Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does as far as I know.

Authors note: Tthis one plays on a common fanfic concept that the Blood Wards at Privet Drive are useless. Maybe they weren't...

Harry was lying on the uncomfortable bed in his room. The house was quiet, which suited Harry just fine. The quiet meant that his "loving" relatives were all out, and weren't disturbing him. Harry wanted to be left alone, as his depression over the loss of Sirius was eating at him.

Being isolated from his friends didn't help. Hermione and Ron had both written stating that not only had they been told to avoid communicating with Harry this summer, but that they were both being denied access to any form of communication at all. Apparently it was for "their own safety" as various adults had decided that fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries might have made Harry's friends targets.

No shit, Sherlock, Harry thought, bitterly. It had only taken a running battle in the Department of Mysteries, the destruction of thousands of prophecies, the death of Sirius Black and a full-blown wizarding duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort in front of Fudge for the magical world to finally wake up to the fact that He-Who-Must-Be-Hyphenated had returned.

Shame it took them over a year to decide that Dumbledore and I weren't being delusional, Harry mused. He was, he thought, justified in his anger and depression. Anger that the wizarding world's insistence on burying its collective head in the sand had cost him so much, depression that his own mistakes had contributed to Sirius' death.

This day in particular had been especially lousy. He'd been woken up early by Vernon shouting at him through the door. Once the insults and threats had been edited out, the message was that the Dursleys were all headed off to visit Aunt Marge and her hellhounds. Apparently dear old Marge refused to visit Privet Drive anymore, not after the little "balloon incident".

When Harry had finally gone downstairs (having waited until he'd heard the car leave), he had discovered that he'd been left with virtually nothing to eat. After an inadequate breakfast of toast and tea, he'd done the chores left for him before returning to his room.

I'll have to signal my watchdog later to get something decent for lunch, Harry thought, my only other option is to starve.

The lack of food that morning, combined with Vernon's shouting and the effort involved in finishing his chores, had left Harry with a headache. Unwilling to put up with anything else making him miserable, he'd broken an unwritten rule of the household and had taken some aspirin from the cabinet in his Aunt's bathroom. Normally this was forbidden, as apparently "good medicine" wasn't to be wasted on "freaks" like Harry.

I just wish the damn aspirin would start working soon, Harry grumbled in his own mind. I haven't had a headache like this since...

Harry suddenly lurched upright. This is no headache! My fucking scar! Shit, Voldemort is nearby!

Across the road from No. 4 Privet Drive, Nymphadora "Don't call me that" Tonks was waiting for her relief. She sighed quietly in satisfaction when she spotted Kingsley Shacklebolt walking towards her.

"The Phoenix burns brightly," Shacklebolt said as he came close to Tonks. At least somebody in this bloody Order can act professionally.

"The Gryffins never waver." As a former Hufflepuff prefect, Tonks was mildly put out that most of the Order of the Phoenix's pass-phrases were biased towards the "house of lions."

"Anything I should know about, Tonks?"

"Nothing major. The Dursleys all left earlier. Harry did some chores before he disappeared back inside. I think we might have to bring him lunch later - from what I could see, his relatives didn't leave much food in the house."

Shacklebolt nodded. Most of the Order members who had been on "Potter watch" had a dim view of the Dursleys. The only exception seemed to be Dung, who spent most of his time sleeping.

"Alright. Well, you better get back to the Ministry. Madam Bones wants - what the hell?"

The attention of both Aurors was immediately shifted to the end of the road, where a burst of magic had suddenly sprung from. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the cause was.

"Fuckfuckfuckfuck - Death Eaters! And it looks like they brought their fucking boss with them!" Tonks swore. This was the last thing anybody had expected - if she had thought that Moldy-shorts himself might show, she would have brought some help. Like the entire Auror Corps.

Shacklebolt hastily sent off a Patronus. "I've sent for help, but Dumbledore said he was going on a trip today. C'mon, we've got to get Potter away from here before they - "

Shacklebolt suddenly stopped talking, as the two Aurors felt anti-apparition wards go up. This was quickly followed by anti-portkey wards, and both Aurors knew that the nearest Floo connection was some distance away. Too far when we're facing a fucking Dark Lord, was Tonks' bitter thought.

"We're going to have to run for it. I'll provide a distraction, you grab Potter and go!" Shacklebolt ordered.

Harry was hurriedly searching through his trunk. Ah, there it is! He thought with some relief as he retrieved his wand. Dumbledore had demanded that Harry surrender his wand to the headmaster's safe keeping for the summer, arguing that Harry's best defence was to keep a low profile. Harry had not been so sure, and had managed to slip Dumbledore a prototype of the Weasley Twins' "fake wand" concept. Anybody who tries to use that wand will get a rubber chicken, Harry though with wry amusement.

He quickly assessed the rest of his belongings. Books I can replace, Hedwig is at Hogwarts, my photo album and other valuables are with Hermione - time to get out of here.

Tonks sprinted for the front door of Harry's residence. Shacklebolt was behind her, using a car for shelter. The Death Eaters, with Voldemort in the lead, were moving down the road towards No. 4 quite rapidly. Bastards can move fast when they want to. Getting away from this is going to take a lot of luck.

She kicked in the door as she ran up to it; she didn't want to waste time fumbling with the doorknob when it might be locked.

"HARRY! GET YOUR ARSE IN GEAR! WE GOTTA GO NOW!"

Harry was already halfway down the stairs when he heard Tonks' shout. He ran the last few steps, and saw a rather pale Auror looking nervous.

"How many?" He asked.

"Too many, and the bastard himself is here! We've gotta get out of here, now!"

Harry slipped around Tonks and glanced out the door. "I think we're too late for an escape, Tonks..."

Voldemort was gleeful. The information he had received from Snape indicated that the Boy-Who-Lived was in a sorry state and incapable of defending himself. This had led Voldemort to change his plans and attack Potter early - with the Prophesied Boy dead, there would be nothing left to stand in the way of his conquest. Dumbledore could be dealt with at Voldemort's leisure once his Golden Boy was six feet under.

He noticed somebody crouching behind a car. Probably the brat's bodyguard. One lousy wizard won't be much of an obstacle.

"Attack!" He cried, as he sent a high-powered Confringo at the car. Caught up in the thrill of magic, he didn't notice the mild tingle that ran across his body as he approached No. 4 Privet Drive.

Shacklebolt cursed as the front half of the car he was hiding behind was blasted into scrap. Fortunately the rest of the car stayed stationary. Muggle studies paid off after all, he thought to himself, fuel tank is in the back half of the car and won't rupture too easily. While that eliminated the immediate risk of the car exploding, he knew that another Reducto like the last one would be all that was needed to set the volatile liquid off.

OK, no fucking around with stunners here - try to get as many as I can! With that thought, Shacklebolt leaned out and sent a Confringo towards a group of Death Eaters. He ducked back behind his half-destroyed barricade, and didn't see his spell hit the road and throw several Death Eaters to the ground.

Harry and Tonks both winced as they saw the car explode. Tonks was sure that Shacklebolt had bitten the dust until she saw the smoke clear, revealing the veteran Auror launching a spell back at the Death Eaters.

"Shit! Harry, get out the back and run for it! We'll hold them off as long as possible!"

Harry didn't seem to hear her. He was distracted by something, a feeling of...something. He felt energised, like he could run an entire Marathon and not notice it.

"No way. You'll both be killed, and then they'll catch me anyway. If we get away we'll all have to work together. Let's go!" Harry bounded out of the house before Tonks could even register what he had said. Cursing to herself, she sprinted after him.

I hope reinforcements come soon, or they'll need a sponge to collect our bodies!

Voldemort frowned as several of his Death Eaters were thrown around like rag dolls by the Auror's blasting curse. Damn idiots, I'll have to Crucio them later to remind them to pay attention in a battle!

He sent another Confringo at the car, with the intent of finishing off the pathetic wizard hiding behind. Oddly, it felt harder to form the spell, and the explosion that resulted was a lot less powerful than his first curse. That fight with Dumbledore took more out of me than I thought. No matter, I've power enough to finish these idiots off...

Harry's eyes narrowed as he saw the results of Riddle's second Confringo. He should have vaporised the car with that second shot. Why didn't he put more power behind it?

Deciding that Voldemort was probably playing with the Auror taking shelter behind the wreck, Harry turned his attention to the group of Death Eaters.

Quite a group. No idea how good they are, Shacklebolt's idea of using Confringo seems to be good.

Harry quickly cast the blasting curse at the Death Eaters. "CONFRINGO!"

Tonks watched as Harry sent a blasting curse down range. Good plan, that spell has an area affect, it'll force the Death Eaters to keep their heads dow-

Her thoughts were interrupted as Harry's spell hit the ground near the Death Eaters and subsequently exploded, leaving a crater 2 metres across and a metre deep in the road. Fucking hell, what was that? Since when is Harry that powerful?

Harry seemed to have been stunned by his own spell, so Tonks quickly sent a cutting curse towards one of the Death Eaters on the ground. You knock 'em down, I'll dice 'em up!

Kingsley Shacklebolt was an experienced Auror, and had been in quite a few magical firefights before Voldemort's return. He had seen a number of powerful wizards and witches - many, he admitted, much stronger than himself - in action before. He had seen what high powered spells could do - cutting spells that disembowelled multiple people, stunners that knocked strong men out for days. But he had never seen a Confringo as strong as the one Harry had just cast.

Bloody hellfire, that thing just blasted two Death Eaters to shreds! There's a third one down with only one leg! What the fuck have they been feeding this boy? No breakfast my arse!

Tonks' cutting spell broke him out of his thoughts. Back on the clock, Kingsley...

Voldemort was shocked. Firstly by the power of Potter's spell. He wasn't nearly that strong at the Ministry! Has Dumbledore finally cracked and used a power-boosting ritual on the brat?

There were rituals that could be used to boost the power of a wizard. They were all dark and illegal, as they invariably involved human sacrifice. Voldemort had investigated them once, but had discovered that they were all short-term in nature and usually had long-term damaging effects.

The more unpleasant surprise for the Dark Lord was that Potter had his wand. Snape had assured his Lord that Potter's wand was safely ensconced in the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. It was that information that had given Voldemort the confidence to attack Potter early - he had been reluctant to force any encounters after the Priori Incantatem effect they had seen at the graveyard.

Snape will pay for this deceit! Nothing for it but to push on - even with brother wands, two pathetic Aurors and a half-starved child can't defeat me!

Harry shook off his momentary shock and ran to try and find cover. What happened to make that Confringo so strong? I've never seen anything like that before!

A spell flashed by his head, forcing his concentration back to the battle at hand. He saw several Death Eaters down and bleeding badly; Harry assumed that the cutting spells from Tonks and Shacklebolt were working. He cast his own cutting spell, slashing to try and hit as many Death Eaters as possible.

Tonks shuddered as the most over-powered cutting spell she had ever seen sliced through half a dozen Death Eaters at once. The spell continued down the street and succeeded in downing a power pole before it was stopped by a parked van. Something weird is going on - Harry's casting at a level to rival the Headmaster!

Apparently Voldemort wasn't going to let Potter's display of power distract him, as the Dark Lord quickly replied with his trademark spell.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Tonks saw the green spell heading towards Harry, and quickly summoned a chunk of the car Shack was hiding behind to try and block it. She was amazed when the Killing Curse was stopped handily - the metal melted a bit but didn't explode. Isn't he supposed to be stronger than this?

Voldemort's frustration was increasing. Not only was the brat casting at a level that should have been impossible, but his own spells seemed to be down on power. Finish this fast before Potter decides to use his power-boost to do more damage to my followers.

Voldemort had always kept himself fit and athletic, recognising the value of mobility in a duel. He had spent most of the year between his rebirth and the battle at the Ministry getting himself back into shape - his new body had required extensive work before he was confident about heading into battle. Coupled with wandless magic that helped speed his actions, the Dark Lord was capable of moving rapidly over a battlefield. This had helped him win on many occasions, as had been able to surprise his enemies by appearing where they didn't expect him.

Voldemort sprinted directly at Potter, casting another killing curse at close range.

Harry saw Voldemort move at an inhuman pace directly at him, and barely had time to register that Riddle had cast another killing curse in his direction. Reacting on instinct, he cast a spell back to try and block the incoming hex. "EXPELLIARMUS!"

Tonks and Shacklebolt had heard Dumbledore talk about the Priori Incantantem effect that brother wards could have, but neither had seen it before. The dome appeared rapidly, and they saw the two spells dueling for control. C'mon Harry, you can do it! Beat that fucker into the ground!

Inside the dome, Harry and Voldemort were in somewhat familiar territory. Both remembered what had happened at the graveyard, and both could hear the Phoenix song that had manifested the first time. On this occasion, however, it felt different to both participants.

Harry felt like he was drawing on a practically unlimited reservoir of power, completely different to his previous experience with this kind of confrontation. At the graveyard he'd been tired from the maze and from Cruciatus exposure, and had barely been able to hold his own against the more experienced wizard. Now, however, he felt like he could do this for hours. He steadily pushed his magic, trying to force the spell back into Voldemort's wand.

Voldemort, on the other hand, was close to panic. He hadn't felt this weak and helpless since he had left the orphanage. He was putting everything he had into his wand, but he could feel his power being pushed back steadily.

Tonks watched as the glowing ball that marked the point where the two conflicting spells met moved relentlessly towards Voldemort. Great Merlin! Harry just might win this!

Suddenly Voldemort seemed to falter, and the nexus of power surged back into his wand. The Dark Lord screamed as his wand exploded, but it didn't stop there. The golden light seemed to burn its way through his arm and into his chest, until it exploded. Both Tonks and Shacklebolt were temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of light, and didn't see Harry fall to the ground clutching his forehead.

At Hogwarts, Snape suddenly clutched at his left arm and screamed as if somebody were cutting it off with a rusty saw. A Hogwarts house-elf who had been assisting the Potions Master with the brewing of Skele-Gro for the Hogwarts Infirmary stared as her master dropped to the ground in agony, before it popped away to get help.

Dumbledore was at the Gaunt house, and finally had the Gaunt family ring in sight. Evaded or bypassed all the wards and traps so far, now to grab the ring and get back to Hogwarts.

Suddenly, the ring seemed to glow. Dumbledore barely had time to get a protective barrier up before the dark artefact exploded, sending shrapnel across the room.

In a Gringotts vault, a cup bearing the Hufflepuff coat of arms suddenly detonated.

In the Room of Requirements at Hogwarts, Lady Ravenclaw's diadem blew up.

At the Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort had temporarily set up his headquarters, a giant snake known as Nagini thrashed around as it felt itself burning up. Nobody nearby noticed it spontaneously burn to a cinder, as they were all clutching at their Dark Marks as they seemed to burn with all the pain of the Cruciatus.

At Number 12 Grimmauld Place, a locket in a display cabinet exploded, shattering the glass and attacting the attention of the residents of the house.

Back at Privet Drive, Tonks and Shacklebolt finally recovered enough to take in the situation. They same a few burning rags that seemed to be all that was left of Voldemort. Further down the street, the remaining Death Eaters were all lying on the ground, apparently unconscious. Harry Potter was unconscious on the ground in front of them, apparently bleeding from his forehead. Shacklebolt quickly cast a charm and found that the anti-apparition wards had fallen with Voldemort.

"I'll take the Death Eaters, you get Harry to Hogwarts!" Shacklebolt ordered. Tonks gulped and nodded, and created a portkey for the Hogwarts grounds. Grabbing Harry, she activated it.

More notes: This update mostly just makes the formatting a bit more tidy. I also fixed some of the spell references to be a bit more canon-compliant.