Susan Bones

Susan Bones was a half-blood witch and Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most members of her family, including her grandparents, her uncle Edgar, his wife and their children, were killed by Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War. Another relative of hers was her aunt Amelia Bones, who was a high-ranking member of the Wizengamot in the Ministry of Magic, before being killed by Voldemort, too, in 1996. In her fifth year, Susan became a member of Dumbledore's Army, an organisation founded and led by Harry Potter. In 1997, Susan fought at the Battle of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Her life after the war is unknown.

Early life
Little is known about Susan's early life. Susan comes from a largely magical family background, and also a rather powerful and respected family. However, due to her family's position, they were sought after during the First Wizarding War by Death Eaters and a large majority were killed. Neither of her parents has ever been mentioned to be alive or dead. Susan was born at around 1980, a year before the war closed and went on to study at Hogwarts School in 1991, where she was sorted into Hufflepuff House.

First year
Susan Bones started her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991. She was the second student to be called up by Minerva McGonagall for the Sorting ceremony and was sorted into Hufflepuff, which was headed by Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor. She was sorted into this house along with Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Zacharias Smith, Megan Jones, and Ernie Macmillan. During her first year, Susan would learn all about the basics of magic and spell performance, like her other classmates.

Second year
"Hannah, he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."

- Ernie Macmillan shares his opinion of Harry with the Hufflepuffs.

During her second year, Susan seemed to develop a crush on then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, which caused her to be off-task daydreaming during his lessons. She participated in the Duelling Club as a precaution due to the Basilisk attacks that occurred after the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. During the Duelling Club's meeting, Susan's friend Justin Finch-Fletchley was almost attacked by a serpent which was acting under the orders of Harry Potter via the use of his Parseltongue ability.

Susan seemed to get along well with Hermione Granger, a Gryffindor, and the two shared an interest in the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gildeory Lockhart and the two would be usually seated together in their Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, both listening intently on Lockhart's every word. She and Hermione seemed to become quite good friends this year and Herbology both worked next to one another when potting Mandrakes, and it must have come as a shock when later on in the year Hermione was petrified by the Basilisk that resided in the Chamber of Secrets. Later in the year her crush, Lockhart was shown to be a fraud and presumably, after knowing all the truth about Lockhart in the end of the school year, she lost her interest in him as he no longer was a great wizard who had done heroic deeds and performed extra-ordinary magic.

Third year
During her third year, she would have to select what subjects she wished to take, and her friend Hermione Granger would receive a Time-Turner in order to do more than the average number of subjects. The school would also be in believed danger from Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black who was suspected to be looking for Harry Potter.

Fourth year
What is known is that during Susan's fourth year Hogwarts held the Triwizard Tournament and Hufflepuff's Cedric Diggory was one of the triwizard champions. It is likely that Susan Bones supported Cedric Diggory in favour of Harry Potter, as he was in her house and both her best friends Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan were strong supporters of Diggory. During the year as a required tradition of the tournament the holding school would hold the Yule Ball, in which Susan would have been required to wear dress robes and attend, in preparation for this she would have been taught how to dance with the rest of the student body by Minerva McGonagall. Cedric Diggory was technically the joint-winner with Harry Potter after he and Harry both reached the Triwizard Cup, thus making them the champions. Sadly Diggory lost his life to Lord Voldemort after being taken to Little Hangleton and the Second Wizarding War began. The students were horrified to learn of Cedric's death, mainly students of Hufflepuff, who were closest to him, but the relationship of Susan with Cedric is unknown. It is more than likely that Susan attended the Memorial Feast to Cedric Diggory at the end of the school year.

Fifth year


In 1995, Hogwarts was to be under the watchful eye of the Minister and his personally appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge worked with Susan's aunt in the Ministry, and both served on the court for Harry Potter's trial. When Umbridge came to Hogwarts, she ensured that no practical defensive spells would be taught in her lessons, despite the claims that Lord Voldemort had returned.

With the students looking for a teacher, and Harry with the best knowledge of defensive spells, Hermione Granger pledged the idea of forming an alliance to learn spells and rebel against Umbridge. This would be called Dumbledore's Army, which Susan would become a member of. During the first meeting, Susan was curious to know whether Harry could produce a corporeal Patronus. Harry later gave lessons on Patronuses, but it is unknown whether she produced one or what form it took. Later on in the year, the Death Eaters who murdered her Uncle Edgar and his family escaped from Azkaban, the wizarding prison, and many students questioned Susan for information about this. After the Death Eaters' escape, Susan told Harry that she understood how he felt, knowing that the person who had killed his family was at large and constantly being asked questions about it, Harry finally had someone who could almost relate to his state of mind. Susan was pestered throughout the year by students asking about her family.



On top of dealing with the murders of her family members, this year was also her O.W.L. year at Hogwarts, which left her in even greater stress as she attempted to keep it all together and do well in her exams. Also, on at least one occasion Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle took it upon themselves to bully Susan, making fun of her aunt and complaining that she was interfering with the Ministry of Magic's agenda. They went so far as to take her wand, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to come to her aid. The trio duelled the two Slytherins, defeating them and forcing them to leave Susan alone. Susan got her wand back and learned about the D.A. meeting in the Room of Requirement.

Sixth year


During the summer holidays before her sixth year at Hogwarts, one of Susan's last living relatives and one of the greatest witches of her time, Amelia Bones, was murdered by Lord Voldemort after putting up a good fight against him in her own home. This caused Susan some distress and worry, as most of her family had been killed during the First Wizarding War and now that the Second Wizarding War had been declared official it was only a matter of time before Death Eaters sought out after the remaining members of her family. When Susan returned to Hogwarts, she was learning how to Apparate and on one occasion Splinched herself during one of the lessons, losing one of her legs. Her leg was successfully reattached, but the incident appeared to leave Susan somewhat shaken.

Later on in the school year, Hogwarts fell under attack by Death Eaters. The D.A. members were called to arms via their coins, and despite the murder of her aunt, Susan did not show up for battle, and possibly try and avenge her, it is possible that since the D.A. meetings were no longer held that Susan no longer carried her coin around with her and did not notice the calling into arms message.

Seventh year and Battle of Hogwarts
"We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you there for to -"

- McGonagall preps the students before battle.

Susan's seventh year at Hogwarts would be under the indirect control of Lord Voldemort. With Severus Snape appointed headmaster and the Carrows as teachers, Susan's year would be set off to a rocky start, what with her being a member of the Bones family, a wizarding family high on Voldemort's list to eliminate. Susan would rejoin the reformed Dumbledore's Army, this time in a protest against Snape and the Carrows instead of Umbridge. Susan fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, alongside members of the D.A., suits of armour and her teachers.

Later life
Susan was not listed among the casualties, and is presumed to have survived the Second Wizarding War. Her later life is unknown.



Physical appearance
Susan has long hair which she wears in a long plait down her back. In 1996, Susan splinched herself whilst practising Apparition, and in doing so she lost one of her legs. However Susan was able to have her leg successfully reattached by the Heads of Houses but the ordeal left her confidence somewhat shaken.

Etymology
"Susan" is the anglicised form of Susanna, meaning Lily or Rose. It is noted that Susan is most likely named after her Aunt Amelia Bones, whose middle name is Susan. "Bones" is the word for the skeletal form of a being, many members of Susan's family are murdered or have been killed during the books and this may be in reference to this.

Family
"Susan Bones' grandparents were killed by Voldemort!"

- J. K. Rowling in a interview.

Not much is known about the relationship of Susan with her family. Susan was a member of the Bones family, a family of many great wizards. The Bones family supported the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. That was also the reason why the most of them were killed by Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters. His grandparents, her uncle Edgar, his wife and their children. Amelia Bones was Susan's aunt. Susan has picked up some words like 'corporeal' from her. They seemed to have a close relationship. However, Amelia was killed by Voldemort in 1996. In 1995 she asked Harry how it could support part of his family dead, she said it is horrible, because she knew what it was like part of the family dead.

Dumbledore's Army
Dumbledore's Army was an organisation found by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and led by Harry. Susan became a member during her fifth year, in order to be taught Defence Against the Dark Arts by Harry, as Dolores Umbridge, the new D.A.D.A. professor, didn't teach them how to properly defend themselves, thinking they would oppose the Ministry of Magic.

Susan became a member, along with her fellow Hufflepuffs Hannah Abbott, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley and Zacharias Smith. Susan shared a dormitory with Hannah Abbott (a fellow Hufflepuff) and was most probably invited to join Dumbledore's Army by her. She may have been also a close friend of Ernie and Justin. It is unknown if she was a friend of Zacharias, too. Susan and her fellow classmates (except Zacharias) fought for Hogwarts at the Battle of Hogwarts and won the war.

Hermione Granger became close friends with Susan in their second year. The two girls were always sitting next to each other in lessons, giggling about their crush on Lockhart. Susan was also a friend of Harry Potter, and possibly of Ron Weasley. She was very impressed by learning that Harry could cast a Patronus, and she also told him how she felt about her relatives' deaths during the First Wizarding War.

She was also a friend of Seamus Finnigan, whom she shared a boat with on her first year and was often seen talking to him in lessons and in Dumbledore's Army meetings.

Other members of the army she possibly knew are Ginny Weasley, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas, Padma Patil, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Fred and George Weasley, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner and Marietta Edgecombe. The most of them fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and survived the war.

Behind the scenes

 * In the first two films, she was played by Eleanor Columbus, the daughter of director Chris Columbus, making her one of the few American actresses to appear in the films as one of the students. However, she had no dialogue.
 * In the video game version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Susan was voiced by Alex Tregear.
 * Susan wears her hair in a long plait down her back, however in the films and video games she is shown to have red hair which she leaves down.
 * The middle name of Amelia Bones is Susan, which could imply that Susan was named after her aunt.
 * In the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Susan is omitted and one of Susan's lines is spoken instead by Luna Lovegood.
 * In the film version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, she is shown to be sharing a boat with Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnigan.
 * She shared a dormitory in the Hufflepuff Basement with Hannah Abbott, Megan Jones and Leanne.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (film)
 * Harry Potter and Me
 * Hogwarts library's copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages"
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup

Notes and references
Susan Bones Сьюзен Боунс Susan Bones