Mister Nicolas Flamel

Nicolas Flamel (c. 1326–c. 1992) was a French wizard and famed alchemist who was the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with incredible powers. He was a close friend and partner with former Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He owed his considerable age to the Elixir of Life, which was produced from the Stone, along with his wife Perenelle. He was well over six hundred years old as of 1992, being one of the oldest wizards in history.Flamel was briefly mentioned on Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card.
==Biography==
===Early life ===
Nicolas was born in the early 14th century. In his youth, Nicolas attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the Pyrenees Mountains of France, and it was there that he met Perenelle, his future wife. It is said that he later funded both the academy's chateau and grounds, and a fountain on the grounds was named after the couple.
===Gaining immortality ===
Flamel became a noted alchemist of considerable talent. At some point, he created the Philosopher's Stone, an item of immense magical power. With the Stone, he created the Elixir of Life, a potion that made the drinker functionally immortal as long as it was regularly ingested. He and Perenelle regularly used the potion after that time. 
Although it is clear that he used the Elixir to greatly extend his life, it is not specified whether he used the Stone's powers to make himself wealthy, as the Stone is also capable of turning any metal into gold.
Nicolas was implied to have been in personal combat, but had become inactive in this field by the 1720s.In 1927, Nicolas claimed that he had not "seen action" in about 200 years. 200 years before the 1920s is the 1720s, to say it is a rough approximation. In 1762, he was spotted at an opera house in Paris."Very early page of Philosopher's Stone", by J. K. Rowling 
In the 1890s, Nicolas first came into contact with the brilliant teenager Albus Dumbledore.
===Gellert Grindelwald's revolution ===
When Albus Dumbledore began to take action to stop Gellert Grindelwald, Nicolas Flamel, as his friend, decided to help him in this, and agreed to let him use his home as a safehouse for any potential allies should the situation require it, and gave him a card leading to the home. Albus gave Newton Scamander the card as Albus was unable to participate in the fight.
Once they had arrived safely at the Flamel House, which was by then well protected by various Protective enchantments, Scamander was able to remove the Water dragon parasite from Kama's eye. Soon after, while Yusuf recovered from the procedure. Newt and Tina travelled to the French Ministry of Magic to retrieve the Lestrange family tree box.
Flamel stood behind a just awoke and hungry Jacob Kowalski which he thought was a ghost, to which he replied that he was an alchemist and therefore he was immortal. Kowalski quipped that he did not look more than 375 years old and attempted to shake his hand. Because of Nicolas' frail state due to his extremely advanced age, Jacob's firm grip hurt him and he screamed from the pain. Jacob apologised, but Nicolas was okay.
===Death ===
By the 1990s, Nicolas had moved to Great Britain with his wife and enjoyed a quiet life in Devon. However, the danger of the Stone's existence was brought to light when Voldemort, with the help of Hogwarts Professor Quirinus Quirrell, was nearly successful in stealing it. 
Voldemort, disembodied after his initial attempt to kill Harry Potter backfired, intended to use the Elixir to restore himself to physical form. Fortunately, his plan was barely thwarted by the efforts of three children: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. 
After consulting with Dumbledore, Flamel agreed that the stone should be destroyed. Though they had enough Elixir to set their affairs in order, it was expected that they would die shortly thereafter as their supply ran out. When Dumbledore informed Harry of this, the young wizard initially took the news to be terrible. However, Dumbledore assured him that, for them, it would be like "going to bed after a very, very long day", implying that when Nicolas and his wife passed on, their deaths would be dignified and peaceful.
At the time of his death, Flamel was over 665 years old. - "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)."
==Personality and traits==
In spite of his advanced age, Nicolas was happy to do what he could to help put an end to the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald's seemingly unstoppable rise to power, and agreed to let his home be used as a safehouse for those who opposed him. Although he appeared to have had some doubts about his own abilities, Nicolas nevertheless proved himself to be a very brave and selfless individual, as he arrived to help Newt Scamander and the latter's allies to fight Grindelwald at the Lestrange Mausoleum when called upon to do so by Eulalie Hicks; though he had not been entirely certain that he was up to the task. Because of his lifetime of achievements, it is likely that he was simply concerned that his advanced age had dulled his abilities. 
Although he arrived too late to help fight Grindelwald himself, Nicolas nevertheless displayed great courage both by his timely arrival, and by his help in containing the incredibly powerful, rampant black fire their foe conjured, and was, as such, instrumental to the efforts to save Paris from it. Despite making efforts to stop his Philosopher's Stone falling into the wrong hands, by the age of 690, he ultimately viewed death as "but the next great adventure" much like his friend Albus Dumbledore. Hence, after Lord Voldemort very nearly succeeded in capturing his Philosopher's Stone, Nicolas willingly had it destroyed, having collected enough Elixir of Life to set his and his wife's affairs in order.
Flamel was also well known for his love of opera.
==Magical abilities and skills==
Belying his frail exterior, Nicolas Flamel was a very powerful and accomplished wizard. Rich in learning and experience, testaments to Nicolas' considerable abilities were his proficiency in alchemy, held to be some of the most difficult magic known to wizardkind, and Nicolas helping to save the city of Paris from the rampant, destructive black fire unleashed by Gellert Grindelwald, the most powerful Dark wizard of the early 20th century.
*Alchemy: Nicolas Flamel was perhaps the greatest alchemist the world had ever seen, being the only known person to successfully create a Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate goal of alchemy. With this, Flamel was able to render himself and his wife Perenelle immortal for centuries, until he chose to destroy the stone of his own volition in 1992.
*Potions: Flamel was also an exceptionally gifted potioneer, as by using his alchemical knowledge of the properties of the Philosopher's Stone, he created the Elixir of Life, an incredible potion to make the drinker immortal. The effects of this potion were so extraordinary that by drinking it, he managed to remain alive and well for hundreds of years.
*Defence Against the Dark Arts: Although the exact extent of his skills is uncertain, it is evident that Nicolas Flamel had extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts and was extremely adept at defending himself from them, as he instantly recognised and knew how to stop the incredibly dangerous and volatile fire conjured by Gellert Grindelwald, and, along with Newt and Theseus Scamander, Tina Goldstein, and Yusuf Kama, successfully contained it by means of a combined powerful General Counter-Spell, thus effectively preventing the destruction of Paris. Nicolas' home was also described by Dumbledore as being heavily warded by various powerful protective enchantments after he turned his home into a safehouse for Dumbledore's friends and allies, showing he was very proficient in the casting of them. Furthermore, Nicolas Flamel claimed that he had not "seen action" in about two hundred years, suggesting that prior to 1927, he used to be both an active and highly accomplished duellist. Despite his long absence from using martial magic, however, and initial doubt that he would be of any help in fighting Gellert Grindelwald, Ilvermorny professor Eulalie Hicks had great faith in his defensive abilities, and urged him to go to the Lestrange family Mausoleum to save Newt and his friends, which he did with great success, showing his impressive talents in this field.
*Divination: Nicolas Flamel apparently had some ability in Divination, as he could gaze into crystal balls and see events unfold elsewhere, such as when he saw Credence Barebone, Nagini, and the upcoming Gellert Grindelwald rally at the Lestrange family Mausoleum.
*Wandless and Non-verbal magic: Nicolas Flamel proved capable of using both wandless and nonverbal magic, both of which is advanced and highly difficult to perform even individually, yet Nicolas used both simultaneously when he unlocked the padlock on his phoenix-embossed book by simply touching it.
*Immortality: Having drunk the Elixir of Life on a continuous basis, Nicolas remained alive for over 600 years. However, while this extended his lifespan, his body continued to age, leading to a frail and ancient appearance. His life became completely reliant on the Elixir and the Stone used to brew it. Once he agreed to destroy the Stone and depleted the potion, Nicolas died.
*Social networking: Due to having lived over 600 years thanks to the Philosopher's Stone's Elixir of Life, Nicolas Flamel has a vast network of international contacts in the whole Wizarding world, communicating with them via his phoenix-embossed book. Notable among his contacts were Albus Dumbledore of Hogwarts, and Eulalie Hicks of Ilvermorny.
*Bilingualism: Nicolas Flamel spoke his native French, as well as fluent English, with only a slight accent in the latter.
==Possessions==
*Wand: Nicolas owned a wand of an unknown length, wood and core material.
*Philosopher's Stone: Nicolas created the legendary and mystical Philosopher's Stone, an incredibly powerful magical object that granted him and his wife a greatly extended lifespan through the power of Immortality.
*Elixir of Life: Being the creator of the Philosopher's Stone, Flamel was able to brew the Elixir of Life, a legendary and unique potion that granted the power of immortality to the drinker, which kept him and his wife alive for centuries.
*Crystal ball: Nicolas owned a crystal ball that could be used to see into the future.
*Phoenix-embossed book: Nicolas owned a book that he used to magically communicate with other wizards and witches throughout the Wizarding world, such as Albus Dumbledore and Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry professor Eulalie Hicks.
*Chalice: Nicolas owned a chalice that he was believed to have drunk from when practising alchemy. The Beauxbatons student Aurélie Dumont sought this chalice in the hopes it could make her a great Alchemist and believed it was hidden at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
==Relationships==
===Perenelle Flamel===
Perenelle Flamel was the wife of Nicolas Flamel. Nicolas Flamel shared the Elixir of Life with Perenelle, making them both functionally immortal until the Stone was destroyed in 1992. They lived happily together for the over 600 years that they were together. 
===Albus Dumbledore===
Albus Dumbledore was a close friend to Nicolas. During the Global wizarding war, Flamel let him use his home as a safe house for allies that opposed the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and helped protect Paris from certain destruction at the hands of said revolutionary leader alongside Newt Scamander, Theseus Scamander, Tina Goldstein and Yusuf Kama. The faith and trust he had in Dumbledore was evident, and highlighted by his allowing Albus to put the Stone in Gringotts Wizarding Bank in London in 1991 to prevent Lord Voldemort from stealing it. It was also Albus who moved the stone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for further protection later the same year.
==Etymology==
*Nicolas is the French form of the Greek name Nikolaos meaning "victory of the people".
*The name Flamel means in Old French "flame". Such meaning can be associated to Flamel's work as an alchemist.
==Behind the scenes==
* was a real French scribe believed in legend to have been an alchemist who created the Philosopher's Stone. He was born about 1330 and died in 1418. There is no proof that the historical Flamel and his wife achieved immortality, though a few have claimed to have seen him throughout the centuries, or that he was even involved in alchemy at all. According to the legend, another of Flamel's goals was to turn ordinary lead into pure gold. However, while the Flamels had a reputation as generous benefactors, Nicolas's will did not indicate the fantastic wealth later ascribed to him. Historically that wealth was generally derived from Nicolas's businesses and Perenelle's inheritance from two previous husbands.
*The legend of Flamel as an immortal alchemist probably dates to 17th century. The reference to Flamel marks one of the few occasions in which a real person has been referenced as a character in the Potter books.
*In , Flamel's first name is spelled as Nicholas, adding an 'h' in the subtitles and in the book Hermione Granger reads.
*Also in the film, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger discover the link to Nicolas Flamel and the stone through a book, rather than Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card. In a deleted scene you see them discovering the connection through a chocolate frog card, but this was switched when edited.
*Nicolas Flamel is the title of chapter 13 in .
*In a deleted first draft of , Harry says that Nicolas Flamel was spotted in a Parisian opera house in 1762. Whether this is canon is unknown."Very early page of Philosopher's Stone", by J. K. Rowling - 
*Nicolas was the first known Beauxbatons student introduced in the series, though the fact that he attended Beauxbatons was only revealed on Pottermore.
*Nicolas Flamel appeared in the second film of the Fantastic Beasts series, portrayed by Brontis Jodorowsky.Pottermore: Nicolas Flamel Cast
*The pronunciation of Flamel's first name varies by canon source. While the 's' is articulated in the Harry Potter films, in , Nicolas himself uses the French pronunciation with a silent 's'.
===Author's comments===
J. K. Rowling related that several months into the writing of , she had a highly detailed and exceptionally vivid dream about Flamel, which was like "a renaissance painting come to life". Flamel was leading her around his cluttered laboratory, which was bathed in golden light, and showing exactly how to make the Stone.
==Appearances==
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==External links==
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==Notes and references==
Category:1320s Entire Births
Category:1990s Entire Deaths
Category:Alchemists
Category:Dumbledore's First-Army Allies
Category:Flamel Entire Family
Category:French Known Individuals
Category:Historical Known Figures
Category:Inventors
Category:Males
Category:Philosophers
Category:Plot To Steal on The Philosopher's Stone participants
Category:Potioneers
Category:Wizards