Amelia Bones

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 as a Hufflepuff 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 prosecuter, and was astounded 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, Madam Bones was killed by Lord Voldemort himself during the summer, though she put up a 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 killed by Death Eaters. She had at least one surviving sibling, however, as her niece Susan Bones was a classmate of Harry Potter.

As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Possibly roused by her parents' deaths, 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. "My father reckons your aunt's a troublemaker, someone will teach her a lesson!"

- Gregory Goyle mentioning his father's view on Madam Bones.

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 defense". 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 brutally murdered during the 1996 summer holidays, presumably by Voldemort himself. According to Fudge, the then-recently-dismissed Minister for Magic, he said that 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. Afterward, some members of the Order of the Phoenix referred to her as one of the greatest witches of her time. Also, that several witches and wizards felt deeply troubled by Bones' death.

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.

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 and gave Harry and Mrs. Figg a chance to testify, and did not overlook the obvious points, when Fudge did neither because he was biased against Harry. She is also impressed with great feats, as she showed admiration of Harry's production of a corporeal Patronus at such a young age. Additionally Bones was courageous and put up a valliant fight against Lord Voldemort. It is also 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.


 * Martial magic: Amelia Bones was considered to be one of the greatest witches of her time. She was a highly skilled duellist and was able to hold her own against Lord Voldemort himself, when the Dark Lord arrived to murder her.

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.
 * While it is uncertain what house she was in, it is possible that she was a member of Hufflepuff, since her niece, Susan, was a member of that house. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn states that "it usually goes in families". However, there are exceptions, such as Sirius Black and the Patil twins.
 * 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.

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
Amelia Bones Amelia Bones Amelia Bones Амелия Боунс Emilia Bonkel Amelia Bones