Su Er had no interest whatsoever in what Harry and Bagman had talked about. With the changes to the plotline, Krum had been reduced to a peripheral figure, even though he was one of the Champions.
Hermione had also become Su Er's girlfriend early on, rather than Krum's dance partner as she had in the original story. Not to mention that Su Er had leverage over Rita Skeeker; without Rita's fabrications in gossip magazines and the Daily Prophet, many later incidents had been avoided, such as the attacks through malicious letters.
Krum had not dragged Harry into the bushes to ask about his relationship with Hermione, nor had he encountered Barty Crouch Sr. after the latter temporarily broke free of the Imperius Curse.
In any case, these were all minor developments. The wheels of history continued to roll forward.
As the weather grew warmer, old Merlin changed into Balenciaga's newly released lightweight summer stockings, and June arrived.
There were only a few weeks left until the final task began.
During this period, however, discussion of the Triwizard Tournament in the castle waned rather than intensified. It was not that the young wizards had lost interest in the final, but that before they could cheer from the stands without a care, they first had to face their end-of-year exams.
This was especially true for the fifth- and seventh-year students, who would face major exams this school year: the O.W.L.s in fifth year and the N.E.W.T.s in seventh year.
The Champions were even busier. Not only did they have to prepare for their end-of-year exams and aim to pass them flawlessly so they would not have to repeat the year, but they also had to find ways to hone their abilities, attend classes, and complete the homework their professors assigned.
Even for