*smiles, since 'Four Horsemen' sounds familiar, although he can't recall from where or from what* You were a Ravenclaw, then? *glances over the titles* No, these probably wouldn't. They look like they're supposed to supplement whatever you learn from your... *hesitates slightly, and keeps going* From your instructor. Depending on the relative strength of... Well, I suppose the "animal spirit" that someone is inviting in compared to whatever may or may not have taken up residence inside already, it's possible the animal spirit will chase anything else out. *definitely not so in the case of werewolves, since the virus is extremely agressive and possessive*
It's not certain. Not many people are registered Animagus to start with, so it's hard to say what applies to Animagi as a class as opposed to what applies to an individual Animagus. They say that your forms will match, but that doesn't mean your Animagus form will be a roadrunner. It's possible that the form your Patronus takes may change once you successfully complete the transformation.
I think there is some overlap with Native American practices, since one of the key ingredients to induce the dream is the liquid from a type of American cactus#. *grins* Part of the reason we never bothered with that step was because it's very difficult to get your hands on the stuff -- legitimately or otherwise -- when you're a teenager. And even then, while the dream-scrying will help you identify what sort of animal you're likely to be, it's sometimes possible to shift it a little bit. There are theories that say that every land-dwelling creature has a sea-dwelling counterpart, and an avian counterpart, which are matched in terms of temperament and... well, personality. *frowns* But I'm not entirely sure what's involved in doing that -- only that I've read that it's possible.
*nods, but remains unconvinced -- being able to do something and being able to teach it are two entirely different things and he and Remus have had several, loud arguments about how Sirius would never help Remus with Arithmancy or with his Charms theory, and Sirius shouting back that he'd written out all of the fucking answers and what more did Remus bloody want from him*
*raises an eyebrow* I've never taken Polyjuice, so I wouldn't know. The transformation doesn't hurt, if that's what you're wondering.
*listens to Q recite what he knows* *in reference to physical characteristics* Those can show up and make up your idiosyncratic markings. Additionally, magical injuries carry over from one form to the other, but mundane injuries don't.
*about communicating with animals* *simply* I can. Although... *thinks back* I was able to get them to understand me before I transformed for the first time, so I don't know if it's because I'm Animagus or not.