That older person has access to enormously more powerful magic, fears death more than anything in the world, and hasn’t been able to solve Death for decades now. Even though he’s willing to use methods that harm others, which Harry wouldn’t.
However, there’s the Philosopher’s Stone, which is supposed to grant immortality, or at least restore health. (The immortality part is uncertain: in canon it let Flamel survive for six centuries, but in HPMOR Quirrel claims that the stone’s current holder is not the one who made it.) Presumably it has some finite store of power, otherwise even Dumbledore would want to use it to heal the injuries of young people. So the question is how to duplicate it. We haven’t been told why exactly Flamel can’t produce more of it; it might be something Harry can resolve, but it could also be a zero-sum requirement to sacrifice lives to produce it.
I feel that the only way Harry could defeat Death would be using the Stone. Coming up with an unrelated solution at this point would not be plausible.
The immortality part is uncertain: in canon it let Flamel survive for six centuries, but in HPMOR Quirrel claims that the stone’s current holder is not the one who made it.)
In canon, the elixir of youth is something you have to make and drink over and over; if the Stone were stolen, and you were unable to make a replacement in time, you would die of old age. It’s possible that this is what happened, with Flamel as the thief. This would also explain why he can’t make more Stones.
That older person has access to enormously more powerful magic, fears death more than anything in the world, and hasn’t been able to solve Death for decades now. Even though he’s willing to use methods that harm others, which Harry wouldn’t.
However, there’s the Philosopher’s Stone, which is supposed to grant immortality, or at least restore health. (The immortality part is uncertain: in canon it let Flamel survive for six centuries, but in HPMOR Quirrel claims that the stone’s current holder is not the one who made it.) Presumably it has some finite store of power, otherwise even Dumbledore would want to use it to heal the injuries of young people. So the question is how to duplicate it. We haven’t been told why exactly Flamel can’t produce more of it; it might be something Harry can resolve, but it could also be a zero-sum requirement to sacrifice lives to produce it.
I feel that the only way Harry could defeat Death would be using the Stone. Coming up with an unrelated solution at this point would not be plausible.
In canon, the elixir of youth is something you have to make and drink over and over; if the Stone were stolen, and you were unable to make a replacement in time, you would die of old age. It’s possible that this is what happened, with Flamel as the thief. This would also explain why he can’t make more Stones.