Amelia Bones

"Amelia Bones is OK... she's fair, she'll hear you out"

- Nymphadora Tonks regarding Amelia's nature

Madam Amelia Susan Bones (d. summer, 1996) was a witch and celebrated Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Born to Mr. and Mrs. Bones, she likely attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before joining the Ministry of Magic.

Madam Bones, having a seat on the Wizengamot, presided over the disciplinary hearing of Harry Potter. She was fair, unlike Cornelius Fudge, the prosecutor, and was astounded and impressed by Harry's ability to conjure a corporeal Patronus. She voted for the clearing of all of his charges and Harry was allowed to leave. A year after, Amelia was murdered, likely by Lord Voldemort, during the summer, though she put up an extremely good fight.

Early life
Little is known about Amelia's early life, other than that the First Wizarding War took a heavy toll on her family: her father and mother were killed by Lord Voldemort : Amelia's brother Edgar, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, his wife, and their children were murdered by Death Eaters. She had at least one surviving sibling, however, as her niece Susan Bones was a niece of both her and her brother Edgar.

Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Possibly roused by her parents' deaths and the deaths of some of her siblings at the hands of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Amelia joined the Ministry of Magic and was there-on known as "Madam Bones". She became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and had a seat on the Wizengamot.

Second Wizarding War
"My father reckons your aunt's a troublemaker, someone will teach her a lesson!"

- Gregory Goyle foreshadows what happens to Amelia

Respected and celebrated by most, the father of Gregory Goyle called her a "troublemaker" and that someone should teach her a lesson, presumably disliking her due to her unbiasedness and his association with the Death Eaters. Madam Bones sat on the Wizengamot and presided over Harry Potter's disciplinary hearing in 1995, along with Cornelius Fudge and Dolores Umbridge who acted as "Interrogators". Albus Dumbledore was the "witness for the defence". Despite poor treatment of Harry by Fudge, Madam Bones managed to keep the trial fairly unbiased and Harry was found innocent by a large majority of the court. During the trial, Madam Bones expresses admiration for Harry's ability to produce a corporeal Patronus at such a young age and believed Arabella Figg's testimony when Fudge stubbornly did not. She was also part of the faction that voted to clear Harry of all charges.

Death
Amelia was murdered during the 1996 summer holiday, presumably for her anti-Voldemort activities. According to Fudge, the then-recently dismissed Minister for Magic, she was known to be so skilled and had put up such a fight that it was believed that Voldemort killed her personally. Her murder was also reported in the Muggle newspapers, the nature of which baffled Muggle police officers as she was murdered in a room which was locked from the inside. Afterward, some members of the Order of the Phoenix referred to her as one of the greatest witches of her time, and that her absence would be keenly felt by many.

Pius Thicknesse replaced Madam Bones as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after her death.

It's possible that she was seen as a likely replacement for Fudge after his removal, given the fact that the position of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is often used as a stepping stone to the Ministership. This could explain why she was targeted by Voldemort.

It is also possible that she was killed so Pius Thicknesse could replace her as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as part of the Death Eater's plans to assassinate Rufus Scrimgeour. However, this is not terribly likely as Thicknesse was placed under the Imperius Curse nearly a year after her death. Also, she was acknowledged as one of the greatest and most powerful witches of her time, and though Voldemort would certainly not have considered her an equal, he would certainly have regarded her as a significant threat.

Physical appearance
Amelia Bones was described as being a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle. This gave her an appearance of being a serious person, which matches her personality perfectly.

Personality and traits
Amelia Bones was a serious but fair person who did not overlook obvious points. She gave Harry and Mrs. Figg a chance to testify, and was also one to be impressed with remarkable feats, given her admiration of Harry's production of a corporeal Patronus at such a young age.

Besides this, Amelia was a courageous woman, putting up a valiant fight against Voldemort himself, though she was ultimately killed. It is also very likely that she was kind, given the fact that Susan Bones, her niece, was upset when she died.

Magical abilities and skills
"A terrible loss. She was a great witch."

- Albus Dumbledore expressing the loss of Amelia Bones


 * Duelling: Amelia was a highly skilled duellist, being able to hold her own against Lord Voldemort himself for awhile when he arrived to murder her. Fudge also confirmed that she was a very gifted witch, and the evidence showed that she had put up a good fight.
 * Strong-willed: Amelia Bones was also likely a very strong-willed person, as no attempt was made to place her under the Imperius Curse before she was murdered.

Family
Amelia was a member of the Bones family, a family of many great witches and wizards. The Bones family supported the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. Their support of the Order was the reason why the most of them were murdered by Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters.

Amelia had at least one unknown sibling and one brother Edgar. Edgar had a wife and children, but were all murdered by Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War, along with Amelia's parents. Her surviving sibling had at least one child, her niece Susan, they seemed to have a close relationship as Susan was distraught over her death in the summer of 1996. Amelia was also single and had no children.

Coworkers
Amelia commands great respect from her fellow coworkers at the Ministry of Magic, and she respects them in return. During Cornelius Fudge's campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, in which he ensures anyone who affiliates themselves with either of the two will be dismissed, Amelia remains fair during the disciplinary hearing of Harry Potter, and followed Dumbledore's opinion of following the proper protocols, while accepting Arabella Figg's testimony without bias. She also remained in friendly terms with Arthur Weasley, a known supporter of Dumbledore and Harry, and did not let Fudge's tyrannical bias distort her job, which Fudge could not seem to circumvent. When she died in battle against Lord Voldemort, Fudge sadly regarded her death as tragic.

Etymology
Amelia is a female given name. It is a variant of Amalia, derived from the Germanic word amal meaning "work" and means "industrious" and "fertile". The diminutive is usually Amy, Lia, Mia, Mel, or Mimi.

Etymologists believe that the name Amelia/Amalia is unrelated to the Latin gens name Aemilia, which was translated into English as Emily. Equivalents of Aemilia/Emily in romance languages do sound similar to Amelia (e.g. Italian Emilia) but have a different origin from this Germanic name.

Behind the scenes

 * Amelia Bones is portrayed by Sian Thomas in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * In the film, Amelia was killed during the Christmas Holidays, as shown in the newspaper when Hermione and Harry returned to school, rather than over the summer.
 * In the books, she is known to wear a monocle, whereas in the films her eyes have nothing on them.
 * In an early script for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Amelia is incorrectly referred to by the name of her niece, Susan.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) 
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 

Notes and references
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