Slowing Charm
- "Chasers were also becoming increasingly irritated by the necessity of diving continually towards the ground to retrieve the Quaffle and so, shortly after the Quaffle's change of colour, the witch Daisy Pennifold had the idea of bewitching the Quaffle so that if dropped, it would fall slowly earthwards as though sinking through water, meaning that Chasers could grab it in mid-air."
- — Description of the spell's invention[src]
The Slowing Charm,[4] also known as the Braking Charm,[7] (Arresto Momentum)[1][2] was a charm that could be used to slow the velocity of an object. It was taught in second-year[8] and fifth-year[5] Charms class at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
This charm was also placed on broomsticks to help them stop faster. The Firebolt had an "unbreakable Braking Charm" placed on it.[9]
History[]
This charm was invented by the witch Daisy Pennifold in 1711 so it could be used to slow down falling Quaffles in Quidditch matches, allowing for Chasers to grab them in mid-air.[3]
- "Welcome to Charms class! Today we will be covering Arresto Momentum, a spell that decreases an object's velocity. Listen closely, or else you may find it's your education, rather than your target, that gets stalled."
- — rofessor Flitwick to his fifth-year students[src]
A ball being slowed down with this charm
During the 1890–1891 school year at Hogwarts, Flying Instructor Madam Kogawa taught this charm to the new fifth-year student to catch them up to their classmates outside of Flying class.[10]
During the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Filius Flitwick taught his fifth-year students how to cast this charm in Charms class.[5]
During the Calamity in the 2010s, this spell was used heavily by the volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force to slow down and freeze various Confoundable that were guarding Foundables, in particular pixies. A Calamity Investigator working for the task force also used a combination of this spell and the Summoning Charm to harvest hair from even the swiftest Granian winged horses. The investigator found that the hair from extremely swift Granians was even more potent, reducing the brewing time for their Exstimulo Potion.[6]
Known uses[]
| Caster(s) | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chiyo Kogawa | Before 1890 | Used this spell to save a boy who fell off his broomstick during class.[10] |
| Rudolph Spielman | 30 May 1927 | Used this charm to save his life after Gellert Grindelwald threw him and his wand from his Thestral-drawn carriage, using the spell to miraculously stop him from hitting the water at such a high impact, allowing him to fall into it safely.[11]
 |
| Patricia Rakepick | 1989 | To slow down the falling debris in the Buried Vault after the resident Hungarian Horntail dragon had awoken.[12] |
| Albus Dumbledore | 6 November 1993 | Used this charm wandlessly to slow down a falling Harry Potter after he was attacked by Dementors during a Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match.[13][1] |
| Qui LeBlanc | 2010s | Used this charm during Field Studies to slow down the fall of an unidentified student.[14] |
| Calamity Investigator in the Statute of Secrecy Task Force | Late 2010s or early 2020s | Used this charm in combination with the Summoning Charm to slow down Granian winged horses for long enough to collect their Granian hair.[6] |
Known practitioners[]
- Daisy Pennifold[3]
- Unidentified referee in the 2014 Quidditch World Cup[2]
- Calamity Investigator in the Statute of Secrecy Task Force[6]
Etymology[]
- Likely the combination of two words; the Anglo-French "arester", meaning "to bring to a stop", and the Latin "Momentum", meaning "the force or strength gained whilst moving". Literal translation: "bring its momentum to a stop".
Behind the scenes[]
- An alternative spelling, "Arresto Momento", is given in the seventh video game and first LEGO game.
- This spell was meant to be in the Game Boy Advance version of the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This is evidenced by the game's debug menu, which is inaccessible during normal gameplay but can be accessed via a cheating device such as an Action Replay. One of the options is a list of all of the text in the game, with "Arresto Momento" (using the alternate spelling mentioned above) being listed along with the game's other spells.
- In the fifth and eighth films, the spell's effect is to directly stop movement as opposed to merely slowing it.
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, it is taught to second-years, while in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, it is taught to fifth-years.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (First appearance) (First identified as Arresto Momentum)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Cut from final version)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (NDS version only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (First identified as Slowing Charm)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Quidditch Through the Ages (Mentioned only)
- Pottermore
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Portable versions only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
- Hogwarts Legacy
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film), Chapter 15 (Grim Defeat)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Pottermore, USA VERSUS JAMAICA (I) (Archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter 6 (Changes in Quidditch since the Fourteenth Century)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay, Scene 16
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 8 (Trial by Fire) - Charms Lesson "Arresto Momentum"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ The Braking Charm at Harry Potter (website)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 - NDS version
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 (The Leaky Cauldron)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Hogwarts Legacy (see this video)
- ↑ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay, Scene 16
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 30 (Into the Vault)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 9 (Grim Defeat)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (see this video)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2