Susan Bones

"There were relatives of their victims among the Hogwarts students, who now found themselves the unwilling objects of a gruesome sort of reflected fame as they walked the corridors: Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt, and cousins had all died at the hands of one of the ten, said miserably during Herbology that she now had a good idea what it felt like to be Harry."

- Susan found herself the subject of much unwanted attention due to the deaths of her family

Susan Bones (b. 1979 – 1980) was a half-blood witch and a Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991 until 1998. She was a member of the prominent Bones family, a family with strong connections to the Ministry of Magic.

Susan's entire family, including her grandparents, uncle, aunt, and cousins were all murdered personally by Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War, and her other aunt Amelia Bones was murdered by Voldemort in July of 1996. In her fifth year, Susan became a member of Dumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry Potter. Susan fought along side her fellow D.A. member in the Battle of Hogwarts. It can be assumed that she survived the Second Wizarding War, as her name was not listed amongst the casualties.

Early life
Little is known about Susan's early life, other than the fact that she was born to at least one wizard parent, and presumably named after her aunt Amelia's middle name. Susan came from a largely magical family background, and also a rather powerful and respected family.

Due to her family's position, they were sought after during the First Wizarding War by Death Eaters and a large majority were killed. Susan was born in or around 1980, a year before the war ended 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 the same year as the famous Harry Potter. She was the second student to be called upon by Minerva McGonagall for the Sorting ceremony and was Sorted into Hufflepuff. The Head of Hufflepuff House at the time was Pomona Sprout, the Herbology Professor. She was sorted into this house along with Hannah Abbott, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins, Megan Jones, and Ernie Macmillan all of whom she became friends with. It's also assumed that Hufflepuff house is the house that many of her relatives were Shorted into as well.

During her first year, Susan would learn all about the basics of magic and spell performance, like her other classmates. She was also present at the End-of-Term Feast during which Gryffindor won the House Cup breaking Slytherin's seven year winning streak.

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 Gilderoy 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, Lockhart was shown to be a fraud. 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 extraordinary magic.

Third year
During her third year, she would have to select what subjects she wished to take. The school would also be in believed danger from Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, who was suspected to be looking for Harry Potter.

Fourth year
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. Thus she did not teach anything worth learning.



With the students looking for a teacher, and Harry with the best knowledge of defensive and offensive 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 murdered 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 and that understood how terrible it was to constantly be reminded of something he did not wish to think about. 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 call to 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 therefore to —"

- McGonagall preps the students before battle

Susan returned to Hogwarts for her seventh year, at which point the school was under the indirect control of Lord Voldemort. If she did not, she would have been a fugitive, since attendance was compulsory for children of magical families that year, although she would have been in danger anyway, what with her being a member of the Bones family, a wizarding family high on Voldemort's list to eliminate.

She rejoined Dumbledore's Army, which had been reformed in a protest against Snape and the Carrows and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts alongside members of the D.A. and her professors.

Physical appearance
Susan has long red 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.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Defence Against the Dark Arts: Susan was a member of Dumbledore's Army in her fifth year and learned some defensive spells. She also fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

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 witches and wizards. The Bones family supported the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. That was the reason why the most of them were murdered by Lord Voldemort or his Death Eaters. Her grandparents, uncle Edgar, his wife, and their children. Amelia Bones, who participated in Harry Potter's hearing was Susan's aunt. They seemed to have a close relationship. However, Amelia was killed by Voldemort in 1996.

Dumbledore's Army


Dumbledore's Army was an organisation founded 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 housemates (except Zacharias) fought for Hogwarts at the Battle of Hogwarts.

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, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe. The most of them fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and their fate is ambiguous.

Etymology

 * "Susan" is the Anglicised form of Susanna, meaning Lily or Rose. The lily is often a symbol of purity. 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.

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.
 * She is one of the Original Forty students listed by J. K. Rowling along with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley.
 * In the video game adaptation 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 leave her hair down.
 * The middle name of Amelia Bones is Susan, which could imply that Susan was named after her aunt, or that the name Susan runs in the Bones family.
 * In the earliest draft of the fifth film, it is Susan who says "That is most remarkable, Mr Potter".
 * In the film adaptation 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 adaptation 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.
 * In the books, the sorting is done in alphabetical order, but in the films, it is not, and in 1991, Susan is the third sorted. She shows relief when put into Hufflepuff, suggesting that her family may all be in Hufflepuff. Susan is the only non-major character in the series whose Sorting is shown onscreen (the others being Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Lily.)

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * 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: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
 * Quidditch Through the Ages
 * Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter and Me
 * Pottermore
 * Harry Potter: The Creature Vault

Notes and references
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