Yeah, the total lack of importance of Harry's actual education -- in every way, was one of the things that really bothered me about the last couple books. Really, going back to OotP, the first hints were there. As someone else in this discussion said, the DA began as this idea for the students to learn the magic they were missing out on due to Umbridge so that they could be ready, but it very quickly became about fighting and dueling to the exclusion of everything else.
The thing that I thought was frankly rather stupid in the setup of the DA was Hermione's reason for having Harry tutor them in the first place. "We need to learn more than we've learned in class, and we've learned all we possibly can out of books. We need *Harry* to teach us, because he's extra-special good at Defense!" Yeah, except... he started with Expelliarmus, which they'd all learned together in second year Dueling Club, but somehow no one else knew. And he ended with the Patronus Charm, which he did learn in special one-on-one lessons. However, they didn't even practice against a *fake* Dementor, so it really wasn't any better than studying it out of a book would have been. Every other spell they worked on was one that Harry learned while studying for the Triwizard Tournament -- all of which he learned out of books. With Hermione's help. Yet he's supposed to teach Hermione because they've learned all they can out of books? WTF?
At least in OotP, though, Harry's extra lessons, the Occlumency ones, *meant* something. He blew them off out of petulance, stubbornness, and a belief they weren't necessary, and he paid for it. Big time, with the death of someone he loved. And he immediately starts blaming Snape for it, which is totally wrong, but it's in character, it's psychologically understandable, and adds an interesting depth to his character (especially if on an unconscious level he realizes it's mostly his fault, which is unclear). I thought it was great. Imagine my surprise when, after it was such a huge deal in OotP, it's not even remotely important in HBP because Voldemort decided to shut down the link. Follow the surprise with horror when, in DH, the link isn't only inexplicably open, but Harry still doesn't make any effort to shut it down from his side -- and then he's RIGHT! Having the open link is a GOOD thing! It's what gives them all the info they need to find and destroy the remaining horcruxes!!! GYAHH!!!
Then, as you said, all the extra "lessons" in HBP, all of which could have been compressed into, "Harry, I think you should know more about your enemy. Let's sit down over tea and talk about this." Followed by a second, "Okay, so we aren't 100% confident on this, but I'm pretty sure this is why Voldemort didn't die when you were a baby, and what we need to do in order to reverse that." Two lengthy conversations. No ridiculous tasks about obtaining memories, no claims that Harry was actually *learning* anything remotely useful (except for the 'what's a horcrux?' lesson). Or better yet, he could have actually *had* real lessons, where he learned real skills and strategies, with the horcrux info as one day's study.
And yes, finally in DH, where school was totally nothing at all. The folks at Hogwarts were surviving and growing, without their classes or with their classes totally distorted. That, frankly, would have been interesting to see (though darker then I generally like to read). HRH weren't at school, they were wandering the country on particular tasks. Also potentially interesting. If they were actually DOING anything! Studying, learning more about how to get by on the run, evasion techniques, digging for information on horcruxes, dueling, dark magic. Anything. But as you said, they spend the entire time sitting around waiting for something to happen. What a waste.
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The thing that I thought was frankly rather stupid in the setup of the DA was Hermione's reason for having Harry tutor them in the first place. "We need to learn more than we've learned in class, and we've learned all we possibly can out of books. We need *Harry* to teach us, because he's extra-special good at Defense!" Yeah, except... he started with Expelliarmus, which they'd all learned together in second year Dueling Club, but somehow no one else knew. And he ended with the Patronus Charm, which he did learn in special one-on-one lessons. However, they didn't even practice against a *fake* Dementor, so it really wasn't any better than studying it out of a book would have been. Every other spell they worked on was one that Harry learned while studying for the Triwizard Tournament -- all of which he learned out of books. With Hermione's help. Yet he's supposed to teach Hermione because they've learned all they can out of books? WTF?
At least in OotP, though, Harry's extra lessons, the Occlumency ones, *meant* something. He blew them off out of petulance, stubbornness, and a belief they weren't necessary, and he paid for it. Big time, with the death of someone he loved. And he immediately starts blaming Snape for it, which is totally wrong, but it's in character, it's psychologically understandable, and adds an interesting depth to his character (especially if on an unconscious level he realizes it's mostly his fault, which is unclear). I thought it was great. Imagine my surprise when, after it was such a huge deal in OotP, it's not even remotely important in HBP because Voldemort decided to shut down the link. Follow the surprise with horror when, in DH, the link isn't only inexplicably open, but Harry still doesn't make any effort to shut it down from his side -- and then he's RIGHT! Having the open link is a GOOD thing! It's what gives them all the info they need to find and destroy the remaining horcruxes!!! GYAHH!!!
Then, as you said, all the extra "lessons" in HBP, all of which could have been compressed into, "Harry, I think you should know more about your enemy. Let's sit down over tea and talk about this." Followed by a second, "Okay, so we aren't 100% confident on this, but I'm pretty sure this is why Voldemort didn't die when you were a baby, and what we need to do in order to reverse that." Two lengthy conversations. No ridiculous tasks about obtaining memories, no claims that Harry was actually *learning* anything remotely useful (except for the 'what's a horcrux?' lesson). Or better yet, he could have actually *had* real lessons, where he learned real skills and strategies, with the horcrux info as one day's study.
And yes, finally in DH, where school was totally nothing at all. The folks at Hogwarts were surviving and growing, without their classes or with their classes totally distorted. That, frankly, would have been interesting to see (though darker then I generally like to read). HRH weren't at school, they were wandering the country on particular tasks. Also potentially interesting. If they were actually DOING anything! Studying, learning more about how to get by on the run, evasion techniques, digging for information on horcruxes, dueling, dark magic. Anything. But as you said, they spend the entire time sitting around waiting for something to happen. What a waste.