Going back to the original question, I've become convinced the question has it backwards: it isn't Ron holding Harry back, but Hermione. Hermione's the one who always helps Harry and Ron with every single bit of help they ever need. She does their homework, she helps them prepare for tests, she does all the heavy-duty research for them. If anything, I'd rather like to see someone write a story where Harry and Ron don't befriend Hermione, and they have to do all their own work until they actually become really good at Magic in their own right.

 

I think it's easy to overstate how important classwork is for becoming a good wizard. At the end of the day, Hogwarts is all about teaching kids basic magical skills: anything beyond that has to come from within. Hermoine's always been far better than Harry and Ron at the academic studying and theoretical side of things, but canon was also quick to point out that there's more to being a good wizard than, in Hermoine's own words, "books and cleverness." Once he's out of school, nobody will care what grade Harry got on his essay about the 12 uses of murtlap essence. Harry's Hogwarts grades cease mattering once they're good enough for him to qualify for the Auror training program (or whatever alternative continued education/entry level job he wants).

I don't think Harry and Ron ever would've become great academic/theoretical wizards like Hermoine is. All indications are that it's not something they're especially talented at, or something they enjoy doing. Taking Hermoine out of the picture won't change that.

 

I agree with this. I don't think Harry would have been better off without Hermione and I also don't think he would have been better off without Ron.

I think people like to think that Harry would have become very powerful and studious without Ron's influence. It is certainly true that he had the capabilities to become more powerful than the average wizard and we saw it when he mastered the patronus charm. However, a) I don't think Harry ever cared about knowledge for the sake of knowledge. He always does what has to be done and that's it. Throughout the series, he never bothered to learn anything that was not school-related, except if it was to address some immediate problem, like the Dementors. If Harry really wanted to study and train, then he would have done so with or without Ron. I just don't think he's that type of person. b) Even if Harry became super powerful, it wouldn't particularly help him against Voldemort, since the fight against Voldemort was never about who has the best magical skills. At best, a powerful Harry would have done slightly better against the Death Eaters, but then again, canon!Harry could still fight most of the Death Eaters by the end, so it's not like he had a problem with that.

Similarly, I don't see how Harry would have done better without Hermione. At best, I see Harry and Ron trying to find someone else to be the "brains" of the group if Hermione was not around.

 

We don't know the circumstances of him learning it, but Harry uses the spell 'Confringo' early on in Deathly Hallows (and on other occasions? Can't recall) which basically causes an explosion. Seems unlikely that it was part of the standard curriculum, so presumably he learned it on his own initiative to fight or protect.

 

It really depends on how you define magic. Could you reach Dumbledore/Voldemort power levels without being an academic/theoretical wizard? How valuable is that knowledge to power level.

Because that's, fairly or otherwise, the standard Harry get's held too. How can he become as powerful as Voldemort/Dumbledore.

Power of love made for a great Children's story, but ultimately just seems like a DEM from an adult's perspective.

 

Harry was a pretty powerful wizard when you think about it. We saw him in DHs continually overpower Death Eaters who were way older than him. That's a big thing.
He had no reason to be the best student in school or to train all the time in order to be competent.