Grimmauld Place was almost becoming a second home for Severus Snape, Hogwarts being his first. After all, Spinner's End hardly counted as a home anymore. He hated living there, it brought back far too many old memories and bitterness. Besides, half the time he was on some mission of sorts or meeting up with the Order at, that's right, Grimmauld Place, so he hardly did more than sleep at his childhood house. A couple times he'd even been tempted to bunk in a spare bed somewhere, whenever a meeting would end particularly late, but he'd always resist. He wouldn't get sleep anyways, because he knew that eventually somebody (and by 'somebody', he meant 'Nymphadora Tonks') would wake up that screaming mother of Sirius Black and he'd never catch a wink.
But as Severus entered the dusty, dark place that had almost once been bustling with Weasleys and an overly cheery couple of once-proclaimed Marauders during the past holiday, he suddenly remembered again why it wasn't such anymore. Sirius Black had never been a friend, and in fact they'd still be enemies if he were alive, but that didn't mean Severus wished such fate on him. Especially when he saw the way it effected everyone. Grimmuald Place was now filled with bitterness, loss, and something else he couldn't quite touch upon, perhaps fear. Whatever it was, it was heavy in the air as soon as he stepped foot inside. Oddly enough, this almost made it feel even more like a second home.
His usually fast pace stopped abruptly as he caught sight of Nymphadora Tonks. He'd always found her insufferably bubbly and clumsy, which was quite a shame, as he knew she had intelligence buried somewhere in there, under her usually shocking hair. She was taking this the worst of all, probably worse than that annoying brat Potter. The heavy air felt awkward, and Severus felt it appropriate to say something.
"What's wrong, wolfboy still in his cage?" Eh. He'd done better. But it was the best he could muster under such circumstances.