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.
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.
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.
