A wizard wearing a red waistcoat over a white linen shirt and a black, round-crowned, wide-brimmed hat also stood. He took off his hat. "Commissioner Allen Harris, I am Alfred Usher, Minister of the Swiss Ministry of Magic. On behalf of Switzerland, I lodge a grave protest against Hogwarts' forcible occupation of the Black Forest region from Freiburg to the border between Germany and Switzerland. This action seriously violates the interests of both my country and Germany. It is illegal and invalid!"
Several other small countries whose neutral zones had already been seized and occupied by the United Kingdom stood as well, echoing the protest.
"Everyone, in the United Kingdom Ministry of Magic's plan to develop these regions you are normally unable to manage, what exactly violates the rules, and what exactly is there to condemn?" Allen's voice suddenly rose, cutting over the clamor in the assembly hall. He narrowed his eyes slightly and went on, "If there is anything, please point it out. Otherwise, may I take this as a provocation against our legitimate sovereignty?"
The hall fell abruptly silent. The wizards who had been shouting accusations the loudest could only exchange helpless looks, none of them willing to stick their necks out again at a time like this. Even Alfred Usher's face flushed a stifled red. He wanted to continue his rebuttal, but he also understood the inequality between the two sides' strength. The United Kingdom was simply too overbearing now—the United Kingdom had seized the opportunity to occupy those nominally ownerless places. Though it could be justified in legal terms, anyone with the slightest sense knew the truth. Forget borders; many of these places were even surrounded by certain countries and had not a Bronze Knut's worth of connection to the United Kingdom.
Heinrich clenched his fists