Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor his magical world.

Notoriety

Chapter I

He was surrounded. On all sides they sneered at him. He knew he couldn't hold them off for long. Soon he would be lying on the ground, face down in the mud, stripped of everything from his watch to his robes. Most of all he would be stripped of the only little bit of dignity he still possessed.

The goblin to his left sneered. They jeered at him; they shouted and laughed with glee at his fear. There was no way he would make it out of this alive. He doubted that he could bluff his way out, nor was it possible to negotiate with the goblins any longer. They wanted their money and they wanted it now. Unfortunately for Ludo Bagman, he didn't have two Knuts to rub together.

The goblins began to close in. Ludo didn't know what to do. He foolishly pulled his wand on them and shouted, "Back off you scalawags!" This was just met with pitched, hysterical laughter and Ludo found that his wand was no longer in his hand. It was in the hands of Crickplank, one of the leaders of the gang. He twirled the wand in his long fingers with a nasty grin on his face.

As Ludo's fear grew another reaction grew within him. Adrenaline hit, he began to feel braver than he really was. He let out a yell and charged Crickplank. He hit the ground before he could lay a finger on the goblin. His vision blurred. The dim streetlights reflected in his eyes. Somehow he was not dead yet. The goblins were backing off, nervously; a dark shadow blocked out the streetlights. An indistinguishable figure was protecting him.

The figure moved gracefully, taking down the goblins with little trouble. Ludo couldn't see whether the figure had a wand, but he was sure it did. A light issued around it, like the shooting of spells. One by one the goblins hit the ground, without being able to give much of a fight.

As the last goblin fell the figure turned to Ludo. He didn't quite know what to do. Before he even had the chance to get to his feet, the figure had its wand pointed at him. "Sleep," whispered the figure, before shooting a spell at Ludo. What happened after that, only the figure knew, for Ludo was knocked out cold, his face lying in a murky puddle.

The figure did not reveal itself even to the dead of night. It lingered over the unconscious body of the wizard. The man had a look of a once youthful and lithe person. Yet the years had taken a toll. He had gone to seed. Where once powerful brawn worked, lay soft, weak muscles. Yet, this shadow of a young man could be useful.

The figure bent down over the man and began to probe his mind. The figure poked at him with his wand and whispered incantations. When satisfied, it walked away, leaving the carnage behind. Yes, indeed, very useful.

He was stiff. He didn't dare open his eyes in case he was actually dead. He could not quite remember what had happened. Last he remembered he was surrounded by goblins. Their jeering faces haunted him. They would not have let him live; he knew that. Hence, he must be dead.

He had been on the run for so long; it must have been at least two years. In truth, he really shouldn't have. Personally, he blamed Harry Potter for being so noble. Then again, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't truly blame the boy after all he had gone through. He just damned Gryffindor nobility.

After the Triwizard Tournament he had run. He hardly even knew what had been going on in the magical world. He had heard rumors of course; some rubbish about You-Know-Who being back. It was completely absurd, of course. Anyway, he had run, trying desperately to get away from the goblins whom he owed so much money. It hadn't worked though; after two years they caught up with him. And now he was dead, his legacy gone like that. Wasn't this just peachy?

"I think he's awake!" said a voice. Ludo became confused. It certainly didn't sound like the voice of the devil. Then again, he had never met the devil, hence it could be. Ludo's curiosity grew and he decided that he would risk it and open his eyes.

"He is awake!" shouted a young woman. Ludo eyed her; if she were the devil then he was quite happy he was damned. "You gave us all quite a fright there, sir," she continued. "We weren't sure if you would ever wake up." The woman was wearing lime green robes and was carrying a board with some parchment. "Now, let's see. How do you feel?"

"Like hell," replied Ludo, thoroughly confused about what was going on.

"Oh dear. What hurts?" asked the woman.

"Everything."

"Well, it would be assumed," said a new voice. "You did seem to have quite a night the other day. The press is having a field day, Mr. Bagman." The new voice belonged to an older man, also adorned in lime green robes.

Ludo was now becoming even more confused. "Where am I?" he asked hoarsely.

"St. Mungo's. Do you remember what happened to you?" asked the man, whom giving the circumstances, was probably a healer.

"No, I just remember goblins. Lots of goblins," said Ludo, closing his eyes.

"Yes, well, it is easy to say that you are the week's celebrity. I believe the headline was 'Ludo Bagman Found After Taking Down The Most Notorious Goblin Gang Single-handedly.' There are about fifty reporters outside who are desperate to talk to you."

Ludo looked at the healer curiously. "You mean I'm not dead?"

"Yes, I believe you are very much alive," said the healer with a smile.

Ludo grinned. Alive! And furthermore he didn't have to be on the run anymore. This was definitely an improvement. Then there was the fact that he had taken down the goblins. Sure, he didn't remember it, but this would be great publicity! Perhaps he could try out for Quidditch again. He was sure that that would give him a boost.

"I am going to go check on some other patients, Mr. Bagman. If you need me, I am Healer Patrick."

As Healer Patrick left an assistant ran in. "Mr. Bagman, the reporters are still out there. They won't leave. Are you feeling well enough to talk to them?"

Ludo grinned. "Let them in."

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A/N: This is possibly a one-shot, but I am going to try to make a full-fledged story out of it. I have yet to run across a Ludo Bagman story, so I feel like a pioneer. Thank you to everyone for reading!

---Perplexity