GRAPEVINE, Texas - It was a windy morning, so it was indeed fortunate that the Quidditch teams were playing by Muggle (nonmagical) rules.
That meant the broomstick-riding players had their feet on the ground, instead of flying madly around in the sky chasing a winged ball.
Over a recent weekend, dozens of teenage Harry Potter devotees gathered on a middle-school practice field to play a real-life version of Quidditch, the fictional sport of played by teams of student wizards at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Grapevine High School Quidditch Team is a recent project of sophomores AJ Jordan and Scott Holt, described as a pair of "charismatic and enthusiastic guys" by their teacher, Stephanie Bakintas.
"We got the idea just talking in class one day about a month ago," said Jordan, Quidditch team captain. "Due to the fact that Harry Potter played a big part throughout our generation's childhood, it seemed obvious to form a Quidditch team."
After word got out that a team was forming, 73 students signed on as players, announcers, scorekeepers, and cheerleaders; 225 signed onto the Facebook page that Jordan created.
"I was completely astounded," Bakintas said. "I thought it would just be kids in my class. Then when I saw the list of how many kids signed up and were forming teams, I couldn't believe it."
Bakintas is faculty sponsor of the Quidditch group and teaches Advanced Placement history at Grapevine High.
She came to the Saturday match dressed in a long robe and pointy hat.
"It's a fun way to do something outside school with my AP kids, because the class is stressful," she said. "They're all taking college prep classes, and they live in a world of stress."
Besides his classmates at Grapevine, Jordan has received inquiries from people in the neighboring communities of Southlake, Colleyville, and Keller about forming their own teams.
"I was hoping to gain enough interest to form four teams of eight," he said. "We now have 14 teams of 10 to 11 people each. ... We're planning to have intraschool tournaments on Saturdays."
The players have already raised more than $500 through T-shirt sales for their selected charity, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, which treats children with cancer.
Quidditch, even Muggle-style Quidditch, is fast-paced and, well, chaotic.
Two teams of seven players battle for a yellow ball, with which they can score by throwing it through one of three hoops at either end of the field. Two blue balls are also in play, and whoever has one can throw it, hitting the shooter with the yellow ball and costing him a shot.
The Snitch is a pivotal character who throws another element into the game. Whoever catches him and takes away a tennis ball in a sock tied around his waist earns a whopping 50 points.
It's like a combination of dodge ball, soccer, and water polo, said Jordan's father, Henry Jordan.
"Look! It's AJ's red-letter day!" he exclaimed as his son caught the Snitch.
The Snitch, who in real life is cross-country athlete Joseph Donegan, 16, was a moving target on the field, dressed in gold shorts and shirt.
"It sounded fun," he said of his position as the most-pursued player on the field. "I knew I'd get to run around a lot."
About 60 students showed up for the tournament. Steeds ranged from dust mops to push brooms, classic corn brooms, craft-store twig brooms, even feather dusters.
An all-girls team wore tie-dye tops and brandished brooms they had decorated.
"We haven't played yet," said Renee Toney, 16, a sophomore. "We're just about to dominate."
Toney was an exception in the group.
"Actually, I've never seen a Harry Potter movie," she said.
Jonah Grimes, 16, looks a little like Harry Potter.
"I've watched the movies and read the books, but I'm not a die-hard fan," he said. "I play keeper, it's a lot like playing goalie in soccer."
Grimes' mother, Lisa Grimes, watched the proceedings with interest.
"It's a wild new activity," she said. "But what a creative thing, and what fun for them. It's really taking off, too. I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to come up with it."