AN: Hey guys, so this here is the final chapter of Golden Ice. This is/was my first fic that I've ever written, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Though I'm incredibly sad that it's over, I'd like to thank you all so much for sticking with me- those who favorited, who put Golden Ice on their Story Alert, who reviewed, who did all three, and those who've simply read my baby. I adore you all, and thank you so much.

For once in my life, I was utterly happy. Things with Pansy had smoothed over, I was doing amazingly well in my classes, Mother, from what I gleaned from letters, was getting better, and actually approved of my new lifestyle, and I had whatever I had with Harry. My father's memory was not entirely forgotten, but I'm sure he would've been rolling in his grave had he known I was shagging Enemy Number One. It was a thought that I relished with great delight. I suppose then, that what happened was a result of the universe deciding that I just wasn't meant to be happy.

At breakfast one morning, I was surprised to see a Ministry owl waiting on me. I took the envelope from its beak, then eased open the seal with uneasy hands. A smaller envelope waited inside. The moment I saw the blackness of the parchment, I knew. "No."I whispered, "No, no, no, no."

Pansy turned to me, "Draco? Is everything-" Her gaze landed on the letter and I heard her inhale sharply, "Oh Dray, I- I'm so sorry." She had received one last year, after her uncle had been discovered hanging in his cell in Azkaban. I felt cold and numb as I edged it open further, revealing the name of the recently deceased.

Narcissa Malfoy.

I felt my knees go weak and was suddenly grateful that I had been seated. How? Why? When? I had just received a letter from her the previous morning. She sounded so happy, so carefree. Had she known? Was she only trying to sound cheerful as to not upset me? What kind of son was I if I had missed those vital warning signs? I took a deep breath. You can do this. I slid the parchment out further to read the details, the "condolences of the Ministry". Hah. As if they cared about the wife of a Death Eater. Pansy's voice brought me out of my musings.

"Dray, why did you get one though?" she asked carefully, "I thought they were only for families of people who'd been under the Ministry's care."

I looked up at her. "I-I don't know. She is-" my voice cracked, "-she was at the Manor."

She reached over and gently pulled the letter towards her. "Dray," she said hollowly, "Dray it says she was killed by Aurors."

"What?" I bellowed, snatching it from her hands. "Why? My mother was a good woman! The only thing she ever did wrong was not leaving my bastard of a father." I got up and left, ignoring the cries of Pansy and the curious stares of other students.

I wandered made my way to the Room of Requirement as the news slowly sunk in. My mother was dead, just like my father. I was the sole heir and the final proprietor of the Malfoy name. I frowned. What good was being a Malfoy when you were the only one left? Our legacy had faded, just as our name would. Draco, the last Malfoy. The Coward. The Weak. I could hear my father's voice in each piercing thought. Why didn't you work harder Draco? Why did you have to fail? You abandoned your own family. And for what? Love. I could hear his cruel laughter ringing in my ears, the smirk that I tried so hard to emulate painted on his face. Not only did you fail me, but you failed your mother. She's dead because of you.

Sometimes my head could be a dreadful place.

And that's where I was, laying on the floor, disoriented and covered in blood. I lifted my head up, groaning as dizziness overcame me. A body that I hadn't noticed sitting next to me shot up. "Merlin, Dray you're alive!"

"And why wouldn't I be?" I scoffed in the haughtiest manner I could, feeling incredibly upset at how feeble my voice sounded.

"…do you…do you really not remember anything?" he asked softly.

My brow furrowed as I struggled to remember something, anything. Nothing. I shook my head, avoiding eye contact as I did so; I wasn't so sure I wanted to hear.

"I-It doesn't matter," Harry said, his voice wobbling slightly, "You're here now, and- and that's all that matters." He opened his mouth, then closed it, his teeth worrying the bottom lip. "Don't ever scare me like that again," he whispered into my hair, "I thought- I thought-" his voice cracked and I felt his arms tighten around me. I felt the unanswered question that hung in the air. Why?

"My-my-" I began, not wanting to say it. To put it to words would mean that it was really real. "My mother is dead." I closed my eyes as a new wave of pain crashed over me. I turned away, furiously pushing on his chest for him to leave, to get away from me, but his arms pulled me closer.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Draco," he murmured, "I'll be there for you. No matter what. Always."

-fin-