He is introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as a first-year student on his way to the wizarding school Hogwarts.

He and his family encounter Harry Potter at King's Cross station and help him find the Hogwarts Express.

Later in the novel, Ron and Harry use Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as they infiltrate the Slytherin dormitory and attempt to gather information about the Chamber of Secrets.

[9] When Scabbers runs off again, Ron chases him to the Whomping Willow, where he is snatched by a large black dog and dragged into a tunnel.

[13][14][15] Ron is forced to remain in the hospital wing of Hogwarts while Harry and Hermione travel back in time to rescue Sirius and the hippogriff Buckbeak.

[22] His brother Percy congratulates him and advises him to become an ally of Dolores Umbridge, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor appointed by the Ministry of Magic.

He, Harry and Hermione form the group Dumebledore's Army, which provides a venue for students to practise defensive spellcasting.

Near the end of the novel, Ron battles Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries alongside Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

To bolster Ron's confidence for an upcoming Quidditch match, Harry pretends to give him a luck potion.

Unbeknownst to Slughorn, the mead is poisoned; Harry saves Ron's life by forcing a bezoar down his throat.

Snape kills Dumbledore during the battle, after which Ron and Hermione vow to help Harry find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes.

[29] In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), Ron and his friends use Polyjuice Potion to impersonate employees of the Ministry of Magic.

Eventually, the trio returns to Hogwarts, hoping to find the last unknown Horcrux shown in Harry's vision.

Having lost the Sword of Gryffindor to Griphook the goblin, Ron gets an idea to procure more Basilisk fangs and manages to speak enough Parseltongue to open the Chamber of Secrets, where Hermione destroys the Horcrux in Helga Hufflepuff's cup.

He also takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts, witnessing the death of his brother Fred, and teams up with Neville to defeat Fenrir Greyback.

[30] In interviews following the release of the novel, Rowling gave differing accounts of Ron's life after the events of the series.

[35][36] In a 2020 article, Nathan Sharp of Screen Rant described him as the most "natural" child actor in the early films, and "excellent from minute one".

[40] As his first exercise with the actors who portray the central trio, Alfonso Cuarón, who directed the third film in the series, Prisoner of Azkaban, assigned them to write an autobiographical essay about their character, written in the first person, spanning birth to the discovery of the magical world, and including the character's emotional experience.

He was never strong footed, people see him mostly as Harry's friend; his mother had actually wanted a girl and in the last book he finally has to acknowledge his weaknesses.

Overshadowed by his many siblings and the fame and achievements of his friends, Ron's inferiority complex and need to prove himself are the main thrusts of his character arc.

[citation needed] Ron is given his brother Charlie's old, chipped wand, which is made out of ash and has a unicorn hair sticking out of the end.

He holds the wand together with Spellotape after nearly breaking it in half at the start of Chamber of Secrets, but it malfunctions dreadfully after this, backfiring spells, making strange noises, and emitting objects from the wrong end.

Ron's talents are rarely shown, but he, like the other DA members, survives a violent encounter with adult Death Eaters in Order of the Phoenix, and it is implied that during the Death Eater assault in Half-Blood Prince he held his own quite well because he was being helped by Felix Felicis, the good luck potion.

Following this, Ron begins to demonstrate more aptitude and general knowledge, along with a sudden spurt in maturity after a terrible row with Harry.

The entertainment website IGN selected Ron as the third best Harry Potter character, writing that his status as comic relief makes him "instantly endearing".

[44] In 2003, the British charity organisation Comic Relief performed a spoof story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, in which Jennifer Saunders appeared as both Ron and J. K.