The world of Harry Potter is full of the most fascinating magic that can at times get rather dark. Aurors are somewhat like the wizard police or investigators who hunt down dark witches and wizards. They go after those who indulge in the illegal practice of the Dark Arts and keep an eye out for any strange happenings that might indicate a breach of the general ban against dark magic.
Aurors are naturally intriguing to Potter fans since we know that Harry himself wanted to become an Auror. In fact, he did become one as we know from Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, before ing the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Aurors are brave as their job put their lives at risk and they have to be at the top of their game all the time.
But there are some questions to which we still don't have clear answers to when it comes to these defenders of the magical community.
Do Aurors Have to Know the Dark Arts?
Defense Against The Dark Arts is one of the most thrilling subjects that the students learn at Hogwarts. It is a subject that Albus Dumbledore had himself taught and which has had a series of the most extraordinary teachers ever since Harry ed the school. But the thing is - this is mostly defensive magic.
It seems natural that defenders against dark magic should be skilled in the Dark Arts itself. In fact, when Voldemort first rose to great power, Aurors had been given the authority to use the Unforgivable Curses to catch Death Eaters. So how do they learn this offensive magic? But then again, if dark magic is banned as such, it would make sense that students would not learn it as part of their school curriculum.
Where Do Aurors Learn Their Skills?
All we know is that there are some excellent schools of witchcraft and wizardry in the magic world. What we don't know is how the students get from finishing school to entering their professions, which brings us to the question -- where do Aurors learn their expert skills?
Readers are given to understand that Aurors receive extensive training before they start doing their job. But one wonders where they pick up the skills needed to effectively deal with powerful dark wizards in the first place. After all, schools like Hogwarts do not seem to teach a specialized course in the Dark Arts; in fact, they take a defensive approach towards dark magic and students are not allowed to learn it firsthand.
Are There Different Levels of Aurors?
Given that there are different degrees of dark magic, some more severe than others, it would make sense that the Aurors who go after practitioners of the Dark Arts would also have some protocol to follow. For instance, those who are at the top of their field would fight the most dangerous dark wizards and witches such as the most powerful Death Eaters, or the Dark Lord himself.
On the other hand, Aurors who are very good at their job but are not necessarily experts might go after slightly less powerful wizards and so on and so forth. Surely it makes sense to have some sort of gradation so to speak. Or are all Aurors equally capable of handling their opponents?
Do Aurors In Other Countries Have Different Job Descriptions?
In the popular Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, we see Tina Goldstein, an Auror with the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA), bringing in Newt Scamander for letting loose magical creatures in the city. She is also concerned that Newt has mistakenly exposed himself and therefore the wizarding world to a No-Maj, the American term for Muggles.
However, canon tells us that Aurors hunt dark wizards and witches and pack them off to Azkaban, the wizard prison. Is it possible that Aurors in different countries have slightly different areas of concern?
How Do Some Less Powerful Villains Overcome The Best Aurors?
Aurors are trained in the defense against some very powerful dark magic. They are the magical equivalent of highly trained intelligence officers in the Muggle world. We are also told that wizards like Alastor Moody are the foremost names in this field.
How, then, does someone like Moody get captured by someone like Barty Crouch Jr.? The latter is evil through and through but he is far from all-powerful. Yet he not only manages to overpower Moody, but he also keeps him locked up in a trunk for an entire year! We know that Crouch Jr. is an excellent actor and extremely cunning, but does that mean he can keep a highly-skilled, experienced Auror under lock and key for so long?
Exactly How Elite Are The Aurors?
The Aurors, at least in England, are said to be an elite group of witches and wizards who fight the Dark Arts. But one wonders exactly how elite they were. Was there, for instance, only a limited number of Aurors, meant exclusively for the battle against the dark wizards?
Would we be right in assuming that the Aurors are the crème de la crème of the wizard police, and their work happens in secret as they scour the planet for those who practice the Dark Arts?
How Much Work Do Aurors Have To Do?
How much work do Aurors really have, say, on a daily basis? After all, evil wizards like Grindelwald and Voldemort do not turn up in every corner! And the Dark Arts, we are told, are serious stuff which often requires complex magic.
It seems likely then that dark magic is not something everybody can perform and hence those who actually practice illegal, powerful magic with very severe consequences cannot be too many in number. What, then, do the Aurors do around the year?
Do Aurors Have To Guard Potential Targets?
After You-Know-Who's return, Harry had some of the top Aurors like Mad-Eye Moody and Kingsley Shackbolt looking out for him. In Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix, we see that they ed the Order that was reconstituted following the Dark Lord's resurrection.
Although the Order was an underground group, it raises the question as to whether or not Aurors were used to acting as bodyguards for potential targets and possible high-profile victims. For instance, it would make sense for the Minister of Magic to have such specialist agents, skilled in magical combat, keeping an eye out for any sort of danger to the Minister himself.
Can Aurors Act as Advisors to The Minister of Magic?
As an exclusive branch of magical law enforcement, Aurors would know about all that goes on in the magical community, especially as far as the Dark Arts are concerned. They have a first-hand understanding of the dangers that linger in the shadows and are well-positioned to share their knowledge with the Ministry itself.
Would it be unreasonable to assume that Aurors have the power to act in an advisory capacity to the Minister of Magic himself, especially in troubled times?
How Rigid Are The Requirements To Become An Auror?
Harry, Ron, and Neville went on to the ranks of the Aurors after the Battle of Hogwarts. Yet, it seems unlikely that they had fulfilled the very high academic credentials that had to be met to qualify as an Auror, since Harry and Ron, at least, did not attend school in their final year. They went back to Hogwarts to finish their studies after Voldemort was killed, but did they excel enough once there?
However, field experience undoubtedly trumps academics, especially when you have fought with the likes of Lord Voldemort and lived to see another day. Harry and his friends might have been permitted to train as Aurors based on their extraordinary display of bravery in the fight against the Dark Lord.
