An <a title="Auror" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror">Auror</a>, in the simplest terms, referred to a "<a title="Dark Wizard" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Wizard">Dark Wizard</a> catcher": an <a title="Magical Law Enforcement Officer" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Magical_Law_Enforcement_Officer">Officer</a> whose job it was to investigate crimes related to the <a title="Dark Arts" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Arts">Dark Arts</a> and to hunt down and capture <a title="Dark Wizard" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Wizard">Dark Wizards</a>. Once a criminal was apprehended, they were usually <a title="Ministry Detention Area" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Ministry_Detention_Area">placed in custody</a> while awaiting trial to answer for any crimes they committed. It was not uncommon for criminals to resist arrest, however; with some choosing to fight to the death rather than let themselves be captured, such as Death Eater <a title="Evan Rosier" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Evan_Rosier">Evan Rosier</a>.^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-GOF30-4">[4]</a>} Aurors could also call upon the support of trained trained <a title="Hit Wizard" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hit_Wizard">Hit Wizards</a> from the <a title="Magical Law Enforcement Patrol" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Magical_Law_Enforcement_Patrol">Magical Law Enforcement Squad</a> when in need of backup.

Internally, Aurors are assigned to different tasks. Some, for instance, solved crimes and were something akin to detectives; looking into reports of illegal magical activity to track down suspects by questioning witnesses, examining evidence and following up on leads.^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-5">[5]</a>} An Auror in charge of an investigation was referred to as a '<a title="Lead Auror" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Lead_Auror">Lead Auror</a>' and received assistance from <a title="Investigative Assistant" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Investigative_Assistant">Investigative Assistants</a>, lower-ranking Aurors charged with helping them with the investigation, and <a title="Research assistant" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Research_assistant">research assistants</a>, whose job it is to compile and fact-check evidence for them.^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-6">[6]</a>}

Others seemed to act more like an intelligence agents, tasked with secretly tailing a specific target to monitor their activities, or else provide security services for high-profile places and high-risk targets, such as guarding <a title="Harry Potter" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Harry_Potter">Harry Potter</a>,^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-HBP7-7">[7]</a>} the <a title="Prime Minister" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Prime_Minister">Muggle Prime Minister</a>^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-HBP1-8">[8]</a>} or <a title="Hogwarts Castle" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Hogwarts_Castle">Hogwarts Castle</a> in <a title="1996" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/1996">1996</a>, or patrol hidden and protected magical creature habitats in an attempt to ward off or capture <a title="Wizard poacher" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wizard_poacher">wizard poachers</a> trying to steal magical creatures to extract valuable bits and pieces from them for monetary gain, with poachers being such a common occurrence that most Aurors in Great Britain had run-ins with them throughout their careers.^{<a href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Auror_Office#cite_note-WU-9">[9]</a>} As of <a title="1998" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/1998">1998</a>, they also doubled as prison guards at <a title="Azkaban" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Azkaban">Azkaban</a>, working in shifts and rotating from the mainland.

By the <a title="1990–1991 school year" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/1990%E2%80%931991_school_year">1990–1991 school year</a>, veteran Auror <a title="Alastor Moody" href="https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Alastor_Moody">Alastor Moody</a> noted that while the amount of paperwork had increased noticeably from back when he first joined their ranks, he ultimately viewed it as a good thing, as it helped keeping the department "organised and honest"