Auror.
The title comes from Aurora, the Roman goddess of dawn. It isn't unique to the British Ministry of Magic; other countries have similar groups of wizards tasked with maintaining security and public order.
On the surface, Aurors are elite male and female wizards—law enforcers of the magical world, specializing in the fight against Dark magic. They typically operate under the authority of their nation's Ministry of Magic or Wizarding Council.
In essence, Aurors represent a country's most powerful official combat force—often considered a key measure of that nation's magical strength.
It's worth noting that if not for Dumbledore's continued presence, the British wizarding world might have long since lost its standing among other magical nations...
In short, Draco knew what Aurors were capable of. He'd seen their ruthless efficiency firsthand—how Harry Potter, the supposed victim, had once been pinned to the ground and humiliated by them without mercy.
Even Ron Weasley, with a broken leg, had been treated just as harshly before anyone had confirmed his innocence.
And now, Draco stood exactly where the Dark Mark had appeared moments ago...
So it was no surprise that the Aurors regarded him with immediate suspicion.
"Put the hostage down! Drop your wand and place your hands on your head!"
"Now! Move!"
But Draco, already in a foul mood, ignored the commands entirely.
As the Aurors prepared to restrain him by force, one suddenly recognized his face.
"Captain, that's... one of the Malfoys."
"Malfoy?" The scarred old wizard at the front gave a sharp, derisive snort. "Figures."
The tone, heavy with contempt, made Draco glance over. The speaker's scar-lined face and the wary looks from those around him made it clear—this man was their leader.
And in that instant, Draco felt it—the change in the air. The Aurors surrounding him were still holding their wands steady, but now their magic pulsed with open hostility.
All because... he was a Malfoy.
No, more precisely—because he was Draco Malfoy.
...
The comrades lost in the First Wizarding War, along with years of influence from hardened veterans, had ingrained a deep suspicion among Aurors toward anyone connected to the Death Eaters.
Even though Draco was still a minor—and even before they had finished investigating the scene—many of them had already decided he must be the culprit.
"Those eyes... that's the Malfoy boy."
"Hmph! Like father, like son. A Death Eater breeds a Death Eater."
"Watch yourself. I heard this one isn't as harmless as he looks."
"Keep him under control, and send a few people to secure the area!"
Perhaps because Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office, wasn't present, the Aurors who had rushed here subconsciously assumed the Dark Mark had been nothing more than a cruel prank.
Draco quickly realized these Aurors weren't nearly as professional as he'd expected.
Unlike the ones he'd seen before, these men and women carried visible personal bias into their work. They hadn't even noticed the body lying nearby.
And that bias came entirely from one thing—the name Malfoy.
More precisely, from the shadow of Lucius Malfoy's past.
Draco could see it clearly: the moment they recognized him, their hostility sharpened. And when they saw his unbothered, almost arrogant expression, their restraint began to crack. They were already treating him like a criminal.
"Drop your wand and state your identity! Minor or not, we have full authority to use lethal force!"
Draco thought he saw the faintest flicker of satisfaction in the older Auror's eyes.
Pure hatred for anything tied to Death Eaters? Or something else?
Finding the situation almost predictable, Draco's lips curled into a cold, deliberate sneer at the Auror captain blocking his way.
That sneer made every Auror freeze, their attention snapping toward Draco Malfoy—the boy standing there, a girl slumped on his back, meeting their stares with icy defiance.
They'd never seen a wizard so fearless under threat.
"The ones you should really be worried about," Draco said evenly, "aren't me. They're the wizards who stood right here moments ago, casting the Dark Mark and declaring for all to hear... that Voldemort is not dead."
"..."
"..."
A gust of cold wind swept through the group, and every Auror's face went pale beneath the sweat on their skin.
Their pupils constricted sharply—the shock in their eyes said everything.
Voldemort isn't dead?
Was this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?
"Damn it, shut him up! Do you even know what you're saying?!"
"Voldemort isn't truly dead..."
"Silence him now!"
But the old Auror captain's barked command came too late.
He'd already seen them—the same gray-eyed wizard standing at the perimeter, flanked by several high-ranking officials from the Ministry.
"Enough, Kane! If you're looking to pick a fight with the Malfoy family, by all means, try your luck!"
"By Merlin's beard! Draco, darling, are you hurt?"
Lucius and Narcissa had arrived. Their sharp, warning glares pinned the Aurors who had been ready to act against Draco, even as they hurried toward their son.
"Wait, I think we should—"
"Everyone heard that, didn't they?!"
"No mistake about it—I heard every word!"
"So that Dark Mark wasn't a prank after all!"
Draco's deliberately loud voice sent ripples of panic through the crowd.
The chaos made the newly arrived Head of the Auror Office turn and glare daggers at the veteran Auror—Kane.
Moments later, Cornelius Fudge appeared, red-faced and shouting, ordering the Aurors to restore order while trying desperately to assure the panicking witches and wizards that none of it was true.
Whether it was the sudden reappearance of Death Eaters or the possible return of Voldemort himself, information like that should have been tightly controlled.
This was a disaster.
Realizing where his superior's fury came from, Kane's face tightened. He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing into a hard squint as he stared at the boy before him—Draco Malfoy.
Draco, sensing the gaze, shifted Astoria's weight on his back without a word.
And at that moment, Auror Kane understood one thing with chilling clarity.
The boy had done it on purpose.