In a lounge reserved for senior officials inside the German Ministry of Magic's parliament building, the furnishings—lamps, partitions, ornaments, and the like—were extremely simple. The room was mostly gray, with measured touches of beige and black.
Germany's Minister of Magic, Heinrich Thalmann, and his wife sat wordlessly on the lounge sofa, watching their only seven-year-old daughter. Frightened and exhausted by the war, the little girl was curled up on the long sofa on the other side, sleeping sweetly, still hugging a doll that was pretending to be asleep.
"Darling, there's no hope left. Defeat is inevitable..." Thalmann looked at his daughter, a trace of weakness showing on his face, then his gaze filled with expectation. "I thought... perhaps, if we arrange for a few Aurors to secretly escort us out later, there might still be a chance to leave Germany..."
"Mr. Goring prepared a Floating Ship for himself earlier... He's already given up on piloting it to flee Germany." Mrs. Thalmann, who had been very tense before, now leaned back in her chair with surprising calm. "Mr. Allen Harris and his people have excellent Prophecy abilities. Wherever we go, it'll be hard to escape their predictions... unless we're willing to live forever without seeing the light of day... And because of the Greek Fire from before, whether you did it or not... the hostility of those other countries means they're destined not to help hide us... Heinrich, staying will let the Thalmann Family retain a little dignity."
The hope in Thalmann's eyes dimmed. Unlike Goring, as one of the chief participants, he had nowhere to run.
"Don't worry. As the wife of the Thalmann Family, Heinrich, I'll stay with you..." Mrs. Thalmann covered the back of her husband's hand with her own. "Just like our wedding vows said..."
"I don't