Willow was the same with her brain power. Anyone remember "DELiver" - to Cordy and Harm, from season 1? Not saying they weren't bitches to her, because they were, but...

I don't think Willow's responsibility should be shuffled off on Giles. Buffy was given a power she didn't ask for, and told she had to forsake a normal life, to save the world, repeatedly. Willow pursued a power because she was interested in it.

---

From the script:

Tara gets up - goes to the bookshelf across from them.

TARA
What happened to "History of Witchcraft?"

Willow sits up, alarm and guilt rising.

WILLOW
I - it isn't there?

Tara shakes her head, turns to Willow - concerned.

TARA
Dawn must have taken it.

WILLOW
What? No, she didn't. She did?

TARA
That book has a whole section on resurrection spells. (worried) This is bad. This is really bad…

Now Willow looks worried too. And regretful.

WILLOW
But it's just a history book. It might answer some of her questions - but it's not like she could do any harm with that stuff. Could she?

TARA
It doesn't have a "how to" guide, but it refers to specific resurrection spells and potions.

Willow stands - fully freaked.

WILLOW
I didn't- I mean, hey! How'd she know that?

TARA
I don't know. But she could get into major trouble with that information. (looking around) God. What else did she take-

WILLOW
(too quickly) Nothing.

Tara gives Willow a look - how would she know? Willow starts to ramble nervously-

WILLOW
I think. I think she took nothing else but maybe she did and we should look, because who knows? I don't.

TARA
No. We can't waste time on that now. Who knows what she's up to…

Willow takes this in - dread rising.

WILLOW
We need to call Buffy. Now.

---

re: the script - so clearly Willow doesn't intend or expect Dawn to use the spellbook to raise Joyce.

---

Willow pursued a power because she was interested in it.

Well, it's not like she pursued that power in the face of resistance from those around her. Minus Giles' very mild suggestion in Becoming that maybe the Big Power was not such a good idea, Oz was the only person who said anything before things went really off the deep end. And she was in a shinysparkly new relationship with a woman who says explicitly that the first thing she was attracted to about Willow was her power.

---

I'm pretty sure the book that Dawn was using was the one she stole from Giles. That was the one clearly labelled as dangerous, and why steal it if it doesn't play a part in what happens next?

I totally think Buffy would be dark without the influence of not only Giles, but also her friends. Buffy in WSWB could have easily turned into Faith (Faith had just seen her watcher killed, and the bad guy was going to do worse to her). I think it was Xander's "I officially don't care" that snapped her out of it.

---

I'm pretty sure the book that Dawn was using was the one she stole from Giles. That was the one clearly labelled as dangerous, and why steal it if it doesn't play a part in what happens next?

As the script makes clear, the book that Willow nudges towards Dawn is not a "how to" but it lists specific spells which work. From that, clever girl Dawn, goes and finds the how-to instructions among Giles' books. After that she sees Spike, sees Doc, procures the eggs, does the spell.

---

Yeah, I'd forgotten the lines, but I was pretty sure Willow never intended the book to be used in the manner Dawn used it.

---

Stoopid monks making me remember everything wrong.

---

Feh. They've dissappeared whole episodes from my brain.

---

Also from the Forever script

TARA

(interrupting)

But we don't mess with life and death.

Dawn - I know how bad you hurt-

DAWN

You don't! They put her in the ground-

TARA

They did, and it's awful and unfair -

but this isn't the way.

WILLOW

I'm not even sure it's possible, Dawn.

I mean, I've seen things about resurrection.

There are books and stuff…

Willow wavers for a moment. Why can't it work? She looks to Tara.

WILLOW

But I guess… the spells backfire?

TARA

That's not the point-

WILLOW

(quickly/to Dawn)

That's not the point. The point is,

it's bad. Because…

She looks to Tara… Because why?

TARA

Because witches can't be allowed to

alter the fabric of life that way, for

selfish reasons. We'd manipulate the

world until it came unglued.

(to Dawn)

You can't understand this now - I

don't expect you to… But as painful

as death is, it's part of nature. Wiccans

took an oath, a long time ago, to honor that-

DAWN

So it is possible then. To bring someone

back. They wouldn't have taken an oath

if they didn't know they could do it-

TARA

(firmer)

Maybe "they" could, but we can't. Even

if it wasn't wrong, it's the most advanced

form of dark arts. Way beyond our grasp.

WILLOW

(a bit reluctant)

She's right, Dawn. It's too dangerous.

We can't go there.

An awful beat as Dawn takes that in. She throws the spell book she's holding to the ground.

DAWN

(to Willow)

You said you wanted to help me.

Dawn moves to her bed and lies down again, all hope gone now. Acutely feeling her failure to offer solace, Willow reaches out to her.

WILLOW

Dawn-

DAWN

Don't.

Dawn shrugs Willow's hand off her and turns her back to her. Willow and Tara glance at each other - pained.

(and later)

WILLOW

That's okay. It's just, we have

class after that. I don't know if

you want to go home or…

Dawn turns to Willow. Her eyes are swollen and red. She looks like she was up half the night crying. Willow takes this in, pained.

DAWN

I was going to sleep some more.

Giles said he would pick me up,

whenever.

WILLOW

Oh. Well…

Willow considers this for a beat. Then -

WILLOW

Okay. Sure. Hang out. I have a

break around lunch time, I'll come back.

DAWN

I might not be here.

WILLOW

I'll try my luck. A noonish Dawn

break would make my day.

Dawn just looks away. Clearly still hurting and angry. Willow feels the sting. She gets up, starts to gather her stuff.

TARA

Take care, Dawn.

Again, Dawn doesn't respond. Willow casts one more worried glance back at her before following Tara out.

CLOSE ON WILLOW

As, unnoticed by Tara and Dawn, she surreptitiously raises a finger and focuses on a book on the shelf, magically making it push out of the stack in front of Dawn. It doesn't fall - but it sticks out pretty far.

RESUME

Tara and Willow exit. Dawn's about to lie back down when she spies the book hanging out of the bookshelf. That wasn't like that before… Dawn gets up and grabs the book.

CLOSE ON BOOK

It's title - "History of Witchcraft"

...

By the way, Dawn did take the actual spell book she was going to use from the Magic Box. The History book told her what books she needed, though. It wasn't the infamous book. But Willow knew what she was giving Dawn when she popped it off the shelf.

---