Aurors

From Absit Omen Lexicon
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The Aurors are the Ministry of Magic's dark wizard catchers, and are mentioned in the Harry Potter series. For canon information about them, please visit the Harry Potter Lexicon. This page provides a more specific look at Absit Omen's interpretation of the Auror Corps. The following information is considered AO Canon.

Related Links

Plot Development Topics: What About Those Aurors?, We Know You Better Than Your Wife Does, Aurors of the Phoenix: Staff Meeting

Other Useful Links: Auror Case Files

Department Policies and Operating Procedures

Though the 2009 Auror Corps has a less militant feel than it has in decades past, Level Two still takes its policies and procedures very seriously. Structure is engrained into trainees from the moment that they enter the system, and the traditions of the office are deeply respected by all of the Aurors (although some show their respect in different ways).

Auror Ranks

From Highest Rank to Lowest Rank:

  • Head Auror
  • Senior Auror
  • Auror
  • Auror Trainee ( or an AT)

The Head Auror is the immediate superior of every other Auror. She manages the Aurors, Senior Aurors, and Auror Trainees, oversees paperwork, and represents the Auror Office in official capacities at meetings and other Ministry business. The Head Auror ranks directly below the Department Head in status and is given an appropriate amount of courtesy and respect.

Senior Aurors are Aurors that have been on the job for a long period of time and have proven that they know their stuff. To qualify as a Senior Auror, one must generally have served in the Corps for 15+ years, have a good track record on cases, and be in good standing in the Auror Office. Senior Aurors can also be promoted for doing something exceptional, such as solving a major case or making a historical arrest.

Auror Trainees are those who have not yet completed their three years of training to become a full auror. They take lessons in such areas as "Poisons and Antidotes," "Concealment and Disguise," and "Tracking and Stealth," while working on improving their wand capabilities as well. ATs may shadow Aurors in the field and are often mentored by the Senior Aurors and those who have proven themselves to be capable teachers as well as baby-sitters.

Seniority can also apply within ranks. For example, an Auror who has been on the force for 10 years outranks an Auror who has been on the force for 4 years, but a Senior Auror outranks them both. The Head Auror alone withholds the right to issue disciplinary actions, hand out case assignments, and (with the exception of a Senior Auror in Charge or Primary organizing their case and delegating responsibility) issue orders. Higher Rank brings with it more privileges and some level of differentiation from lower ranks. However, this is individual dependent and may not always be given, though it should.

The Primary Auror (aka Lead Investigator) on a case is the individual in charge of one particular investigation. This is regardless of rank. If a Senior Auror is working on a case which has another Auror assigned as the Primary, they have to default to that Auror in regards to that investigation. Senior Aurors are often Primaries, but this is not always the case.

Out of Character Note: Case assignments are coordinated out-of-character through the Auror Case Files. Any full Auror can be a Primary for a case, and any Aurors or Auror Trainees can participate in an investigation.



To see the current active investigations, visit the Auror Case Files.

Uniform and Dress

Everyday Auror Robes

The traditional scarlet color of an Auror's robes is recognizable to law-abiding citizens and criminals alike. Aurors have both everyday robes (pictured to the left, designed by Amberlee) and dress robes (see an example here, designed by Dawn), which are required wear only at official ceremonies.

When she took office, current Head Auror Tamis Raynor tried to erradicate the military feel of the Auror Office by reinstating the Corps as Law Men and Woman, suave and deadly investigators and dark wizard catchers who protected wizarding society rather than acting as the Ministry's brute controlling force. As a result, some leniency with appropriate dress is allowed when Aurors are working in the Ministry. When acting in official capacity outside the Office, the uniforms are worn to show unity and as that trademark declaration of "that's an Auror, don't mess with him."





Cases and Assignments

The primary work of the Auror Corps is to stop and detain dark wizards (leaving their counterparts, the Hitwizards, to deal with ordinary petty criminals.) Much of their work involves investigating, interrogating, and researching, and the cases they get involved in tend to involve "bigger" issues (murders, kidnappings, counterterrorism, illegal trade routes, etc.) than those that would be traditionally handled by Hitwizards (robbery/burglaries, disturbances in wizarding locations, providing back up for the Werewolf Capture Unit, and so on.)

Aurors are expected to work cases and handle investigations relating to on-going plots. This can include interrogations, interviews, research, making arrests, following leads on suspects, general ground work, and the dreaded bane of every Auror's existence: paperwork. Ideally, more than one Auror is put on a case, though in times of severe political or social unrest, the office can become notoriously overworked.

Aurors are often assigned a specific partner who becomes their primary back-up on investigations. Though partners do not always work the same cases (leading to some partner assignments being more fluid), many Aurors develop a strong working relationship within the usual pairing.

In addition to normal casework, Aurors are occasionally assigned to guard duty, both practical and ceremonial: scarlet-robed Aurors are traditionally in place during major Ministry ceremonies, and they are sometimes assigned to patrol Hogwarts in times of trouble or to protect important officials. They also act as parole supervisors to former Azkaban Inmates through the Ministry of Magic's Rehabilitation Program, instated after the Second War. (For more information, please refer to Ex-Azzie Subculture.)

Out of Character Note: Absit Omen writers keep track of current Auror investigations using the Auror Case Files. Visit that page to see a list of current investigations or ideas for new ones. Anyone is welcome to add an idea to the list or come up with a completely new investigation from scratch.



Once you've started a new case, simply add it to the list or post it in this thread. If you want to join a current investigation, contact the other Aurors on the case by PM.

Equipment and Resources

Example of an Auror badge, made from goblin gold
  • Auror Badges: Auror Badges are made of goblin gold and are passed down to a new generation after the previous bearer has retired* or perished. Each badge is enchanted with Old Magic that allows it to bond with its In-Service Auror, and is tied to the Aurors desire to serve the Corps. This magic returns the badge to said individual if lost or stolen and will cause the badge to not tolerate being worn by another. Once bonded with an Auror, the owner must give up the badge freely, no longer desire to be an Auror, or have met a fatality to deactivate the magic. Wrought of goblin gold, the badges are impervious to other enchantments.

    (Note: ‘Retired’ is being used a broad-spectrum term including the much rarer cases where an Auror quits or is discharged from the Corps. In each case the Badge has to be returned by free will.)

  • Patronus Charms: As of 1998, Aurors use Patronus Charms for individual-to-individual communication to relay messages. While quicker than Owl Post, there is still a significant delay between when the charm is cast and reaching its recipient depending on how far away from each other the two Aurors are. Patronuses can only be sent to one location at a time. The patronus must first reach its first recipient and then be re-cast for a new location to be sent elsewhere of significant distances.

  • Red Sparks!: Red Sparks! are a universal distress signal used by Aurors and Civilians alike. The casting of Red Sparks! is usually overlooked in the use of Underaged Magic outside of a learning institution when used during an emergency. This is only useful if there is someone around to see the distress signal, much like a muggle flare.

  • Profound Magical Disturbances: There is a large and ancient map at Headquarters that displays an aerial view of the United Kingdom much in the way the Marauders Map displays Hogwarts, but instead of showing people it responds to large, profound, vast magical disturbances (such as a batch of runespoor venom exploding half of Knockturn Alley or a large duel of Battle of Hogwarts proportions, but it would not register the casting of a few Unforgivable Curses). It cannot center in on exact locations, but gives a good, general idea of where the Disturbance occurred.

Relationships with Other Ministry Departments

  • Hitwizards: Although both Hitwizards and Aurors work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on Level Two, there is an age-old rivalry between the two groups. (Think FBI and City Police interactions or any variation thereof.) Hitwizards are often brought in on cases when arrest is imminent, assisting Aurors as they take on the apprehension or arrest of a dark wizard.

  • The Department of Mysteries: The Aurors have a good-standing relationship with the Department of Mysteries in a "we'll scratch your back if you scratch ours" sort of way. The DoM helps resolve and figure out what tricky magic was preformed at a crime scene and in return the MLE tends to overlook some of the DoM's shady dealings.

  • Werewolf Capture Unit: The Aurors Office will often collaborate with the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures Werewolf Capture Unit on cases where werewolves have been involved in committing a grievous crime such as murder/manslaughter or an act of terrorism.

Office Culture

Despite the high pressures that they deal with in the world outside, the Auror Office itself tends to be fairly relaxed. These witches and wizards work long hours and work them hard together, often dealing with subject matters that not everyone can handle. They have to trust each other and know that in life or death situations they can count on the person guarding their back. While there are certain cliques of friendships, everyone knows each other fairly well. Their interactions are often of a surrogate family in nature. And because of the stressful nature of their work, they find ways for stress relief, whether by pranks or other tension relievers.

Within the office, rankings are very informal. Though there is still a divide between the Head Auror and the rest of her staff, it is not as extreme as it would be between an Auror and another Department Head. Senior Aurors, too, may not garner as much respect in the office as they would in the field (though this varies on a personal basis from Auror to Auror).

When Tamis Raynor took office as Head Auror, she tried to play down the military feel of the Corps. As a result, Auror robes are not required in the office. When not working, Aurors may be seen lounging in more typical wizarding attire, though the recognizable crimson robes are still worn in the field.

Aurors-in-Training go through an induction ritual, often in the form of committing a prank and are not accepted as a member of the "in" group until they have successfully completed it. Until then (and even sometimes after) they are the coffee bearing monkeys, particularly to one Edward Pratt. How each Auror interacts with the ATs also seems to vary based on personal preference.

Joining the Auror Corps

To be considered for the Auror Corps, one must:

  • Be a citizen of the United Kingdom with a Magical Education.
  • Be able to produce a fully corporeal patronus.
  • Have no less than five (5) N.E.W.Ts with a score of "Exceeding Expectations" or above. (Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration are encouraged.)
  • Undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests including practical defense, perseverance and dedication, and stress tolerance.
  • Pass an Interview with the Head Auror.

Auror Training

Training for the Auror Corps is a stringent three year program. First and Second Year Aurors traditionally spent most of their time in "Training" at the Auror Academy on Level Two and had little field exposure with Aurors, but recent changes in training techniques have meant more time in the field. Third Year Training is almost all field work.

Classes include:

  • Concealment and Disguise (Sub-catagory: Muggle Basics)
  • Stealth and Tracking
  • Curses and Countercurses
  • Poisons and Antidotes
  • Advanced Dark Creatures
  • Practical/Combat Dueling
  • Magical Law

To graduate from the Auror Academy, each Auror Trainee must pass a practical simulation that tests their new skills and emotional limits. Not all Trainees who survive all three years of the Training Program will successfully complete this final exam.

Auror Corps Roster

See Level Two Roster Timeline.


Currently Active:


Trainees:


Retired or Deceased Aurors:

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