"Okay, so how was I supposed to know, huh? It's not like it's written on his forehead or something!"
Jerry buries his head in his arms, when he hears that, and Danny really hopes he isn't crying. Way to make him feel bad.
They're back in the common room and Kono is still not over the fact that Danny didn't recognise the impossibly famous Steven McGarrett, when he stood right in front of him.
"That's it! How can you not know?! I told you hours ago!" Kono almost shouts at him. And they're making a scene, lots of eyes are on the trio, and Danny fervently hopes the story won't circulate around school tomorrow.
"I didn't look, alright! I wasn't interested, so I forgot, okay? People forget things!" Danny says, raising his hands defensively.
"Did you at least get an autograph?" Jerry asks mournfully, his shaggy head barely lifting from the nest of his arms to look at him with wide, longing eyes.
Kono snorts. "That's Danny you're talking to. Of course he didn't!" With a dull thumb, Jerry's head is back where it was and only a long, shaggy mane remains in place of their friend.
"Why would I? It's not like I expected to meet anyone famous", Danny says bristling.
Sighing in resignation, Kono shakes her head with a murmured, "Only you, Danny." She turns to Jerry and pats him on the back, promising to get him an autograph the next time she sees McGarrett with Chin.
"Don't worry, it's bound to happen, they're friends! Maybe you can even ask him yourself. " And Jerry's mood lightens considerably at that possibility.
"Sorry I didn't think about an autograph for you, buddy", he later tells Jerry, when they're getting ready to head to bed.
"Not your fault", he mumbles sleepily. "Couldn't have known I wanted one so badly." And he's far more generous in his forgiveness than Danny initially expected.
"Yeah, but still..."
"It's alright, Danny. Go to sleep."
But he can't sleep, his thoughts straying back to his strange encounter with McGarrett earlier. The guy must have been really gobsmacked to run into the only person in the castle, probably, who had no idea who the heck he is. He'd overheard even Professor Grover gush over McGarrett's abilities, which is practically unheard of.
This is so embarrassing.
He tries not to think about Rachel hearing this. Fat chance of that. She's probably congratulating herself right now for leaving him for that Slytherin jerk, Edwards.
So yeah, Danny's made an ass out of himself, what else is new?
At least it's not likely that he has to see McGarrett again, if he manages to avoid Chin.
That shouldn't be too difficult, right?
Avoiding McGarrett is a brilliant plan that lasts exactly until the fourth day at breakfast. They're just stuffing themselves with eggs and bacon, which the house elves make perfectly, all crispy and delicious, when suddenly Chin and McGarrett rise from the Slytherin table and cross the hall in the direction of the Gryffindor table.
"Any space left?" asks Chin with a small smile and Kono immediately shoves herself into Jerry with a bright, "Sure, cuz!"
Laughing, Chin joins them, sitting down next to his cousin and waving McGarrett nearer.
"Uh, mind if I sit here?" McGarrett asks Danny with a smile, not at all put out about their previous exchange.
"Yeah! No problem!" Danny manages to get out, aware that at least all eyes from the Gryffindor table, if not the entire hall, are fixated on them.
"Great." And with that he's squeezing himself between Danny and Chin until he's somehow seated on the bench, pressed tight against Danny and his friend from either side with barely any room to move.
That can't be comfortable -
"Are you sure you want to sit here?"
"I'm fine." His brows furrow in a puzzled frown. "Why? Would you like me to leave?"
Danny practically feels the murderous energy focused on him, as his housemates give him the evil eye.
"No! Stay if you want, I don't- "care, "-mind."
That being said, he continues eating his breakfast, although it's pretty unsettling, because all the noise and laughter usually surrounding the Gryffindor table is muffled today and only Kono seems to be able to freely enjoy herself. He watches how several girls in his year have stopped eating in favour of giggling to each other and stealing glances at the guy next to him, he even gets envious glares directed to him. And Jerry might have stopped breathing.
This is so ridiculous! The guy's a human being, not an alien for christ's sake!
How Harry Potter, the-Boy-who-lived must have felt sitting at this same table, under a microscope of gazes.
Or the rest of the Golden Trio for that matter, Danny feels like a bug next to McGarrett.
"So", he starts, to distract himself from the relentless onlookers, "you should really try the bacon, it's pretty good."
McGarrett raises an eyebrow and looks amused, but puts some on his plate.
Time to get this over with.
"Look, McGarrett, sorry I didn't recognise you yesterday. I'm not really into Quidditch, which is probably strange to say to a professional player, I know." Danny sheepishly rubs at his neck and wishes the whole conversation would be over already.
"No, don't apologise", he protests, "You took me by surprise, it was nice. Refreshing."
"Okay...", Danny says with a dubious glance at the other boy.
"And please call me Steve." He smiles at him. "What year are you in, Danny?"
"Seventh. You?"
"I'm in the last year at Durmstrang", McGarrett replies, which was a great answer, because it actually tells Danny nothing at all. It's so frustrating sitting here, squirming under all those burning eyes, while McGarrett looks totally unaffected. Like it isn't a big deal that almost any girl in the hall, and he suspects a fair amount of boys as well, would throw themselves at him at the smallest sign of interest. Maybe even Rachel would-
No, no use to torture himself with that idea.
Well, he might as well satisfy his curiosity, now that a Durmstrang student is actually in reach to answer his questions.
"Ah, okay. You arrived with these fur capes and hats yesterday, so you're staying somewhere cold, right? I was wondering, in which country is Durmstrang exactly? Nobody seems to know."
The students around them (all eavesdropping of course) gape at him, at his sheer audacity to outright ask about a secret hidden and protected for centuries.
McGarrett raises his eyebrow and says with baffled amusement, "You know I'm not allowed to tell you that, right?"
"Yeah, but can you like give me a clue? A hint? You could say 'warmer', when I'm getting closer to the truth?"
"'Warmer'?" he questions in confusion.
"Yeah, I'm guessing countries and you tell me if I'm on the right track."
"No!" is McGarrett's rather vehement response, but Danny ignores him in favour of starting his little game.
"Russia-"
"Finland-"
"Latvia-"
"Switzerland-"
His eyebrows climb higher and higher.
"Sweden-"
"Scandinavia-"
Ah! There- a twitch!
But before Danny can crow over his victory, there's a warm hand pressed over his mouth and McGarrett looks him straight in the eyes and says, "That's quite enough."
Danny swallows and nods, he notices how even Kono and Chin look at him with disapproval and sudden guilt wells up inside him. The guy has been nothing but nice to him and here he is, giving him such a hard time. Frankly, it was a dick move.
"Sorry", he mumbles and lowers his eyes to the floor. "That was rude." It was more than that. Now would be a great moment to disapparate.
"Yes, but it's alright. No harm done." And when Danny finally dares to dart a look up to the guy's face, he can see the faint outline of a smile, subdued, but there.
"Could I have an autograph, please?" he blurts out and once more McGarrett's eyebrows ascend his forehead.
"For you?" he enquires in a disbelieving tone.
Danny gives an apologetic shrug. "No, it's for a friend. I promised to ask you."
McGarrett pauses for a moment, then takes out his wand and casually conjures a piece of paper.
"For who is it?"
"Jerry, uh, Ortega", Danny says, shuffling his feed. At least after this he could be sure that the boy would avoid him in the future.
Breakfast is almost over and some students are already going on their way. Danny wants nothing more but to join them.
"Here", McGarrett passes the paper to Danny and at least Jerry would be happy.
"Thanks, and sorry for before", he forces out, although he'd much rather flee.
"You're very interesting, Danny", he says, before Danny can slip away.
"I think we're gonna get along great", he determines, shooting him a wide, toothy grin.
Somehow Danny seriously doubts that.