Merlin never understood what the big deal was about parseltongues. Talking to snakes was the basis for some of the most standard ambush magic there was.
Unfortunately, when the horse gave way to the automobile, he had to give it up. He held a grudge against cars for years.
Then he realized cars didn't mean you couldn't use snakes. They just meant you had to make the snakes bigger. He didn't care what your method of conveyance was, a snake that was twenty feet around was going to make you stop and think for a minute.
Or he could use them to poke holes in the tires. But that wasn't nearly as much fun.
