What's the deal with the RoR?

[emmagrant01]

I've noticed a tendency in HP fanfic to use the Room of Requirement (RoR) as a sort of holodeck. If your boys need a place to shag, the RoR magically provides a king-sized bed. If they're into anything kinky, the RoR will provide any necessary equipment, as well. Now this is all in good fun, of course, and I don't want anyone to think they can't write the RoR that way. (At least the number of fics in which Dumbledore conspires to get two characters together has decreased dramatically, as it seems the RoR plays the role of benevolent matchmaker now.)

But what I'm wondering about is this: what the deal is with the RoR in canon? It seems like something that could be abused rather easily. I'm sure JKR will enlighten us at some point in the distant future when that next book comes out, but for now, I have some questions:



1) What is the RoR, really?
2) Is it really the case that it will provide anyone with anything they require? (If so, we'd best hope Voldemort doesn't find out about it.)
3) In OOTP, the DA members stand near the entrance and think about what they want to use the room for, and the RoR provides them with what it thinks they need. So, is it sentient? Would it ever refuse a request? Would it get a request wrong? How does it make those decisions?
4) Does anyone, living or dead, control the RoR? It seems to be on Dumbledore's side, so does it simply reflect the wishes of the headmaster (as the literal king of the castle), or does he control it more directly? If so, would that mean Dumbledore knows what happens in that room?
5) Can the RoR provide things other than materials needed? That is, if Harry stood by the door and thought about talking to his parents, would the RoR provide them? If he stood there and thought about wanting to shag Malfoy, would he open the door to find Draco waiting for him? And would it really be Draco, or... something else?



I'm going to stop before I'm smothered by plot bunnies. Oh, and I know I could have searched through the HP for Grownups archives, but... I'm lazy. I'm also more interested in the views of fanfic writers, at the moment. What do you think?

Comments

[melody2tds.livejournal.com]

i think i recall one of the prerequisites being that there had to be a real NEED for the room and whatever it would provide. That's why they had to stand in that corridor and think strongly about what they needed the room for. If there wasn't a real need for it, the room simply wouldn't show up. The door wouldn't appear, and they wouldn't be able to use it for whatever they thought they needed it for.
For example, if someone needed a bath really badly, it probably wouldn't work, since there is already several places they could go to find one, without the ROR being necessary. Unless they needed a private bath for some specific reason, and they weren't a prefect. or, as in the case dumbledore used, they weren't going to make it to the bathroom, and would be put in an embarassing position...lol
So dumbledore got his chamber pots, and the DA got their training space.

[melody2tds.livejournal.com]

that's what i meant. you would assume that the chamber pot room appeared because it would be more than a little embarrassing for the Headmaster to go wandering the halls of his school after having had an 'accident'. so, since it was a real NEED, the room provided.
I would think that if someone absolutely HAD to have sex right that very second, a compulsion or something along those lines, then the room would work for it.
but just needing a private place so that you dont get caught making out, wouldn't be a need. know what i mean?

[mizbean.livejournal.com]

I realized after I posted my comment that you had already mentioned the chamber pots, then I deleted my comment before realizing you had answered my post. D'oh! *need to stop speed-reading other people's comments before posting*

To desire to prevent someone from wetting oneself is probably a compelling enough need for the RoR to be satisfied.

[melody2tds.livejournal.com]

that's what i figured when i saw your was gone when mine went up. it's ok. i do the same thing all the damn time. lol