When does Dawn actually come into existence?

[YummySushiPJs]

I know the magic means everbody remembers Dawn as always being there, but when did she actually come into Buffy and others' lives? The first we see of her is at the end of Buffy vs Dracula when Buffy finds her in her bedroom. Was this her just coming into existence, or did it happen earlier that day? Or had she been around for a few weeks/months?

 

[Lyri]

No one mentions Dawn prior to the moment Buffy finds her in her bedroom. Buffy says 'what are you doing in here?' then Joyce suggests that Buffy take 'her sister' if she's going out. There's a second of confusion on Buffy's face, like she knows she doesn't have a sister, but then the spell kicks in and they both yell 'Mom!'.

To me, it's pretty clear that that's the moment the spell came into effect and Dawn was brought into the real world.

 

[YummySushiPJs]

Hmmm she has no reason to be mentioned earlier in the episode, there's not really any place in the dialogue she would come into conversation.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Yea I always took it as the moment we first see Dawn is when she comes to existence. I think when Buffy finds out about Dawn they mention she's been human for like two months, which probably fits with the timeline since Buffy vs Dracula. Like Lyri said, it seemed to me that Buffy was actually confused as to who Dawn was at first but then I think the spell kicks in when Joyce says she's her sister.

 

[Ethan Reigns]

We see the monks performing the spell to transform the Key under imminent danger of being killed by Glory, so I would assume it was then. In "No Place Like Home 5ABB05" we are told that the monks cast the spell two months before the current time of the show, so I would assume the time from then to when she shows up at the end of "Buffy vs. Dracula 5ABB01", she was in some disembodied state until her arrival in Buffy's room or that this event occurred during Buffy vs. Dracula.