What Exactly Is An Auror In The Harry Potter Universe?

In the wizarding world of "Harry Potter," there are surprisingly few jobs available to witches and wizards after they leave Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry behind and make their way in the world. At least, that's how it seems when you read the "Harry Potter" books or watch the movies; it basically seems like everyone works for the Ministry of Magic in some capacity, runs a shop or small business, heals at the wizarding hospital St. Mungo's, or writes for a newspaper. (There are some highly specialized jobs like "wandmaker" and "broomstick maker," but there are never any specifics about how you'd get one of these jobs; one has to imagine that only a few wizards and witches possess the talent to do either of those jobs.)

This is all to say that, after graduating from Hogwarts, you can train as an Auror, which is basically a high-level wizarding cop. Officially, according to the "Harry Potter" encyclopedia Wizarding World, "Aurors [are] highly trained witches and wizards working for the Ministry of Magic as law enforcement officials. With a focus on dark magic, Aurors [are] highly skilled in Defence Against the Dark Arts as well as how to apprehend and detain dangerous dark witches and wizards." So what's the origin of the word "Auror," what do they actually do, and who are some famous Aurors from the "Harry Potter" universe?

The etymology of the word "Auror" hasn't been pinned down, but if we're speculating, it bears a resemblance to the word "aurora," which could be related to the fact that Aurors fight Dark wizards (making them, well, "the light"). Series author Joanne Kathleen Rowling hasn't clarified that it has to do with this, but it certainly makes sense.

The Harry Potter wiki — which, to be clear, is run by fans of the franchise — also offer up an explanation that it could be related to the word "aural," referring to hearing ... and in order to be a good Auror, you always have to have your ear to the ground. Not only do Aurors engage in direct, wand-to-wand combat with Dark wizards and other criminals, but they also have to sniff them out at any available opportunity, which is why they go through such intense training in order to qualify for their highly sought-after jobs. It's worth noting that, after the events of "Harry Potter," Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his best friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) both become Aurors (their third best friend Hermione Granger, played in the films by Emma Watson, works for the Ministry of Magic and eventually joins the government's law enforcement department). 

In order to become an Auror, a witch or wizard has to start planning for their future while they're still at Hogwarts — in that they have to absolutely ace two key tests in order to take the courses required for the job. During their fifth year at Hogwarts, students take the Ordinary Wizarding Levels (or O.W.L.s) in order to progress to more advanced courses (so, if you wanted to become an Auror, you would focus on areas like Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts). During the seventh and final year of schooling, students then sit for the  Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s), and the grades they receive there directly inform their career futures.

As for the "powers" Aurors have, they're basically just wizarding detectives, but a few Aurors In the "Harry Potter" universe have unique skills that may or may not be related to their training. For example, Nymphadora Tonks (played by Natalia Tena in the movies), who goes by her last name, is a Metamorphmagus, which means she can change her appearance at will — and she does, constantly shifting her hair color or the shape of her nose. When Harry asks if that was part of her training upon meeting Tonks in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Tonks says it's something she was simply born with but did sharply hone ... and that it helped her pass the "disguise" portion of Auror training. (Other than Tonks, though, Aurors are typically just powerful wizards on the right side of history.

In "Order of the Phoenix," after Harry witnesses the return of the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes on-screen) in the previous installment — "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" — the Ministry of Magic turns against him, calling him a liar; unfortunately, this means that prominent Aurors like Nymphadora Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson), and Kingsley Shacklebolt (George Harris) have to pretend they're against Harry and his rampant "lies" (Harry is, unfortunately for everybody, telling the truth). Then there are also former Aurors like Neville Longbottom's (Matthew Lewis) parents Alice and Frank, who were tortured by Voldemort's Death Eaters to the point that they lost their minds (and permanently reside at St. Mungo's). 

As far as "powerful" Aurors go, the final Minister of Magic before the Battle of Hogwarts — Rufus Scrimgeour, portrayed in the films by Bill Nighy — is a pretty powerful wizard and Auror, evidenced by the fact that he refused to give any information about Harry to Voldemort and was tortured to death as a result. Frankly, in terms of power, Harry, Ron, and Neville probably take the top spot; we don't see the Aurors do a ton of totally justified things in the original "Harry Potter" timeline (they have a more righteous run in the apparently unfinished Fantastic Beasts films), and after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Neville hunt down and round up the wizarding world's remaining Death Eaters on the orders of the brand new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. It's actually a little ironic that Harry, of all people, goes to work for the Ministry, an institution that once persecuted him ... but at least he does some good in the world by serving as an Auror.