"Change," Albus replied simply. He couldn't help but notice the way Al latched onto the topic. It was a welcome development - bar a few people, there weren't many opportunities for Albus to vent his thought processes around here. He held out the iron to the other man again, inviting him to take a closer look.
"Not intended. It's all based around changing the properties of a thing, rearranging it at its very basic level. You can imagine it involves putting a lot of energy in, to try and break those initial bonds. Perhaps that energy did not diffuse properly and that's why it became so... well, energetic."
He sighed, reaching up to brush auburn hair from his forehead and casting another slightly disheartened look down at the stone. "Or perhaps I was poking it and not paying close enough attention. Sadly, that might be just as likely."
The professor lifted his bright gaze again, training it intently on the other Albus. "Are you interested in alchemy?"