The Aurors of Harry Potter are special agents of the Ministry of Magic whose job is to track down and arrest users of the Dark Arts. It’s a tough position that involves apprehending witches and wizards alike when they break the laws of the Wizarding World. Bravery is the most defining characteristic of Aurors throughout the series. Their collective willingness to jump into the thick of even the most intimidating situations has earned them the respect of characters like Harry Potter and both of the Weasley twins. The Ministry of Magic has been historically slow to action.
After the Boy Who Lived faced off against a newly-returned Voldemort, they didn’t even want to admit that the Dark Lord had returned. Then agents of Voldemort known as Death Eaters attacked attendees of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup and they had no choice but to pull up their big kid pants and face the cold, hard facts. Luckily, Aurors have never been afraid of the action. They wasted no time in fighting back the robe-covered villains and protecting innocent lives. The work of an Auror is as risky as it is enticing, especially for thrill-seekers who enjoy a challenge. So, what else are Aurors responsible for? How does one join their elite rank? More importantly, is it really all it’s cracked up to be?
What is an Auror in Harry Potter?
In many ways, the Aurors of Harry Potter are the magical equivalent of law enforcement. They chase down criminals, take them into custody, and maintain order in an otherwise chaotic world. Aurors even have shiny badges they can flash at civilians as they apparate into dangerous situations or pursue potential perps. They were especially helpful in apprehending Credence Barebone (Ezra Miller), for example, after he turned into a literal smoke monster and started terrorizing New York City in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Aurors are fierce in battle like Kingsley Shacklebolt using a stun spell to protect Hermione Granger from a group of Death Eaters on her tail in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
They are also quite skilled in espionage and were among those chosen for the hilarious task of impersonating Harry in the Battle of the Seven Potters. Aurors are such a formidable opponent that Voldemort himself “dared not go where other humans were plentiful” because he knew “that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for [him].” It’s easy to confuse Aurors with Hit Wizards or members of the Order of the Phoenix since both are known for their daring feats in combat. While some Aurors are indeed members, many of them were just badge-carrying employees of the Ministry of Magic.
How did Harry become an Auror?
Becoming an Auror is a challenge in and of itself. The Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test (N.E.W.T.) determines a seventh-year student’s compatibility with a post-educational career path. Anyone interested in becoming an Auror has to pass their N.E.W.T.’s with flying colors – even the Boy Who Lived on to Kill Voldemort. The easy assumption is Harry Potter gained his high status and even higher position among the Aurors by name alone. The truth? It’s complicated. He was a baby when Voldemort tried to kill him and only managed to destroy himself in the process, leaving Harry his infamous lighting bolt scar. He then spent the Harry Potter series surviving attack after attack only to come out on the other side as a survivor.
However, reputation alone was not enough, and even the Chosen One had to pass Hogwarts subjects like Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and even Herbology. These were just the requirements for getting into the Auror Recruitment Program, also known as Aurorial Appraisal to gain skills in stealth, tracking, and combat. The one exception made for Harry would’ve been his criminal record. As hardcore as the Aurors are known to be, they still work for the government and have to play by their rules. A road bump no doubt made a non-issue by those employees grateful for what Harry did to save the day for the entire Wizarding Community.
Who else was an Auror?
In 1992, the Ministry of Magic stopped training new Aurors. It was easily one of the dumbest decisions made in the Harry Potter series, especially since they made it right after Voldemort’s return. Yet, it makes it easier to keep track of notable Aurors like Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nympadora Tonks, Theseus Scamander, Mad-Eye Moody, Tina Goldstein, Ron Weasley, and, of course, Harry Potter. The Chosen One not only joined the Aurors, but he also became Head of the department and held the position from 2007 to 2019 before becoming Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in 2020.
Of course, there were many that came before and after. Alice and Frank Longbottom had such a high capture rate as Aurors that the Death Eaters they were chasing turned around and tortured them into mental incapacity with the dreadful Cruciatus Curse. Neville Longbottom dabbled in the profession before retiring to teach Herbology at Hogwarts and becoming the Head of Gryffindor after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, probably because he’d had enough excitement for one lifetime – maybe even two.
J.K. Rowling once described Harry and Ron as having “utterly revolutionized the Auror Department.” What they lacked in formal training, they more than made up for with hands-on experience. They both had emerged victorious from various encounters with Death Eaters, and Harry had basically been fighting Voldemort since he was a baby and winning every time. Yet, being forged in the heat of battle is only one part of what makes Aurors so good at their jobs. They also have to be a little mad to willingly put their lives at risk day in and day out with the hopes of making even the smallest difference in the world.
In the mobile game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Harry describes being an Auror as either the best or worst job that someone can have. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart. Still, a job well done gets criminals off the street. Aurors work hard from the shadows of the Wizarding World to keep their peers safe. It doesn’t get more rewarding than being able to emerge from the darkness and put fear in the hearts of even Harry Potter villains like Voldemort.