We can credit the creation of this animation spell to one such Walter Scardiforge, a wizard who lived alone in a large tower of learning, with only his books and pet cat to keep him company. Finding that his tomes and knickknacks were starting to grey with filth, Walter took it upon himself to attempt to clean every nook and cranny of his massive tower. However, as he was a wizard getting along in his years, he found himself lacking the energy and the time to complete the task. Fortunately, the purchase of a rather large fleet of mops gave him an idea. “I’m a wizard,” he said. “Surely, there would be a way to create an army to clean this filth for me!” And he set himself to work. After a month’s research and enchantment, Walter had managed to create a fleet of magical mops that managed the cleaning of the massive tower.[2]

What one can program and what they choose to enchant is limited only to one’s imagination. Throughout history, the many uses of the Res Momentum spell have been for both small and large tasks, be they household (as in the case of Walter Scardiforge), something such as self-delivering notepapers, or something as simple as making a piece of fruit tap-dance across the table.

As mentioned, the incantation is Res Momentum (reys moh-MEN-tuh’m). To perform this rather complex charm, one has to take the object they wish to enchant and tap it once with their wand while imagining what they wish it to do and saying the incantation.

This spell is not intended for use by students who are below their 7th year. Attempting to use the spell without understanding enough about magic could lead to dangerous side-effects, including animating the wrong thing or ripping it apart.