Kingsley Shacklebolt: The Order's Auror and His Patronus

Kingsley Shacklebolt speaks slowly and says everything with a calm that commands attention. He is the Auror the Order of the Phoenix placed inside the Ministry, and the one who warns everyone when it all collapses. Readers know him little, but every time he appears, the story moves.

Who he is

Kingsley is an Auror, tall, with a deep voice and unhurried movements. He works at the Ministry and is a member of the Order of the Phoenix, so he lives between two sides without betraying either. His Patronus is a silver lynx (Deathly Hallows, ch. 8).

He is one of those who help without saying so. While Sirius hides in Grimmauld Place, Kingsley sends the Ministry chasing false leads so they won't find him.

Key moments

• Order of the Phoenix, ch. 3: he is part of the group that collects Harry from the Dursleys' and takes him to Grimmauld Place.
• Half-Blood Prince, ch. 1: he is the designated guard of the Muggle Prime Minister. An Auror is protecting the head of government without the country knowing.
• Deathly Hallows, ch. 8: his Patronus arrives in the middle of Bill and Fleur's wedding to warn that the Ministry has fallen and the Death Eaters are on their way.

Relationships

With Dumbledore he has a relationship of trust: he admires and follows him, and keeps his own judgment. With Moody, that of a serious colleague. With Harry, that of an adult who talks to him as an equal.

What almost nobody notices

The Patronus message is a model of clarity under pressure. In his usual calm voice, it says the Ministry has fallen, Scrimgeour is dead and they are coming. There is no panic in that message. That calm, in the middle of a wedding, gives the guests just enough time to react.

According to Rowling, when the war ends he becomes Minister of Magic. The books don't show it, but it fits a character who never lost his head while others did.

His position is also worth a look. He works inside the Ministry while it fills up with Voldemort's people, and he raises no suspicion for years. An Auror who takes orders in plain sight and works for the Order in secret needs a discipline few characters have.

Do you see yourself as the one who keeps calm or the one who strikes first? Ask the house quiz.