Every single fic that has Harry wanting to "level up" always has that scene. "I wasted so much time goofing off. My parents did well at school. Woe is me for I have squandered my potential". But like, he didn't? No evidence Harry was a bad student. Also, and I know some folks will disagree, but yes, it is in fact ok to not care about school so much. I myself loved school. I loved classes. Studied lots. Some didn't. I wasn't better than them. You are not better than the person who skipped classes.

This is maybe more true in Harry Potter. Harry clearly knows his stuff. Jk Rowling just fumbled towards the end on showing the competency it is implied he had, making him look weak and useless compared to say, Hermoine. But I don't believe "studying" or "caring about his grades" has to be he path for him. Reality is figuring out how to fight isn't something he could have really learned younger. He has to learn the knowledge of spell casting from the early years. You gotta assume there are theories and skills you build on, as in, you don't learn advanced trigonometry before you learn how to multiply. And self learning is just, not how most people learn. Hermoine loved knowledge but no evidence she was particularly powerful. She enjoyed learning. Which is great. But knowing the history of slug repelling spells, all 6 variants and why they tied into the 1698 slug epidemic doesn't make you powerful. Nothing wrong with it, just not power. Most of her solving "everything" is her both being someone's jk identified with, and also being a convenient plot device. Not a Hermoine bash, she is lovely. Harry just doesn't need to be her to be competent.

The request of this comes into this. I would love some fic recommendation of Harry growing stronger that A. Doesn't lean into the "he should have been doing this earlier" and doesn't lean unto "I gotta get Os in every subject" or applies some judgement on folks who don't dedicate themselves to learning.

More optional, but if it can also not do the thing in which a skill is shown to be very rare and hard, but then just, everyone can do it, that's neat. It's fun to have in stories skills that make folks special. When everyone can make a strong patronous and become an animagus and can duel equally well, it makes everyone flat, and makes things make no sense. Jk did this with the patronous. Most adults can't do it. It gives him extra credit on his owl. Yet, suddenly every child can cast one.