Aurors

Ranks

Auror Ranks

Headquarters

Auror Headquarters is located on Level Two of the Ministry of Magic. It consists of a series of open cubicles, each Auror being assigned a space to work. The cubicles are decorated with pictures of known Dark wizards, maps, clippings from the Daily Prophet, and other odds and ends.

Aurors and their Mandate

The Aurors are an elite group of witches and wizards who battle the Dark Arts. They operate in some ways as soldiers but more often as intelligence agents, seeking out Dark Wizards and defeating them, often in fierce wizard duels. Aurors are sometimes refered to as Dark Wizard catchers.

The Aurors were responsible for bringing to justice many of the Dark Wizards who supported Voldemort during the 1970s. They also battled the giants, killing many and driving the rest from Britain. Under the leadership of Bartemius Crouch senior, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement after Voldemort's defeat, the Aurors were given sweeping powers. These powers allowed the Aurors to bypass the normal channels of justice and kill or capture enemy wizards using means nearly as vicious as those used by the Dark wizards they fought. Sirius Black was imprisoned during this time without a trial because of these policies.

Training

Training to be an Auror takes three years after leaving Hogwarts; the Aurors ask for a minimum of:

• five N.E.W.T.s, with nothing under "Exceeds Expectations" grade.

Apart from Defence Against the Dark Arts, the recommended N.E.W.T.s include:

• Charms
• Potions (particularly the study of poisons and antidotes)
• Transfiguration

If a candidate for Auror training has the required academic qualifications, he or she must:

• pass a background check for a criminal record
• must pass "a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office."

These tests assess skill in practical defence, perseverance and dedication, and the ability to react well to stress.

Once accepted into the program, an Auror trainee is taught (among other things):

• Concealment and Disguise
• Stealth and Tracking

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