Auror questions

I have a few questions about being an Auror.

Both the HPL and HPW say that protecting important people was part of an Auror's job. We see it in the series. How important do you think these people had to be? Would they perhaps be assigned to protect a member of the Wizengamut who had been threatened?

What if that threat was from a werewolf? There is a werewolf capture unit in the MoM, but they are presumably trained to capture werewolves, not protect human targets. So I'm still putting my Aurors on it, but I'd think there would be some contact with the werewolf division. Only how?

How would Aurors communicate with one another if they needed backup? I keep thinking of the Patronus, but that was used by the Order. I keep thinking of the Dark Mark, but obviously they didn't have tattoos. But neither did they have a phone in their pocket or an owl on their shoulder. How did they communicate? There had to have been a way. I've read a few ideas in fanfic but I don't want to copy those.

At what point in the first war were Aurors given the authority to use Unforgivables? Before Voldemort was vanquished or after, when they were rounding up the DEs?

I'm sure I'll have a few more as I write...thanks!!
~Gina :)

Q1) As for protection, it probably has a lot to do with the rank of the Aurors and te rank of the officials. If it's a Wizengamot member, the Auror will probably have a higher rank (like Kingsley and the Muggle Prime Minister in HBP/DH).

Q2) Some of the Aurors might protect the official while another group might work with the Werewolf Capture unit.

Q3) I agree that they would communicate by Patronus, but I also seem to recall paper airplanes being sent to different desks in Ministry hours. In combat, however, it would definitely be a Patronus.

Q4) I'm really not sure about this one. In one fic I read by Schmerg_the_Impaler, certain Aurors were given liscences that gave them "Permission to Kill." I'm not sure if this helps, but it's all I can think of. :P

Ah, but Dumbledore invented the talking Patronus, as far as I know. I believe ONLY the Order used it. And yes, paper airplanes won't work out in the field, lol. I also don't want to copy Hermiones DA coins. But it's magic so there must be something. :)

Good thought about the rank of the protector/protectee, thanks!

Perhaps in the field they communicate through signals such as wand sparks or certain noises? Wand sparks seems to be a standard signal at Hogwarts, and also with the Order when they're escorting Harry, so perhaps other bodies use it as well. Obviously they couldn't be used on covert operations, though.

Sarah x

I've read a lot of fics in which Weasleys Wizard Wheezes products have been produced for Auror use, such as cards that work a bit like pagers to alert Aurors and also portacuffs, which transport a detainee into ministry cells. Both of these were Northumbrian's, I think.

I've always interpreted it that the Aurors were given special licence to use unforgivables after Voldemort was vanquished, though I'm not certain there's any proof of this.

As to who the Aurors would protect, I would think it would be prominent members of society, and those to whom a significant risk was posed, such as ordinary wizarding folk who were being targeted for whatever reason. A bit like police protection? For instance, I think a prominent member of the Wizengamot would receive Auror protection for a minor threat, whereas the threat would have to be much more significant for someone less important to recieve such protection, but it would still happen. I hope that makes sense!

I hope any of this helped :)

Fenella x