Hogsmeade residents eager for some good cheer in light of their foggy surroundings will be disappointed: the Summer Solstice Festival will not be kicking off tonight as planned, with carnival organizers citing the fog as an excuse.

"In addition to concerns of safety, the lack of magic means that many of our acts simply cannot go on," organizers said. "It would be unfair to our performers and to our guests for the show to go on in such a diluted fashion."

Carnival workers were given a clean bill of health by Magical Bugs employees at Hogsmeade Hospital, though some local residents worry that the inaccessibility of magic might have hindered these results.

Those who do make it to Padmore Park might be able to view some beasts or have their palm read, but can expect little else until further notice.

An article featured in the society magazine Witch Weekly has been causing something of a stir amongst its readership in the past few days, and one such woman wrote in to express her fears.

"I don't claim to know exactly what the fog does, or what effect it might have on the children," she began, "But it seems obvious that, at least at this stage, the Ministry doesn't know, either. If they had any more information, they would have shared it already to stop people from panicking, but they've been saying absolutely nothing about it. I believe I am not alone in suggesting that the mothers of Hogsmeade would much prefer not to leave their children to its unknown effects, even if the worry ends up being unfounded — but not everyone has the leisure that some people do of being able to whisk everyone away to a country house. The Ministry ought to be providing some sort of safe haven for those whose only home is Hogsmeade, while they figure out what's caused this fog and what they intend to do about it. Minister Ross said education and the future of children was important to him, when he ran for office, and now he has a chance to prove it by making the fate of those same children a priority."

Another woman, who is a resident of London, wrote to demand to know what the Ministry's plans would be if the fog issue had not resolved itself before the start of the Hogwarts term this fall.

"I won't be sending my children anywhere near that fog," she avowed, "Whether it's actually spread to Hogwarts or not, by then. And if it has spread, I don't know where the Ministry imagines it could set up a second establishment like Hogwarts, without any of the Muggles knowing about it. I'd rather try and send my children abroad to see whether we can have them taught at Beauxbatons then have them waste a year in some shoddy boarding-house in Wales."