A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or the Advent of the Archmage. They are owned by J.K. Rowling and Mo Xiang respectively.

Fame, wealth, and adoration—Ludo had it all.

Born Ludovic Bagman, Ludo grew up in a modest home in England. His parents couldn't fathom the exorbitant tuition fees of Hogwarts, especially with two sons to provide for. So, Ludo settled for a decent education in a lesser-known institution. Although he wasn't particularly remarkable academically, he managed to earn an overall "Average" in his OWLs at the end of his schooling years, just shy of an "Exceeds Expectations".

However, he was born with a body that was naturally more athletic than the average. Ludo was quick to realise that his source to a good living was to utilise his gifts. He trained and practised with tenacity, hoping to join a quidditch team. Perhaps, he would be able to take care of his family then.

He had first tried to play as a chaser. Scoring goals would be the easiest way to fame, he thought. It was during one of his many hours of practice that a retired Quidditch coach happened upon the young lad.

Patrick Willow, a former coach at the Wimbourne Wasps, was enjoying one of his many strolls after his retirement when he saw Ludo practice nearby. With nothing pressing to do, Patrick sat on a bench close by and watched. At first, it was just a passing fancy, but by the second hour of watching the lad, it soon transformed into interest. Ludo displayed remarkable stamina, as well as good dexterity and in-depth perception.

At the third hour, Patrick approached Ludo to strike up a conversation. After a few minutes of getting to know the boy, the coach suggested he try using the beaters club. His depth perception could very well be of great aid to this position. Although reluctant at first, Ludo agreed to it.

An hour of practice turned into a day. Which then turned into a month. With each passing day, Patrick got more and more excited at the new talent he found. His talent was tremendous. What was even better was his commitment to train and get better. To the old coach, Ludo was a diamond in the rough. And he swore to Merlin to take it as his duty to polish this diamond until it shines brightly. So he met with the boy's parents, and they were agreeable, especially as there was no payment necessary.

It was not that Patrick didn't want money, he was sure to get an agent fee from the club should they sign his prodigee. Though that wasn't that important. The thing he got most out of this was the feeling of doing something again. After retirement, he had nothing to do. Ludo gave him purpose again. That is the greatest feeling a man could get.

Through it all, Ludo was over the moon. He had always been disregarded in most things his entire life. He was poor, and not very bright. But now… now he had someone believe in him. Someone to guide him towards a better future. He couldn't ask for anything more in life. Every day he pushed himself to the limit. Desperate to prove that Patrick's trust in him was not misplaced. Desperate to elevate his family from poverty. Desperate to be noticed by the mass that had ignored him for so long.

Eventually, at 18 he was taken to his mentor's previous club, the Wimbourne Wasps. He was signed up as a beater. Game after game he evolved, to the point he was quickly recognised for his talent. During his time with the club, he earned 3 league titles, in a row. He earned his seat at the Hall of Fame. He was part of the team that brought England the closest to winning the Quidditch World Cup. His position had long since solidified itself as legendary in the hearts of fans everywhere. Finally, the mass was looking at him. He was not ignored. He was a somebody now.

With the ups, unfortunately, comes the downs. Patrick died of old age, devastating Ludo. To bury the pain, he had gotten mixed up with the wrong sorts of people. Developing a sort of addiction to gambling. It started small, but it quickly snowballed to enormous proportions. Escalating to beyond his control. The stipend that he sent his family every week, was gradually reduced till there were none.

His downfall continued to spiral, regardless of how his family begged him to stop, to seek help, to focus on what's important. He paid them no heed. Disregarding their worry. And their pain. Ludo dived ever deeper into the rabbit hole that was his gambling addiction.

It was not until the end of the first wizarding war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that Ludo received a shock strong enough to stop him from his descent. He had been accused of collaborating with Death Eaters through his connection with the Crawly's, known and convicted Death Eaters (A/N: It's supposed to be Augustus Rookwood here, but then it won't make sense with previous chapters. Sorry)

He would be rotting in Azkaban right now if it were up to Barty Crouch. Fortunately, members of the jury had been fans of his Quidditch career. He was exonerated of all crimes and given a position in the Ministry. Honestly, he didn't deserve it. But he was not the type to look a gift Horse in the Mouth.

He reconciled with his family, and luckily they were supportive enough to welcome him back and try to curb his gambling tendencies. They weren't always successful, but they were trying.

This World Cup was a resounding success and would have been his crowning achievement as Head of Magical Games and Sports, had it not been ruined by those blasted Death Eaters.

That is precisely why he needs the Tri-wizard competition to proceed. He needs this to succeed. To prove he was more than a screw-up. To his family, to himself.

Also, the bonus might allow him to pay back his existing debts.

It was, therefore, no surprise that he was the greatest advocate for the re-instalment of the competition. Defying the Great Albus Dumbledore in the process, but he was not doing so out of spite at least.

"I must apologise, Chief Warlock, but I must insist on the tournament going through" said Ludo, with all the seriousness he could muster.

"Ludo, my boy, I understand that this competition is important to you. But surely you must agree that the current situation is beyond reason. It is too dangerous to host such a comprehensive event."

"You are right, sir, but is this not the perfect reason why we must go on? To prove that all that happened will not affect us. We are above such petty violence. I will concede to increasing the security measures."

The wizengamot watched the by-play, some were amused and others shared Dumbledore's worries on the security issue. However, for some reason, members of the Dark factions seemed a little vexed at the man's words.

"What are the three trials you have prepared Ludo?" asked Madam Bones, hoping to reach a compromise.

"You know I can't tell you that, Amelia. The trials must remain secret till the day of the event. Only my department and the people responsible for the organisation are allowed to know."

"Can it, Bagman. Just tell me" she groused, glaring at the man. She had no patience for this right now.

"... Fine. First, we have a treasure hunt. Nothing too dangerous. All the champions have to do is get an item. Fastest time wins. Simple, see?"

"What is the item?"

"..."

"Ludo, what is the item?"

"A golden egg"

"Ludo…"

"Alright fine, yank it out why don't you? They have to get the golden egg that would be blended in with the eggs of a nesting Dragon Mother."

The entire wizengamot stared at the man with wide eyes, not understanding what he had just said.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard. I could have sworn you just said that the chosen students must capture an egg from the nest of a Dragon Mother" asked Agusta Longbottom, an intense stare focused on the bumbling man.

"That's because you heard correctly" he mumbled.

The Great Hall of the Wizengamot erupted into a great commotion as they couldn't believe what they heard. A Dragon is considered a Class - 5 Beast. Even a team of trained wizards aren't always able to subdue them, much less a single untrained school student. What's worse is that the fool had the audacity to use nesting mothers, which raised their aggressiveness to an all-time high.

"I'm afraid to ask but what is the next event?" asked Lord Greengrass.

That got them to settle down to listen to what travesty was about to be spouted next.

"Well, we would get students to be held captive in the Black Lake, under the care of the merpeople. The champions must find their location and rescue them within an hour or they lose." explained Bagman, believing it more tame than the previous task. How wrong he was.

On the surface, it does seem tamer than nesting dragons. After all, Merpeople were a civilised society similar to goblins. It is possible to communicate and form mutual relations with them. However, a key point to this is the location of said event. The Black Lake. The Merpeople were not the only species that inhabited the massive body of water. There are thousands of different magical and non-magical species that call the lake their home. The most dangerous of which were the grindellows. One might not be a problem for a wizard, granted that they must be well-trained. Nevertheless, the Grindellows are pack hunters. They attack by the tens, or sometimes more. To make matters worse, they have the field advantage underwater. Moving with more grace and agility than any human can demonstrate even on land.

The council still had the remarkable ability to keep quiet on this as they had to find out what the last event was before they tore into Ludo's hide.

Dumbledore coughed slightly to gain the man's attention before asking what was on everyone's mind.

"And the last event, Mr Bagman?"

"Oh, this might be the hardest one yet" he started excitedly, he was proud of this one. "We will have the champions enter a magical maze. Every minute, the layout changes. Their goal is to get to the centre to get the cup, which will portkey them back outside, making them the winner of the competition. So regardless of how many points they got beforehand, it was still anyone's guess who the real winner would be. Oh and let us not forget the various magical beasts we will introduce into the maze to make it even more difficult."

The council was flabbergasted. Even the purists amongst them baulked at the challenges presented. It was no wonder the tournament was suspended. If there were tasks like these, then the death toll was understandable. They could not condone this. After all, the selected champion could very well be one of their family members. As if the title of champion could go to anyone, not of pure blood. The very idea was preposterous, which is why they didn't want their kind to suffer in any way, shape or form.

So it was no surprise that pandemonium broke out with the target of everyone's ire, Ludo Bagman. Making him sweat at how much scrutiny he was facing.

"How could you even think of making something so dangerous?"

"Did your brains get muddled by getting bashed by bludgers from your time as a beater?"

"Give us one reason why not to forcefully resign you from your position as head of the Ministry of Games and Sports?"

Although they were a little surprised, the light faction under Dumbledore was pleased that even the Dark faction could see reason. This was simply too dangerous for kids not yet graduated from their schools. They were sure their colleagues in France and Romania would agree.

"Why is everyone mad at me? Did you forget that Barty was also in charge of the tournament? He is part of this too" cried the ex-beater, frustrated that he was held solely accountable for this mess.

That brought everyone to a screeching stop. That's right, Crouch was part of this. As one they turned towards the silent Head of Department.

Cursing silently in his head, Crouch nodded admitting his part in the planning.

"I did help. These tasks were taken from records of previous tournaments. They were not original tasks created by us. Simply recycled ones. If they were good enough for our ancestors, they are good enough for us."

Madam Bones sighed. This was her predecessor. Every day she wonders how the Ministry survived for so long with such people at its helm. She then proceeded to explain it to him as though she were talking to a toddler.

"Barty, I know you like to follow the law and tradition to the letter, but please think a little here. The tournament was discontinued by these same ancestors you respect. The death toll was very high, they disliked that so they shut it down. We can keep the tournament but a few of the rules need to be changed. Each event must give out relevant points. The last task can't simply override the previous task's points. If this tournament is to go through, then we must create a new tradition."

That got an appreciative hum from the light faction and Dumbledore. The Head Warlock liked this idea. His mind running at full capacity to come up with new ideas for this.

The first thing that popped into his mind was to make it into a real school competition. What he means is that there would be more than one participant in the tournament. It would no longer be a one versus one versus one type of situation, but rather a school effort. He pitched his idea.

"And how many are to be selected? After all, it would be an unfair advantage to Hogwarts, as the other schools cannot bring their entire student body" asked Agusta Longbottom, intrigued at the prospect.

"Absolutely right, Dowager Longbottom. This is why we should limit the number to 14 people. 2 people from every year. That way it affects the overall situation of the school."

There were some nods of assent, however, Lord Nott disagreed.

"With all due respect, Head Warlock, The tri-wizard tournament's champions are chosen by the Goblet of Fire. The best of the best of their respective schools. We can't allow the arbitrary selection of candidates based on professor preference. Only the best must represent the school. As for the younger years, How can you have them compete when they lack the proper education to not become a burden to their older teammates? Much less their more competent opponents."

Surprisingly, his demands were not entirely unreasonable. A first-year can not compete with a seventh year regardless of how talented they are.

"Very well, how about after the selection of the three events? We hold an internal competition to see who has the best chance of competing. We select those who have the highest combined points from the three events. How is that?" relented Dumbledore.

"Better. However, I still believe the Goblet of Fire must not be relegated. It is an important part of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. It would be a shame to lose out on it." insisted Lord Nott.

"How about after selecting the best 14, we have the top 3 place their names in the Goblet? Their significance in the overall tournament will count for double the points their colleagues earn."

"A fair compromise."

"So, what are the tasks?" asked Ludo, relieved now that the tournament would not be cancelled. His Legacy shall live on. It's even better now. He is the man who brought a whole new image to the famed tournament.

"We have to have duels" started Lord Greengrass.

"Agreed"

"That's a given"

"What about Quidditch?" suggested Madam Longbottom, a little-known fact that she was a fan of the sport.

"That would be wonderful" agreed Dumbledore "It might motivate more students to participate.

"What about an obstacle course"

"We could have a race"

"We need team-based challenges. Duels could be modified to team matches"

"Good point, then a relay obstacle course?"

Ideas kept popping up one after another. Until three were finally decided upon.

The main purpose of the tournament was to acclimate the students from each school to each other. Magical unity has always been encouraged. This is but another method of enforcing that sentiment.

Death would most certainly breed resentment. Thankfully these new challenges were more in line with a competitive spirit, though there is very little chance of death.

However, in light of the small possibility the council had agreed to increase the security and to have the Healers from St. Mungos to always be on call. Perhaps two nurses be permanently on Hogwarts premises in case of emergencies. They would be of great help to the resident Medi-Witch, Healer Poppy Pomfrey.

Rose was still happily surprised that Link had joined her on the Hogwarts Express. She had thought that her friend might no longer go to Hogwarts, now that he had graduated. As always, he found ways to stun her at every turn.

"Why are you coming again? Not that I'm unhappy that you're here. It's just that you graduated and you should be free from school. So you could go what you want. Why go back there? Wouldn't it be better to…"

"Rose, for the third time, I am going to Hogwarts because I want to earn my Masteries in a few subjects. What better place to do so than the hub that gathers so many Wizards and Witches who are Masters in their craft?"

"Sorry, I'm just happy you'll still be close by" she blushed.

"I'm happy to see you as well", he chuckled.

The two chatted for a while before they were joined by their group of friends. Including Draco Malfoy. Surprisingly, or rather, unsurprisingly, Draco learnt to adapt with a new environment. He saw the world through a new lens. One not soiled by the constant propaganda spewed by his father and former pure-blood friends.

That is not to say that he views muggles as equals. Magic is still a gift given to a few elites. He simply no longer looks down on them. He does not view muggle-borns as inferior either. Simply newborn elites who require a helping hand to understand how privileged they are now.

Rose and Link saw the change as positive. They had no intention to further expand on muggle history and way of life. Maybe in the future, when he is more mature, they might bring him to experience the muggle life.

For now, they were simply going to enjoy the school year.

The Hogwarts Express eventually arrived at its destination in Hogsmeade station.

The Great Hall of Hogwarts is a beautiful example of all the wondrous things magic could accomplish. You can stargaze from the comfort of your seat, isolated from the cold weather outside. All the stars aligned perfectly according to their true positions. As though not a thing separated you from the heavens above.

Candles floated all around you, but nary a drop of wax anywhere to be found. Floating ornaments decorate each table with its house colours.

The most remarkable of them all was the magic intertwined in the tables. There was an exact, if downsized, replica of each table, including the Professor's table, down in the kitchen. House elves work tirelessly to prepare food for a thousand students every day and every meal. Once prepared, they are placed on the table replicas which teleports them to the Tables above, appearing suddenly before the amazed eyes of the new students.

Specifically the newly sorted 1st years.

Not to mention the countless ghosts phasing through the walls, the doors, the windows or even the floor, creating a truly unique experience. Only in places with magic as concentrated as it is Hogwarts could ghosts come to un-"life".

This had always been one of the best parts of the new school year, for the newer students it was the discovery of the wonders of magic. For the older students it was reconnecting with friends they hadn't seen over the summer.

Merriment was the general theme of the people present. With food, magic and friends, life was presented in its most elite form.

Towards the end, when desserts were being enjoyed, the Headmaster stood from his seat at the centre of the Professor's table, making his way to his podium. The hall quieted down in deference to the aged wizard. The Slytherins might dislike the man and his views, but even they respect the man, if begrudgingly, for few could ever truly be compared to the man.

"Welcome back students. It pleases me greatly to see so many of you enjoying Hogwarts. There are a few announcements I must make before sending you on your merry way to your beds. First, allow me to be the first to congratulate one Mr Link Granger on being the youngest ever graduate of Hogwarts. I dare say even the founders would have loved to see such a promising wizard walk through their halls."

Applause rang through the hall, less so from the table in green. They wouldn't be caught dead applauding for a mud-blood. Draco had no such reservations, cheering as loudly as any of the other tables.

"I'm sure some of you must be confused as to why Mr Granger is in Hogwarts when he has already graduated. The diligent young man had requested to be taken under apprenticeship by multiple professors to obtain his Mastery of various subjects. Truly an inspiration for all to aspire to. Secondly, the Ministry of Games and Sports in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has resurrected an old tournament and has asked that Hogwarts play the host for this year. The Tri-wizard competition, which has been previously cancelled, is coming back to life in Hogwarts."

Cheers rose amongst those who knew about the history of the tournament. They quickly explained it to those not in the know.

"However, we had decided to be prudent and changed quite a few rules. More specifically the tasks and the number of people allowed to participate have been altered."

The students waited with bated breath, eager to find out the tasks planned.

"The tasks are Obstacle course relay, which as the name implies is an obstacle course but the key word here is relay. That means each member of the representative team will take turns going through the trail. The fastest time wins. The second task is Capture the Flag, a rather ingenious challenge in which the team must strategise a plan of action to capture the opposing team's flag all the while defending their own. Whoever gets the enemy's flag back to their base is considered the winner of the skirmish. Finally, the last task is an all-out battle aiming to become the king of the hill. All teams must fight each other until they can capture and maintain their position on a designated "Hill", or a base."

That caused a stir of excitement to spread amongst the students. What the headmaster said next caused their enthusiasm to multiply.

"Should this tournament prove to be a success, your professors and I have agreed to include these activities as a constant in Hogwarts. Similar to Quidditch each House will compete against the other for a cup for each task. But I digress. The total amount of students to be selected will be 14, and they must be at the very least in their fourth year. Otherwise, the outcome will be much too unfair to our younger students. Unlike Quidditch, the need for a proper magical education cannot be understated in these events. Finally, among the 14 selected, one shall be selected by the Goblet of Fire to be designated as the champion of the school. They will act as leaders of the representative teams."

The students were overwhelmed with excitement.

"For the next month, we shall hold practice runs to determine the most skilled among you, May the odds be ever in your favour. Of course, I mustn't forget that Quidditch will not be cancelled and will be held in conjunction with the Tournament. Now off to bed you go, we have a busy month ahead of us."

A/N: I hope you enjoy the chapter. What do you think about the new challenges for the tournament? And the way it is held? I felt that since it's a school vs school, there should be more than one person who represents the school.

I hope I can do the idea justice.