Rhys Montgomery

Rhys Montgomery had always known his place in the world: a shadow at the edge of power, a blade wielded in the name of his master. Rhys's parents died when he was only four years old. William Johnson, Kiran's Father had raised him for this purpose - to serve, to obey, and to act without question. For as long as Rhys could remember, his life had been shaped by William’s teachings. Control, precision, and detachment were virtues he learned early, leaving little room for doubt or emotion. William’s approval was the only measure of worth Rhys had ever known, and he’d built himself around it, brick by unfeeling brick.

When William assigned him to Hogwarts, it felt like just another mission. The target was different this time, Kiran Johnson, William’s daughter but the task was the same. Observe, protect, ensure she remained unaware of the larger plans her father had for her. To Rhys, it was a simple role to play, one he’d mastered long ago. He wasn’t there to care about Kiran, only to watch her.

Arriving at Hogwarts after the fall break was almost effortless. The Sorting Hat placed him in Slytherin, where his cunning and discipline made him a natural fit. His integration into the school was seamless, most students dismissed him as very charming and chill, which suited him perfectly. It gave him the space to focus on Kiran without drawing undue attention. Watching her wasn’t difficult. She stood out wherever she went. Bold, intelligent, and unafraid to speak her mind, Kiran was as fiery as her father was cold. Rhys found her intriguing, but intrigue was something he knew how to suppress. She was just a target. Nothing more.

But Kiran wasn’t like the people Rhys was used to watching. She was perceptive, maybe too perceptive. It didn’t take long for her to notice him lingering at the edges of her life. She confronted him one day in the corridor, her tone sharp, her eyes blazing with anger. Rhys had prepared for this moment, but he hadn’t anticipated how unsteady her fury would make him feel. He deflected her questions with his usual calm, jerky behavior, but something about her defiance lingered in his mind.

From that moment, Rhys could no longer be subtle. Kiran knew what he was little does he know she knew from the beginning, at least enough to despise him. She tried to ignore him, to shut him out, but Rhys remained a constant presence, shadowing her wherever she went. It wasn’t just duty that kept him close. It was something he couldn’t quite name. Kiran was unlike anyone he had ever met. She challenged him, frustrated him, fascinated him. The fire in her eyes, the way she carried herself, the way she pushed back against everything her father represented—it was impossible for Rhys to look away.

He told himself it was just the assignment. That he was watching her because he had to, because William had commanded it. But the truth was murkier. Rhys found himself lingering longer than necessary, paying attention to the little things about her, the way she furrowed her brow when she was deep in thought, the rare moments her smile softened her sharp edges. He didn’t want to care, but the more he watched her, the more he realized he already did.

Kiran’s hatred for him was a constant reminder of his place. To her, he was nothing more than a tool of her father’s oppression, a living symbol of the control she fought so hard to escape. She lashed out at him when she could, ignored him when she couldn’t, and every time, Rhys found himself torn between retreating and staying. He couldn’t explain why he stayed. Maybe it was loyalty, the deep-rooted instinct to obey William’s orders. Or maybe it was something more—something Rhys was too afraid to name.

For the first time in his life, Rhys Montgomery felt unsteady. Kiran had become more than an assignment, more than a name on a list. She had become a question he couldn’t answer, a conflict he couldn’t resolve. He was a shadow meant to observe, but he couldn’t ignore the light she brought into his carefully controlled world, even if it burned.

Now, every day is a quiet war within himself. His loyalty to William binds him, but his growing feelings for Kiran make it difficult . She doesn’t want him there, he knows that but he can’t bring himself to leave. He’s caught in a place he doesn’t understand, torn between the person he was made to be and the person he might become. For the first time in his life, Rhys wonders what it would mean to choose for himself.