Hit Wizards

[Rome]

Hey, I've searched, but couldn't find anything.

My question is:
How would a Hit Wizard go about killing someone from a distance? Like ... a Hit Man would use a sniper; any idea what a HW would use?
I was thinking maybe they could have been taught how to use a gun, just to simplify matters?

Thanks!

/Rome

[MC Kair]

The lexicon says that Hit Wizards capture dangerous criminals in groups. So I don't think they would have a need to kill someone from a distance. I think they would be trained in wand aim and as far as I know they would have to disable the person before killing him so that he wouldn't attract muggle attention.

Also remember that Aurors capture Dark Wizards while Hit Wizards capture wizarding criminals.

Part of their overall training is how to restrain magical law-breakers without attracting Muggle attention.


A trainee has a starting salary of 700 Galleons per month, a Ministry of Magic broomstick, and his or her own regular bed at St Mungo's.

Hope that helped

-Maria

[AurorKeefy]

Incidentally, because this always bothered me, is there concrete evidence to suggest that "Hit-Wizards" and "Aurors" are actually two separate and distinct things? As far as the actual books themselves say, the only reference to Hit-Wizards is from Fudge to Hagrid when they talk in Three Broomsticks during PoA. There is no mention of Aurors in the first three books, and then, despite the action that follows, no mention of Hit-Wizards in the last four books.

I had always assumed that Hit-Wizards was simply an informal term for those in the Auror division, who, as we know, generally operate in packs and have the power to kill suspects.

[Inverarity]

Since they're described separately, I always assumed they were two different branches of Magical Law Enforcement.

I always saw Aurors as the "police" of the Wizarding world, whereas Hit-Wizards would be the "Special Forces." (Wizarding society being so small, they don't seem to have a military per se.) Aurors do investigative work, and might apprehend criminals as needed, but Hit-Wizards are the ones sent to capture (or kill, as their title imples) the really dangerous ones.

Of course the implications of the Ministry of Magic granting a "license to kill" are numerous. Can Hit-Wizards legally use the Killing Curse? Are they ever sent after Muggles, or foreign wizards? Are they always supposed to try to capture targets alive, or does the Ministry sometimes explicitly say, "Whack this person"? What sort of people would apply for a job like that?

Of course Rowling never really addressed any of this; I think "Hit-wizard" was a throw-away line she dropped in one book because she thought it was clever, and never really used again.

[OliveOil_Med]

What Inverarity was saying did lead me to ask a question I have always been wondering about: who would be seen as the equivalent of just an ordinary police officer in the wizarding world? Would that still be the Aurors on just a slow day, or would it be these Hit Wizards? Or are the Hit Wizards the "aim to kill" people then send in for law enforcement?

[AurorKeefy]

I imagine it would be someone like Bob Ogden, Mathilda Hopkirk or Amelia Bones. That is to say, it would depend upon the crime in question.

Generally speaking, crime can be dealt with by three separate authorities, depending upon severity.

The Department of Improper Use of Magic - Which is usually underage magic, or other non-serious infringements of Magical Law

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement - Which would deal with infringements of Magical Law that would be considered more serious. The creation of objects that could potentially hurt other wizards, or would intentionally hurt muggles. For serious crimes where the subject is not considered a danger, for whatever reason.

The Auror Division - Criminals who constitute a continued threat to the wizarding population, and have either evaded arrest or are simply too dangerous for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to deal with.


It's worth bearing in mind that only Bob Ogden, then a lower level member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, is sent out to present charges to Morfin Gaunt, who was guilty of attacking Muggles. Even when Ogden himself was attacked, it would appear to suggest that when he returned with "re-inforcements", these were Department of Magical Law Enforcement members.

The Auror Division, frankly, doesn't appear to be anywhere near as large as the amount of people we see in it would suggest, and I would suggest that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is quite larger.

[OliveOil_Med]

So that begs the question again: what would you call just the equivilant of a police officer in the Department of Magical Law enforcement? Right now, I just have them addressing one another as Agent Jone vs. Officer Jones, but what would they be called?

[Inverarity]

I don't think the department is that formalized or hierarchical. I think Aurors are the equivalent of ordinary police officers. Also, it may well be that there was no "Auror Department" in Ogden's time.

"Agent" and "Officer" somehow lacks a wizarding feel, to me.

[OliveOil_Med]

Okay...anyone have any ideas as opposed to Agent and Officer. I have a pretty big character in my story who works in the Department of Law Enforcement (in America, in modern times), but he's not an Auror, more the equivilant of an ordinary police officer.

Any ideas what he would be call, as a job and as a title.

[moonymaniac]

I always saw Aurors as the "police" of the Wizarding world, whereas Hit-Wizards would be the "Special Forces." (Wizarding society being so small, they don't seem to have a military per se.) Aurors do investigative work, and might apprehend criminals as needed, but Hit-Wizards are the ones sent to capture (or kill, as their title imples) the really dangerous ones.

I agree and disagree. I believe the Aurors are actually the elite forces, who specialize in Dark Wizards and Dark Arts. Hit Wizards would be normal law enforcement, or even SWAT teams, as opposed to traffic patrol or something less dangerous, but that they dealt with regular criminal acts as opposed to Dark Arts and/or they were the ones sent out in force to assist the Aurors in the capture of someone who the Aurors had already determined to be a criminal.

When Harry has his career advice session with McGonagall, she tells him how difficult a path it is to become an Auror. They require many subject N.E.W.T.s and intensive screening just to be selected, not to mention the several years of additional training. I believe she even says something along the lines of they only take the best and that they hadn't taken anyone on in two years or so. So I think the Aurors are the most elite unit in the Department.

I would use Hit Wizards as highly trained police, who deal with fairly dangerous criminals, but not to the level of Aurors. I'm not sure what other types of officials you might have. I have used enforcers, or MLE's for Magical Law Enforcers, as the general or routine officers, since the Department is the Dept of Magical Law Enforcement in drafts unless I can think of something better.