"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." 
  
  Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville's cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron's smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair. 
  
  "I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly." 
  
  She left the chamber. Harry swallowed. 
  
  "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" he asked Ron. 
  
  "Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking." 
  
  Harry's heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn't know any magic yet -- what on earth would he have to do? He hadn't expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she'd learned and wondering which one she'd need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He'd never been more nervous, never, not even when he'd had to take a school report home to the Dursleys saying that he'd somehow turned his teacher's wig blue. He kept his eyes fixed on the door. Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom. 
  
  (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone) 


The progressive form doesn’t seem to denote Fred’s ongoing joking activity for of course he's not joking now, but the imperfective effect of the activity. That is, he joked in the past but still now Ron hasn’t got the conclusion that his words were only joke. Is this what the aspect is saying? I mean can progressive aspects express the ongoing effect of an activity?

If that's not the case, does the aspect express the internal viewpoint: Ron reminds of the event not as an outsider but an participant in it?


Question: High pitched noise from Shower
Answer: My tub spout would make an awful squeal when the shower stopper was pulled up (air in the line trying to escape the poorly seating valve). It would change pitch and stop sometimes if I jiggled the lever right. Find the offending unit and ask to replace their tub spout. Tell them why and they will almost certainly agree to it. A change in pressure may get it to stop momentarily. Take a shot in the dark and cycle your faucet valves on and off to attempt re-seating the seal of your neighbors' tub spout stopper valve, when you hear it howling. Or be proactive, finding out whose it is and whose job it is to fix it.