Amelia Bones

Amelia Susan Bones was a celebrated Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until her murder in 1996.

Early life
Little is known about Amelia's early life, other than that she lost several family members during the First Wizarding War.

1995
Madam Bones sat on the Wizengamot and presided over Harry Potter's disciplinary hearing in 1995, in which Cornelius Fudge acted as the prosecutor and Albus Dumbledore was the defence counsel as well as a witness. 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. She was also part of the faction that voted to clear Harry of all charges.



1996
She was brutally murdered by Voldemort during the 1996 summer holidays. According to Fudge, the recently-dismissed Minister for Magic, she put up a good fight. Her murder was also reported in the Muggle newspapers. The Muggle police were baffled by the case as she was killed in a room locked from the inside. The Muggle Prime Minister referred to her as a 'middle-aged woman that lived alone'. Afterward, some members of the Order of the Phoenix referred to her as one of the greatest witches of the era, and several wizards felt deeply troubled by Bones' death.

Family
Amelia's brother, Edgar Bones, was a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. The First War took a heavy toll on Amelia's family: her father and mother were killed by Voldemort, and her brother Edgar, his wife, and their children were killed by a Death Eater. She probably had at least one surviving brother, however, as her niece Susan Bones was a classmate of Harry Potter. Susan loved her aunt.

Physical Description
She was described as being a square-jawed witch with close-cropped grey hair and a monocle.

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, or Mia, Mel. 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

 * While it is uncertain what house she was in, it is possible that she was either a member of Hufflepuff, her niece, Susan, was a member of said house. However, there are exceptions

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)

Notes and references
Amelia Bones Амелия Боунс