “enormous old book” was
published. Is the substance addictive? If one drunk it only once, would they require
it for the rest of their natural life?
How old was Flamel when he made the Philosopher’s Stone? Suppose he was still relatively young at the
time; would it pause the aging process? If so, once he stops drinking the Elixir at
his advanced chronological age, would the process accelerate?
Dumbledore’s statement in
chapter 17, “They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and
then, yes, they will die,” seems as though it could easily be a duplicitous but
comforting answer for a young child.
Flamel likely had no way of knowing when he would get his Stone back; it
had been in Dumbledore’s possession the entire school year. How long was Dumbledore planning on keeping
it protected at Hogwarts? That he says
they have Elixir stored indicates that it can
be stored, but for how long? The
protections on the Stone don’t seem like ones Hogwarts’ faculty would be eager
to take down on a regular basis. The
last time we know anyone might have held it was when Dumbledore places the
Stone in the Mirror of Erised.
Dumbledore has a well
established track record of withholding information from Harry. I believe it very likely that we will see
Flamel before the series is over and that he will play a key role in
Voldemort’s defeat. If the Elixir merely
paused the aging process, then he could easily have as
much as a century left to live, depending on his age when it was first
produced. Bear in mind that after 665+
years, Pernelle and Nicolas’ minds must be very ‘well organized’ indeed. There would not be much of human nature that
they have not seen and would likely make excellent strategists in the war.
One more question, and this
is really off the wall. How far back
does the Santa Claus tradition go? Its
origins may have faded into myth for the Wizarding world, but imagine an infinitely
wealthy philanthropist, perhaps with a time-turner, who doesn’t visit every child’s home on Christmas eve, but
some, by the floo. Remember Author
Weasley’s spectacular entrance to the Dursley’s home in GoF? Not every child receives presents from Santa,
after all. Shall Saint Nicolas die? Or will we not notice his departure because
the tradition of gift-giving at Christmastime is now so well established in the
Western world?
I know this has been long,
but I hope some of this has given you goose bumps. Rowling is awesome. Please try to poke holes in my theories; I’d
love to hear your ideas!
Discussion at Immeritus:
A Sirius Black Fan Club forums.
-Corrie