A/N: Hey everyone! It's... been way too long since I've last posted.

After spending a frankly ridiculous amount of time starting oneshots and multichapter works in my Harry Potter canon divergence 'verse, or The One Where Sirius Black Deserves Better and Has A Family, I'm finally ready to introduce it: The "let the sky fall" 'verse.

I'm hoping to expand on and share as much as I can of this 'verse over the summer, before life gets hectic again. We shall see how that goes. (Adulting is hard, friends.)

So, without further ado...

/ how lucky we are to be alive right now. /

Sirius Black has never been one to shy away from taking risks. (Even in situations when it would be incredibly wise to do so.)

This is why he finds himself— a wanted convict, Azkaban escapee, believed to be a murderer and a madman, hunted by basically the entire wizarding world— hiding behind a tree a few feet away from Hogwarts's Quidditch Field in his animagus form, shamelessly eavesdropping on a conversation that a few younger-year Ravenclaw girls are having nearby as they pack up their books to head back to the castle.

(What? It's a conversation about him, so he figures he's got the right to listen to it, or so he tells the annoying conscience-voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Remus.)

"I think everyone's wrong about him," one girl insists, frowning at her friends as she shoulders her bag and adjusts the blue ribbon holding her raven hair back from her face. There is something oddly familiar about this girl, Sirius thinks, but he can't place her.

One of her friends, a tall and lanky girl, sighs and exchanges a significant look with their other two friends. "Look, Maisie, we know he's your dad and all, but my mum said—"

"My mum said," the girl named Maisie interrupts loudly, "That he's innocent, and considering she's married to the guy, I'm pretty sure she knows a lot more about my father than you do, Elizabeth Crawley!"

(Sirius admittedly doesn't hear any of this, because what does tall and lanky mean, "He's your dad?" They are still talking about him, aren't they? Did he miss something? His Azkaban-addled brain scrambles to catch up.)

"I agree with Maisie," one of the other girls announces in a dreamy, far-off tone; Sirius notes her turnip earrings and large pink sunglasses-type things with mild interest. She seems to be an odd bird, but hey, if she believes in his innocence, he'll take it. "There's not enough evidence to suggest that he's actually a criminal. He didn't get a trial, remember. My father's actually written a very fascinating article in the Quibbler about it."

"Not enough—!" begins Elizabeth, only to be interrupted by a scowling Maisie again.

"Thank you, Luna," she cries, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "It's nice to know that at least someone is on mine and Harry's side!" Sirius takes note that she's an ally of Harry, in some capacity. This is good; perhaps she can lead him closer to him and the Weasley boy, and to that traitorous devil of a rat…

"We're always on your side, Mae," insists Elizabeth, brow furrowed with concern. "I just... I'm trying to be realistic and I'm worried that if you get your hopes up, you're going to be upset if you turn out to be wrong."

Maisie's fire dwindles enough for her to send her friend a weary smile. "I appreciate that, Lizzy, really. But I've got to believe that Mum's been telling me the truth this whole time. I mean, if I don't have hope, what do I have?"

"It's almost dinnertime," observes Luna, looking back to the castle. "We should be heading back. I'd rather not miss the pudding; the elves told me they were experimenting with new flavors today. Drizzleberry? Or was it Chocofizzle? I don't remember."

The other girls nod, but Maisie falters. "I, um…" To Sirius's surprise, she glances over at his tree for the briefest of seconds before continuing. "I think I'm going to stay out here for a little while. It's such a lovely evening, and I'm not very hungry right now."

"You, not hungry?" exclaims Elizabeth, incredulous. "I never thought I'd live to see the day!"

"Well, miracles do happen," Maisie retorts loftily, but their goodbyes are warm and friendly, and they all exchange hugs before the other girls begin the walk back to the castle, the conversation turning to whether or not thestrals are real and which Hogwarts dessert is the best of them all.

Maisie stands there watching them leave, shifting back and forth from foot to foot in a move that betrays her impatience and anxiety, but she keeps an indifferent expression affixed on her face, staring down at the books in her arms as if she's contemplating their contents.

As soon as her friends are out of sight and hearing distance, she sighs, sets her books gently down and takes off her satchel, then stands upright and turns directly to the tree. "Hey... you can come out now. It's okay, they're gone."

He freezes— so she'd known he was there the whole time? Bugger. But, well, he figures he's gotten himself into this situation, might as well try to make the most of it— so he steps out from behind the tree, making no moves to approach the girl and instead going for a wary stare.

The girl makes up for it, though, by stepping forward to him— and then freezing, her eyes wide, a hand flying to her mouth. "It's you!" she exclaims in a whisper, half disbelieving, half thrilled. "I can't believe— you're Padfoot, aren't you?"

Alarm bells are definitely going off in his head right now, but he is ignoring them at the moment, because now he's close enough to get a good look at her, and she looks... looks like him. Dark, magnificent hair like his own— grey eyes that he used to see in his own reflection all the time— the indomitable nose of the Black family— and now she's grinning widely, and Merlin, does that smile look just like Ellie's—

"It is you! Merlin, Mum's told me so many stories— oh wait." She deflates, all her joy vanishing, and the sight hurts his heart for some reason he can't fathom, but feels like he should. "That's right, you wouldn't even know who I am. Um…"

She kneels down, hesitant yet hopeful, and he obliges her by padding over to her, close enough to where she can pet him if she wishes. She smiles and says softly, "So... my name is Maisie. Ah, Maisie Black." A pause. "And I'm your daughter. Um, surprise?" She grins sheepishly, looking anxious over his response.

He freezes, as if he'd just been petrified. My what now?

"I know this is a huge shock to you," she begins to ramble nervously, playing with the curled ends of her long hair. "I mean, Mum didn't even know before you were taken away— and they wouldn't let her tell you, because even the slightest bit of joy and hope wouldn't do for Azkaban, right? Oh, sorry, that was probably insensitive of me... I'm not really the most tactful person in the world? I try, but sometimes things just fly out of my mouth. Mum says I get that from you. She also says I get my charm and sense of humour from you, though, and I think I'm pretty hilarious, so I'll gladly take that. Are you okay? Because I know this is crazy, but you're not reacting at all, and it's kind of worrying me—"

He shakes his shaggy head fervently, nudging her shoulder with his nose. She stops talking and blinks at him, grey eyes meeting his own. He tries to convey all the fatherly love, excitement, and regret that's welling up inside him and threatening to burst out in that one look, and despite him not being able to talk to her, his daughter seems to get the message, for she smiles even as her eyes well up with tears. "You— you're not upset, then?"

Another shake of the head. Not at you. At the fact that I've never gotten to know you.

"Good." She breathes out a laugh and sits back on her heels. "Harry told me I was stupid for worrying about that as a kid, and he's probably right. He's like my brother, Harry. Mum said you were his godfather, like she's his godmum, so you both knew him and his parents when he was a baby. Oh! And Moony lives with us, too. Or, well, he did before he got the teaching job here this year. He believes you, by the way. And he feels really badly that he didn't at first. He and Mum told me all sorts of stories about you growing up, so I feel like I sort of know you already."

He smiles at that in his Padfoot way, and she smirks— that's his smirk, which is so bizarre to see on another face. "You can smile! That's so cute! I wish I could meet you as, well, as a person, but obviously it's not really safe for you. I'm just glad you're here at all."

He nods. So am I, Maisie. You have no idea how much.

She cocks her head with interest. "You're an awfully expressive dog. I guess that's part of being an animagus? It's brilliant—helps me understand you."

The bell for dinner chimes, echoing throughout the grounds surrounding Hogwarts, and Maisie jumps to her feet, but not without an eye-roll and a groan. "There's no way I'm already late for dinner! Ugh." She sends Padfoot a mischievous grin. "I totally lied to Lizzy when I said I wasn't hungry. Everyone knows that I am always here for food." Her mischief slips away, and she sighs. "But seeing you is way more important. I should probably head back, though— don't want anyone getting suspicious. Everyone's already been on the lookout for suspicious activity lately." She collects her books and satchel, then turns back to say goodbye. "So, um…" She falters, then squares her shoulders and gives him a small smile. "It's really, really nice to finally meet you, Padfoot. I hope you can come back, but please stay safe, yeah?" He nods, and with that settled, she turns to leave.

He lets out a bark that's both sharp and pleading. Wait!

She turns back, and lets out a yelp when he jumps up, rests his front paws on her shoulders, and licks the side of her face before backing down and giving her space again. Her smile is brighter than ever before, and she drops her books carelessly, surprising him when she reaches down to hug his neck and murmur, with her face buried in his fur, "Love you too, Dad."

(He's never cried as Padfoot before, but well, there's a first time for everything.)

This time, when she leaves, she gives him a cheery wave goodbye, and he responds with an equally cheery bark that has her laughing as she begins to jog back to the castle.

He watches her go, much like a father watching his little girl get on the Hogwarts Express for the first time (nope, he won't think about how he's missed that particular milestone right now), and it isn't until she's out of sight that he turns to make the journey back off the Hogwarts grounds and into Hogsmeade for the night.

As he goes, he is certain of three things:

1.) He's got to survive long enough to be freed. Even if it means he doesn't get revenge on Pettigrew. There's something more important than vengeance now.

2.) Once it's safe for him to approach Ellie again, they're going to have a lot to talk about.

3.) Despite his situation, despite all that he's missed, despite the brokenness within... he's never been happier to be alive and (comparatively) free, never been filled with so much overwhelming love and pride and protectiveness and grief all at once.

Because now, Sirius Black is a father.

And this, he finds, changes everything.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Any feedback is greatly appreciated!