Katie looked up at him at the feeling of his hand on her shoulder, eyes stinging, trying to focus through the twisting of her stomach and the roaring in her ears. Between them, Quaffle's body grew tense, and he looked up at Katie, whining in the back of his throat. It was the sound that cut through the fog in her mind and suddenly denial was merging into anger as she exclaimed, "No! No. She's not dead. The Ministry is supposed to be good, they're supposed to be right and they wouldn't, they couldn't do this! NO!!! She's not dead, T, they're lying, they're fucking lying, the bastards, the lot of them, and-"
Her fingers clenched in Quaffle's fur as the dog alternated between whining and growling, the sound vibrated through her hands. She felt like she was sinking, falling deeper and deeper, the fog returning. "But they- They wouldn't lie. They couldn't lie, T, could they? I- They-" She swallowed hard, feeling her heart pounding in her chest. "Tell me you're wrong-" She reached out, clutching at his arm almost desperately, "Tell me, T- Tell me she's not dead! Please, I can't- I'll do anything, please, just tell me-"