True Colors

In this section of our readings from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Ron Weasley shows his true colors. And they are truly of the Gryffindor House! As the sorting hat pointed out

" You might belong to Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindor apart;"

so does Ron embody those principles in his actions throughout this section.
In the first week of class Ron, even being of a wizarding family, is overwhelmed by the the sheer amount of work that goes into the making of a wizard. The why and how behind the everyday things that he has taken for granted all his life baffles him. He, like Harry Potter, who has become a good friend by this point, is flabbergasted.
On the bright side of things, it seems that he is being noticed and recognized more just by being friends with the famous Harry Potter. He certainly did not plan it this way, but he does not and cannot avoid it.
In the very beginning of Chapter Eight we find proof of this phenomenon as some of the first years point out that Harry Potter is standing "Next to the tall kid with the red hair." The whole school is whispering about Harry and trying to get a glimpse of him and Ron just by being next to him also becomes part of this celebrity gossip. But unlike other celebrities neither Ron nor Harry let fame get to their head.
Ron and Harry both develop a strong dislike for Draco Malfoy from the very beginning. Ron hates Malfoy not only because he makes fun of his family's social status but more importantly Draco's family has been complicit with the workings of Voldemort- the dark Lord. As a consequence Ron and Harry get into quite a few altercations with Draco Malfoy in this section. Its in these situations that Ron proves his true identity as a Gryffidnor. For example, when Draco Malfoy challenges Harry Potter to a Wizard's Duel, Ron immediately jumps up and volunteers himself as Harry's second. Harry who has no idea of what this entails does not even flinch, trusting Ron to know what is best. And Ron does not disappoint - he's got Harry's back! Knowing full well that he will have to break Hogwarts rules and regulations and in doing so might bring shame upon his family and even get kicked out, Ron does not waiver in his friendship. Unlike Harry, Ron has a lot to live up to and a lot to lose but he puts it all on the line for Harry.
This penchant of Ron to get in trouble in order to support Harry is Miss Hermione Granger's bane of existence. She is the know-it-all muggle-born who is in the same year and house as Ron. She is always on Ron's case for losing the house precious points. She takes this very seriously much like every aspect of her academic life.
Ron does not like her very much and she actually tries to stop Ron and Harry from going to the Wizard's Duel. She is unable to do that; however, instead she was forced to go with them to the duel only to find out that they have been set up by Malfoy. Hermione is in essence the opposite of Ron. Where Ron is goofy, care free and almost funny, Hermione is serious, fastidious and cerebral. She is the top student in her house and possibly the whole first year. She is the restorative force to the chaos that is Harry and Ron.
After the duel incident Hermione stops talking to Ron (and Harry) which was fine with him. She was still furious from the earlier incidents. Ron was tired of her bossy and holier than thou attitude. He gets enough of that from his older brother Percy already. But unfortunately for him he was paired with her in class the next day to practice Charm spells. As expected, Hermine was able to do the spell easily where as Ron was not even close! When Hermione told Ron how he should pronounce the spell Ron just about lost it! After class as he was unloading his feelings on the matter to Harry (such as "this is why she does not have any friends") Hermione overheard him and took off crying, which is where she is when the troll finds her.
I think Hermione was just trying to help Ron with the exercise. But Ron being already on edge with all that has happened and may be to some extent being insecure about his talents lashed out against her.
The spell he was trying to learn was "Wingardium Leviosa" which was used to levitate things. He could not get it in class but when it came to a life and death situation it was Ron that saved the day and Hermione with the same spell! Hermione on the other hand was not able to keep her wits about her when she came face to face with the troll. This must have put Hermione is Ron's shoes if only momentarily and gave her a whole new perspective on things. That's why she lied through her teeth to save Ron and Harry from detention. This mutual understanding of each other pulls them closer together and we see that Harry, Ron and Hermione become inseparable. Sometimes opposites do attract.